# A Few Questions About My Bearded Dragon c:



## Bracken (May 26, 2010)

So, I had some questions I can't find answers to.
(Or ones that I just thought of, and haven't searched for yet, and just decided to include them in here)
And what better place then to ask, then here c:

So, I have a 5-7 month old Bearded Dragon, and I had some questions about, well, him, and beardies in general.

- Can you put them in Ferret Balls? I've heard about people putting them in those balls, but my mother is concerned about his tail? Is that a yes, or a no?

- I've heard their poop is what has the Semonella in it, not their skin? Is that true? And, if I washed him off well, would he be able to run around the house, and I wouldn't have to wash the floor/what ever he touches after?

- He has basically stopped eating anything but crickets and other food like that. I first thought maybe he was addicted to the superworms, but that doesn't seem to be the case. He has eaten some carrots and baby food (He loves baby food. c, but won't touch lettuce. I even tried a little bit of bread as a treat, and he turned it down. Is it because of the coldness outside? Maybe because his lamp burnt out and we had to improvise? I made his lamps on for 16 hrs. instead of 14, and that seems to be helping, but I still am worried about him. Help c:?

- I want to breed him when he's a bit older (And I'm allowed), and I had questions about that. How do I tell for sure that he's a male? He puffs his beard at his reflection. Do females do that? I'm not 100% sure of that. 
And, when would I introduce a female? And how?
And, if they have babies, eggs, whatever, I will need an incubator, correct? And one that is not an autoturning one? Where could I find those.

And last question, if I did breed him, and they bad successful babies, how early can they be sold, how big of a tank, and how long can they stay in one tank together?

Thanks a million to anyone who answers! c:​


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## lee young (Oct 14, 2009)

Hi Bracken, and welcome to the forum.

1.I haven't heard of putting them in ferret balls, I wouldnt think its a good idea to be honest, just letting them run around freely is fine, just keep an eye on them.

2. Although beardies (and all reptiles) can be carriers of salmonella, in practise not many of them are. Salmonella is usually found in their poo, but is only a problem in really dirty vivs, as long as poo is removed daily and your viv is cleaned out regularly you will be fine. Almost evryone on here lets their beardies out in their houses, and no one washes their floors etc afterwards, just wash your hands (and maybe use antibacterial hand gel) once you've handled them, especially if there are young children, elderly, or pregnant women around.

3. When theyre babies, they will eat mostly livefood, but as they get older they should be eating more veg. In the stickies in this forum there is a really good chart of all different veg that they can/cant eat, but basically dont give them any lettuce. as it gives them the runs, and they shouldnt have spinach as it absorbs calcium. Carrot is high in phosphorous, and should only be fed once or twice a week, as should anything sugary like soft fruite or apples. Some great veg for everyday is: curly kale, spring greens, sweet potato, butternut squash, peas, green beans, and dandelion greens are good too if you can find them.

4. Breeding is a really bad idea at the moment, there are wayyy too many baby beardies around, and people cant even give them away. By the time you've paid for all the food/vivs/equipment for the babies, you'll really struggle to break even, and probably lose quite a bit of money. From one mating, females can have 3 lots of eggs, each up to 20 eggs a time, so potentialy 60 hungry mouths to feed for at least 8 weeks, and at least 15 full vivs to set up. If you really want to breed them, then get more info from any of the good breeders on here, there are loads.

Good luck, and I hope I answered some of your questions!


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## Bracken (May 26, 2010)

Thank ^-^

1. Okay. I just wanted to be sure. My mother said it wasn't a good idea, and it must not be. c:

2. Well, I bathe him every morning in the skin, till he poops, then rinse him off and put him back in his viv. He will even wait for me to bathe him, so there hasn't been poop in his tank for some time now. So, that sounds great .

3. Well, he was eating lettuce, carrots, green beans, etc no problem for a few months. And this month he's just stopped. Has no intrist of it. My friend who's good with reptiles suggests that maybe he's about to shed, or about to hit his growth spurt. Whatever the reason, I'm worried about him. c:
But okay, maybe ill stop the lettuce (I don't remember if it was cabbage or lettuce. Oops), and maybe ask my mother to get some green beans for him. He adored them in the past.

4. Oh? Well, here I haven't seen an ad on a, well, ad site (Kijiji!~), in over a month. Does that mean there are too much, and no one is selling them? Or too little? . I haven't heard of the "there are too many" before in till now. Quite a surprise if you ask me; I hardly see them here. 
(I'm in Canada xDD)

But thanks a ton for the answers!~


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

You don't really need to bathe him every day, I tend to bathe mine every 3 days and that's still quite alot. To be honest, you really don't want to feed your beardie any lettuce other than romaine, try dark leafy greens like Kale. As for cabbage some cabbages can be bad also as they contain a lot of oxalic acid which binds calcium. 

As the above said, breeding isn't a good idea with beardies at the moment, unless he's a rare morph in which you'll have to buy a fairly rare morph of a female which is also pretty costly. Also if you're checking for sex, have a look just near their vent, if it's a male there should be 2 bulges if its a female there should be just the one.


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## Pink_Caterpillar (Oct 10, 2010)

Bracken said:


> Thank ^-^
> 
> 4. Oh? Well, here I haven't seen an ad on a, well, ad site (Kijiji!~), in over a month. Does that mean there are too much, and no one is selling them? Or too little? . I haven't heard of the "there are too many" before in till now. Quite a surprise if you ask me; I hardly see them here.
> (I'm in Canada xDD)


This could be why you haven't seen the ads lol.
Here in the UK (where a lot of the forum memebers are from) there seems to be a big problem with selling/rehoming the most common reptiles like bearded dragons. I think it's to do with the recession. A lot of people are advertising 'sad sale' of older beardies with full set up for VERY low cost with reasons given as 'work commitments' or 'downsizing' (which is usually followed by 'recently lost job'). Some are even being advertised for free or with full set up for as little as £50 to a good home. There are lots of baby beardies advertised as well from 6weeks old+ and apart from the really fancy morphs, they don't really seem to be shifting. Some people have been advertising the same cluthes for over 2months now and just can't shift them at even £10 a baby!


Edited/ I'd also suggest cutting down on the bathing. Beardies live in dry areas and don't need to take in a lot of water. Most people only bathe them once a week in tepid (warm) water. Too much moisture, either in the enclosure or from over bathing could cause skin and respiritory infections. Your beardie will poop fine without the baths as long as you are feeding it correctly. Maybe not every day but normally every few days.


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## loulou87 (Sep 10, 2010)

Bracken said:


> Is it because of the coldness outside? Maybe because *his lamp burnt out and we had to improvise*? I made his lamps on for 16 hrs. instead of 14, and that seems to be helping, but I still am worried about him. Help c:?​


 improvise how? 
can you tell me about your beardies set up?
what flooring does he have? 
what lights?
places to sit/hide?


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## lee young (Oct 14, 2009)

2. Well, I bathe him every morning in the skin, till he poops, then rinse him off and put him back in his viv. He will even wait for me to bathe him, so there hasn't been poop in his tank for some time now. So, that sounds great .

Definitely dont bathe him everyday, bearded dragons are from hot, dry places and can easily get pespiratory infections if kept in too damp conditions. I bath mine maybe once a month, if that, and only then if she's lookinga bit dehydrated or hasn't pooed for a while. Try to do it only when absolutely needed as oppoed to all the time.

3. Well, he was eating lettuce, carrots, green beans, etc no problem for a few months. And this month he's just stopped. Has no intrist of it. My friend who's good with reptiles suggests that maybe he's about to shed, or about to hit his growth spurt. Whatever the reason, I'm worried about him. c:
But okay, maybe ill stop the lettuce (I don't remember if it was cabbage or lettuce. Oops), and maybe ask my mother to get some green beans for him. He adored them in the past.

I think spring greens are called collard greens over there, theyre much better than lettuce, so try and get hold of that, or some kale. Sweet potato is really good too, full of vitamins and nutrients and they keep for ages in the fridge.

4. Oh? Well, here I haven't seen an ad on a, well, ad site (Kijiji!~), in over a month. Does that mean there are too much, and no one is selling them? Or too little? . I haven't heard of the "there are too many" before in till now. Quite a surprise if you ask me; I hardly see them here. 
(I'm in Canada xDD)

I didnt know you were in Canada, so ignore my point about there being loads of babies around, I dont know how many there are over there! They will still cost you a fortune though, and to breed successsfully you should definitely have a good few years experience of being a keeper before getting into to breeding, so maybe something to think about for the future...


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## loulou87 (Sep 10, 2010)

id just like to say- with regard to breeding, you need to gain some experience with keeping one beardie before jumping into the world of breeding, its hard work and you dont actually make much profit due to the amount of time, care and equipment you need. 
You should get experience with the beardie you have because if your beardie has a clutche of 50 babies im sure your going to have problems, an inexperienced keeper wouldt necessarily know whats best whereas the longer you keep them the more you come across and are able to deal with. 
also you dont need to add to overpopulation, think about how much you paid for your beardie and work out whether its worth it. You will need to house beardies seperatly if you cant house the hatchlings, therefore you may need 30 set ups if you sell some of them, they need to be housed in samll groups when hatched to reduce nipping and so you need space. 

I would suggest you look after the one you have and research more before you consider breeding as a viable option


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## Bracken (May 26, 2010)

*Awesome 8D!*

_Nile101_ --Okay, I've laid down on his baths. He doesn't seem too pleased, to be honest. He will actually sit and like, swim around when I give him it now, however. I just bathed him everyday because he wouldn't drink anything, and I wanted to make sure he was staying moisturized. I worry about him too much, ehe... xD. But yeah, I've been doing it no more then every other day, and no less then two or three times a week. He seems happy with that. Or, I think he's okay with it, LOL.
And for the breeding part, well, I have no idea if he's a rare morph or not. He's gorgeous, that's all I know ;D. He is tan, but he also has orange, yellow, black and white on him. He also changes colour too. And he has orange/white stripes on his body, and black leopard markings on his stomach 8D! Too bad my camera sucks too bad to get a good picture of him :/

_Pink_Caterpillar -- _That kinda sucks :O. But, here, when someone is selling a beardie, it's sold within like, a few days. People seem to stalk the site I go on to look for sales... Ehe xD. But yeah, I don't think there is that problem here; the beardie at the pet stores even sell fast. There was three babies at Pet Smart not that long ago, and one was left last time I was there. (They were adorable 8D!)

_Loulou87 _-- Ehe, this was a bit ago... Sorry, been busy xD. He's eating fine now. We put a .. I think like, 100w normal lightblub in, because I couldn't afford a new bulb till I got paid (... still haven't gotten one. Should have been paid a bit ago D Uhm, well, now he has a rock/cave thing on the very right, a U log beside that a bit. Then in the front left he has his favourite big climbing tree-log-thing, which leads to his hammock. Below the hammock, his food and water dishes are there, and his shells (he likes licking them, and they look nice 8D!), and his ball... well that's where ever he drags it. LOL. On the left he has, uh, some type of UVB blub, I think? I haven't had to replace it yet, so I dunno. And yeah, on the right is a normal light blub. That will get a new one soon, when I can afford it. (Sorreh Frill D: -hugs him). And he has tons of places to sit. His hammock, his rock, his log, his other log, his food dish (Yes, xDDD.), even on the ground sometimes. And to hide, well, he doesn't really like to hide. Ever since he was little he has hated small spaces. Poor little claustrophobic guy . Basically he has his rock, but he has stayed out of that for a few days. I managed to get him to stay in it yesterday, by giving him his blanket. He curled right up, and was happy. Maybe he'll realize I didn't ruin his rock, and he'll go back in it again xDDD.

_Lee Young _-- -nodnod- I don't do it everyday anymore. Only when he begs (He does :O.) or every maybe three-five days? He gets uncomfortable when I keep him without them for longer then that; our house is crazy dry in the winter, so yeah, he likes his baths 8D!
... I think we have both kinds of greens, actually, LOL. Ill ask my mother if we can get some on big shop day (Friday ;D). And he doesn't really care for potatos, cooked or not. They look like zucchinis to him, which yeah, he doesn't eat anymore. He doesn't like food that is white or orange xD. (excluding carrots) He's weird xDDD.
Ehehe, xDD. But yeah, there's not super much over here, from what I know. Lots of people want some; not too many ads are up. So yeah. But, after reading all the comments, maybe ill wait a while before breeding them. I can still dream about it ;D.

_Loulou87 _-- Yeah. My mother seems to think the same thing; she's sceptical about me breeding them xD. Ill just stay with my little Frill for now. Maybe once I've had him for however long his life span is, ill then think about it. (LOL, ill be like, old xD) Thanks ;D

Now, I had a question, that wasn't answered, and I need it answered; I've been looking this up, but can't get information that doesn't conflict. Does my Frillo have salmonella on his skin? I keep his tank super clean, I keep him clean, and I keep my hands clean, so what risk would there be? I really want to let him roam around, without having to clean everywhere he's been. There are young kids (I've heard that's a risk), like, my two 1/2 year old brother, but he comes down here maybe once a month, or less. The rest of them are 8, and older, and the 8 year old is like, good with cleaning her hands after touching him. So yeah. He loves to walk around, but I am tired of cleaning the floor. He wanted to yesterday, but I wouldn't let him, and he wasn't happy. So, can someone answer this? I've heard it's in his poop, but I've also heard it's in his skin. I've also heard you can take them to the Vet to see if he's a carrier? Is that true?
LOL. I am sorry for my butt-load of questions. I really want to know this c:


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

No they don't have salmonella on their skin, only real way to get salmonella from a beardie is by ingesting their faeces.


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## lee young (Oct 14, 2009)

To get salmonella from a beardy is very difficult. The salmonella is sometimes present in their poo, but not always. If they've run through their poo or have small traces on their skin then theres a small chance it could pass to you. I wouldnt worry about floors/furnishings etc, just wash your hands when you've handled him, and dont let him near any food prep areas etc.

Mine has a run around my lounge every night and i never clean the carpets after.

Obviously you have to be slightly more careful around pregnant women or very tiny babies because their immune systems arent as strong, but nothing to worry about. A bit of common sense goes a long way!


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## loulou87 (Sep 10, 2010)

Do you have a picture of the set up?


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