New family member!

[Harry]

Hey everyone- new member here. Just got my first Bearded Dragon today at the pet store. The guy at the store gave me some basic feeding instructions etc. just want to follow up here with some questions.

Would it be ok to house my baby bearrded with my strawberry poison Arrow frogs untill the bearded gets big? I could put up mesh on one side and keep that side moist for the frog and keep the other side HOT!

My parents are freaking out that I bought the dragon and need ANOTHER cage!

Thanks!!!

 

[Jp]

Hello & Welcome. Unfortunately, ur going 2 have 2 house them separately. The humidity required for the frogs will not be good for the dragon's health. Have u done any research on Bearded Dragons b4 2days purchase?

 

[Harry]

No. I never even saw a dragon until today. They are so cute. I love how little they are. My parents won't buy me a dog so this is perfect. Also, can you take them out of their enclosure if you keep a heating pad or something with them to keep the temps up? I spend weekends at my dads house and want to take the dragon with in the car when I go..

Thanks

 

[Jp]

I agree, they are very cute. Some animals require extra attention & money & I can understand why your parents might be upset. When you got your dragon today, we're u able to get lights as well?
Bearded Dragons require proper lighting & temperatures for digestion & overall health. They also require calcium 4-5 times a week which is usually applied to live feeders (crickets, superworms,
mealworms, silkworms, roaches, etc.) Vitamins are also good 2-3 times a week & is applied the same as calcium. Diet for a juvenile dragon should be 90% protein & 10% fruit & veg.
As far as handling your dragon, it's good 2 get them out to explore & they really do enjoy it. I let my dragons out daily for about an hour, heat pads aren't necessary or recommended for use.
If you plan on taking your dragon over to your dad's for the weekend, it would be better if you had an enclosure over there also. Like I mentioned above, it can cost money.

 

[Daeyang]

I'm sorry but you need ANOTHER TANK. A BIG ONE. Even if it is a baby, they grow extremely large, even though now its a tiny baby. Do not house it with your frogs, it will die shortly... research before buying pets :/

 

[Harry]

Ok my parents are pissed. I told them I could put the frogs with the bearded dragon. I need to build a new cage for the dragon TODAY. I have wood and some left over chicken wire from my moms garden. WHAT SIZE should I build this???

 

[drgnfly2265]

Congrats on your new beardie (even though the parents aren't happy, lol). I'm glad that you found this forum!

The minimum size that is recommended for a beardie to live in is a 40 gal. breeder tank (not exactly sure of the size that they are). If you make one yourself make sure that the beardie has more floor space to walk around on that height in the tank. They aren't really climbers when they are adults like they are as babies. Although having a basking spot that they can climb up to to bask is good to have.

What information did the petstore guy tell you? Most of the time they can give out information that can be bad for your beardie, that's why I'm glad that you found this site

Don't use any loose partical flooring like sand (or any sand that says that is "safe" for reptiles), small rocks, crushed walnut. I use a non-adhesive shelf liner (with no holes) that you cut to fit what space you have and just put it in. When the beardie poops, all you have to do is wipe it up. Other members use tile, paper towls, or reptiles carpet.

As for food, check out this website!
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Babies needs A LOT of protien! Babies/juvies need 80% protien (bugs) and 20% vegies. Some babies are stuborn and might not want to eat their vegies, but you will still want to provide some to him. Try to stay away from mealworms.

I take Yaddle and Midna place with me a lot when I go places. Check out Yaddle's Facebook page below and you can see pics of her adventers, lol. If you take your beardie out with you make sure that you have a harness and leash. It's a great way to know that if they decide to have a burst of energy and jump and run, you know they can't get to far (Yaddle tried that with me once ). It is a lot of fun to take them places! Just make sure that it's not too cold out.

Wow, I can't believe how much I just typed, lol I really hope that I helped. If you have anyother questions please ask!

 

[drgnfly2265]

Oh, I forgot to say we would love to see pics!!!

 

[Harry]

Here is the final Design. I think its pretty secure. He wont be able to get under the wood and the chicken wire is too small for him to climb through.

Thanks for all the great advice!

 

[drgnfly2265]

Is that for when you are outside and you want him to get some sun? Or are you going to use that inside as his permanent home? How will you hold your temps if that is for inside use? Are you going to attach a bottom to it? They can wiggle under small spaces really good...

 

[Mountain Bearded Dragons]

NO never house to different things to together there is different requirements for both of them get a different space for your beardie and welcome.

 

[Harry]

This is the cage for my basement. I am going to put newspapers under it.

Also can I dig up earth worms instead of crickets?

 

[Daeyang]

NOOO never evvvvver catch bugs! They can be diseased and have parasites. They also need heat lamps and cannot be kept in the cold of a basement. They need heat lamps and a basking zone of at LEAST 100˚

 

[Jp]

Hey, Harry. What you have built is not a proper enclosure to house a dragon in because it cannot hold in any temperature needed for basking (like drgnfly mentioned above). This would make a good outside cage for hot days but that's about it. You really should have done some research on these animals before you purchased one, just so you had a better understanding of what their basic needs are. I know that getting a new animal is way cool but there are responsibilities to owning & properly caring for that animal that should always be taken into consideration, no matter what animal it is. I wouldn't recommend digging up earthworms or feeding insects from the outdoors 2 your pet, pesticides & fertilizers contain toxins that are poisonous to your new pet. Stick with the live feeders provided by pet stores.

 

[Daeyang]

im sorry but i would just bring it back .__.

 

[Jp]

im sorry but i would just bring it back .__.

I agree 100%. Once you've studied up on Bearded Dragons & are able to properly care for & house one, consider buying another.

 

[Daeyang]

Exactly, because these creatures, need A LOT of care, and they need the right enclosure, food, temperature, and they also need weekly soaks in a bath Research before buying for ANY pet.

 

[Mountain Bearded Dragons]

Exactly, because these creatures, need A LOT of care, and they need the right enclosure, food, temperature, and they also need weekly soaks in a bath Research before buying for ANY pet.

I agree and they are very rewarding pets once you have anything and if you dont have the time to handel and feed them a healthy diet then there is no point because they need alot of interaction and a very healthy diet to live and they cant live on earthworms and crickets they need healthy salads and you can do alot of reasearch on beautifuldragons.com . But do your homework before you get these amazing lizards like everyone has said.

 

[Harry]

Hey guys thanks for your help so far. I know some of you had tried to discourage me from using my cage design but I can tell you first hand it is working wonderfully. I have put a lightbulb on top to make it warm. I am going to start SELLING the design on ebay this weekend. I have purchased enough chicken wire to make 3 more of them. I think they will be a hot seller as some of the cages for turtles and birds an cost upwards of 100 bucks.

If anyone is interested in buying one let me konw. I am also in the process of coming up with a new design for a cage to keep in the car over weekend stays at my fathers. If anyone wants the plans I can scan them in for you.

Also, do bearded dragons like water? My neighbor has a large fish tank and I would love to let my baby bearded dragon go for a swim!

 

[Daeyang]

I give up on you, its pointless. im sorry but its going to be very unhappy, and NO they will not swim in fish tanks =______= R.E.S.E.A.R.C.H. god >>