bearded dragons

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 11:45 am

my sister has a lot of reptiles and they recently had to move in with her husband's parents...well she might have to cut down the number of pets she has, because of space and lack of time. so well, i might be getting her bearded dragon if her husband ok's it. she wants to give him away to someone she knows will take really good care of him(she loves all her pets dearly) and she knows i put alot of time and effort into the care of my pets.well anyway, if i do get him i want to be ready to care for him properly so i was wondering if anyone knew any good, reliable sites about the care of them. even if i don't get him i am planning on getting one eventually...so the sites would be really helpful regardless.i just love those lil guys! they are so cute!

Gaby · Post by **Gaby** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 1:59 pm

I have found the people at beardeddragon.org to be very friendly and helpful. My husband likes repticzone.com though. Let's see, since we are new to the bearded dragon community, here is a list of the sites that I have bookmarked for one reason or another, ya know, the ones that I have found helpful in some aspect.Beautiful DragonsTosney's Bearded Dragon CareBearded Dragons and More Care and InfoAnd that seems to be about it. I have several links to custom cages, since we are in the later stages of building our custom terrarium too. Jedediah is very helpful in providing links to good info too, not to mention she is a wealth of knowlege in and of herself. Hope that helps!The biggest drawback that I have found to Beardies, is the live feeder crickets. They stink, literally, and figuratively. We are in the process of trying to switch to silkworms as our main live feeder, but it's proving tough to find a reliable supplier. Any suggestions are welcome about that...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 3:23 pm

my sister actually has a leapord gecko...she said i could have either her or the beardy and i said i wanted him(would take both, but don't want to take on more pets than i can handle)...still waiting for her husband's ok.she has never fed him mice, so i won't be either.i would probably keep the crickets in the shed(it's warm in there...we have a heater for my boyfriend's 10 foot snake) so the smell won't bother me and the criping won't drive my boyfriend nutsthanks for the links

Jedediah · Post by **Jedediah** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 8:39 pm

Gaby, what kind of crickets do you feed, the black ones? Other cricket species don't smell at all.I prefer roaches as the main part of the live diet since they are so easy to breed and handle and Blaptica dubia won't survive in the house since they die of thirst very quickly. At http://www.kingsnake.com you'll find a list of insect breeders, but of course I cannot recommend one

Gaby · Post by **Gaby** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 5:40 am

Honestly Jedediah, I don't know what kind of crickets we feed Ladon. My husband just goes to SuperPets, and gets 300-500 at a time, and it last about a week. We lose about 50 throughout the week, and we have varied what we feed the crickets. Right now we are feeding them cut up fresh veggies, potatos mostly, and softened juvenile bearded dragon pellets, since we have some for Ladon (for vacation purposes) and he absolutely hates them. I figured they would be a half way nutritious food for the crickets to eat, and it actually helps the bin smell better. I really want to get Ladon switched to silkworms though, they are much easier to feed him, and he loves them, and from what I have read they are more nutritious as well with less risk of impaction (not that there is really much risk of impaction from crickets as long as they aren't too big). I will check out the link though, I remember having that bookmarked, and then went to cleaning my bookmarks and thought, why do I have a sight bookmarked about snakes, lol. I will have to add a comment .

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:24 am

I've also read that crickets can cause an outbreak of parasites. Alot of people on the web are switching to silkworms. I could not find any in my area that were live but my baby is tiny. Actually, petco said he was 2 weeks old and we think he was a week old. He has traits of a 2 week old now and we have had him a week. He has grown an inch since we got him and he was hardly eating except what I feed him but now he eats tiny crickets. My crickets don't smell and I have them in a 10 gal with oatmeal as substrate and cricket food, vegs and potatoes with a screen lid.

Jedediah · Post by **Jedediah** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:43 pm

Other insects can carry parasites, too. It's just a risk that's there. Food gathered outside can carry parasites, too, since most wild insects have them, especially pinworms.But mostly it's not a big deal and doesn't even have to be treated unless they multiply too much.

GSnicklegrove · Post by **GSnicklegrove** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 1:08 pm

Gaby,I like to get my crickets from Rainbow mealworms.comThey are extremely healthy, with sometimes only one loss a week ( if the crickets have proper ventilation). Those are the healthiest crickets I have found, other than breeding them oneself. I have tried half a dozen internet bug suppliers already, and still Rainbow's are the best, and 100% better than anything in the pet stores. It is my belief, a reptile will only be as healthy as the food it eats. Sick and half emmaciated insects fill the stomach, but missing lots of nutirtion, even with additonal vitamin/supplementation. I think the website is http://www.rainbowmealworms.com. I'll have to double check in a moment.Part of the reason the silkworms are so popular this season, is because two reptile food manufacturers have put out new silkworm products, and the advertising blitz has included lots of annoymous people posting all over the net...its catching on like wildfire.My dragon and 3 of my geckos loves silkworms. Overall, I find them too fatty for an everyday diet. I don't have a beardie though, I have a water dragon, so I couldn't say for sure for them. I am a big believer in variety of insects for any reptile, at each meal. Different insects feed on different foods, have different balances of nutrients, plus, it helps overall to keep the gut from impacting, imo. Anyway, I know I sort of barged right into this thread, but I think you may be pleasantly surprised to find that internet bug purchases, even with shipping, are not really that expensive, and if from a good supplier, healthier with fewer losses. ALso, I agree with Jedediah, all insects have the potential to transmit parasites, invasive bacteria, more so with the wild caught. A proper diet, and developed good intestinal flora will help to some measure prevent parasitic infections by not allowing room for parasites and pathogenic bacteria to grab onto the intestinal wall, thus flushed out.I am also not a believer in yearly antibiotic treatment for reps, it wears down their immune system, destroys the mucosal layer of their guts, making it extremely likely at their next meal after the antiobiotic round to harbor a fresh round of parasites. I find an initial treatment is good with a new purchase, then working on maintaining a good digestive balance is where the preventative is at.Congratulations on your new family member!Gertie

GSnicklegrove · Post by **GSnicklegrove** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 1:10 pm

Gaby,The wormman.com also is decent bug supplier, and they sell feeder roaches. I am not enthralled with their mealworms, though. Crickets are great. Great prices too.Gertie