Just checking I have everything right!

[sharky]

Okay, so I am getting my new BD Monday (YAY!). She's only small yet (Born 26.12.12) and I am just checking that I am doing everything correct. It has been ages since I have had a baby beardie Please correct me on any of this information, I need to know!!!

I picked up a 78litre tub from Bunnings yesterday as temporary home for her until she gets a little bigger.(4ftx2x2 tank is still in the process of being finished) Pics are attatched(Is much bigger in real life and taken from crappy camera ). All rocks/branches and coconut shell have been soaked in disenfectant for 24hours and sun dried in the hot weather Sand was washed, dried then sifted.
I have a 30watt heat mat underneath(sitting on melamine board) and a 150 watt globe in a reflector dome. Hot/basking spots sit at 45degrees. General temps are 35 hot end and around 27-30 cool end. Is this too hot or are they good?
'clip on' UVB light should be arriving tomorrow for her

I will be feeding her small crickets dusted in calcium powder 3 times a day. How often do I use the do I use the Vitamin powder??? Once a week or every ? feeds???
Will also be supplying vegies. Wheteher or not she takes them we will wait and see

I am waiting 1 day to let her settle in and then will try feeding on tuesday.
When can I start to handle her? I was thinking Tuesday if she feeds or should I wait longer?

Sorry for the silly questions....been ages since I adopted in a lizard!!!!
All help appreciated

 

[dangles]

Some breeders will recommend paper over sand as substrate to prevent any chance of impaction. The choice however is yours.

 

[bk201]

Is the mesh the lights sitting on only sticky taped or glued down as it would get very hot with a 150w globe.
otherwise in this heat just keep an eye on the temps

 

[maddog-1979]

with that setup a 40w globe will do the job, no need for the heat mat. i only dust food with calcium 2-3 times a week when young, if you are using vitamin powder too just replace one of the calcium dusted meals, as most of the vitamin powders have calcium added also. nothing wrong with sand as long you keep husbandry standards up.

you probly wont have to wait a day to feed, they should feed right away

i would not keep the heat light set up like that either, 150w sitting on a plastic tub is asking for a fire

 

[Reptile_Maniac]

Hey sharky,

Looks like your almost prepared! They're great lizards I'm sure you will love them. As mentioned before most people use a substrate that cannot be digested by the bearded dragons, as compaction can kill beardies! I use fake grass from bunnings, you simply cut it to the tanks size using a stanley knife. The grass looks nice and is easy to clean. I suggest you remove some of the objects inside the tank as I assume it will be harder for the beardies to catch their live food, the water bowl can be removed as at a young age beardies will only lick small droplets of spray running down the tanks walls. Also cut some more holes to ensure the tank is well ventillated as soon the entire tank will stink. As beardies rapidly grow when juvinilles I recommend feed them thinly sliced meat during the first few months. No need to dust theyre crickets everyday, every second day should do. Dust with vitamin powder once a week. As you mentioned after she feeds you can handle her however make sure you only do so for short periods of time to avoid stress. Try getting them to eat buk choy as it contains high amounts of calcium and should be a staple of its diet.

Be sure to post pics of your new arrival!

James

 

[sharky]

Is the mesh the lights sitting on only sticky taped or glued down as it would get very hot with a 150w globe.
otherwise in this heat just keep an eye on the temps

Nah, it's a non-toxic puuty/glue type thing that my dad put on. I don't think sticky tape would work on mesh :?

with that setup a 40w globe will do the job, no need for the heat mat. i only dust food with calcium 2-3 times a week when young, if you are using vitamin powder too just replace one of the calcium dusted meals, as most of the vitamin powders have calcium added also. nothing wrong with sand as long you keep husbandry standards up.

you probly wont have to wait a day to feed, they should feed right away

i would not keep the heat light set up like that either, 150w sitting on a plastic tub is asking for a fire

I've kept all my beardies on sand and non of them and have never had a poblem I spot clean when needed and do a full sand change every 4 weeks I'll get a 40watt globe today. Okay, I'll try feeding her the same day I pick her up. Thanks for the advice!

Hey sharky,

Looks like your almost prepared! They're great lizards I'm sure you will love them. As mentioned before most people use a substrate that cannot be digested by the bearded dragons, as compaction can kill beardies! I use fake grass from bunnings, you simply cut it to the tanks size using a stanley knife. The grass looks nice and is easy to clean. I suggest you remove some of the objects inside the tank as I assume it will be harder for the beardies to catch their live food, the water bowl can be removed as at a young age beardies will only lick small droplets of spray running down the tanks walls. Also cut some more holes to ensure the tank is well ventillated as soon the entire tank will stink. As beardies rapidly grow when juvinilles I recommend feed them thinly sliced meat during the first few months. No need to dust theyre crickets everyday, every second day should do. Dust with vitamin powder once a week. As you mentioned after she feeds you can handle her however make sure you only do so for short periods of time to avoid stress. Try getting them to eat buk choy as it contains high amounts of calcium and should be a staple of its diet.

Be sure to post pics of your new arrival!

James

Cool thanks James! I'll take the bowl out and spray instead. How many times a day do I spray the tank?
Will mince meat be fine or should I be feeding thinly sliced raw steak, pork, ham, etc? Going to pick up some bok choi today,thanks for the advice!
And I'll remove some of the rocks from the tub and get dad to drill some holes onto the sides as well.

Is there anything else I've missed?

 

[Reptile_Maniac]

Cool thanks James! I'll take the bowl out and spray instead. How many times a day do I spray the tank?
Will mince meat be fine or should I be feeding thinly sliced raw steak, pork, ham, etc? Going to pick up some bok choi today,thanks for the advice!
And I'll remove some of the rocks from the tub and get dad to drill some holes onto the sides as well.


Is there anything else I've missed?

No worries sharkie. You should spray the sides of the tank after each time you feed them. I don't think mice meat is a appropriate food to feed beardies however I may be wrong. If you like you can pm me and I can send you a complete guide on what's suitable to feed your bearded dragons. Also you may want to purchase a hpm timer, this enables you to select what hours you want ur lights on! Is really handy!

 

[moimac]

River sand and rocks

Great info in this thread, I am also setting up my beardie enclosure and was going to use river pebbles/rocks and sand from a local freshwater creek. The pebbles/rocks are all different sizes. This was previously used in a tropical fishtank (freshwater) and has been rinsed and rinsed and rinsed again. Does anyone see any issues with using this as a substrate for beardies? Thanks.

 

[Skitzmixer]

I cant seem to see the UV?

Dont worry, should read the post better haha.

 

[Bananapeel]

@moimac, I would have thought the river pebbles would be ok if cleaned well however I would not advise taking sand from a river to bean very safe idea. Washed play sand can be picked up from bunnings fairly cheap otherwise to be even safer you can choose another substrate rather than sand.

 

[Leasdraco]

You can also get clean pebbles/sand from an aquarium store

 

[Bananapeel]

That too.

 

[treeofgreen]

I'd suggest not feeding your baby BD meat or mince of any kind. Some do feed their adults a pinkie mouse every now and then but this is not needed (this would only be beneficial since its a whole food item and much of the nutrients come from organs etc and not the flesh, usually given to females to fatten up abit as a "boost"). Stick to offering veges daily (even if they wont eat at first, they will) and obviously crickets/woodies.

Sand > Fake grass imo (bunnings washed play sand is a winner at ~ $6 for 20kg!)

@moimac: If they can put the pebbles in their mouth DONT use them, even if you THINK they might be able to (serious risks with impaction). Beardies are way to inquisitive and will lick/taste/grab anything new especially the younguns!

Good luck and have heaps of fun

 

[maddog-1979]

yeah, stay away from any meats, crickets , woodies and veg are all you need. the occasional pinky for conditioning breeding females .

i wouldnt risk small pebbles as a substrate, they will eat a few even if you feed outside the tank

 

[sharky]

Thanks! I've never fed my beardies meat before so I found it strange when it popped up :? Thanks guys

 

[moimac]

This particular creek is pristine and the rocks/sand/pebbles were taken about 18 months ago. What are the risks of using what I already have as opposed to something from Bunnings?
Thank you

 

[sharky]

You risk picking up nasty bacteria and algae from animals/plant forms that live in the creek. I mean they do crap and pee in it :shock:

Bunnings is packed, give it a wash and it is nice clean and safe for your beardie

 

[moimac]

I'd suggest not feeding your baby BD meat or mince of any kind. Some do feed their adults a pinkie mouse every now and then but this is not needed (this would only be beneficial since its a whole food item and much of the nutrients come from organs etc and not the flesh, usually given to females to fatten up abit as a "boost"). Stick to offering veges daily (even if they wont eat at first, they will) and obviously crickets/woodies.

Sand > Fake grass imo (bunnings washed play sand is a winner at ~ $6 for 20kg!)

@moimac: If they can put the pebbles in their mouth DONT use them, even if you THINK they might be able to (serious risks with impaction). Beardies are way to inquisitive and will lick/taste/grab anything new especially the younguns!

Good luck and have heaps of fun

Cool thanks, that's what I needed to know. Off to Bunnings we go!

 

[treeofgreen]

This particular creek is pristine and the rocks/sand/pebbles were taken about 18 months ago. What are the risks of using what I already have as opposed to something from Bunnings?
Thank you

TBH using that sand etc would most likely do nothing at all, but is the risk of harm or death to your beardie worth $6?

I have seen EWD and EBDs thrive in human polluted water though. Plenty of types of bacteria can stay in dormant states for years until the right conditions arrive.

 

[moimac]

Righto, pebbles are out.

We have built an enclosure that is 180cms high with 2 separate enclosures (90cms each) and about a meter wide/deep. I have wooden base painted to seal the timber against any spills. Small bird aviary wire for sides and a pvc door. I have also run about 8cms of PVC around the bottom edge (with a silicone seal to base) to keep the substrate in so I am not spending every waking hour vacuuming!
How do you clean the fake grass? Vacuum? dust pan and brush? Do you replace the sand every 4 weeks or just take it out and then rinse/dry?
I would like to try and replicate their natural environment as much as possible. I realize they are bred in captivity but I would prefer to have an enclosure that is aesthetically pleasing as well as mimicking nature.