Getting a bearded dragon for my son next week, happy for any newbie advice!

[bluebee]

Hi there, my son has been amazingly passionate about reptiles since he was 2 years old. We told him he could have a pet reptile when he was 7. He has been dreaming about this day for years and turns 7 in a fortnight, so we are all very excited. We feel that a bearded dragon is a good way to start, which he is delighted about, (although he has a preference for a snake I'm positive this will only be the start for him!).


We have found a place to buy a Central (Centralian?) bearded dragon in Nerang QLD that seems reputable. They have red's and multi-coloureds.


Wondering if anyone would like to offer some newbie advice for hopefully not silly questions...


Should we get a male or female? Or can you not tell when they are young anyway?


Could the enclosure be situated in his bedroom, are lights etc noisy?


We bought some DIY enclosure plans off the net, haven't had a chance to look at them yet, but are we better off just buying a ready made? (hubby is pretty handy with woodwork).


Has anyone tried the 'Cricket Keeper', we can buy crickets at our local pet shop, but are we better off keeping our own?


Happy to hear any advice for a first timers.


Thanks!

 

[Crazycow232]

Hi and welcome

The right size tank for a central bearded dragon is 120 cm with Uv and a heat lamp. i used sand as a substrate but some will advise againts it as it may cause blockages possibly leading to death. A basking spot between 35-45 is good (mines at 37 mostly).

as a hatchy you cant tell if they are female or male (unless you are a freak)

i have my enclosure in my bedroom set to 6:30am to 6:00pm (it is a usefull alarm clock the lights, wakes me up for school ). i have a manual timer that makes a little noise but it dosent phase me.

i keep and breed woddies (roaches). I was told by the people on this forum that woodies are better and easier to breed. just a plastic container (27L) with vasaline round the sides, lots of holes in the roof (i mean alot), egg cartons and i chuck in a few of the hard bits of bokchoy (a good veggie for bearded dragons).

do lots of reasech over the next fortnight and try to by a beardy that is active and holds itself up while walking ( i was told this aswell)

hope i help and good luck

 

[Jarrod_H]

Wood roaches are the way to go if you want to breed your own food, you will need plenty of lid ventilation. cut most of the inner lid out and buy some fly mesh and glue gun it down over the cutout. I got a 3ft glass tank and made up a fly screen lid. I think Vaseline is and messy, I prefer and use fluon. Have fun with your new fella

I don't get why most people go bearded dragons when there are pink tongue, blue tongue and Cunningham skinks, the temps don't need to reach as high, you can feed them lean chicken and beef mince as well as small amounts of Cat food, they aren't as flighty and I think easier to care for.

 

[bluebee]

Thanks for your replies! We bought the enclosure today, 3ft by 2ft, a infrared light, and a UVB light, bowls, and thick vines. We are going to set it up this week so we know how it all works in preparation for its new tenant. I've been researching on the net for a while now, but its great to hear advice from owners.

Thats interesting what you say Jarrod_H, we chose the bearded dragon as we were told they are more interactive than other lizards, where we went today had a pink tongue, so its not too late to change our minds. Our son has had a 'yard pet' pink tongue, Pinky, that lived in our garden, he would find him every week or so and spend a hour with him, he seemed to like being held.

 

[ReptileMad_98]

if your getting a hatchy i wouldn't advise to use sand, when the dragon is 20 cm plus it is safer to put him/her on sand. breeding crickets is usually very stinky and messy so i would go with woodies. i kept my dragons in my room for 6 months and the tv or lights didn't seem to phase them.

 

[gando]

Yep woodies heaps easier to breed. I use carrots as food, they love it. Feed them every couple of days for a healthily stock.
There is nothing wrong with sand I have over 20 dragons and all had sand in it. They love to dig into it. It has to have a cold and a hot area. Basking should be around 38 degrees. I keep my uv light on a timer for around 10-12 hours a day for summer and 15-17 in winter. For hatching you need to feed them twice a day.


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