My Bearded Dragon...

Question
QUESTION: Hi, i have recently bought my bearded dragon from a pet store and i have had him for around a month now, i think he is about a month and a half and he is about 4 - 5 inches long. I have him in a 2x1x1 ft tank at the moment at my mums house and i have a 4x1.5x1 ft tank at my house. I am going to be moving him into that in about 3 weeks, some experts have said on this website that it may be too large of an enclosure for a baby, but my water dragon loves to scurry from one side of the tank form the other and he loves to explore...what do you think, can i move him in there, i also have a question about eating aswell, he eats around 3 cricket in the morning and leaves the rest i the tank, i remove them at night so they don't bite him but i do not think that he is eating a lot at all, although he seems to be gradually getting fatter, although when i moved him to a bigger tank the other day which i earlier mentioned (2x1x1), he ate 8 in the morning...what should i do ???

ANSWER: Hello Danny, first off congrats on the new baby beardie! And correct he is about 1 and a half months judging by the size. And that tank is approximately 15 gallons and for his size it is ok for now but they do grow. The tank you say you are moving him to will be about 45 gallons. At 45 gallons he can be in that tank for quite a while although you will still have to upgrade once he gets older. Personally I think that they should have as much room as possible when they are any size. 45 gallon will be all right for him. The reason most people say not to use a big tank for a baby lizard is because they have a hard time hunting down there food when there is a lot of room for the food to run away. But if you keep him in the 45 gallon and take him out and feed him somewhere else. Then that sure does solve your problem. And I hope that you don't plan on having the Bearded Dragon live with the Water Dragon. This can cause many problems. If you need more information about that then just ask. Well he will eat as many as he thinks he needs. It seems to me sense you have only just got him that he was nervous and frightened of the new enclosure. He got used to the people at the pet store and then he sees you and gets really scared and most lizards will not eat very much at first. He could be just starting to warm up to his new place. And knows that you are friend not predator. Just keep letting him eat as much as he can and then remove the ones he doesn't eat. Keep track of his diet. Maybe make a chart and if something seems wrong then ask for more help. Remember that they like a varied diet. You wouldn't like it if you were fed chicken every day for the rest of your life. Just as he will get sick of crickets. So mix it up get him a salad and some worms. Here is a site that has some GREAT food information. Pay attention to the color coded box at the top of the list. That tells you how good the food is for him. Good luck and have fun with your new Dragon! (copy and paste the URL)
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

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QUESTION: Hey, thanks for the reply and it has been much help, e has started eating that little touch more now, he ate8 the other day and then 3 but then he went back to 6 crickets. My friend  told me that isnt enough but i am going to try giving him locusts now because my last dragon which was a water dragon preferred these. Also, i have been told that my dragon cannot eat worms of any sort yet as his body may not be able to digest it properly. A;though if you think it will be o.k, i will see how he gets on with them.
ANSWER: Yeah, you definitely want a variety of foods remember though that when they are young you have to feed very small food items. So locusts are good, crickets, cockroaches, and many other things. Now about the worms; Waxworms are very fatty and should only be used as an occasional treat. Mealworms should NOT be fed because of the hard outer shell they have is hard on the digestive system. Glad I could help, anything else just ask. I hope he gets his eating habits worked out.

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QUESTION: ok, i will  bare that in mind and thanks for all the help but there is one last question, sorry about all of these but how quickly can they grow, because most people say they grow really quick but i have had him him about two months now and he isn't growing much, how long until he grows around 12-14 inches long, i would love my dragon at that size, as i think they look better and perform better as pets, thanks
ANSWER: Dont worry abou it, the more questions the better because then you have all the information you need and you will know you are doing everything you can to make sure your pet is happy and healthy.

The URL I gave you to the Beautiful Dragons site has growth charts of peoples' dragons. It tells you the age, Date, and Size in inches. Here is the link again.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Growth.html

Your guy now is about 5 inches long correct? And according to the site that puts him at about 1 and a half to 2 months old. And when most Beardies are 12-14 inches that puts them at about 7 months so you have a good 5 months or so to get a good size dragon. When you think about it that wont take long at all. Anything else go ahead and ask!

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QUESTION: Thanks for not being bummed about the amount of questions but i have now set up my tank, it has a 10.0 reptilglow uvb tube above, a large heat rock and a basking lamp, i have various rock spread out and prnaments to hide in and bask upon and the bottom of the tanks substrate is reptile sand, especially made for reptiles, i was wondering whether i will need to use a plastic sheet just under the 10.0 uvb tube because it may have too much radiation coming out because at the moment i have nothing there between the niside of the tank and the light, also, on my heat rock instructions it says never to keep a basking light just above the heat rock and that was the place i wanted it to be why is this...also, do bearded dragons like branches because in my tank at my mums at the moment (2x1x1) it has a branch but no rocks and i do not want to put brances in this time and it has numerous rocks, should i put some branches in or will it be fine without ???
ANSWER: No problem, I do have a problem however with the heat rock. They should not be used. They heat up to hot and can burn your dragon's belly and feet. You can use it just don't keep it on. There have been many bad experiences with them. So I never recommend using them. The other problem is the sand. It can be very dangerous, it gets stuck in between little toes and wrinkles in the skin and can cause bad irritation and cause great pain. The more serious thing that can happen is when he goes to eat a cricket he will snap it up off of the ground and in the process end up consuming the sand which can be very harmful to the digestive system and cause impaction. Now you might wonder why it is that pet stores sell these and why they are still being made and why there is no warning. Well the pet stores and manufacturers either don't realize this or they plain don't care and just want the money they make from it. All types of sand is good some people say that the calci-sand is ok or that the children's play sand works but I don't agree with either. The reason the rock says not to place it under a basking light is because then it will heat up way more then you want and can cause really bad burns. The rock is made to absorb heat. When you throw 100'F onto it then its going to become a frying pan! That is the type of thing that you don't want and that heat is on top of the heat that the rock is already making. Which can be harmful without the basking light. It will be fine without branches as long as the rocks are layered upwards so he has stuff to climb around and hide in. A branch probably would be nice but no it is not needed. If you need more information or clarification just ask. Good luck!

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QUESTION: OK, i understand what you are saying but the sand does say digestible sand on the packet because my friend works in Urmston Reptile shop an has a bearded dragon. I bought the sand form him and he has never had a problem with it. Also, my rock has a built in thermostat in it and it rather pricey not to use it for a heat source as i need a fitting for my bulb at the minute and cannot find one anywhere, so...i do not really not wanting to be using the heat rock. It says that it tops out at 50 degrees Celsius and then cools down to prevent burns or damage to the reptile in the home so i trust it, so after me telling you this, do you really think i shouldn't use it and if i was to use it, if it were burnt , how could i recognize this and if so, and unrecognized, what are the symptoms involved such as death, damage to eating and so on...I would be greatful if you could reply as soon a spossible as i am leaving for vacation tomorrow for two weeks
ANSWER: Well if you trust that it works then I cant stop you from using it, but be careful and if he is on it alot try and lift him up to check the belly for any blisters, or redness. Check and see if he is walking weird (as if he were uncomfortable) and just keep looking at his belly all the time to make sure there is no sign of burning. The rocks with thermostats are best but you still need to be careful. And with the sand like I said about the rock, it is your animal and your choice if you trust the stuff then use it. I am just warning you of what could happen. I have heard of problems with play sand, calci-sand, reptile sand, and other sands also. With the sand just make sure he is still eating and dedicating regularly. You might want to feed him in a different container just to be sure. Anything like a Rubbermaid tub with a bare bottom just to be sure. But it is your choice. Just giving you some options. Good luck

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QUESTION: OK, thank you very much, i will be careful about the sand and the rock  but i am not going to be turning the rock on, maybe for the first week but i don't want him getting too attached to it, i am just going to leave it in as a rock and i have put the basking light above it. I have bought the basking light today and i didn't know how warm it is until now, so thank you for all of your advice and i will keep an eye out for the sand problem but most people say to give him a bath every night and rub his belly so that it doesn't log up anywhere and is comes out of the other end, if you know what i mean and i am quite happy doing that as he likes baths as a youngster as he has had one every day for the past month, i will be going on vacation for 2 weeks in a couple of hours and i will rate you the best you can rate as an expert but i won't do it just yet as i would like to ask questions when i come home, as this is when i move him into his new home. Thanks very much for everything
ANSWER: Your very much welcome, its good that he likes bathing. Some beardies absolutely hate it. And when you give him a bath try and use a Q-tip around his toes and claws to make sure no sand is in there. Be gentle but make sure he is clean and sand-less. Have fun on vacation and I will be waiting to hear all the questions you might have when you return. I am sure your little guy appreciates you a lot for all you are doing to make sure he is healthy and happy. Thanks for being a good pet owner! (You wouldn't believe how many people get a lizard because "it looks cool" then neglect it in a box until it dies- Sad-) Thanks~

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QUESTION: Hey, i am back from my holidays, it was really good, got a top tan, ryt my beardie has been put in his new home and he seems to like it he lseems to eat a lot more, maybe because he feels hppier but i have gone down a small size in crickets so he eats a lot more atleast 20 a day now. He seems to like exploring but loves to bask under the basking light aswell, i havent turned the heat rock on, he seems to walk around his home and lick things with his tongue and move along, is this normal, also do you have any tips on how to get my beardie eating vegetables and fruitsd and tips on how to start him dirnking. Thanks...

Answer
Hello, nice to hear you had a good time. Licking things is very normal. Its their way of getting to know there surroundings. Like a dog going around sniffing a new home. His taste is more sensitive then his smell and he is just tasting his home to see what he has. As for drinking I hope you mean water.. Just offer him a small visible dish of water and shower him daily in a sink. Beardies love bathing. Don't use cold water though, you want it to be 95-99 F. If he gets thirsty he knows there is water and he will drink when he needs it. You might want to let him know it is there though and tilt in his nose towards it.
As for getting him to eat his greens. You can try and hold it in front of him and try to wiggle it as if it were alive. Most young dragons don't realize it is food. Movement means food. So try and make it seem as if it were alive. Have it "run" from him then let him catch it. Other then that just offer a bowl of it everyday and he might come around. Usually young dragons won't eat veggies though. And don't feed him a lot of fruits because they are really high in natural sugar and should be fed only once a week at the most. Its good he is eating more and that the smaller crickets are working better. Good to hear that he is happy also. Good job, I am sure he appreciates all you have done.