About my Bearded Dragon?

Question

This is my first time. I just got one today (a girl) and so far she only ate one cricket. The guy at Petco said she was about 3 months old. Am I suppose to leave the crickets in like Petco did or take it out after 15-25 minutes? And what best greens should I give her because I am a little confused. And should I mist her or use the water bowl. If I am gonna mist her, then how many times in a day/week, etc. I have UVB lights and a heat lamp. I have the ReptoCal, which has calcium and vitamin D3. I'm just hoping I am doing everything right! Any helpful advice is welcomed!!! My brother and I are very excited and want everything right :)

Answer 1

Please check out the care sheets on this site...And if you have any questions after checking out the caresheets, please visit the forums...The most knowledgable beardie owners on the planet are here and more than willing to answer your questions.. :-)

ps...Please find another tank to feed your dragon in, even a plastic storage tank will do...It will be much more sanitary and you won't have to clean his tank so often.. :-)

pps...Having to tote the dragon from one tank to another will teach him that "handling=food"  think about it.. :-)

Answer 2

hi, first of all someone on hre told you to give her mealworms,   dont!!! shes too young for mealworms they have a hard skin whichis hard to digest they can mealworms when theyre older but not at 3 months old. anyway shes probably just getting used to her new surroundings, she will eat when shes hungry and bearded dragons will stop eating when theyre fll up so dont worry about overfeeding just let her have as many as she wants. as for greens i gave  my 2 (1- 9 months old 1- 4 months old) they have

cale

shredded carrot

celery

cucumber

white cabbage

apple

pear

plums

blueberries/rasberries

i just dice it up so its smaller than the gap between theyre eyes and give it to them everyday fresh, the little one eats it occasionally shes getting used to it being there now and tries it more and more evryday, the big one loves his fruit and veg and eats loads evryday.

i give them crickets, grasshoppers and waxworms

waxworms should be used as a treat as they are fattening but they absolutley love them when they see that little green tub they up at the glass bobbing heads its great but like i said they are a treat i wouldnt give you little one more than 2 a day of them.

i have a water bowl but i also mist them 1nce a day they rarely use the water bowl bu i like to have it there in case, also i put water on the veg and fruit so they get a lot of moisture from that, im not sure about the reptocal ive heard different things the uv lights are to give your dragon vitamin d3 and i was told dont use any vitamin d3 while using a uv bulb as they can overdose on the d3 i was advised dont use it unless authorised by a vet. i use calypso calcium powder its really cheap off ebay and dust the crickets with that. also celery has calcium in it so i know theyre gettin some even if they dont eat the crickets one day.

never give them iceburg lettuce!!!

hope some of this is helpful to you xx

Answer 3

You should have a 20 gallon long tank with calcium-based sandy substrate.  You need a UVB/UVA/heat source.  Zoo Med Powersun is one of the most widely used (100W for a 20g long).  Many pet shops will sell you a "full spectrum" bulb saying that it will provide adequate lighting/heat.  Unless you paid more than $40, your bulb doesn't provide UVB.  Without UVB, your dragon will most likely develop metabolic bone disease.

With a 3 month old dragon, you should be feeding small crickets dusted with a mixture of calcium/vitamins.  Your baby should eat 10-15 crickets daily.  Offer 5-7 at a time, or an amount it will eat in about 20 minutes.  You shouldn't leave crix in the enclosure overnight because crickets may chew on your baby dragon.

Offer your dragon a salad of mixed greens/veggies at least 3-4 times a week if not daily.  Baby dragons to around 1 year old will eat mostly live food.  When your dragon is 15+ months it should be eating mostly veggies/salads and about a dozen live insects every 5-10 days.

Offer green salads consisting of:

Mustard Greens

Turnip greens

Endive

Dandelion Greens

Collards

Bok Choy

Endive

Escarole

Spinach, Kale, Romaine and iceberg lettuce should not be used on a regular basis.  Try to avoid them altogether.  Spinach, kale and romaine contain high levels of oxylates which bind calcium and can prevent your dragon from absorbing calcium.  Iceberg and other lettuces contain VERY little nutrition and are not a good diet staple.

Also, avoid avacado as it can be poisonous.

Good veggies include:

All squash

Bell peppers

Cucumber

Occasional veggies:

Carrots

Sweet Potato

Answer 4

Well at 3 months, s*x is practically impossible to tell, actually pretty much impossible. Romaine lettuce is the best, I feed it to all of mine and have raised 2 adults on it and insects. I breed my own and if you want I can answer any questions about them, just send me a message or an email. I dont mist, I use a water bowl, if you're not having too much luck with crix yet its prob because you got it today and it needs time to acclimate to its cage, what I suggest is to leave it alone for about a week, but offer romaine lettuce and crix,(you can even try mealworms, they may be hard to find due to the massive shortage. Send me a message with any questions or anything! good luck with her/him!

Answer 5

1) give her as many crickets (That are the width of between her eyes) as she can eat in 10-15 minutes.

2) I wouldn't recommend giving her Greens so much... When there this young, they need to have a 70:30 ratio of meat:veggie. You can feed her crickets as a staple and give her shredded carrot, and collard greens. I found this site very helpful:http:  //www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nut...

Oh, and about misting... you can mist her once a day, or just give her a bath in shallow (Up to middle of arm) Water. Make sure it's not to hot, or to cold!

If you have any more questions, you can absolutly come to me :) Email me here or at [e-mail] I'll be happy to help!

Answer 6

she should be devouring crickets. You need to get it checked for impaction if it doesn't start eating in the next few days. Collard greens.

Look here for acceptable foods. They are color coded.

water bowl don't mist!

You need a 10.0 ReptISUN (not ReptAsun, or ReptiGLO) It must be a tube light. Otherwise I can guarantee death. http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Bearded...

You need calcium w/o d3 and phosphorus. calcium w/ d3. and vitamins. there is a chart at the top of the first link.

NO SAND!

Romaine lettuce is not good. It has almost no nutritional value.

Sand causes impaction in lizards which is fatal. drop the calcium based sand in water and see what happens when you take it out. It clumps. that is what causes the lizard to die.

"Another major contributor to impaction is the ingestion of substrate. Many particulate substrates can pose a risk. In many cases, Calci-Sand has been reported to have caused impaction. However, it is not alone; any type of pellets (such as Rabbit Pellets), pebble-like substrates, and several dried plant-based substrates are also known to present a high risk. Play sand can also cause impaction if it is ingested on a regular basis, or if a great deal of it is ingested at one time.

The packaging of many substrates claim that they are completely digestible. However, please be very wary of claims from the manufacturers of these products. Unlike products for human consumption or use, the safety of products used for our pets is under no such regulation.

Before trusting a substrate, do some research to discover what those with lots of personal experience think about it. Many calcium-based substrates (including, but not limited to Calci-Sand) not only claim that their substrate is digestible, but also claim that it is beneficial for your bearded dragon's health if they do ingest it, because it is a source of calcium for them. However, a bearded dragon may be inclined to eat more of this substrate than is good for them, if they feel a need for additional calcium in their diet. And they are NOT digestible, as they claim. Combine the difficulty of digestion with the increased likelihood of ingestion, and you may have yourself a very sick bearded dragon." ~bearded dragon.org

Don't rish his life. I personally use tiles and repti carpet.

Your baby beardie should be eating about 75 crickets a day. they must be no larger than the space inbetween its eyes. You could also use hornworms, silkworms, and roaches. Never use mealies, stay away from supers. Wax worms are a good treat.

I feed my adult every 3rd day.