Need help with bearded dragon

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Arachnosquire
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I just bought a brearded dragon (adult). The store employees told me I can feed it crix and lettuce. It ate some lettuce and a crick. I have some tropical red cypress on top of paper towels as a substrate. I have one tree, a water dish with food and a feed dish where I place the lettuce. I have infrared bulbs and heating pads to keep the warmth up. I also have a strip light for UV and a bulb producing dayglo shining on the tree (basking area). Is this enough? I think I read somewhere you can't feed them lettuce, but the people at the store, who personally own lizards, said it was okay. I took the lettuce out for now since I read it was bad for them. What veggies should I feed them? Also, this one did eat some of the lettuce before I knew it was bad, so it won't die right? They also told me the lizard does not need to hide. Is that true? And do they need a basking rock or is the tree enough? Also, what about humidity/misting?
 
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mindlessvw

Arachnobaron
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Well the lettuce isn't bad or good for them. It just does nothing. No nutrients. Also the water dish is a waste of time. Mainly you will need to soak them in water up to their shoulders once a week. Mist if you think necessary but that can mes with umidity. Also for the substrate try play sand. You can get it at any wal mart and thats what they have in the wild. And crickets can't hide anywhere in it. Do not use the cal sand. It causes impaction and is rediculously expensive. Remember to dust the crickets with calcium and feed them also. You want them nice and fat for the beardie. Try doing about 90% veggies and 10% crickets for an adult. here is a care sheet that may help. Also on that same web site is a beardie forum that is really good and willing to answer just about any question http://www.kingsnake.com/gladescs/bearded/
 
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Arachnosquire
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mindlessvw said:
Well the lettuce isn't bad or good for them. It just does nothing. No nutrients. Also the water dish is a waste of time. Mainly you will need to soak them in water up to their shoulders once a week. Mist if you think necessary but that can mes with umidity. Also for the substrate try play sand. You can get it at any wal mart and thats what they have in the wild. And crickets can't hide anywhere in it. Do not use the cal sand. It causes impaction and is rediculously expensive. Remember to dust the crickets with calcium and feed them also. You want them nice and fat for the beardie. Try doing about 90% veggies and 10% crickets for an adult. here is a care sheet that may help. Also on that same web site is a beardie forum that is really good and willing to answer just about any question http://www.kingsnake.com/gladescs/bearded/
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I gave him some celery (the soft leaves part) but he has not eaten it yet. So, I will actually have to grab the bearded dragon and submerge them under the water in the dish up to their shoulders once a week? I'll get playsand when I change the sbustrate, but is red cypress okay for now? The beardies can't overeat, right? So I feed them until they refuse food? The temp is about 107 in bask area and 84 in cool area, so I think it is okay. I read they needed 14 hours of daylight. So for 10 hours, I should turn off the UV and dayglo? Just leave Infrared on at night with heating pads?

Oh yeah, and what about hiding spots and rocks? Is a tree enough for basking or do they also need a rock? Do they need to hide or not? Also, for what 10 hours of the day should I turn off the dayglo and UV?
 
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mindlessvw

Arachnobaron
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Mine all have hides and two of them really love them...the others just sit on top...i use that as a basking spot. As for submerging them no worries they will drink on their own. Maybe drp a little water on them so they get what they are in...Also you can do a bag of frozen mixed veggies and thaw them out...just offer it to him and wait he will eat when he wnts to...remember they can take a while to get used to their new surroundings so give the guy some time to chill out before handling him too much...try keeping the basking spot between 90-105...did you check out that care sheet? also you can google bearded dragon care sheet and get tons of resources
 
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Arachnosquire
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mindlessvw said:
Mine all have hides and two of them really love them...the others just sit on top...i use that as a basking spot. As for submerging them no worries they will drink on their own. Maybe drp a little water on them so they get what they are in...Also you can do a bag of frozen mixed veggies and thaw them out...just offer it to him and wait he will eat when he wnts to...remember they can take a while to get used to their new surroundings so give the guy some time to chill out before handling him too much...try keeping the basking spot between 90-105...did you check out that care sheet? also you can google bearded dragon care sheet and get tons of resources
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Well, my cool area is 80 and my bask area sometimes gets above 105. However, this is an estimate. Also, what 10 hours do I need to turn off the lights for? And how do I know the frozen veggies don't contain bad stuff for him? I heard some veggies were lethal to him.
 
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mindlessvw

Arachnobaron
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thats why you need to look at the care sheets and talk to a few more people...greens, kale, green beans, squash, zuchinni to name a few...carrots strawberries...also the substrate he have him on is bad because beardies have a high tendencie to ingest the sunstrate they are on and what he is on is so not digestable...he will get impacted and die...i highly recommend either play sand or news paper...i have heard of some accidentally ingesting paper towels but that will work as well...the sand is very asthetically pleasing as well
 
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Arachnosquire
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mindlessvw said:
thats why you need to look at the care sheets and talk to a few more people...greens, kale, green beans, squash, zuchinni to name a few...carrots strawberries...also the substrate he have him on is bad because beardies have a high tendencie to ingest the sunstrate they are on and what he is on is so not digestable...he will get impacted and die...i highly recommend either play sand or news paper...i have heard of some accidentally ingesting paper towels but that will work as well...the sand is very asthetically pleasing as well
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The play sand is digestible? I gave him some parsnips and cabbage lettuce. Also, do you think he will die if I keep him on the current substrate for a few weeks? I don't want to waste it, that's all.

You think I should just wait 1-2 weeks and then take out the cypress and just put in paper towels?
 
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mindlessvw

Arachnobaron
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cabbage causes gas and i haven't heard much about parsnips...you can leave him on that substrate but it can cause ireparable damage...really the play sand is very easy you go buy it at a wal mart or home depot for five bucks for a 50 lb bag then dumb...it is recommended that you wash it(just run it through water then let it dry out) or you can just put it in there...i really recommend that...if not just dump out what eh is in and throw down paper towels...i just had a very sick beardie that spent six weeks on paper towels...they will be fine...sand is not digestable but way easily passed
 
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Arachnosquire
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Messages
68
mindlessvw said:
cabbage causes gas and i haven't heard much about parsnips...you can leave him on that substrate but it can cause ireparable damage...really the play sand is very easy you go buy it at a wal mart or home depot for five bucks for a 50 lb bag then dumb...it is recommended that you wash it(just run it through water then let it dry out) or you can just put it in there...i really recommend that...if not just dump out what eh is in and throw down paper towels...i just had a very sick beardie that spent six weeks on paper towels...they will be fine...sand is not digestable but way easily passed
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So if I choose to put down just paper towels as a temporary solution, just the paper towels on glass, it will be fine? It is just that I heard small beardies have trouble with playsand, although large ones are fine. The reason I want a temp solution (paper towels on glass) is because I won't be able to go to the store tomorrow, have other business.
 
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mindlessvw

Arachnobaron
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then ya sand should be fine...he just can't consume those big pieces of wood you have in there...
 
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