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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

You certainly put a good amount of work in this, I hope it will be very useful to new keepers.

I do have some comments:

Why a stat is needed underneath the basking spot. If a basking spot gets to warm the animal can simply move away. It's the cold side that shouldn't become too hot, that's what an stat is for. It doesn't matter much if the basking spot will become hotter than 45 degrees so long as the animal can seek shelter from the heat on the cool side. 

The wild diet of adult bearded dragons contain about four times the amount of animal matter then the chart would suggest (according to: https://www.researchgate.net/public...lian_Central_Bearded_Dragons_Pogona_vitticeps). The researchers found that 61% of the weight of their stomach contents was made up from animal matter. So it would seem to suggest that bearded dragons (at least seasonally) eat animal matter on much higher basis.


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## NewToReptile (May 27, 2016)

Some really useful info there 

I am getting a bearded dragon from a friend and was going to get a 3ft long home for him but i shall get a bigger one now, thank you also for the tips on what uv to get, the local pet store only has exoterra but i shall look online and get arcadia after you have said they last much longer.

Thank you as well for the list of food! My friend said i can just use rocket and squash, its good to know some other easy ones i can find and how good it is to feed them a variety. 

Hopefully will give Rex a really good start!


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## NewToReptile (May 27, 2016)

I have one question, i live uup in Scotland and it gets very cold at night, do i need to maintain those temperatures at night as well?

If so, what is the best way to do it?


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## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

NewToReptile said:


> I have one question, i live uup in Scotland and it gets very cold at night, do i need to maintain those temperatures at night as well?
> 
> If so, what is the best way to do it?


Hi, even though I often see nighttime temps of 15c being advised, I personally would not go below approx. 19c, there is absolutely no reason to let the ambient temps fall that low (15c) unless the animal is brumating. Just because it can get quite cold during the night at times in the wild, the retreats they use would usually have a somewhat higher temp than the "outside" air...


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## Zux (Mar 31, 2016)

NewToReptile said:


> I have one question, i live up in Scotland and it gets very cold at night, do i need to maintain those temperatures at night as well?
> 
> If so, what is the best way to do it?


To add to the above,

In my view the best way to provide this is a Habistat Reptile Radiator, controlled by a Pulse Proportional Thermostat, this will allow you to efficiently provide the comfortable and stable ambient temperatures the Dragon will prefer during the even the coldest nights.


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

Creed said:


> You certainly put a good amount of work in this, I hope it will be very useful to new keepers.
> 
> I do have some comments:
> 
> ...


I think this needs to be discussed more, it feels like over time the ration of animal matter to vegetable matter has continuously decreased in captive diets without it being questioned too much. Like yourself the only wild studies i found suggest otherwise. 

I wonder if the true answer is a higher percentage of animal protein but with less frequent feeding?

Has anyone ever found a reliable guide to ground, rather than air temperatures across their range?


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## Newdragonkeeper (Jul 7, 2016)

Hi
Please can you help with the set up of my viv, I can't seem to get the temps just right.
I have set the habistat dimming thermostat to 36.5 and the probe is on the back wall at a similar height to the basking spot. Immediately below the basking spot the temp varies from 40 - 42, however the temps in the cool end are 27.7. Am i right in saying the cool end isnt cool enough? 
In addition to this the power meter on the stat is ranging from 48 -58% which according to the instructions means the heater is too big?
Sorry should have said, it's a 4ft x 2ft heigh viv.

What am I doing wrong?
Thanks


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## Newdragonkeeper (Jul 7, 2016)

Hi
I am literally just setting up - we don't have our beardie yet just want to get his home absolutely right!
We have no substrate or water currently in. We have stone as the basking spot and we're intending on moving the rest of the deco around once we have temps right. 
Here's a pic....please be gentle!!


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## Newdragonkeeper (Jul 7, 2016)

i have just been using the probes with that you can see in the pictures and placing one of them on the surface of the stone to check the basking temp.

We previously had the thermostat probe at the cool end and the thermometer and the hot end and the temps were ok...but i've since read that the thermostat needs to monitor the heat lamp. is this right?


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## Newdragonkeeper (Jul 7, 2016)

is the dimmerstat too far into the hot end?


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## murrindindi (Feb 19, 2009)

Newdragonkeeper said:


> i have just been using the probes with that you can see in the pictures and placing one of them on the surface of the stone to check the basking temp.
> 
> We previously had the thermostat probe at the cool end and the thermometer and the hot end and the temps were ok...but i've since read that the thermostat needs to monitor the heat lamp. is this right?


Hi, to make things easier for you, you basically need to know just two temps during the daytime; the lowest ambient (air) @ between approx. 21 to 24c, then the SURFACE temp of the basking object @ between approx. 38 to 45c (the lower figure will be around the outside of the area, the higher more directly below the heat bulb/s).
Nighttime ambient temps should not fall below approx. 19c unless the dragon is brumating.
The humidity needs to range between approx. 30 to 50% or so (contrary to popular opinion) in some parts of their wild range the humidity can get over 60% at times, many people don`t take into account that the humidity in the refuges they choose will normally be higher (even in very arid locales).
The temp/humidity probe needs to be nearer to ground level where the animal will spend most of it`s time.
Here`s a link to a Temp-gun which you need to accurately measure the basking surface (the probe will not be as accurate)...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191386183976?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## BexGTO (Oct 11, 2016)

Thanks for sharing this very interesting read. Do you use any habitat climate control units or the usual habistat?


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## spamsalad (Dec 6, 2016)

*Brilliant!*

Hi

What a fantastic care guide, concise and easily understood for new keepers like myself. I already have a Royal Python and about to get my first beardy, guides like this are invaluable and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to put this together with your knowledge and your own personal experiences.

No doubt I will be back here (bookmarked!) with MANY questions hahaha!!

Thank again my friend.


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## Tricksie (Nov 14, 2019)

You didn’t touch on brumation, unless I miss it, hope you can help here..
Is it normal for a bearded to sleep for days then get up for a day and not eat or poop then go back to sleeping for days during this process? He seems fine otherwise. I don’t want to have to take him to a vet for a big bill ( not that I don’t care about him cuz I do) just for them to say he is brumating ( I am guessing he is a he lol I dunno ) thanks for any help 🙂


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

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## Telb (Feb 8, 2020)

*wow is this out of date*

I have been breeding dragons in the uk for over 20 years and cannot believe some of the things here are so out of date.
I do not fit a night light or any heat in my vivariums.
go to Australia stand in the desert of a night it is freezing the dragons burrow in the sand to keep warm.
your house does not get that cold in the night.
males females and young.
a male will eat the young a female will not. if you breed dragons and the eggs are laid in a box outside the viv when they are due to hatch you can see the female scratching at the glass of the viv to get out to the eggs.
if the female is on her own you can put the young in with her and she will let them sit on or around her, I have known females to stop laying for that year once the young are put with her.
once a female has laid a second batch i will shorten the daylight hours in the viv for 2 weeks and the male will stop chasing her.
when putting dragons together for the first time they are no different than cats and dogs, one will eat first and pick the best spot.
it is nature when at home sit in your husbands or wife's favorite chair and see what happens. 
i have a male dragon that when i sit in my chair i unknowingly tap my foot and my dragon goes crazy banging at the glass of the viv, the sole of my slipper is black and he sees it as a challenge to his domain. 
at the end of the day dragons are domesticated and only 2 males will fight, I have kept 4 females together without a problem, they even commune around one area of a night.


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

So, Telb... other than the very strong feeling that you're a troll poster..


Telb said:


> I have been breeding dragons in the uk for over 20 years and cannot believe some of the things here are so out of date.
> I do not fit a night light or any heat in my vivariums.
> go to Australia stand in the desert of a night it is freezing the dragons burrow in the sand to keep warm.
> your house does not get that cold in the night.
> ...



I thought I should still answer the points you have made.

Firstly, it was written years ago, May 2016 to be more accurate, and is still far more up to date than the majority of guides people will find online.

Secondly, There is no need for heating at night unless it drops significantly below 16C for the majority of the night (theres a reason why they burrow into the earth, and its to avoid the cold temperatures on the surface).

Thirdly, you shouldnt have any lights on in the viv at night.

Both the night lighting and night heating points are covered in the original posts, and im not sure why you are talking about them as if i have said the opposite, because I havent. The way you have written what you have also implies that there should be no heating at all...which is complete nonsense, its a basking species from a much warmer climate than the UK, last time i checked ambient air temps hit 24 c for about 2 weeks in the middle of summer here, not for months at a time with regular peaks nearing 30C...

As for your "bit" about keeping hatchlings in with the mother, you make it sound like they have some sort of maternal instinct.
They do not. Bearded dragons have no parental inclinations towards their offsping. Its a simple fact about the species.
I also havent talked about breeding, quite intentionally, because its not aimed at people wanting to breed them, its aimed at brand new keepers who need to learn the basics (its even mentioned about wanting to keep it simple when discussing feeding habits later on and the findings of a study looking at the contents of their stomachs in the wild).


Your female(s) might not attack/eat new hatchlings, I would put that more down to the individual animal and that its given a plentiful diet, rather than a rule. Both males and females have been known to eat their offspring.
Its just the way it is. Doesnt mean it will always happen, but considering this is aimed at giving complete beginners a starting point over-complicating it is a bad idea 

If there is anything specific that you feel is out of date, you are welcome to _quote the bit of text and ask about it_, or suggest what you think it should say, rather than making up points and going off on a tangent thats not even discussed or only briefly discussed for the purposes of keeping the information clear and as simple as possible for a new owner.

Welcome to the forums.


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

> As for your "bit" about keeping hatchlings in with the mother, you make it sound like they have some sort of maternal instinct.
> They do not. Bearded dragons have no parental inclinations towards their offsping. Its a simple fact about the species.



Agreed. In the wild once they have laid the eggs they move on and leave the eggs.




> Your female(s) might not attack/eat new hatchlings, I would put that more down to the individual animal and that its given a plentiful diet, rather than a rule.



And extreme good luck!




> Both males and females have been known to eat their offspring.



Agreed.




> if you breed dragons and the eggs are laid in a box outside the viv when they are due to hatch you can see the female scratching at the glass of the viv to get out to the eggs



Sorry but this just ridiculous. Most dragons will scratch at the glass periodically and for many reasons. Parental instinct is not one of them. If this was the case we would all be rather cruel taking the eggs away from a female. I don't think many of us would breed them if that was true.


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## Telb (Feb 8, 2020)

*mother and babies*


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## Telb (Feb 8, 2020)

http://prnt.sc/qzjm37


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

I don't see the mother. Unless your saying the one at the front at the glass is the mother which I hope not for obvious reasons to those of us that are experienced beardie owners :gasp:


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## Telb (Feb 8, 2020)

better ones Mother and babies
http://prnt.sc/qzvhw4

3 unrelated females with babies "NO AGGRESION" no losses.
http://prnt.sc/qzvkk6


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## Telb (Feb 8, 2020)

in the second picture the baby is sat on the mothers back, not on the other females.
In 20 years of keeping dragons i have seen a lot of things that point to dragons being sociable not like everyone says.
It is only the male when put near another dragon of any sex will want to show dominance especially during the breading season.


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

Sorry but those pics are frightening and you have just been lucky. I really worry for these babies.


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## Alrick (May 29, 2020)

*great guid*

Many thanks for this excellent information all in one place. Regards hides is one in hot and one in cold ends best or one in the middle . Getting set up as described with a 4’ 6” long viv and uvb and uva at about 3/4 of tank length basking at hot end with halogen bulb on dimming stat
Cheers


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

The way i have mine is that the basking platforms (homemade from slate tiles) also have a cave like area underneath, and then with things like cork bark and branches/driftwood dotted around the viv to provide areas to climb or hide behind/under for shade or privacy. I dont specifically have a warm hide and a cool hide, but instead, a variety of spaces to provide partial or complete shelter mixed around the viv.

If you are getting a 4.5ft long viv you should have plenty of room to put multiple bits like this but try not to over clutter the viv. They should be able to move/turn around in the viv without it feeling packed in.


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## Alrick (May 29, 2020)

Thanks, that all makes sense, like the cave idea, gives a hot side hide without using more floor space
Cheers


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## Alrick (May 29, 2020)

We are now all set up, temps are good and our little Beardie seemed very comfortable for the moment we introduced her to her new home. She’s eating well and comfortable with us already. Just a food question, she’s eating greens in the morning and meal worms and size 3 hoppers, but how many should we feed? Today she had 4 hoppers and 4 mealworms and I am sure she would have eaten many more if we let her. She’s 12 was old and 16cm head to tail tip
Thanks


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

Watch the size and growth, you want it to keep eating greens (providing plentiful live and they will eat that and ignore greens).
See if you can also get hold of some dubia roach nymphs too and continue feeding as you are. Dont be afraid to give a little extra but i would not do "all you can eat", and if it starts to ignore greens cut back a little on live food and try pushing the veggies a little.

It should be active and alert, no signs of any weight loss and the base of the tail and back of its head will plump out rather than being flat when it has good fat reserves, things like its proportions, fat reserves and levels of activity are all good indicators to keep you on a decent path, and try to remember variety in both live and veg given, right now it will benefit from it the most.


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

As a note, try to resist using tongs/hand feeding regularly, you want to promote as much activity as possible so making it hunt/catch prey is a good thing.
The more active it is the better, encouraging it to run about and climb willl make a lot of difference.
Try not to have it out the viv so much while young and growing, make it run about for food inside the viv, but letting it out and exploring a bit is good for it. Just dont leave it unattended.


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## Alrick (May 29, 2020)

Thanks!
We love watching her chase the hoppers , they don’t last long she like a ninja
Really appreciate the advice , it made the setting up so much easier and I am sure this has helped her settle in


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