Hi dragongirls
My daughter is five going on six and LOVES the beardies. You might also consider frogs? But if the care of either is a bit too much, you might try some outdoor guinea pigs
They are excellent first kids pets.
It seems a bit like all these things for your beardie arent essential to begin... with doesnt it
LOL BUT thats just because the specifics of why all these things are needed hasn't been explained to you.
A wild beardie is free to find a place in its world where it is able to regulate its own temperature, find its own food, its own shelter, its own UV light. Reptiles can not regulate their own body temperature and require their environment to help them control it. They require a minimum temp to digest their food... just like you and I... but you and I control our own temperature. If they are cold, they can not process their food. Your enclosure, whether indoor or outdoor, will require a temperature gradient. In an outdoor enclosure, having at least one part of the enclosure exposed to the sun the entire time the sun is up will give your beardie the opportunity to warm up and to get in his full dose of UV. There must also be shade and a hide spot. An outdoor enclosure will need to be larger than an indoor enclosure to achieve this. A gradient can be achieved indoors with a heat lamp on one end. The heat lamp is essential as the UV lamps do not produce heat and heat is essential for their digestion
As a heat source, you can purchase a spotlight from bunnings. Some cost as little as $9. A halogen bulb is cheaper to run.
UV is also important to them, it provides Vit D3 and seems to just increase the overall wellbeing of your beardie. They are happier, more active and more brightly coloured. As said before... UV is best provided by the sun
But if they are to be kept inside, they will have to have a specialist UV light purchased from a pet shop. Outside, constant exposure to the sun is essential so they can choose when they want to bask.
If your beardie spends any portion of the day in its indoor enclosure, it will still require a basking spot... but if it spends some time in full sunlight every day (UV does not penetrate glass and plastic) you wont need the UV light, which is the most expensive portion of your set up.
While a wire mesh enclosure has been suggested above, the majority of people will not recommend it. Beardies can often run back and forth along the perimeter of their enclosure rubbing their nose along. Wire mesh at this height can cause injury to your beardie which will lead to veterinary bills. This can be avoided by having an enclosure with a smooth surface construction at least on the lower portion of the enclosure. Perspex is often used. My beardie outdoor enclosure will be made out of corrugated patio plastic (only $15 for a 900mm x 1800mm per panel), fly mesh for the top ($11 for 900mmx2000mm). If you are looking for something easier.... bunnings currently has DIY vegie gardens. They are perfect for reptile 'pits' and are easy to set up. The basic one starts at $99 and set up smartly would keep a beardie.
If you have an outdoor enclosure, you will need to bring your beardie in during winter... otherwise he may not survive. In the wild, they would be able to find their own place to hide out the winter... most times whatever we provide is not enough. Beardies "hybernate" during winter... so bringing them in for winter shouldn't cost you too much. Also realise this will be a period every year that your daughter wont be able to play with her beardie. Though some beardies dont go down for the winter.
Please keep in mind, you can't scrimp on anything suggested on the caresheets for an indoor enclosure... as your beardie
will die, or become deformed. Even calcium supplements are essential. However there are many options to keep costs down and I have HEAPS of suggestions
for example ... while you can not get away from the specialised UV lights you would need to buy for an indoor enclosure (normal UV bulbs do not provide the correct UV needed) the compact UV bulbs all fit into your standard E27 screw style lamp. Just be mindful that you are best to find an outdoor fitting as the UV will deteriorate most plastics. But if your beardie has at least 20mins sun exposure per day, you dont need to provide indoor UV. Your basking light can be provided by a spotlight from bunnings... some costing as little as $9 including the bulb.
If you are worried about cost though... there is one very important thing to keep in mind. As your beardie ages, he will begin to eat alot! When they are older juvies/subadults and are still eating a lot of bugs, you can possibly go through a container of crickets in one sitting LOL So they arent going to be a super cheap pet to have anyway... my dogs cost less in the long run.
As someone who stuffed up the care of her first beardies... I can tell you, you need to do it all by the book. I learnt how delicate the balance can be. My beardies are undersized... because of a series of unfortunate events that had them going into brumation far too early at a time in their lives when they would have been having a growth boom. They are otherwise healthy now, but small. They still have the chance to grow now though, but will never be huge. It could have been much worse though.
Sorry for the long winded reply!
