Bearded Dragons.

Sepheh

Sepheh

Sepheh

Soldato
Joined
14 Jul 2003
Posts
2,812
Location
Leeds
I am currently looking at getting a bearded dragon! It's not a light decision, as it has been something I have been wanting to do for a long time now. I'm now in a position to spend the money on getting the right sized vivarium for him to enjoy a happy life.

I am just interested in if there are any owners of bearded dragons on these forums, and their opinions are of them. Obviously a pet is a big responsibility but I'm with a partner who wants one as well and want to put the time in to making the little fella happy.

If you do have one, where did you get all your vivarium and bits from?

I have kinda figured I need to get the vivarium, a head lamp, a heat mat, some stuff for it to live in, a little water bowl etc. Is there anything else you would suggest to make it as happy as can be?

All I want to do is see it smile everyday :D (Kinda like an axolotl smiles)

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Or this guy here (but you can't cuddle him!)

axolotl1.jpg
 
Made my own 4' x 2' viv from 12.5 mdf cut to size from timber yard and all other parts from the auction site, apart from the toughened glass.

Heat lamps cost a lot and only last the same time as 100w spots, so use those.

Mine are on play sand with a few logs to climb/hide under and seem very happy.
 
Check the huge exotic pet therad! :D

Make sure you get a thermostat for whatever heating you use :)

Mine is on Lino tiles as he took to eating sand which is very bad for them if they ingest too much
 
You can just use a basic fish tank with the heat lamp drilled through the lid, however most vivariums will come with vents and front access to make feeding and cleaning easier. One thing for dragons is that you should cover all sides of the tank apart from the front, as the reflections and illusion of extra space freaks them out.

As Slyman says don't bother with heat lamps, just use halogens, but you might want to get a uv bulb for night time. Apart from that just sand, logs, rocks, maybe some vegetation (fake is ok) and a couple of bowls will keep it happy. Oh and get a spray bottle so when it gets warm you can spritz it with water to cool down.
 
Bennie-Mac said:
You can just use a basic fish tank with the heat lamp drilled through the lid, however most vivariums will come with vents and front access to make feeding and cleaning easier. One thing for dragons is that you should cover all sides of the tank apart from the front, as the reflections and illusion of extra space freaks them out.

As Slyman says don't bother with heat lamps, just use halogens, but you might want to get a uv bulb for night time. Apart from that just sand, logs, rocks, maybe some vegetation (fake is ok) and a couple of bowls will keep it happy. Oh and get a spray bottle so when it gets warm you can spritz it with water to cool down.
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They need UV light all day to help them absorb the calcium you put on their food :)
 
Hmmm, maybe when my cats bite the dust, a couple of these would suffice as replacements. Less smell, less mess, less noise.
 
My wife has a crested Gecko and when she looked at lizards she was told a Dragon takes over £10 a week to heat. No thank you, even if it is more impressive than a gecko.
 
i dont know why people are saying not to have a heat lamp, iv had a fair few bearded dragons and always use a heat lamp, remember these creatures are from the desert, so love to be warm.
 
LordSplodge said:
My wife has a crested Gecko and when she looked at lizards she was told a Dragon takes over £10 a week to heat. No thank you, even if it is more impressive than a gecko.
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I'm not sure who told you that but their maths sucks. A 100w bulb running for 12 hours a day will cost £1.26 a week at an average electricity rate of 15pence per Kwh.
 
use a heat lamp.don't use a heat mat.the only thing i will say is that when they poo it really does stink.i had 2 and they stank the house out.we kept them clean it's just when they poo
 
its been my first and only pet for the last 10 years, yes she's getting old, not much left in her but still brings me joy. made my own cage, they love stuff to climb. somewhere to bask and hide is needed. i started her on crickets diped in vitimin powder and lettice (not iceburg) i introduced locusts at a later stage, once i did this she never looked back, she wont eat crickets just locusts now so be carefull on that.
 
One thing to consider is the insects. When you decide to get a beardie you're not just committing to getting a lizard but also keeping live crickets and locusts. This can be a big issue especially if you're girlfriend is freaked out by insects like mine.

When mine was young he would eat roughly 100 small crickets a day but now he's an adult he only eats about 20 locusts a week.
 
Essential Equipment:


Vivarium (Will need a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft as an adult as a minimum) Melamime type is the best. Fishtanks are very very poor for lizards in general.
Thermostat
Heat lamp
UV Tube (At a minimum a 10% UV, 12% is better) and controller. Needs to be changed every 6-9 months as the UV output does not last long. It will still light up, but no good for the beardies health.

They do not need water bowls, though you can if you like. Should use dechlorinated water, I use bottled water from Costco.

They need to be fed live food every day, as well as greens, such as rocket, kale, watercress, carrot (not too much), Peppers, butternut squash etc. They can have apple as a treat.

DO NOT:
Buy more than 1 in a tank. 2 males will fight, male and female will mate constantly (very bad for female and your wallet) and 2 females might get on, but one will probably bully the other.
Use a heatmat. They sense heat from above, not from below. They do not want or need heat from underneath. It can end up burning them.

Always use a thermostat. I use Thermocontrol PRO II as they control both lighting (on at 6am, off at 8pm) and the ceramic heat lamp.
 
Beardies are easy to look after. I would say get a viv/tank made of wood with a glass front so the beardie has a lot of privacy, make sure it has a little hide/hut inside. Fresh veg/fruit/salad is a must every day, i use all different kinds like blueberries, strawberries, banana, rocket salad, peppers, cress, spinach etc etc etc :p. I order 25 locust off ebay every 4 days ish (7 delivered). A UV bulb is a must for at least 12 hours a day and a heat bulb at 90f on the warm side of the tank during the day, then around 85f at night. I let my beardie roam round the house every now and then, when he wants to go back home he makes his own way back in his house :D. I give him a bath every couple of weeks, he does like a swim and it helps with his bowl movements :p. I use play sand from toys r us in his viv and change that once a month.

Heres butters :).

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And they will eat anything they see, so be careful, I had mine out in the garden on a hot day and he ate a pebble!
DSC00069.jpg
 
PhillyDee said:
Essential Equipment:


Vivarium (Will need a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft as an adult as a minimum) Melamime type is the best. Fishtanks are very very poor for lizards in general.
Thermostat
Heat lamp
UV Tube (At a minimum a 10% UV, 12% is better) and controller. Needs to be changed every 6-9 months as the UV output does not last long. It will still light up, but no good for the beardies health.

They do not need water bowls, though you can if you like. Should use dechlorinated water, I use bottled water from Costco.

They need to be fed live food every day, as well as greens, such as rocket, kale, watercress, carrot (not too much), Peppers, butternut squash etc. They can have apple as a treat.

DO NOT:
Buy more than 1 in a tank. 2 males will fight, male and female will mate constantly (very bad for female and your wallet) and 2 females might get on, but one will probably bully the other.
Use a heatmat. They sense heat from above, not from below. They do not want or need heat from underneath. It can end up burning them.

Always use a thermostat. I use Thermocontrol PRO II as they control both lighting (on at 6am, off at 8pm) and the ceramic heat lamp.
Click to expand...

I didn't think they should eat Iceburg lettece as it can lead to dehydration and/or the runs?
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
 
Correct, Iceburg lettuce is very poor nutritionally, thats a good chart in that link!

Also, you must dust all food with calcium powder, and twice a week with a Vitamin supplement such as Nutrobal. (Applies to all reptiles).
 
After careful consideration I have decided my current flat is to small to keep one in (1 bed flat) and that it would be scared by the music I play a lot of the time or the games I play. Also with working the hours I do, sometimes getting home at 4am or sometimes starting work at 6 it's probably not fair to put a pet through that. I'll wait till I have a bigger flat with a spare room for it to stay in!
 
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