Young Beardies/Blue Tongues

[ether]

As i have voiced before i am looking into getting my first lizard. I have been recomended either a central bearded dragon or a blue tongue. Firstly i would like to know what you would choose from those two and secondly i was wondering what you can use to house hatchlings and what to use for heating and lighting?

Regards Ether

 

[Morelia_man]

i would go the beardie (personal prefferance) housed in a small critter cage, or glass tank with three of the sides covered.

 

[Already_Gone]

Definatly the beardie... all round they are a great pet, have really snazzy personalities, colours and cant really go too far wrong with them... I kept mine in 24 inch aquariums with uvB and a basking light. Depending where you live, you can heat from below with a heat mat so they dont get too cold... after all they are a desert species. Blue tongues are ok, but beardies really float my boat!!!

 

[Simon_Archibald]

Beardie definately, but I prefer the Eastern's personally.

You can house it in a 2ft aquarium for a few months, with just a hot basking site at one end (up around 35-40 degrees). Make sure he has REGULAR access to direct, unfiltered sunlight (make sure any outdoor enclosure has a roof if getting a juvenile - it may be eaten otherwise). Regular exposure to sun at least every 2nd day.

UV lights in the tank are recommended by most people, but I think why bother if you can get them outside. The UV globes do nothing compared to sunlight. 30 mins a day is sufficient and UV exposure is totally essential to your lizards good health.

Plus, beardies have an amazing array of displays and behaviours, they are awesome to watch.

S. Archibald

 

[ether]

Morelia man, what do u mean by

three of the sides covered

. Can you keep then in a small glass tank with a heat rock or heat mat? I would only keep them in there for a short time, until i am ready to buld my big enclosure for the Beardies and my Bredli python.

 

[Morelia_man]

by that i mean cover these sides with the aquarium backing. i would go for the one with a desert theme on it... but ur choice. this is so that they feel more secure as their wont be four open sides. just leave the front and top uncovered.

 

[ether]

Is any heat required?

 

[Already_Gone]

yep... they are desert species so definatly. for hatchies keep the setup as simple as possible. All they really need is a basking spot like a rock and a water bowl. If you put heaps of furniture in there, it makes it harder for young beardies to catch crickets. Best substrate for them is paper towel or newspaper... makesure there is nothing they can ingest an get lodged in their digestive tract... keep it simple for the first few months

 

[BROWNS]

If you're going to use a heat rock make sure you use a thermostat as they can easily get too hot.