Monday, May 24, 2010
i want a bearded drandon but how much are they and the tank somone said that i need 2 get a new 1 after a wile
Answers:
They always need to be kept in a cage unless your handling them.I answered your other question, so check it out. To refer to someone else's answer.
Never feed mealworms. They have a hard exo skeleton and high amount of chitin in their shells that are hard for beardies to digest.
Why did you make a new question? You can edit/add to your previous question.
Read up on some caresheets and than feel free to ask away.
40gallon breeder tank or similar homemade or bigger is recommended for an adult bearded dragon.
Some bearded dragon caresheets:
http://www.reptilerooms.com/sections+ind.
http://www.australianbeardies.com/care.h.
Bearded Dragons are between 40 and 80 dollars. They grow to a length of 20 inches. I would recommend a 50 gallon tank for an adult and a 15-20 gallon tank for a young bearded dragon.
Feeding Breaded Dragons
There are many food sources they can thrive on, but you have to have a variety in their diet. The commercially- bred house crickets (Acheta Domestica), Mealworms (Tenebro Molitor), King mealworms (Zophobas morio), and pinky mice. All these food items can be obtained from your local pet store or online.
The vegetation is also a good part in there diet. I have a type of vegetation in there cage all the time. But make sure it is cut up in small strips. The one vegetation you should not feed them is iceberg lettuce because it will give them diarrhea. In iceberg lettuce there is no nutrition at all. They benefit by eating dark, leafy greens such as collard greens, kale, red-tipped leaf lettuce, mustard greens, hibiscus flowers and finely chopped or grated vegetables.
Enclosures
Indoor Vivaria
The minimum size for the adult bearded Dragons is 72"L x 16"W x 17"H vivarium. Use at least a 55-gallon tank if you have one to two Dragons. Try to get a bigger width if possible. Most tanks can be purchased at a local pet store or online.
Outdoor and Greenhouse Vivaria
In the warmer months dragon owners put there dragons outside. This is good because it allows their animals to direct sunlight during the normal hours. The direct sunlight is healthy for them because it allows the D3 to activate the calcium. (The UBV bulbs do the same but not as effective).
In some areas where it is warm all year round Dragon owners keep their Dragons outside all year round. If your Dragon is kept outside have an heat source such as a heater for the extended cool times, with daytimes temperature bellow 55 F. If they remain in a outdoor exposure you should build a structures that the natural ground forms the bottom of the enclosure. The sides should go below ground in case of digging. I personally would not leave the Dragons outside during the winter months. There are too many things to go wrong and kill your dragon if it gets too cold.
Substrates
Land
The dragons need space to climb and a place to run. The Dragon natural habitat is relatively dry and people found that the dragons are happier in a more basic habitat. If there is too much clutter the dragon will not do much. Also breading will be difficult for them. There should be a rock or two in the tank so they can have a lower place to bask. The branches should not be closer then 5 inches from the heat lamp to prevent over heating and thermal burns. There should be a sheltered place where they can crawl into to hide or sleep. Sometimes the females do this to get a break from the males during mating session.
Heating
The temperature in the daytime vivarium should be 80-85 F with one or more basking spots. The nighttime temperature can safely drop to 70 F.
In the basking spot there should be the primary heating unit. This should be a reflector fixture placed above the basking spot. In large tanks there can be more than one heat source. In the basking spot the temperature should reach between 90-100 F.
Some people use a secondary heat source such as under tank heaters, and heat rocks.
(I have heard mixed messages about heat rocks some say they are great and others say they are a danger. This is because bearded Dragons don't have heat sensors on there under belly and cant tell if they are being cooked. Any decision is up to you.)
Get a Fire Alarm in the room you put the Tank!
IMPORTANT: There should be good airflow in the tank. Lizards can suffocate from not enough oxygen.
Maintenance
It is important to keep the tank clean. Clean out the stool every other day or every day. Sterilize the food and water dishes every 4-5 days. Do an over all tank sterilization every 4 weeks or sooner.
If you used carpet the carpet should be taken out and rinsed out. If you used a substrate like sand the sand should be changed when it looks spoiled. To remove the stools from sand just use a cat scupper.
Makes sure that the water level is high and there is fresh vegetation in the food dishes. Change the vegetation every day.
Keep the tank clean just think would I want to live in there?
When setting up the tank there should be some care in the placing of sticks and dishes. There should be a heat lamp on one end of the tank where it is they're basking spot. I have the food and water dish on the opposite end because I found the water and food does not dry up as fast. If the water is directly under the heat lamp the water will evaporate. There should be some sticks in the cage but the highest end should be no higher than what is a safe level for the lizard in climbing out and if it is too close to the heat lamp it can give them thermal burns. I have mine 6-8 inches from the heat lamp at the highest point. I have a couple of rocks under the heat lamp for them to bask on. If find that they spend most of there time on them. If you use sticks from the out side you have to sanitize them. I take bleach and water and scrub it until it is socked with the solution. You should cook it in the oven at 150-200 for about 15 min and it should get rid of any bugs. If you are not sure if the bugs are gone get anther stick or cook it longer or at a higher temperature. Be careful it is wood and can catch on fire.
You can start your own colonies of prey and will never have to buy them again. The only problem is you have to maintain them and keep them clean. This is not a problem if you get into a routine. The crickets can be nosy. But it is worth the expense you save.
Crickets- I started my own colony with these instructions and they are thriving.
Get a medium tank. A ten-gallon will do fine.
Have a water source either the Sponge Idea or the water bits. (If you use a dish with water they will drown and you will have heavy losses.)
Have a food source either the Dry Prey Food or the food bits.
Have a dish (butter dish works fine) and fill it with potting soil. Pat down until firm. Moisten it with a spray bottle.
Get 100-200 crickets or more for the first colony.
Keep soil most
Don鈥檛 take away from colony. You can take the babes that are made and then put 30-40 crickets back into the original colony.
Have another tank for the feeder crickets. (The ones you will feed to the lizards.)
Keep up the food and water.
Clean every week.
Warning: Crickets may be noisy so think where you will put the colony tank. It should be in a warm area but it doesn鈥檛 need to be heated.
Mealworms and king Mealworms- They are vary easy to breed but it takes patience. You get a small 2-gallon container form the local pet store. Then you put all the mealworms into it. Add oranges or potatoes on the top. I would add a piece of egg carton in the top for the beetles. The larva turns into beetles and lay eggs and then you get more mealworms. Be careful not to take too many mealworms or you will exhaust the colony supply. Add corn meal every week for there food. Change the orange or potato so it doesn't start to mold and kill off your colony.
Wax worms- Are a fatty source of food. I would not recommend this to be the staple food source but as a treat or for pregnant Dragons. You do the same thing as mealworms except the larva spin a cocoon and turn into moths so you need a closed container.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment