hi i was told the bearded dragon was the tamest and most docile lizard i could get for me and my boy to look after and honestly i beleave this to be true he is eating well and aparently drinks from water dish but im still gonna do the trick of driping droplets on his nose just to be sure he/she has a nice big viv 3ft with twisted brach to climb on a fake plant that hangs on the side of the viv looks like weed lol (well me and my little boy thought it was really funny) he also has a little cave house he has not been in it yet though he has the uv bulb and heat bulb aswell ive read up about them and i know a few bits and bobs like the hand wave meens the dragon is passive and the head bob means being dominant but just wondering a few things so here come the ????'s i know they eat crickets/locusts and when i open the little tub to drop some in the viv theres either not enough that fall out or to many how do you guys feed your dragons? my next question is about handling he is as good as gold i put my finger in and he will climb onto my finger and i usualy just stroke him in the viv i want to get him out but i dont want him to bolt off becouse id never find him again did any of you guys feel like this and how did you guys get over that fear?

Remember, your BD will eventually require a 4 x 2 x 2ft vivarium once fully grown. A 3ft viv simply can't provide the correct temperature gradient when compared to a larger enclosure.

Also, it is generally inadvisable to supply water to these lizards in a bowl. Bearded dragons are desert animals, where water is scarce and the relative humidity of the surrounding atmosphere is very low (certainly much less than 50%). These lizards wouldn't have access to water on a regular basis and a bowl of water will raise the relative humidity, increasing the risk of the lizard contracting fungal infections. A large part of the Bearded dragon's diet should consist of vegetable matter, which will also provide enough water.

When I used to keep Day Geckos (Phelsuma sp.), I offered all insects by hand or from a pair of tweezers and left a few more in the vivarium so the animals could hunt. Any insects that hadn't been consumed within a few hours were removed. You can apply the same principle with Bearded Dragons however other insects should be offered in a dish with sloped-in sides to prevent escapes.

Ours eats mostly veg now he has grown. When they are young they eat more crickets.
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so should i take my dragons water bowl out then? how will he get water? from veg? is it like uramastyx they draw water from there food? sorry if i seem dumb im new to all this

Vegetable matter contains quite a large amount of water, so this should satisfy the Dragon's water needs.

The excretory systems of desert animals are well adapted to cope with very little water. The kidneys of these animals usually posess very long Loops of Henle, which is part of the kidney tubule concerned with concentrating urine and controlling water loss. Often urine contains very little water to the point where it crystallizes into a white solid.

Welcome to world of beared dragons

I always keep a bowl of water in the viv at the cooler end so the choice is there to drink or not.. There is a fair bit of debate on the water bowl being in there tbh, I do it so the option is there and the fact i would worry myself sick not knowing if she is getting enough fluids..

If your a little unsure about handling and worrying if your BD will bolt you could sit in a small room with no gaps or holes or handle him/her in an empty bath tub..

My BD is 12 months old, she has fresh salad and veg dailey, then 3 to 5 hoppers a day and a couple of morio worms.. The hoppers i throw in so she can catch them herslef, the morios I hand feed her. My girl can struggle to shed so I bath her once a week in a warm bath to help aid her, she loves swimming in it also..

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RACR (rescue) Nottingham. Tel 05602383367 or 07853076956 email: racr@btinternet.com
http://rattiemommysallcarerescue.webs.com/

i have a four n half month old lizard her name is holly and she is stupid lol every morning i take 2 hours getting ready washing my hair blow drying it and straightening my hair and doing my make up and she sits there just staring watching me do it not taking her eyes off me. thats how docile she is !
a tip for u your not supose to give them water they are desert animals and they dont have water in a desert. apparently from what i have been told it kills them earlier than living a few extra years longer its to do with the humidity. do any of your meal worms turn into beetles by any chance? mine fly around the room lol
how old is everyone lizard what is the name what they like?

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yeh ive read about the water and read debates on it.. me personaly thinks every animal should have access to water and if they drink it they must need it.

Ive had handed in a bearded dragon 10 days ago. he was severley dehydrated and starved and almost on deaths door, i didnt think he would make the night.. The factor was rehydrating him and after the 1st night of dropping water into him with avipro in he picked up and drank loads himself.. I have never seen my own dragon drink but the option of water is there anyway but she more than likely gets what she needs from gut loaded live foods anyway.

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RACR (rescue) Nottingham. Tel 05602383367 or 07853076956 email: racr@btinternet.com
http://rattiemommysallcarerescue.webs.com/

i have had my dragons about 6 months now was given them with a water bath so continued using it they love it and at least one of them bathes in it each day it never occurred to me that it might be wrong i just did what the past owners told me these are large adults and have recently shed into new skin.

As mentioned previously, beardies to extract their water from food, but they SHOULD STILL HAVE WATER IN THE VIV!!!

Only a small bowl, and don't even half fill it. You need 3-5mm of water in the bottom of the bowl, so he can lap it up. He could, however, drown in it, if it's too full!

My beardie hasn't made a run for it yet, and if he did he'd soon get cold and come out from hiding. They'll always be within view of a light bulb in the day, since they will try to bask under anything that's big, light, and gives off heat!

Hope you're enjoy your new pet! I can safely say I love mine.

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