german giant bearded dragon

Question
Hi we have just purchased a healthy 2 1/2 year old "dragon"  I was wondering if you give me some pointers on caring for "Izzy"  he has a heat light UV light and 2 heat rocks a water bowl  and wood chips for turf. any other suggestions on things to add in, also that powder they have at reptile stores for coating the crickets, is it worth using what are the effects of it? where does the German bearded dragon originate from Germany or Australia like all the others?  what will getting him a mate do will it make him live longer? thanks for your time he is our first lizzard so we need to make sure we do it right!

Answer
Hello Carla,

What brand of UVB light are you using is it a mercury vapor bulb then?  You mentioned that it was heat & UVB so that is why I wondered.
Hm, as far as woodchips, you will want to be very careful with those to make sure that he does not ingest any of that or crickets don't hide in them.  Better choices though for substrate would be non adhesive shelf liner, reptile carpet or slate tiles.
He does need calcium 3 times per week, or he can get metabolic bone disease.  Do let me know the type & brand of UVB light.  
A german giant originated in germany.  Basically, they are a morph created by the germans when they imported them from Australia.  Originally, they brought over vitticeps & barbatas then bred them for size not color which made the german giants.  There is no longer any barbata traits but the size remains.  They all originated from Australian bloodlines.  
Getting him a mate wont make any difference in his lifespan.  They are generally better off alone, so that is up to you.  Breeding though is alot of work, & you would need to house them separate to avoid overbreeding.  If you give him enough time & attention, he will be perfectly fine.
How are you measuring the temps for him?  You will need either a digital probe or a temp gun for best accuracy.  His basking needs to be around 95-105 for an adult & around 78-82 on the cooler end.
What sized tank are you using?  

Tracie