In a fit of madness (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it), I agreed to let my nine-year-old get a lizard as a pet. I spoke to three different pet stores and did a little research online, and now we have…a bearded dragon.
We went to a store that specializes in reptiles and fish, and I discussed lizards with the owner. He told me that he thought a bearded lizard (his term - perhaps he was afraid the term “dragon” might frighten us off) would be the best choice for a first lizard; he said that the lizard we ultimately chose was adult-sized (she’s about 15 inches from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail); he told us a 20-gallon long aquarium would provide plenty of space for her; and he claimed that he fed his bearded dragons romaine lettuce and “some bearded lizard food,” that they were thriving on a vegetarian diet.
Since we got her home last night, I’ve done more research, which I undoubtedly should have done before the purchase. I find that the sites devoted to bearded dragons all have long sections devoted to the best methods of breeding and feeding prey crickets, and only one site advocated feeding no live prey (they suggested Rep-Cal bearded dragon food, which we have).
Does anyone here have any practical experience with this species? Could a smallish dragon thrive in a 20-gallon tank (it’s about 30"X13"X12"), or should we be building a larger enclosure? Has anyone had success feeding them on a vegetarian diet (this is an adult, not a baby, and she certainly looks healthy)? And, perhaps most important, does anyone have any words of wisdom for someone who’s a little afraid her family’s bit off a little more than they can chew?
I had a bearded dragon for quite some time. I only fed it lettuce and fruit cocktail (very light to no syrup) It lived in my apartment (no cage or anything) and life was pretty uneventful. Once, my mom came over to visit and picked him up to look at him, the damn thing jumped up and bit her face, let a pretty decent sized wound. Never bit anyone before or after that. All and all I say that a reptile is fairly easy to keep and very boring to have for a pet. Don’t know if I can offer you anymore advice except I see nothing wrong with a vegetaria diet, crickets are gross.
Mr. Jane ran a reptile import/export business for many years, and he offers the following advice. The enclosure is pretty small, but will suffice in the immediate. Start building or planning to buy a larger one (55 gallons or so would be ideal) right away. As far as the food goes, ReptiCal is good; it supplies the vitamins they need. Romaine is good sometimes with a very small bit of shredded cheese & tuna, fruit cocktail is good also, as LiquidChaos mentioned, but rinse the syrup or juice completely off with water first. Never, EVER feed iceburg lettuce for the obvious reason that it’s just crunchy water. As far as water, a good method is to use a spray bottle to mist the inside of the cage 1-2x per week, or use a flat container (coffee can lid) that will hold water if you want to leave it in all the time. They don’t need large quantities of water. He says you’re better off forgetting crickets completely, especially if you can get her to eat the tuna. By all means do not even consider breeding your own crickets. Too messy, time-consuming, and too cheap to buy at the pet store to justify. Also he suggests throwing a towel over the enclosure for 5-7 days and forgetting about the lizard entirely. Until she gets used to her new surroundings she won’t be much fun and will be a little skittish.
My email is in my profile if you have any questions. Please feel free to use it! Good luck and enjoy your new pet!
Thank you (in fact, bless you)! I was really, really hoping I wouldn’t end up having to deal with crickets. Liz (I don’t get to name them; I just provide the checkbook) has been eating the Repti-Cal and seems to be settling in fairly well, given the mistakes we’ve maken so far. I suspect, and jane_says confirms, that we’ve been handling her too much, but she’s taken it pretty well. She seems to actually like the nine-year-old, which is good because it makes Kathleen feel superior to her older sister.
I’ve found instructions for making a PVC pipe/coated wire mesh cage online, and I’m heading out now to see what kind of supplies I can get. I’m thinking we could have a larger, daytime cage downstairs, where she could see the activity in the house once she’s acclimated, so she won’t get lonely or bored, and keep the smaller cage up in Kathleen’s room, where she could sleep nights. This, of course, means lots of designing and building and figuring out how to set up the cage furnishings and contain the substrate. That’s excellent, because it’ll keep the kids’ hands off the lizard for a while.
Thanks again for the suggestions and the reassurance.
Internet Legend, my best friend wrote several books about this subject for TFH Publications; he also bred beardies. I will forward him the URL for this message board so that he can help you out.
Luckily, Mr. Legend also as a great deal of expertise in this area.
I would appreciate any and all information people can give me, and, jane, I’ll email you if (when) I feel I’m in over my head. Rubystreak, I’ve only found one book specifically about beardies, and I’m very interested in finding more.
Liz seems to be settling in pretty well, but I didn’t have much luck finding the parts I need to make a decent enclosure. I’ll be tracking down leads tomorrow, and if anyone knows of a place I could find plans for a simple, lightweight enclosure, I’d be happy to hear about it.
You can often buy other types of insects and grubs at pet shops, such as wax worms - such fun to peel out!! - which last for a week or so, they don’t have to be eaten all at once.
AFAIK, from having once worked at a shop called Reptiles’R’Us, lizards - unlike snakes - need ultraviolet light for at least some part of the day. You can buy special striplights for this, they’re not that expensive.
The more you gently handle the lizard the more tame it will become, though bearded dragons in my experience have naturally lovely natures.