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Post by ternw1984 on May 10, 2005 11:29:11 GMT -5
I have a cwd and am thinking of getting a beardie. What are they like? Do they have personalities and do they like to free roam or hang out? I wondered if they would be a good fit. I read they they poop all over them. Is that true for all of them. It seems that would be messy. Thay look so cute. Are they all different? I was wondering how big a cage they need and how much they eat?  |
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Post by Sterling on May 10, 2005 14:20:14 GMT -5
Beardies are GREAT! They all have diff. personalities! There is not one thats the same! There are many different colors/morphs out there! They love to hang out and cuddle with people(most of them do). They are just the cuttest things! They do poop, but all animals poop! I only have one dragon that will get poop all over him cause he will run through it, but then I just give him a nice warm soak in the bathtub and it comes right off! They should have a minimum of a 4x2x2 enclosure for an adult and they eat a lot! They should have a variety of dark, leafy greens available all day, every day(www.beautifuldragons.com). They should also have a variety of meat sources: crickets, roaches, superworms, hornworms, silkworms, NO mealworms!! Substrate should be either, paper towels, newspaper, in/outdoor carpet, shelf liner, or bare bottom floor, NO sand, or other loose substrates! They NEED UVB/UVA lighting and a over-head heat source. Temps need to be from 100-115* for the basking spot, the cool side should be in the low 80s, mid 70s. There is a lot more stuff to learn so if you are interested, I would suggest looking up many many care sheets online and then ask some questions that you might not understand. A lot of the caresheets will be misleading and tell you stuff that has not been updated(like sand and mealworms) so just watch out for that  We are always here to help! |
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Post by ternw1984 on May 10, 2005 17:23:54 GMT -5
Thanks for all the info. Is it better to get one in a pet store or online? Do colors make a difference other than preference? It sounds like a great pet. I want one that likes to watch T.V. and mostly hang out. Can you use one of those mesh reptariums with them? I was surprised about not using sand. I thought that is all they used. I read they also have a big appetite. How much should I look to spend on crickets? |
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Post by Sterling on May 10, 2005 20:41:53 GMT -5
It is much better to get one from a breeder, online or at a reptile show near you.
Its your choice if you want one with more color or with plain browns and tans, expect to make more for the ones with color!
Reptariums aren't the best enclosures for them, because there are only some that allow uvb to shine throw. And alot of the heat will escape, but it would work, its just not the best for a beardie.
Yes, most breeders and other people use sand because they like the look of it, but beardies do not live on sand in the wild, they live on hard, compacted clay(rock). Sand is dirty, its nasty and absorbs their poo and they will start living on their own toilet! Sand also causes impaction, it gums up inside of them and cannot pass through cause impaction and possible death!
They do have a BIG appetite! My dragons eat 2 servings of greens a day. Babies/juvies will eat more meat(crickets, worms, etc) and as they get older they will start to eat more greens then meat(80% greens, 20% meat). Check that site I gave you(beautifuldragons.com) for all the right greens to feed!
Crickets dont cost that much, its better to buy them in bulks online, its MUCH cheaper! Its really stupid to buy like 4 dozen crickets at the petstore that cost alot when you will need more in a few days. I get my crickets from reptilefood.com, and they are great! Great prices!
Good luck, if you have any more questions, please ask!
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Post by ternw1984 on May 10, 2005 21:04:12 GMT -5
That sounds okay. I will look up getting crickets on the internet in bulk since I have firebellies, toads, whites frogs, and the cwd. I hope I can get them in bulk without having too many left over. How long will 1000 last? That is as few as I have seen in the past. Do your beardies eat that many in a week or month?
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Post by Sterling on May 10, 2005 21:13:45 GMT -5
I have 5 beardies and 2 leos and together, 1000 lasts about 2 weeks. But if you dont want 1000, you can get 500 or 250 as well. You dont have to get that man, but 250 is the lowest you can go.
Trust me, ordering in bulks is much cheaper and the crickets will go by much faster then you think!
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Post by ternw1984 on May 11, 2005 5:44:53 GMT -5
Thanks. I thought I had to get 1000 but 250 sounds better. I think I could go through that many.
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Post by ClementeDragons on May 11, 2005 22:30:41 GMT -5
If you need any help on finding a great breeder FCH or I can give you some great names of breeders to check out.
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Post by ClementeDragons on May 11, 2005 22:33:29 GMT -5
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Post by spike on May 12, 2005 3:52:03 GMT -5
Thanks. I thought I had to get 1000 but 250 sounds better. I think I could go through that many. It really depends on the individual dragon. I believe that for one juvie beardie om average can go through up to 30 small crickets a day. I only feed mine 15 but they could have eaten a lot more, as i was told by the pet shop do this  ... but it was my fault for not researching it properly  . Right now, i go through 2000 crickets in 2-3 weeks. That is between 4 gecko sized dragons that eat about 30-50 between them a day and an ackie that eats about 100 every 2-3 days. This is excluding my beardies and AWD's that eat woodies. You could maybe try 250 for the first time and see how long they last. My crickets last the 2-3 weeks, by just giving them carrots and putting in some damp cotton balls Hope this helps  |
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Post by ternw1984 on May 12, 2005 6:16:53 GMT -5
I think I will get some soon. I just paid 6.50 for 40!! I was getting them for 6cents a piece but the they were out so I had to go somewhere else. I didn't realize they ate so many. How long does it take to get the crickets once you order them? Do they show up alive? I didn't know they were so easy to take care of. Do you put the crickets in the tank and then let them eat them when they want? I have not figured out how to feed them to my cwd. Right now I just put them in the tank after I powder them. I heard you are not supposed to leave them in the tank but he won't eat out of my hand. Let me know if you have any ideas. |
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Post by Sterling on May 12, 2005 15:58:09 GMT -5
You can either order the crickets for next day shipping or ground shipping(about 2 days) which is alittle cheaper. If you are planning on getting your crickets from reptilefood.com, which is where I get mine, then you need to order before 2pm in the afternoon for them to come the next day(if next day shipping is selected). They will come alive, a coupld might be dead but not many at all, and if a lot of them were dead they would send you more for free. You should put the crickets in a tall tub so they can't jump out or one with a a lid and feed them left over greens and vegetables from your dragons and a damp paper towel or sponge in there for them to get water.
What I do is, put the crickets I want to feed into a little container and sprinkle powder into that and shake it up and then dump the crickets into the cage, dont dump too much though, cause sometimes it can stress them out! Let them eat most of them first, then put more. Feed as many as he/she will eat in 10-15minutes for about 2-3 feedings a day.
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Post by ternw1984 on May 12, 2005 22:06:55 GMT -5
;)Thanks I will try that.
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... but it was my fault for not researching it properly 
.