Bearded Dragon Chat c:

[wattson]

hello!
im jensen ackles;, or tori, and i currently have a bearded dragon (he's somewhere around 5 yrs old) named rango. here on this thread,
you can post advice, questions, stories, or pictures of your beardie.

rules
01. please don't go off topic and talk about your cat. there is a thread somewhere for that.
02. do not ask for/post medical advice. if your beardie is sick, injured or anything else
take it to a vet. i doubt many people on cs are medically certified.
03. you can ask about/post about keeping your beardie healthy if i don't mention it in the
post i made about healthy beardies.
04. if you have questions, ask away! im no expert but i, and im sure others, can try to
answer your question to the best of our abilities!

again, im not an expert. i only post things ive learned from being a beardie owner for five years, or things that i have read/ been told from other owners. if you need advice from an expert, try to find someone who studies beardies or ask a vet.

[wattson]

my beardie advice!

housing
young beardies need a 15-20 gallon tank/viv. adults will need one thats at least 45 gal, but i would recommend 55 gal so they have room to run around.
do not use sand, kitty litter, wood chips, or anything that can be swallowed for a substrate (flooring). instead, use a reptile mat of some sort, newspaper, paper towels etc. loose substrate can be swallowed and cause your dragon to become impact (blockage of the intestines), which can cause death. putting them in sandboxes is okay every once and a while though, as they like to dig.
bearded dragons (especially young beardies) enjoy climbing so i would recommend putting a rock or some branches for them to climb on in your viv.
ALWAYS make sure they have water available.
make sure they have proper heating and humidity, i would recommend using this website to find that because i do not know the exact numbers.

feeding
beardies are omnivores, they eat insects and plants.
to see what foods they can and cannot eat, click here.
they need at least two hours to bask after eating to make sure they digest everything properly.
make sure their prey is not bigger than the space between their eyes.

handling
my beardie is still not used to handling as i've been too scared to handle him up until a few weeks ago and he hasn't been handled in about a year and a half, but this is what i know.
you want to form a bond with them before handling them to make sure you dont scare them. hand feeding them is a good place to start, but dont do it so often that they don't get super dependent on you hand feeding them. if you always only hand feed them,
they will stop eating from their bowls. petting/stroking them daily is also good for forming a bond.
when picking them up, move slowly so you dont startle them. gently scoop them up from their belly. they do not enjoy being held firmly so i would recommend just letting them rest in your palm, unless you have a jumper, then i would recommend holding them a bit tighter. if they jump, keep them close to the ground so they dont injure themselves.
make sure they have an enclosed area to explore and dont leave them unattended outside of their tanks.

bathing

bathing them three or more times a week is a good idea. it keeps them hydrated and helps them when it comes to shedding. mkae sure the water is warm (not hot) and not too deep (up to their chest or middle of front legs). NEVER leave your beardie unattended, thats kind of common sense, though. do not leave them in longer than 20 minutes unless they really enjoy bathing or they are shedding.

[Seasonal]

Feel free to post here!
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