Where to Start

ephiny526 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 06:30 AM

ok. i know i want a bearded dragon, but i'm not sure which kind to get. first thing's first, i need to buy some sort of housing for it. how big should it be? i've read that a minimum of 55 gallon aquarium is needed. what other things should i know? any info will be greatly appreciated.

eileen
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MTB Mamba · #2 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 07:03 AM

Welcome to the site, i must admit when it comes to bearded dragons i know nothing. Just wanted to welcome ya, and say you've come to the right place, you'll get more info and advice than you know what to do with here and thats about as good as it gets. You'll find the resident experts to be great here, i sure have.
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Bry · #3 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 10:38 AM

Ephiny, beardeds are awesome lizards. The two most often seen in captivity are the inland bearded dragon (pogona vitticeps) and the Rankin's dragon (pogona henrylawsonii). The inland is by far the most common and the largest of the bearded dragons. Adult Rankin's get to almost half the size as an inland. As far as color morphs, there are a huge variety of them, just pick whichever you like the best, whether it is red, yellow, normal (tan), german giant (grows a few inches larger than normals), crosses of different colors, and a bunch of other color morphs are out there.

I'm assuming you have done some research and you already know how big an inland beardie gets. A 55 gal. tank is a good size for a single adult, I prefer to give them a 4' wide x 2' deep x 2' tall cage, but that's just me. Beardies are semi-arboreal, so you will want to give them a tall cage that is also long to give them room to climb or run around. A branch at least as wide as the dragon is is necessary to give them something to climb and bask on. Temps on the ground should be around 80 on the cool side, and 85 on the warm side, the temperature on the branch directly under the basking light should be about 90-105 degrees. Due to beardies being diurnal you will need to provide a full-spectrum bulb (usually flourescent), such as Re;tisun 5.0 (or Iguana Light 5.0). These bulbs give off UV rays for only 6 months at a time, replace them every 6 months, even if the light still works. The beardie should be able to get within 12" to get benefits from it. Plastic and glass block UV rays, so avoid having those between the light and the dragon. During warm weather, you can take your beardie outside maybe 3 times a week for at least 30 mins each time and let him bask in the sun (but not in a glass or plastic cage!). The sun is far more beneficial than UV bulbs. Reptariums work really well for this if you don't trust your beardie not to take off.

As far as feeding, veggies make up 70% of a bearded dragon's diet. This site lists good veggies to feed your beardie. Don't feed iceberg lettuce, it's not harmful, but it provides ZERO nutrients. Crickets, superworms, and mealworms make up the other 30% of their diet. The prey item should be no wider than the space between your beardie's eyes. Young beardies especially like to chase their food and ignore veggies, so give them the veggies first as soon as the lights come on, then give them the bugs later in the day. Just so you know, when fed adequately, young beardies grow FAST...around 1/2" to 1" every week or so. Hope this helps, and welcome to the site!

My late bearded dragon, Ziggy a.k.a. Godziggy.

Bry
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ephiny526 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 01:03 AM

thank you so much. i bought pratically every book on the subject of beardies, i just wanted to see what owners have to say. i've only heard of the german giats, but have never read much about them. i'll have to do some research on them. i'll probably get 2 beardies. so i'll let you guys know how the progress goes.

what do people do in colder climates with the beardie basking? i live in nyc, and sometimes the weather isn't that great to have them outside? what do you guys do when that happens?
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reptilelady · #5 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 02:44 AM

For me when the climate is to ruff outside for them, I will let them bask on the window seal by the heater vent.
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Bry · #6 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 03:40 AM

Ephiny, there really is no difference with German giants. They are just another morph of the inland bearded dragon. Germans bred them to be larger, just like the German women Olympic athletes. There is no difference in care at all. My beardie was 1/2 German giant, and he was approx. 22" when he died.

I had my beardie when I lived in upstate NY, in Rochester, which tends to get a bit colder than NYC. They won't die or anything if they're not exposed to the sun. As long as they have the proper conditions in their cage, they'll be fine. I just take them outside when the weather is nice and warm, between 80-100 degrees. I would prefer to use reptariums with a younger beardie since they are more jumpy. If I feel an adult is trustworthy, then I let them sit out in the open, but I stick around with them, just in case.

Kudos to you for doing your research on them. It takes a little bit of work to keep up with caring for them. Like I said before,they're awesome lizards.

Bry
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DAB1489 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-18-2003, 08:12 PM

Ephiny,
Good job on doing all your reasearch. Don't worry to much about it though. When I first got my Bearded Dragon I was really nervous because it seemed like they required so much and I didn't think I would be able to do it. Well, you will soon find out that they are very hardy and they actually don't require that much. About the 55 gallon tank. You don't need that big of a tank. Sure, that is great and the Beardie will love it but you don't need it. You can ask almost any breeder and they will say that's not necessary. Yes, the bigger the better, but we are talking space and money here. For a full grown Beardie, a 30 or 40 gallon would be just fine. BUT! Big but here. That is only if you are planning on playing/excercising this Beardie everyday. If you let your Beardie out of the cage for about 20 to 30 minutes everyday then a 30 or 40 gallon is just fine. If you miss taking the Beardie out of the cage every once in a while that's fine. Make sure you get a nice heat lamp with UVA and UVB rays and that Beardie will be one happy camper. Don't worry. If you worry about the temperatures at night you can buy a night lamp or you can do what I do. Wrap up the Beardie in a little wash clothe. Liz (my beardie) loves her little wash cloth. One thing though. Make sure you clean out the cage a lot and give them baths. Otherwise they can really smell. You are going to love your Beardie and maybe later you will get another one. If you do, double the cage size. Well, I hope I helped a little bit and don't worry. Every body makes it sound so serious and they make it sound like you have to do the exact thing otherwise the Beardie will die. Don't worry. You are gonna have a lot of fun. Best of luck!
-Casey
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SteveP · #8 (**permalink**) 04-18-2003, 08:57 PM

Hi ephiny, welcome to Reptilehaven! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] You know what, bearded dragons rule! I've had both Rankin's and Inland beardies over the years and both are great to work with, though I'm partial to the "big" (P. vitticeps) guys. Bry gave you some good info. there, as did others.

I've got my male "Goldburst" bearded dragon, Leo, in a tank that's 44 inches long by 18 inches wide. He's just about a year old, a little over 18 inches long, and I wouldn't consider putting him in anything too much smaller. I recommend you purchase as big an enclosure as you can afford. If you have a young beardy obviously it won't need so big of a space, but they grow pretty quick, and you may need to obtain another, larger tank in less than a year, if you start out small.

I got Leo at the Sacramento herp show last year, as a baby, for $30.00 (from Outback Reptiles). Shows are one way to get some of the neat color morphs relatively inexpensively.

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