help with bearded dragon care

[fruitcaketom]

hi ive just aquired a bearded dragon it is about a foot long and 11 weeks old. can anybodey tell me how much fruit & vegetables and crickets it would need on a daily basis, also the best way to give it water.
any help would be much appreciated.

[elljhitch]

Well, feed it as many crickets as it'll eat in a 10-15 minute period. Just keep it supplied with green veg all the time and spray the viv to keep it moist, you can have a water bowl if you wish but the beardie will get hydrated from the veg and moisture!

[fruitcaketom]

thanks, great help.

[awh]

for a chart of which veg is ok and whats not check this web site Nutrition Content

its better to bathe your dragon than spray the viv as spraying will increase humidity which is no good for bearded dragons

baby warm water up to its shoulders for 10-15 mins every other day is better as they say they absorb water through their vent

[Snake_Charmer]

spray the viv?! australian bearded dragons are desert lizards... high humidity is bad...

and aye, that is a good site for a guideline of what to feed... veg wise...

make sure you have uv tube (changed every 6 mths)

calcium powder - such as nutrobal

crickets should not be left in - feed what he will eat in about 20mins or untill he is done (this can vary from only a few cricks to about 10!) and be careful not to feed crickets that are too big as he can choke or regurge...

when he is old enough you can offer locusts, but limit the number of wax wormsor meal worms you feed - the former being high in chitin which is difficult to digest and low in certain nutrients and the latter being high in suggar and fat and low in vits... also i would not persanally feed pinkies as high in fat...

:edit:

as for water - a bowl is fine at the cool end and change once a day (to reduce bacteria build up) excessive drinking can be signs of kidney problems... you can also bathe your beardie (the seem to realy enjoy it) in a shallow bath of tepid water (as said baby - warm)...

and NEVER be afraid to ask questions... and enjoy your new baby!

[Sambee]

Originally Posted by elljhitch

Well, feed it as many crickets as it'll eat in a 10-15 minute period. Just keep it supplied with green veg all the time and spray the viv to keep it moist, you can have a water bowl if you wish but the beardie will get hydrated from the veg and moisture!

As snake charmer has said, DO NOT SPRAY A BEARDIES VIV!!!

There is such a high risk of your beardie getting a respititory infection (these things can and have killed)...beardies get all their moisture from live food and veg, no extra water is needed.

[fruitcaketom]

thanks guys. also when the uva and basking light are turned off at night the temp drops to 60 deg c, is there anything i can use to increase the temp without bright lights.

[RyKate]

Are you sure it's 11 weeks old - 12 inches seems like he could be a bit older... Should be fine overnight, they don't usually need extra heat at night, gets very cold in the desert! Good luck!

[Aunty_Lizard]

Ok I normally say to people who buy hatchlings from us they feed twice daily and as many as they will eat in 10mins.. You will find that in the first 6 months of their life they will shed on fairly regular basis, as in almost as soon as they have shed they will start again.

I dont keep water in with my beardies.. I tend to bathe them once a week. they will drink the water if they need to then.


A loose substrate at this age is not advisable. Either keep them on kitchen roll, lino or tiles.

As said in above post they do not need heat at night as a house temp even in winter rarely falls below what they would have in the austrailian outback.

Liz

[Snake_Charmer]

Originally Posted by fruitcaketom

thanks guys. also when the uva and basking light are turned off at night the temp drops to 60 deg c, is there anything i can use to increase the temp without bright lights.

what?! way too high for even a day temp...

30-32 deg celcius during day dropping by 5-10 deg at night