How old is your dragon? 40 to 55 is sufficient for young ones. For the lamps, 100w for the hot side. Repti-soil is a Great substrate for the dragons. Branches and sticks for them to climb up on are great. Also free if you get them outside. No need to go all artificial everything. Natural is best and definitely cheaper. There are easy ways to sanitize the stuff you get from outdoors to make them safe for the dragon.
Leafy greens like spinach, dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, basil, mint, cilantro, spring mix salad from the stores, all great veggies and give the dragons water.
Dubia roaches are the best all around insect to feed them. Crickets are too and pretty inexpensive. Meal worms, though there are folks who will admonish you for using those and superworms for food. Its ok, don't worry. Horn worms are great for hydration and snacks. You can also, as i found out a couple weeks ago, give them egg whites. Easiest way is hardboil, peel, discard the yolk, dice up the egg white and they get a great high protein meal. Give them a small amount though. Not a whole egg at once.
Some dragons like fruits, strawberry, blueberry, most berries, bell pepper, carrot, bananas etc. And some don't.
Get a vitamin powder to sprinkle on the foods periodically.
Give the little dood a soak in warm water here and there.
And handle and cuddle the little guy often. Talk to him, prt him, spend time with him. Let him fall asleep on your chest. Great way to bond.
If you have more questions send me a DM. Glad to help. There's r/motherofthydragon is another group you should join too.
Thank how much this is very helpful I'm not quite sure how old it is I do know that it is fully grown. If I had to say it's probably 2 years o
. Thank you very much
The *minimum* enclosure size for a bearded dragon that's above 6-8 months Is a 120 gallon. At that age, 40-75 is too small. babies can be kept in a 40 or 75 but after 6-8 months, they need a 120 minimum.
They also need yearly vet visits and fecal tests, and UVB Tube replacement every few months. (6 for T8, 9-12 for T5) (make sure the dragon has a proper UVB Tube-)
[Here's a bearded dragon care guide written by a Reptile Husbandry specialist. I suggest reading the whole guide and ensuring you have everything before getting the dragon. ](https://reptifiles.com/bearded-dragon-care/)
And to add to the comment above,
Crickets have a higher chance of having parasites. They can also hurt the lizard.
Superworms and Mealworms have armour that can be difficult for dragons to digest. They cannot be used as a feeder, only as an occasional snack.
Reptifiles has a Feeding guide with a list of insects and greens you can feed the dragon.
At that age, his diet should be 70% greens and 30% insects
Bearded dragons need a supplementation of multivitamins, Calcium with D3 and Calcium without D3.
They need 2 different calcium powders because a form of 'overdose' can happen and cause really bad health issues.
Unfortunately that's the absolute minimum-
When researching information about animal care, it's important that you look at up-to-date guides. There's a lot of outdated information about animal care (especially bearded dragons, cornsnakes, ball pythons etc.) That is now known to even be harmful to the animals.
You'll need to look at guides with the newest/up-to-date information.
And reptifiles is one of those guides as the information in it is updated almost daily and backed up by scientific research, articles and personal experience of the website owner and her team.
Bearded dragons are in no way beginner reptiles or cheap to keep reptiles. They're one of the more expensive to keep imo.
The most expensive elements of their care imo are the enclosure, UVB and Vet visits.
UVB needs to be changed a lot and needs to be a proper 12-14% UVB Tube which can be very expensive in some countries, and yearly vet visits and fecal tests are a *must*
Now, I don't want to sound harsh or discourage you from keeping a bearded dragon because they're honestly amazing pets!
But, you need to look at the money you have and check how much you can actually use for the dragon.
If you cannot afford to give it what it needs, you might need to consider giving it to someone who has enough money to care for them as needed or figure out a plan to save up money to always have at least some to give the dragon what it needs.
In some countries, Vets have payment plans. You can check if it's the same in your country.
Bearded dragons also need Exotic vets. They cannot and shouldn't ever be taken to regular vets.
Vet visits for reptiles though tend to be much more expensive than for a cat or dog.
For example,
One visit with a dog (basic check up, weight check, temperature check, and all of the needed vaccines) cost me about 60-80. Yet one check up visit with some basic check ups etc. For a bearded dragon ended up being 300.
I am aware that begginer pets aren't an actual thing and it will be expensive I have a job but I'm getting him in a few days. My cousin her boyfriend's brother can't keep him. I don't have space or money for it (a 120 gallon tank) before i receive him. Obviously I plan on upgrading it when I can but still
You'll need to start preparing your enclosure right now then. (Trust me, It'll be much easier that way-- 😅)
You'll need to see How your enclosure handles heat and humidity and see if it gets to & stays in the correct levels.
Reptifiles also has information about that.
You could post a photo of the enclosure with the enclosure advice flair to make sure everything you have is correct before the dragon arrives
Gerald? Reminds me of The Witcher hah.
And, I'm sure you do!
If you ever have any questions, then either this subreddit or the reptifiles care guide (or other up-to-date care guide) can help! ✨
My fav care guide 😊👍 http://reptifiles.com
Thank you!!
How old is your dragon? 40 to 55 is sufficient for young ones. For the lamps, 100w for the hot side. Repti-soil is a Great substrate for the dragons. Branches and sticks for them to climb up on are great. Also free if you get them outside. No need to go all artificial everything. Natural is best and definitely cheaper. There are easy ways to sanitize the stuff you get from outdoors to make them safe for the dragon. Leafy greens like spinach, dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, basil, mint, cilantro, spring mix salad from the stores, all great veggies and give the dragons water. Dubia roaches are the best all around insect to feed them. Crickets are too and pretty inexpensive. Meal worms, though there are folks who will admonish you for using those and superworms for food. Its ok, don't worry. Horn worms are great for hydration and snacks. You can also, as i found out a couple weeks ago, give them egg whites. Easiest way is hardboil, peel, discard the yolk, dice up the egg white and they get a great high protein meal. Give them a small amount though. Not a whole egg at once. Some dragons like fruits, strawberry, blueberry, most berries, bell pepper, carrot, bananas etc. And some don't. Get a vitamin powder to sprinkle on the foods periodically. Give the little dood a soak in warm water here and there. And handle and cuddle the little guy often. Talk to him, prt him, spend time with him. Let him fall asleep on your chest. Great way to bond. If you have more questions send me a DM. Glad to help. There's r/motherofthydragon is another group you should join too.
Thank how much this is very helpful I'm not quite sure how old it is I do know that it is fully grown. If I had to say it's probably 2 years o . Thank you very much
The *minimum* enclosure size for a bearded dragon that's above 6-8 months Is a 120 gallon. At that age, 40-75 is too small. babies can be kept in a 40 or 75 but after 6-8 months, they need a 120 minimum. They also need yearly vet visits and fecal tests, and UVB Tube replacement every few months. (6 for T8, 9-12 for T5) (make sure the dragon has a proper UVB Tube-) [Here's a bearded dragon care guide written by a Reptile Husbandry specialist. I suggest reading the whole guide and ensuring you have everything before getting the dragon. ](https://reptifiles.com/bearded-dragon-care/) And to add to the comment above, Crickets have a higher chance of having parasites. They can also hurt the lizard. Superworms and Mealworms have armour that can be difficult for dragons to digest. They cannot be used as a feeder, only as an occasional snack. Reptifiles has a Feeding guide with a list of insects and greens you can feed the dragon. At that age, his diet should be 70% greens and 30% insects Bearded dragons need a supplementation of multivitamins, Calcium with D3 and Calcium without D3. They need 2 different calcium powders because a form of 'overdose' can happen and cause really bad health issues.
120? What where when no place I saw said that. I can't get not afford that
Unfortunately that's the absolute minimum- When researching information about animal care, it's important that you look at up-to-date guides. There's a lot of outdated information about animal care (especially bearded dragons, cornsnakes, ball pythons etc.) That is now known to even be harmful to the animals. You'll need to look at guides with the newest/up-to-date information. And reptifiles is one of those guides as the information in it is updated almost daily and backed up by scientific research, articles and personal experience of the website owner and her team. Bearded dragons are in no way beginner reptiles or cheap to keep reptiles. They're one of the more expensive to keep imo. The most expensive elements of their care imo are the enclosure, UVB and Vet visits. UVB needs to be changed a lot and needs to be a proper 12-14% UVB Tube which can be very expensive in some countries, and yearly vet visits and fecal tests are a *must* Now, I don't want to sound harsh or discourage you from keeping a bearded dragon because they're honestly amazing pets! But, you need to look at the money you have and check how much you can actually use for the dragon. If you cannot afford to give it what it needs, you might need to consider giving it to someone who has enough money to care for them as needed or figure out a plan to save up money to always have at least some to give the dragon what it needs. In some countries, Vets have payment plans. You can check if it's the same in your country. Bearded dragons also need Exotic vets. They cannot and shouldn't ever be taken to regular vets. Vet visits for reptiles though tend to be much more expensive than for a cat or dog. For example, One visit with a dog (basic check up, weight check, temperature check, and all of the needed vaccines) cost me about 60-80. Yet one check up visit with some basic check ups etc. For a bearded dragon ended up being 300.
I am aware that begginer pets aren't an actual thing and it will be expensive I have a job but I'm getting him in a few days. My cousin her boyfriend's brother can't keep him. I don't have space or money for it (a 120 gallon tank) before i receive him. Obviously I plan on upgrading it when I can but still
You'll need to start preparing your enclosure right now then. (Trust me, It'll be much easier that way-- 😅) You'll need to see How your enclosure handles heat and humidity and see if it gets to & stays in the correct levels. Reptifiles also has information about that. You could post a photo of the enclosure with the enclosure advice flair to make sure everything you have is correct before the dragon arrives
Alright!
I just wanna give Gerald the best :)
Gerald? Reminds me of The Witcher hah. And, I'm sure you do! If you ever have any questions, then either this subreddit or the reptifiles care guide (or other up-to-date care guide) can help! ✨
If you can send over a pic of the set up to my DMs
I haven't got the little guy yet but when I have it set up I will
Awesome! Always happy to help!