New addition-Bearded Dragon
Discussion
So after a long wait reasearching, getting all the gear and setting it up I finally picked he/she up yesterday. They are nameless so far I had liked the name Sid but not 100% yet. He's only around 10 weeks old at the moment and seems to be settling in well and eating loads of crickets. Fun to watch him stalking and eating them. Got a 4foot tank as that will allow him to grow into it and save money in the long run. I had planned to set him up down stair in one of the livingrooms in an alcove but the dimensions given online seem to have been internal so it was just a fraction too wide, so he's set up in my office which is probably better as he will get more peace and quiet.
I've put a few stones in for him and a peice of log, he seems to like trying out the different level to regulate his temperature but doesn't go near the cool end. It's not recommended you use any sand when they're <6 months so I've cut some tiles to fit the bottom of the tank as I've recently put a bathroom in.
I've put a few stones in for him and a peice of log, he seems to like trying out the different level to regulate his temperature but doesn't go near the cool end. It's not recommended you use any sand when they're <6 months so I've cut some tiles to fit the bottom of the tank as I've recently put a bathroom in.
Very cute!
Bought our beardie (Ollie) two years ago and he's become part of the family. They're extremely sociable with humans (ours thinks he is human I think).
Good choice to avoid sand / loose substrate as many a beardie has died through impaction. Sounds like you've done your homework
Any questions, feel free to shout.
Bought our beardie (Ollie) two years ago and he's become part of the family. They're extremely sociable with humans (ours thinks he is human I think).
Good choice to avoid sand / loose substrate as many a beardie has died through impaction. Sounds like you've done your homework
Any questions, feel free to shout.
Lovely! I can't wait until mines that size! I've got a couple of sizes of hoppers to feed him and crickets. What I picked up as a rule of thumb is to not feed them anything wider than the distance between the eyes and therefore throat. The bigger ones seem huge and wonder where he puts them! He's settling in well, eating veg and feeding himself by hunting and also taking a cricket or two from my hand.
I would have liked to have got an unwanted Beardie as there are allot out there, but the closest to me was a 4.5hr round trip and I wasn't sure how well they'd travel.
I would have liked to have got an unwanted Beardie as there are allot out there, but the closest to me was a 4.5hr round trip and I wasn't sure how well they'd travel.
You're doing well to have him eating greens! It's often a struggle to get younger dragons to eat much veg.
Yeah, your right about the food size / distance between the eyes thing but don't worry too much if the odd hopper etc is a little bit bigger. I found that when Ollie was tiny like yours he pretty much ignored anything smaller than the gap between his eyes.
You will find that crickets hide around the rocks in the viv too, so keep an eye on that. They'll come out at night and may disturb / irritate your dragon, or worse could give him a little nip. Either get all the crickets he hasn't eaten out before lights out or leave some veg in the viv overnight to distract any crickets.
Yeah, your right about the food size / distance between the eyes thing but don't worry too much if the odd hopper etc is a little bit bigger. I found that when Ollie was tiny like yours he pretty much ignored anything smaller than the gap between his eyes.
You will find that crickets hide around the rocks in the viv too, so keep an eye on that. They'll come out at night and may disturb / irritate your dragon, or worse could give him a little nip. Either get all the crickets he hasn't eaten out before lights out or leave some veg in the viv overnight to distract any crickets.
I have two beardies called Barry and Doris. I only got them at Christmas and I have fallen head over heels in love with them.
Barry is quite happy to keep himself to himself stuck up a branch but Doris goes crazy when I come in from work. Whenever I enter the room, she scratches at the glass to get out! Here's a pic of her waiting for me to open the viv and let her run around!
You can see in the background I have created a sandpit for them and filled this with calcium sand. It's really good for them as the crickets get a nice coating of this when they're hopping around. My beardies are approx a year and a half old so the sand is fine for them.
They both love the crickets which I feed them daily but when it comes to other foods, they each have their preference. Doris loves to eat the veg I put in and Barry loves the locusts. They each love meal worms and often eat then from my hand. I don't feed them the worms too often as they're rather fattening but they seem to love them!!
Your beardie will capture your heart (if it hasn't already) and before you know it, he/she will have you wrapped around their little finger! I'm hoping mine will breed soon as I missed out on the first year of their life and would love to see the babies develop.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Beardies!
Barry is quite happy to keep himself to himself stuck up a branch but Doris goes crazy when I come in from work. Whenever I enter the room, she scratches at the glass to get out! Here's a pic of her waiting for me to open the viv and let her run around!
You can see in the background I have created a sandpit for them and filled this with calcium sand. It's really good for them as the crickets get a nice coating of this when they're hopping around. My beardies are approx a year and a half old so the sand is fine for them.
They both love the crickets which I feed them daily but when it comes to other foods, they each have their preference. Doris loves to eat the veg I put in and Barry loves the locusts. They each love meal worms and often eat then from my hand. I don't feed them the worms too often as they're rather fattening but they seem to love them!!
Your beardie will capture your heart (if it hasn't already) and before you know it, he/she will have you wrapped around their little finger! I'm hoping mine will breed soon as I missed out on the first year of their life and would love to see the babies develop.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Beardies!
hornetrider said:
Wow, awesome. How big is he? Would you mind if I asked their typical behaviours (I'm not into keeping lizards as pets!)
Ollie's about 18" now and weighs half a kilo (he was about 5" and weighed 18grams when we first got him). He's pretty much fully grown now. As for behaviour, beardies are known for their friendly temperament and are the perfect reptile for the inexperienced, but I had no idea what a large part of your life a beardie can become. Not because they are demanding to keep, but because they are very sociable and love affection and attention. I must admit, when we first got Ollie, I thought he would be 'interesting' but had no idea how loveable beardie's can be. When I let him out of his viv, Ollie will run upstairs and jump onto a chair in our bedroom so he can look out of the window. He'll also climb up me and snuggle into my neck for a cuddle when he's tired (I s
t you not).If you do your homework and understand how to keep them safe and happy, they make fantastic pets.
Toyowner said:
Interesting stuff. Whats the deal with young/sand then ?
If beardies are kept on sand, they'll generally swallow some sand by mistake when they eat their food. This sand tends not to pass through them very well, so as time goes by they end up with a stomach full of sand, which hardens and blocks everything up. If that happens, its often terminal, especially in younger beardies.Heathwood said:
If beardies are kept on sand, they'll generally swallow some sand by mistake when they eat their food. This sand tends not to pass through them very well, so as time goes by they end up with a stomach full of sand, which hardens and blocks everything up. If that happens, its often terminal, especially in younger beardies.
Thanks !Very nice LadyB, awesome pics. I'd have loved 2 but as they're supposedly impossible to sex at the age I got mine and unless you want to breed them or can get 2 females it seems a bit of a no go. Some do seem to have 2 males but if one doesn't become submissve they can fight to the death! In the wild they're a solitary creature that only tend to come together to mate.
Mine was housed with another baby, he looked smaller than mine yet more mobile. He didn't have as nice markings or colour when I chose mine IMO which is why I went for mine who I've now called Sid. I've moved onto larger hoppers for him now they do look large compared to him but they're definatly not wider than the gap between the eyes so are OK. He goes nuts now when he see the box of hoppers come out and ate 6 last night.
Now that he seems more settled I've been handling him allot more, which he seems fine with. Tried to capture a few eating shots but he was too quick scoffing them up! I'm looking forward to him getting bigger, he's a little fragile with his size. I measured him and he's about 7" long I'm going to weigh him later too. He seems to pick a different place to sleep every night so far, sometimes up on his log and others down on the ground between some rocks or under his log.
Nom nom nom!!
What are you looking at?!
Mine was housed with another baby, he looked smaller than mine yet more mobile. He didn't have as nice markings or colour when I chose mine IMO which is why I went for mine who I've now called Sid. I've moved onto larger hoppers for him now they do look large compared to him but they're definatly not wider than the gap between the eyes so are OK. He goes nuts now when he see the box of hoppers come out and ate 6 last night.
Now that he seems more settled I've been handling him allot more, which he seems fine with. Tried to capture a few eating shots but he was too quick scoffing them up! I'm looking forward to him getting bigger, he's a little fragile with his size. I measured him and he's about 7" long I'm going to weigh him later too. He seems to pick a different place to sleep every night so far, sometimes up on his log and others down on the ground between some rocks or under his log.
Nom nom nom!!
What are you looking at?!
Heathwood said:
hornetrider said:
Wow, awesome. How big is he? Would you mind if I asked their typical behaviours (I'm not into keeping lizards as pets!)
Ollie's about 18" now and weighs half a kilo (he was about 5" and weighed 18grams when we first got him). He's pretty much fully grown now. As for behaviour, beardies are known for their friendly temperament and are the perfect reptile for the inexperienced, but I had no idea what a large part of your life a beardie can become. Not because they are demanding to keep, but because they are very sociable and love affection and attention. I must admit, when we first got Ollie, I thought he would be 'interesting' but had no idea how loveable beardie's can be. When I let him out of his viv, Ollie will run upstairs and jump onto a chair in our bedroom so he can look out of the window. He'll also climb up me and snuggle into my neck for a cuddle when he's tired (I s
t you not).If you do your homework and understand how to keep them safe and happy, they make fantastic pets.
I wouldn’t trust them to be alone with a dog or a cat, or when the Dragon was a baby. My Black Lab is very interested in ours but wouldn’t leave them together while he’s just a baby. They can grow up to around 2 feet so I suppose at that point they may look less like dinner to a cat!
All reptiles can potentially carry salmonella which is worth remembering if a dog or cat were to sniff or lick one.
All reptiles can potentially carry salmonella which is worth remembering if a dog or cat were to sniff or lick one.
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