Central Bearded Dragons

[melluvssnakes]

Hi everyone.
Just checking if anyone is on at the moment who's got any great advice for a girl who's getting her very first Central Beardies next week. I think I've got the cage set up properly and ready to go. But any advice, hints or tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm online and bored

 

[Flaviruthless]

How many are you getting? How big is your set up? I have four bearded babies myself, and they're in a really big enclosure... lol. I am also online and bored (avoiding assignments)

 

[lizardjasper]

If your new beardies are hatchies younger than 5 months, don't be surprised if they go downhill and die quickly. This has happened to a lot of my friends hatchies and even several month old babies. I guess it's just the way life is, but it's a shock when it happens and you're not expacting it. So if they are babies, make sure you watch them closely for any signs of change so that you can get them under some heat fast and maybe fix them.

 

[Flaviruthless]

I had some real problems with one of mine - it was touch and go for a while but he/she pulled through and is now doing really well. Invest in some Bone Aid (Liquid) and Hydro Life. They are what saved my baby. If they aren't available in your local pet shop, you can buy them on ebay.

 

[nagini-baby]

i have had 3 adult beardies in the past and still have 2 wich we are hoping to breed and i currently have a hatchy and they are sooo fast its unreal. enjoy them.

 

[Tinky]

I got two Dragons this time last year.

They were both 13cm. They are now 50cm long.

Currently designing a new enclosure to seperate them, (they are both male). Also looking at converting a corner TV unit so that I can get another, (or two or three).

 

[nagini-baby]

their personalities are adictive... once we breed our pair i would love to keep a few ... but sell the majority.. gotta love them

 

[trader]

If your new beardies are hatchies younger than 5 months, don't be surprised if they go downhill and die quickly.

:shock::shock::shock: ????

 

[webcol]

I got some 3 month old ones, eating like troopers, very active and overall great personalities! So far so good, (touch wood)

 

[melluvssnakes]

I'm buying two yellow phase centrals. They're about 5 weeks old I think the guy said. The enclosure is a converted fishtank 3foot x 18 inches x 18 inches. Yeh I've heard a lot of people say be careful about getting babies, but at the same time, I kind of want to have them from when they're really little so we can bond

 

[nicman72]

G'day melluvssnakes, I agree with your reasoning for getting hatchlings. All but 1 of our lizards have been purchased as hatchlings; it's not just great for them to bond to you early, but it allows you to experience 'all' of their life's phases
I reckon the most important thing is to have the TIME for them! As hatchies, they require at least 2 feeds a day, a couple of mists a day, cleaning, keeping an eye on them for bullying, etc... and that's EVERY day. Can get a bit time-consuming, but well worth the effort in the long run.
As long as you have your tank set up ok, with a nice basking spot (hatchies like it a bit hotter, about 40C) and plenty of UVB and ventilation, you should be right. What sort of substrate are you using? I recommend astroturf, but there are plenty of other options - just be careful the bd's don't eat it!
Another important thing is to dust your insects with calcium at least every 2 days. Their first year is critical for bone development.
One of the hatchies we got this season was a real problem eater; however, thanks to the advice from this forum, we were put on to a product called 'herpaboost'. It has given our little girl the appetite she was lacking, now she's putting weight on. I recommend keeping a bottle of this stuff in the fridge.
There's heaps of beardy keepers here that'll have lots of great info and advice for you; all you have to do is ask
Oh, we'll all be expecting heaps of pics when you get them too
Have fun with them, they make awesome pets! All character!
Cheers,
Nic

 

[SPIKEY]

I have 2 BD and both i got at 4 - 5 weeks old 1 is now 14mths the other 5 months & never had a serious issue. If you research how to care for them you shouldnt have any problems. Give it a couple of days to settle before handling it & have lots of crickets and woodies ready for there arrival and they will be fine.

 

[trader]

I'm buying two yellow phase centrals. They're about 5 weeks old I think the guy said. The enclosure is a converted fishtank 3foot x 18 inches x 18 inches. Yeh I've heard a lot of people say be careful about getting babies, but at the same time, I kind of want to have them from when they're really little so we can bond

Congrats they are very enjoyable to have no matter how young there are.

There is usually no reason for them to 'die' as mentioned in an earlier post.

Nicman has great advice.

 

[melluvssnakes]

Another important thing is to dust your insects with calcium at least every 2 days. Their first year is critical for bone development.
Nic

The lady I spoke to at the Pet Shop about the calcium thing said DO NOT use dust. She reckons that they can get a build up of calcium in their systems and it can actually poison them because while they absorb what they need from the dust, they don't pass the rest out of their system. She recommended i use Calci-Yum which is actually a liquid calcium supplement for dogs, but she uses it with her beardies. Has anyone got any comments on that?