Desperate-advice Needed On Dragon

[FOX]

I currently own 17 T's but i am finding my self drawn to wanting a bearded dragon. My partner took me to the pet store today to have a look at some, they where baby's about 4" long & £49.00 (aprox $95) I was told that they would reach about 2 foot in length within the year & i could not put it in a glass tank as it would 'rub' its nose against the glass & go 'mad'.
The pet shop told me it HAS to be in a proper wooden glass fronted vivarium.

This would work out extremely expensive from the pet store.
Do I HAVE to put it in a wood & glass viv or would it be ok to go in a full glass tank also what size is best?
I have never owned a dragon before, only snakes & spiders as exotics. I could really do with some help on this one as I would like my dragon for christmas. many thanks in anticipation. Jay

 

[Sequin]

I havent owned dragons before, but i dont think the petstore is giving you the correct information. Noserub is usually due to stressed animals in the wrong husbandry. The dragon owners i know, keep their adult dragons in large cages usually around 4 feet long ie. 100 gallons. No problems in those situations? You should use a mesh lid for proper ventilation. I could be wrong, but i think your petstore could be trying to take advantage of you By the sounds of it, you dont know a whole lot on beardies, you should probably find out a little more info on them... http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=bearded+dragon+caresheet&btnG=Search&meta=

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

I agree. A glass cage is perfect...as long as the animal is not stressed and provided a nice basking spot, and multiple places to hang out. No hide box needed, as it makes it harder for them to find their food. Give him lots of rocks to climb on, or wood of some sort, and he should be fine. The price sounds a bit much, but then again, im not sure of the prices where you live. I think the most ive paid for a normal baby beardie was about $40 USD. I got my 2 babies in a trade for some spiders, and they are definitely not normals...very beautiful red sandfires. No..yours probably wont get 2ft...more like a max of 18"...but if fed the right diet, they do grow very fast, I believe it's like 1/2" every 3-4 weeks, if not more. Though not all grow this fast, or get that big.

I think you should buy one if you get the chance..they make great pets if properly socialized. They love to sit near you and watch tv, and just hang out. And their characteristics are amazing. I just love it when my babies wave their arms or adults bob their heads.

 

[FOX]

I also forgot to ask, what about heat & lighting, do they require extra heat like T's & do they have to have lighting. I am completly new to dragons so i have to get it right before i get one. many thanks. again. Jay

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

You'll need to give them a basking spot that reaches 110-120F. Sounds extreme, but these are desert species, and they need these temps to properly digest their food. Test out a few bulb wattages to find the one that works best for your tank, you dont want it to get too hot, but not too cool either. Put it in dome shaped fixture and hang it over the side. Just be sure not to put it where it can burn them or anything else.
Also you'll need a UVB light, no more than 1ft away from the dragons. I use a fixture. I forget what brand it is..ill have to look later. Also...dont put it ontop of wire mesh, as that will filter out some of the UV rays and not provide sufficient amounts for your dragons.

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

here is a good caresheet for care. http://www.sundialreptile.com/care sheet--bearded dragon.htm

I forgot to mention...for a young dragon, have a smaller cage prepared, like a 10-20 gallon. Any larger and he'll have trouble finding his food and also become stressed. But for a bigger dragon, the bigger the better. So it's best to have a small tank for temporary use until he gets bigger.

 

[FOX]

Just printed that info off, many thanks.
Would it be best to get a litle boy or girl?
I already have a spare 3 foot glass tank so i guess that'll be just fine with a heat mat & lamp. What about humidity?

I know i'm a nuissence but I must make sure I have everything right before i get one, know what i mean. I would hate to do the wrong thing by them & cause unessesary (exuse spelling) harm.

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

Sounds great. And you're not a nuissence (sp?). At that size you wont be able to find out sex, they're not sexable until they are juveniles. Unless you want to buy one at that size. Both would make great pets, except that females can lay eggs and possibly become eggbound. I also am partial to males because of their larger size and the displays they make .

For humidity I just mist my dragons daily. I dont provide a water dish, because they just defecate in it..so I just use misting, and I let them sit in the sink with a bit of water to soak up every other day. They seem to love that!

 

[P. Novak]

what WhyTeDraGon said, i completely agree with.

i owna bearded dragon and they are soo much fun, although i got a mine when it was about 10" long now in about 6 months its grown atlesat to
1'3"-4", it seems as if is getting bigger everyday.

my bearded dragon cost me $35 bucks at 10". i believe i got a great deal.


here is a pic when hes about 11"

here is a pic that i took yesterday. about 1'3"-4"

if you examine it for a bit you can see the size difference, i knwo the pics arent the same but you can tell the dif.

hes head has also got alot bigger!

 

[Thoth]

Here's a site with some more info, if you still need any.
http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

 

[ingas866]

In the UK you most likely are getting the one called the German Giant and yes they can get up to 2 feet. The price there is aobout right but i would look a little more to see if that is good. I spent 6 years i Germany and they were about that much if not more. All of the idvice you have got here is very good. DO NOT GET THE WOOD TANK THAT IS NOT TRUE ABOUT THEY NEEDING IT! I have had many and in may shop in Florida we keeped and bread in glass tanks.You have to remember that some shops are out for the money only and will sale you the most off the wall stuff so just keep on asking. One other place you can go to is kingsnake.com they have a pet shop finder for any were and they have online sales that you can get some things shipped to you in the UK.

 

[P. Novak]

heres an example of my setup, i use newspaper cause of the worry of impaction. plus its alot easier to clean..
its a 40 gallon breeder. 36 Length x 16 Width
front view:

kind of a side view:

top view:

 

[atavuss]

I had an adult male that recently died of old age (he was about 10 years old) that lived his entire live in glass enclosures with no problems at all. when he was adult sized he had a 60 gallon (5 feet long by 18" deep and about 18" tall).