Varanoidea
Well-Known Member
Hi guys! I have been browsing the internet for care sheets and the like but I would like to ask some questions and clarify a few points on the requirements of keeping a beardie myself for any owners who have time to answer.
1) How large should an enclosure be for hatchling beardie. I keep reading that the size for an adult should be roughly 900 x 450 x 500 but I can't find much on hatchlings?
2) A UV light needs to be on during the daylight hours if the enclosure is not facing natural sun, and needs to be turned off at night to simulate natural day/night cycles. A heat globe needs to be on 24/7 to provide a temp. gradient of 41C in the basking spot and a cool spot in the mid 20C.
3) Is a heat-pad sufficient heat for a hatchling or is a globe still required and is sand an appropriate substrate for a beardie?
4) After letting a hatchling settle in to his/her new home and is feeding well can handling begin for a minute or two a day, gradually increasing as they grow larger?
As for feeding schedules I'm having trouble finding something that is very specific i.e ratios of insects to vegetables as they age, the amount of times a week/day a beardie needs to be feed from a youngin to an adult, and the relative portion sizes to the age i.e amount of crickets per day.
These are all the questions I can think of currently, all advice and recommendations are appreciated, I'd like my lizard to be as healthy and happy as can be.
1) How large should an enclosure be for hatchling beardie. I keep reading that the size for an adult should be roughly 900 x 450 x 500 but I can't find much on hatchlings?
2) A UV light needs to be on during the daylight hours if the enclosure is not facing natural sun, and needs to be turned off at night to simulate natural day/night cycles. A heat globe needs to be on 24/7 to provide a temp. gradient of 41C in the basking spot and a cool spot in the mid 20C.
3) Is a heat-pad sufficient heat for a hatchling or is a globe still required and is sand an appropriate substrate for a beardie?
4) After letting a hatchling settle in to his/her new home and is feeding well can handling begin for a minute or two a day, gradually increasing as they grow larger?
As for feeding schedules I'm having trouble finding something that is very specific i.e ratios of insects to vegetables as they age, the amount of times a week/day a beardie needs to be feed from a youngin to an adult, and the relative portion sizes to the age i.e amount of crickets per day.
These are all the questions I can think of currently, all advice and recommendations are appreciated, I'd like my lizard to be as healthy and happy as can be.