Ribbon Reptile

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April 9th, 2010 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Ribbon Reptile
Can I keep a baby Bearded Dragon in a ten gallon just until it grows more?

I am seriously considering a beardie, but I would have to wait until May when I start working *I already have a job for sure* But I am wondering if I would be able to keep a very young beardie in a 10 gallon just for maybe a month at absoloute most- Then I would defiantly upgrade to a 50 gallon. Would this be alright? If I do wind up with one, it'll be from a reputable reptile store- and the beardies are very tiny there? Any other tips on Beardies would also be welcome. I don't have any expierience with Beardies but I do with Bow turtles, red eared sliders, crested, leopard, and house gecko's, northern ringnecks, ribbon, garter and corn snakes. Thank you and *ten points.
Would you be able to keep him in a 50 gallon like plastic storage box? I was just thinking it wouldn't be a problem, apart from the possibility that you would be able to see him/her, and that wouldn't be a problem am I correct?

Okay, cage size. Believe it or not, letting the tank grow with your Beardie promotes good growth. 50 gal is ideal for one bearded dragon and 10 is fine for anything under, at-most, 10 inches including tail. Be sure to not stress out your animal though and move it from one environment to another. I've heard that a storage container is good if you want to see it's true colors, but if you'd rather see it, a glass tank is fine. Also, make sure it has plenty of places to climb.

And for Habitat. I wouldn't suggest using sand as a substrate until the Dragon is much bigger in size because in young ones it can cause impaction which can lead to an untimely death. I hide is also a very good idea, just someplace where they'll feel safe and can get out of the heat. Places to climb should be everywhere. Make sure one of those places gets your beardies atleast 10-8 inches from the heat source on the top of the cage. the heat from both an under-tank heater and an ubove light with help in the digestion process.

As for food. Baby Dragons diets mostly consist of live prey. Small Crickets, small mealworms, waxworms (in very small amounts, occassionaly, very high in fat) silkworms & sometimes they love the occasional fruitfly. They can also have tiny amounts of Kale, mustard greens, collered greans, dandilion flowers, but don't feed them iceburg lettuce, infact, don't feed them anything with lettuce in the name. As they get older and bigger, start feeding them more greens and less live food. Fruit periodically isn't bad, but don't do it all that often. Young BD- atleast 75-90% live food and 10-25% greens. Adult- atleast 80-90% Greens and 10-20% live food.

On to behavior. Bearded Dragons are one of the most docile of all reptiles and seem to acctually like attention. I don't suggest letting them roam your house, but having them out when they're grown is good for exercise, just make sure it's supervised.

Feel free to contact me with any other questions, I may just have the answer.
Good luck with your beardie!