New Bearded Dragon owner needs help!!!

[TeeCee]

Before I get critisized let me start from the beginning....

I clean out forclosure houses for a living. I went to one particular house and while cleaning it out, found a double cage with two bearded dragons. One was dead and the other in the cage was just scooted in the corner. I have no idea how long they were there for.....water and food dishes empty, no power in the house...but at least it was summer time.

I cleaned out the cages....took the live one home and have her set up....my problem is how do I properly care for her....

There are so many conflicting stories....about feeding, watering, bathing, temperature...

When I first picked her up, she tucked into my neck and just almost settled...she loves being cuddled...but, I want to make sure I am doing everything right....I have fallen in love with her....

So please help me....

 

[leahellem]

For starters how do you know its a female and you need to have a heat source for basking which should be at one end of the tank you then need uvb source which should be a 10.0 uvb tube or bulb which you can buy from the pet store for the heating i use 100watt flood lights from bunnings which arre very cheap do the same thing, you really need the uvb thats the most important source as is reacts as the sun for uv rays and the basically need hides and decor's for the tank and you should be set oh also a thermometer for the hot side which the basking spot should be round 105-110 F if you need anything just ask goodluck

 

[Chris1]

how sad that someone would be so neglectful.

so you have the cage already set up?

Basking temps should be around 40-45, produced by a bright light since they are day time critters.

i use the reflector globes from bunnings, 60 or 75 watts in summer, 100 watts in winter, that gives me perfect temps.

food depends on age, older dragons need alot of greens/veges, while younger dragons need alot of protien (crickets and roaches) tp help them grow.
(i get bunches of chinese brocoli, bok choy, loose leaf baby rocket and endive which can all be easily found, for addititves i use sliced green beans, butternut pumpkin, carrot occasionally, a small amount of banana weekly)
i'll PM you a salad list since were not allowed to post links.

calcium is very important, without calcium they will get calcium deficiencies (metabolic bone disease) which can cripple and kill them

they also need access to UVB light so they can convert the calcium they eat to a useable form.
this comes from either an artificial source, or from regular sun.
(if using an artificial source, get an 8 or 10% tube (not coil), or better still an MVB bulb if your enclosure is big enough.)

as substrate i use washed sydney sand from bunnings, they love to dig, but again,..thats for older dragons, young dragons can get easily constipated (impacted).

steer clear of any substrates that wont pass thru well if ur dragon swallows some, some people like to use newspaper or marine carpet to eliminate the risk of substrate related impaction.

my dragons love baths, you can bath them weekly, or daily, or not at all,...thats entirely up to you. My dragons all get a bath daily and use that as their toilet so i never have to deal with stinky lizard poo cages, lol,.. !!


thats about all i can think of for now, feel free to ask questions.

 

[leahellem]

oh and you will also need some calcium powder which you sprinkle over the vegies and crickets you feed her say 3 times a week i feed mine a mix of fruits and veg and for meat i give them meal worms crickets roaches and so on, how big is it or is it a baby?

 

[dragonfoot]

Before I get critisized let me start from the beginning....

I clean out forclosure houses for a living. I went to one particular house and while cleaning it out, found a double cage with two bearded dragons. One was dead and the other in the cage was just scooted in the corner. I have no idea how long they were there for.....water and food dishes empty, no power in the house...but at least it was summer time.

I cleaned out the cages....took the live one home and have her set up....my problem is how do I properly care for her....

There are so many conflicting stories....about feeding, watering, bathing, temperature...

When I first picked her up, she tucked into my neck and just almost settled...she loves being cuddled...but, I want to make sure I am doing everything right....I have fallen in love with her....

So please help me....

Temps: cool end 30, warm end 38 with a basking spot of 40.
Lighting: you'll need a 10.0 fluorescent tube light, this will also help with MBD if it's been in an enclosure with no UV for a long time. Try and place a log so it catches most of the UV light, you'll find your beardie just chillin around there a lot. I use a 100w Phillips spot light for heat 11 hours of the day.
Food: Crickets or woodies daily, my beardie loves woodies. Baby bok choy is great for them, I mix it with squash and some capsicum or some chopped apple. Dust your live food with calcium powder and your salad with protein, I do this every second day. Also try not to feed it anything larger than the size of its head.
Enclosure: an enclosure that has a lot of places to for your beardie run explore will be great. If you plan on using sand or coco husk for substrate you can offer food in a separate dish if you're worried about impactions. I keep both water and food bowls in the cool end of my enclosure, this way the water doesn't evaporate fast and the salad won't go yuck.

Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[saintanger]

i have 2 bearded dragons aged 4 and 5 years old, i give them live crickets, meal worms, woodies, lettus, tomato, leafy greens, also a vitamin and calcium supplement which i get at the pet shop. i use a heat rock and uv light. i always make sure there is fresh water daily in their bowl. i bath them 1 or 2 times a week, i just fill the tub a quarter way and put them in. i always supervise them wen they are out of their enclosure.

is yours eastern or central bearded dragon and how old?

 

[Whp71]

No-one seems to have addressed issues which will affect your life...not the lizards.....so while the above posters have said what the reptile needs, here are a couple of things you need to look at....

Am I the only one that think these were more than likely wild-caught animals? (anyone who went through the Govt hoops to get a licence and buy legal animals wouldnt have left them after spending the money). So Id recommend letting them go if you live in their naturally occuring range.

If not, then are you a licenced keeper? because if you are you need to contact whatever dept. is applicable to you and ask about getting the animal possibly added to your records, because at the moment, if they arent wild caught, they are on the previous owners licence and not yours.

The fines for this situation can be quite hefty so Im recommending you look into things as soon as posible.

And one more thing... it may TOLERATE you "cuddling" it, but it certainly does not LOVE it!

 

[dangles]

No-one seems to have addressed issues which will affect your life...not the lizards.....so while the above posters have said what the reptile needs, here are a couple of things you need to look at....

Am I the only one that think these were more than likely wild-caught animals? (anyone who went through the Govt hoops to get a licence and buy legal animals wouldnt have left them after spending the money). So Id recommend letting them go if you live in their naturally occuring range.

If not, then are you a licenced keeper? because if you are you need to contact whatever dept. is applicable to you and ask about getting the animal possibly added to your records, because at the moment, if they arent wild caught, they are on the previous owners licence and not yours.

The fines for this situation can be quite hefty so Im recommending you look into things as soon as posible.

And one more thing... it may TOLERATE you "cuddling" it, but it certainly does not LOVE it!

When the house across the road was foreclosed, they had a week to get everything out. By the time they worked out where they were putting their belongings they had 3 days. Both worked so could only move stuff at night. The day the banks came with a locksmith to change locks they were still trying to get stuff out. They left aquariums and birds till last thinking they would be allowed to remove pets. Not a chance in hell, banks changed locks and threatened legal action if they were removed.

What I'm getting at is it may not have been their choice to leave them behind

 

[saintanger]

there are people with licences who get bored or just dont care anymore who do leave them behind. no matter what i'd break in for one of my animals no matter what one. a 2 year licence in nsw is $63, a carton of cigaretts costs more. there are no hoops, you just fill in a form and send it, within 28 days you have a licence. no ID needed no courses to show your capable ect

just like the thousands of dogs people leave behind or let lose cause they can't be bothered. or say they have no time but wen they got it they had the same amount of time and just lie and make excuses for disowning them. and most of them cost more than a licence and the price of a reptile.

no excuse, who cares wether she has a licence or not this animal has a good home, with some one willing to ask questions to give it the best care.

before reptile licencing came in heaps of people here had them illegaly kept as pets. i would not recommend letting it go as this animal may be captive breed and if so will most likely lack natural hunting instincts and may not survive in the wild. also it my not be native to the area you live in.

licencing should go out the window and people should be assesed over a 1 -2 year peroid with regular home vistits before they own anything. i have seen so many people with licences who shouldn't even own a maggot as a pet.

ring them up just don't give them your name or address, tell them your situation and if they won't let you keep her well its up to you from there.

 

[Snapped]

Isn't that stealing?
id have rung the the RSPCA, they could have taken over then its done it the legal way.
And you could have put your name on the dragon so that if it came up for adoption, then you'd be first in line.

 

[saintanger]

i have a mate who cleans out forclosure houses too anything left on the propert is to be chucked in the bin or his boss allowes him to keep it. so no it aint stealing it becomes the property of the bank or company and they can do what they want with it.

 

[WomaBoy]

Hey, how big is it ?? Post a photo? and also your a good person for helping it out. Its very sad about the other lizards passing

 

[mad_at_arms]

TeeCee is would seem your moral compass is pointing in the right direction.
Chris1 and dragonfoot have provided you with some good info.

Some of the posts in this thread have been anything but level headed, so ignore suggestions of letting it go and set your temps in Celsius.

 

[damian83]

+1 mad at arms
Your doing the something to help an animal, foot think for a second about letting it go, just apply for a licence and then go about the deccw the right way(they respond sticker to email)

 

[Raymonde]

you said "at least it was summer time" does that mean you are not in australia? or did you originally find her several months ago?

If you are in australia you will need a reptile licence, and then contact your states wildlife department and ask them how you can get this bearded dragon transferred on to you licence.

good luck with your new pet, we would love to see a picture of her

 

[Snapped]

So if the OP keeps the Beardy, and gets a licence, how do they explain how they acquired the BD? In Vic, you have to provide the licence number from where you got your reptile from.

And if it's the banks property, then yes, its probably still classed as pinching something from the house I would think. There must be rules as to what you do with any property left there?

 

[saintanger]

any property left has to be disposed of, so the house can presentable for resale. my mate does this every day for a living. the bank does not care about any animals left, they just want them gone. with every bank my mate has worked for they never ask for anything in the house he is told to dispose of any furniture or possestion in the house and to clean it.

 

[Snapped]

any property left has to be disposed of, so the house can presentable for resale. my mate does this every day for a living. the bank does not care about any animals left, they just want them gone. with every bank my mate has worked for they never ask for anything in the house he is told to dispose of any furniture or possestion in the house and to clean it.

Hmm, okay....thanks for clearing that up.

 

[TeeCee]

For starters how do you know its a female and you need to have a heat source for basking which should be at one end of the tank you then need uvb source which should be a 10.0 uvb tube or bulb which you can buy from the pet store for the heating i use 100watt flood lights from bunnings which arre very cheap do the same thing, you really need the uvb thats the most important source as is reacts as the sun for uv rays and the basically need hides and decor's for the tank and you should be set oh also a thermometer for the hot side which the basking spot should be round 105-110 F if you need anything just ask goodluck

I am assuming its female since the tank had a name on it "alice"...the other had "george". As of now I have one of the flood lights at one end of the tank along with a large heat rock and a hollow log decoration. In the middle there are branches for her to climb on (and she does). I need to get a thermometer and a UV light....I will get both today.

I have been feeding her lettuce (not iceberg), peppers, carrot, apples, mangos, crickets and mealworms.

She is about 15-18 inches long and her tank is at least twice that. Took 3 guys to move it. I have sand for a substrate and feed her in separate dishes. I change the water everyday.

I had read about bathing and did in fact put her in a tub with body temp water and its was only about 1-2 inches of water, after about 5 minutes her eyes seemed to film over for a few. I assumed she was cold, so I wrapped her up in a towel and hugged her she seemed to snap back.

Do they like to play (interaction wise), Ive read the danger food list and have stayed away from all that. Is it safe to bring her outside on a hot day in the grass? I saw someone had a picture of theirs in a ferret leash, should I be doing something similar?

I have fallen in love with her and want nothing but the best....although the name Alice doesnt fit her, I have yet to come up with the perfect name...

Once I figure out how to post pictures, I will...

I am in the US, just realized how this board is for Australia....I was researching again last night and this board seemed to be the only one that had real info, not nasty people so I joined without really reading the title, and the replies I got so fast proved I was right. In the US we dont need licenses to have bearded dragons. And I am hired to clean out the house, once the lock is on the door and the company hires me, everything inside is mine. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose...

 

[euphorion]

good luck

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