About to get Bearded Dragon.....?

Question

I'm about to buy a bearded dragon for 40$. I have a 55 gallon tank and i need to know how much everything else will be. Food, Heating, ect. my first reptile pet and i want to make sure i'm going to be able to get everything it needs.

Answer 1

The above poster seemed to neglect the fact that a bearded dragon needs a fluorescent UVB strip, preferably of the Repti-sun variety as they have been tested against other bulbs and are the best in providing useful UVB.

Do not use compact or coil fluorescents they can actually harm your beardie. A heat light doesn't have to cost $12 all you need is a regular house bulb preferably a 60 watt

A 55 gallon is okay but really doesn't provide the space your beardie will need to turn around as at 15+ inches it will be longer than the tank is deep.

Read the articles in my source to find additional information on proper beardie care, enclosures and feeding

Answer 2

well i had one in a 20 gallon tank and he love it he had just a stick with about 2 inch of fine sand in the tank with a medium heat pad to go under it and some food just the sand cost $10 at homedepot and heating pad was 20 the special light was 40 and i say i spend a told of about 120 on everthing i got encluding the dragon

Answer 3

Not to sound offensive, but disregard the post above me.  It has a few good points, but lots of wrong information.  First off, a 55 will be ok, but in all reality its much to narrow for a full grown beardie.  You want at least a 40 gallon *breeder* tank, it gives it the necessary width to live in.  That being said however, bigger is better, and custom cages that you build yourself can be much bigger, better, and cheaper.  Food will be expensive.  If you're getting a baby, you need to feed it baby crickets, 2-3 times a day, as many as it will eat in a 15 minute period.  Supplement this with healthy greens every day as well.  As they get older, the amount of crickets eaten will go down, as they will eat more greens.  An adult beardie will eat between 1-2 dozen crickets every other day, which should comprise between 25-35% of their diet as adults, the other should be veggies.  DO NOT FEED LETTUCE!!  Lettuce is nutritionally void of EVERYTHING.  Its crunchy water.  Mustard greens, dandelion greens, collard greens, kale, many forms of squash, are all acceptable veggies.  Again NO LETTUCE.  When you feed your dragon, you will want to make sure you get a good calcium powder that is phosphorus free.  Dust all your insects via the "shake and bake" method of tossing dust in their bag and shaking them, and sprinkle some on top of their greens.  If you don't like crickets as a food source, go with either silk worms or phoenix worms, no meal worms.  Silkies and phoenixs both have great nutrional value.  Meal worms do not.  

As far as heating/lighting goes.  Keep the ambient temperature in the tank between 85-90, warm end going up to 95, with a basking spot of 105-115.  Yes, they like it warm.  You MUST have a UVB emitting bulb as well.  These are pricey, but there's no way around it. The reptiglo 8.0, or reptisun 10.0 are your best bets at this time for tube fluorescent lights.  This is NOT the same as a heat bulb, unless you get a Mercury Vapor Bulb, which can run you between 40-80$.  UVB is crucial for a reptile to be able to absorb calcium, and without it your beardie will die.  These need to be replaced about every 7-8 months, 6 months if your a stickler.  

Vet visits generally don't need to be undertaken unless something is obviously wrong with your beardie.  However, it *is* recommended to take your beardie to the vet once a year for a fecal exam to check for parasites. This runs typically between 40-70$, pending your vet.

This is by no means a complete guide to owning a beardie, but it helps to give you an idea of what you're getting into.  They take a lot of time, and effort, much more so than many other lizards out there.  If you have more questions I'd be glad to answer them.

Answer 4

That's a good price for a bearded dragon, but, believe me, the expenses dwindle a lot after you get the tank.  That initial cost is the heaviest.  The heating - all you need is a heat lamp, which will probably run $30 for the lamp, and $12 for the bulbs, depending on where you live.  You'll need to feed the bearded dragon crickets and lettuce, and it varies on how old it is.  But food should be relatively inexpensive - lettuce and crickets don't cost much.  Otherwise, vet bills can always be heavy for any animal, but that shouldn't be a problem as long as you take good care of it.  You'll want to get it a branch that it can bask in, which can range up to $50, depending on how nice the branch looks.  And you might want to get him a cave to hide in as well, which shouldn't be more than $25.  So, the total shouldn't be more than $150 to start.