# 15 years in the making (b. dragon)



## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

Ive wanted a lizard ever since I saw my cousins Iguana when I was 12, whilst I lived at home my parents wouldnt let me and its taken me the last 5 years of living with my mrs to get her down to a maybe. There are a couple of stummbling blocks I would like removed to turn this maybe into a yes if anyone would be so kind......

Im looking at getting a bearded dragon:

1. Crickets- is it true they get all over your house? ive been looking at possibly keeping them in the shed and using a seperate tank for feeding to elimintae this risk. 

2. Id like to set the viv up in the lounge but she would prefer upstairs in the spare room, will this affect how well i can tame it with it being out of sight most of the day?

3. I have 2 dogs (king charles spaniels) will this be a problem- I was hoping they could be pals once the bd is full size!

4. both places that sell bd's by me keep the babies on sand even though ive heard this is bad (impaction), does this mean theyre not a good place to buy from?

The main issue is the crickets getting in the house all others arent to bad, please help!


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## pk93 (Jan 26, 2010)

The crickets bit is entirely up to you and how careful you are as long as you have a good secure tub with a lid to keep them in it shouldn't be a problem. My cousin is 13 and has one, and they have never once escaped. I am sure a more experienced keeper will follow me up on the rest of your questions  good luck with getting one.


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

1. I haven't had a single escaped cricket in 9 months but there's always a first time! Best course of action is to try and account for what you can. I keep my crickets in a high-sided faunarium so they can't jump out, and stored in a cupboard so even if by some miracle they get out, they won't escape that!

2. It may have some effect on taming as they aren't seeing you very often, but with regular interaction there is no reason why it can't be tamed down - for example I see my crested gecko maybe once every couple of days as he hides, but he is slowly settling down to interaction regardless.

3. That is individual to the dogs - some may have too strong a prey drive to see the beardie as anything other than food. I would be very careful with any introductions you may have and keep a very close watch on each party (don't introduce the beardie to both at once or he may feel very overwhelmed). Also, *never* leave them unattended.

4. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad shop - although some want the best for their animals they still have to keep costs down, and sand is a cost-effective method to coat many vivs. I would look at all other areas of husbandry and make the decision for yourself whether or not it's a good place to buy from, though some people would suggest finding a breeder so you know exactly where your beardie has come from


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## Wonga16 (Aug 24, 2010)

ive never had a cricket escape, i just leave mine in the tub they come in and put some food in, once there in the tank with the lid on they don't get out, mostly there eaten before they get the chance. 

its only going to effect how tame it is depending on how much (less) you hold it. if you hold it the same in the spare room as you were going to in the lounge it should be ok.


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## loulou87 (Sep 10, 2010)

mike225 said:


> Ive wanted a lizard ever since I saw my cousins Iguana when I was 12, whilst I lived at home my parents wouldnt let me and its taken me the last 5 years of living with my mrs to get her down to a maybe. There are a couple of stummbling blocks I would like removed to turn this maybe into a yes if anyone would be so kind......
> 
> Im looking at getting a bearded dragon:
> 
> ...


Good luck im glad you can get your first rep- youll love it in no timE...soon we can welcome you to the world of being excited when your pets poops and blinks ''cutely'' :lol2:


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## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

mike225 said:


> 1. Crickets- is it true they get all over your house? ive been looking at possibly keeping them in the shed and using a seperate tank for feeding to elimintae this risk.
> Mine seem to, but i always leave the lid off their pot, and my gecko viv is not cricketproof. they don't last very long once out though, and definitely don't breed, so i don't really care about them.
> 
> 2. Id like to set the viv up in the lounge but she would prefer upstairs in the spare room, will this affect how well i can tame it with it being out of sight most of the day?
> ...


hope it helped


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

cheers for the replys, i feel better knowing that my house isnt going to look like a scene from the mummy with bugs everywhere!

so hopefully if i keep him upstairs and bring him down to eat and handle he should be fine.

my dawgs are friendly chaps but they wont be left alone im hoping that eventually they can be in the same room without them realy bothering each other

also on the cricket/locust thing, the rep shop is directly on my way home from work so would I be ok stopping a couple of times a week and getting the crickets as needed or is it better to buy and feed them up for a bit


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

Always better to gutload your live food, give them some nutrients - remember what goes into them, goes into your beardie! And at your local they likely delivered to the shop owner on the verge of starvation and it's up to you to feed them up for 24 hours!


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

rite ok cool, fatten em up nice.

wow theres lots to think about might take me another 15 years to get all the info :lol2:


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## ambyglam (Nov 16, 2009)

my house is full of roaming crickets...lol


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

mike225 said:


> rite ok cool, fatten em up nice.
> 
> wow theres lots to think about might take me another 15 years to get all the info :lol2:


Don't worry about it, once you've got it all down it's just getting it into a routine. : victory:
It's not hard to gutload them, I just chuck in a bit of cabbage or lettuce for my locusts and crickets every couple of days, they look after themselves


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## CollaredLizardGal (May 17, 2010)

If your missus hates crickets I would defo go down the hoppers route, you can buy them in bulk to reduce the cost, they smell less, they dont make any noise and they are slightly slower, you can get them in the varying sizes same as crix, or mix it up and try both, I have my hoppers in a large crix keeper and feed them on greens etc also any veg peelings waste from dinner , they especially seem to like runner beans!


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

Crickets... -shudder-
When we had beardies our crickets were constantly escaping. We had a strip light in the kitchen and they used to get up inside it and run around >.<
Also woke up with one on my pillow. 
However... They were brown crickets. I now use black. None have ever escaped, brother has lost two and I have found them in my room not far from where he lost them. They don't just as much and don't seem to roam. Have had no problems with any escaping, and when they do -shrug- they hang around rather than running all over the house and up the walls it seems.


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## Erinaceinae (Mar 26, 2007)

Hoppers (locusts) seem like a good idea until you have to pay for them. :O
Also in our experience, they eat far less of what you give them (i.e. won't be as well gut loaded) and keep trying to die on you.

I fed my leopard gecko some a while back, and he got addicted to them. Refused any other food other than locusts for weeks, until i starved him enough he started eating crickets again. Not doing that one again!


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

ha he liked the posh grub best, sounds like my dogs


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## VickyF (Feb 2, 2010)

I now use vacuum packed dead crickets/ locust as i have crickets all over the house that escaped through the gap in viv doors.They must breed as i havent bought any live for months and they are still all over the house!


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## CollaredLizardGal (May 17, 2010)

I have had more problems with death and disorder with crickets and they stink!!  With hoppers I get about 10-12 in a box and 4 boxes for £6.50, with crickets it is about 20 in a box but they die and smell and make mess, also with locusts you need to give them nice fresh veg and they are perfect with gut loading... if you are only feeding one or two lizards then it aint that expensive if you buy in the right places:whistling2:


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

are hoppers ok for babies they look huge in the shop!


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

VickyF said:


> I now use vacuum packed dead crickets/ locust as i have crickets all over the house that escaped through the gap in viv doors.They must breed as i havent bought any live for months and they are still all over the house!


 
I dont like the sound of em breeding in the house! hopefully using a glass tank with no doors for feeding times should stop escapees tho


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## lee young (Oct 14, 2009)

if you can afford it go for locusts (hoppers) over crickets. They dont smell, they dont make noise, they dont run and hide when you put them in the viv, they're vegetarian so wont nibble your dragon if left in the viv, theyre not nocturnal, they have a larger gut loading capacity, they rarely escape, and if they do they die in the cold and definitely wont breed.

Crickets are horrible, and the only reason they are still used is because they are cheap! If you buy your locusts online in bulk it doesnt work out too expensive, try internet reptile or livefooduk, both good suppliers.

Locusts can be kept in an old plastic fish tank or faunarium on top of your viv to keep it warm, with good ventiallation and regular food they will live for months, and even breed if you're lucky, which works out even cheaper.

Use them as a staple, mixed up with some silkworms and roaches occasionally and you cant go far wrong.


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

locusts it is then, expense shouldnt be an issue with one lizard hopefully. cant be anywhere near as expensive as feeding 2 dogs!


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

Personally I keep my 6 month year old beardie on sand, and I have done for the past month. I mean it's calci sand so there's a slight benefit to it, but he has no problems, poos once a day sometimes twice, and is in perfect health to be honest. I don't tend to go near crickets to be honest, I feed mine entirely on locusts and the odd waxie. Handling wise, as long as your giving them at least 20 minutes interaction a day they should be tame, as I've never come across an untame beardie myself.


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

Also I find locusts to be quite cost effective, the place I buy my food from sells around 15 good size locusts for £2, and I tend to feed my beardie about 3 - 4 locusts a day as well as the wax worms to keep him nice and chubby.


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

Nile101 said:


> Personally I keep my 6 month year old beardie on sand, and I have done for the past month. *I mean it's calci sand so there's a slight benefit to it*, but he has no problems, poos once a day sometimes twice, and is in perfect health to be honest. I don't tend to go near crickets to be honest, I feed mine entirely on locusts and the odd waxie. Handling wise, as long as your giving them at least 20 minutes interaction a day they should be tame, as I've never come across an untame beardie myself.


This is the only thing I take issue with, sorry.
Calci sand is one of the worst substrates out there as it encourages the beardie to eat the substrate, and although there's calcium in it, it does no good to the animal - as it forms clumps inside its gut, much like normal sand.
However it is down to personal choice what substrate a keeper chooses, and with any loose particle substrate the animal should be monitored closely for any signs at all of ingestion.


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

I keep my basking spot a bit higher than usual it means he can digest the calci sand. He's never ate it on purpose and from what I can see he never eats that much of it when catching live food.


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

What I meant about the slight benefit is it is easier to digest for them than normal sand.


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## ninjastyle (May 29, 2009)

locusts round here are actually cheaper than crickets, i think locusts are 1.60 a tub and crickets are 1.85. defo go for the locusts as they dont make loads of noise either. also have you considered rehoming one rather than buying one? i see loads and loads of unwanted bearded dragons. check the classifieds section on this forum.


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

ninjastyle said:


> locusts round here are actually cheaper than crickets, i think locusts are 1.60 a tub and crickets are 1.85. defo go for the locusts as they dont make loads of noise either. also have you considered rehoming one rather than buying one? i see loads and loads of unwanted bearded dragons. check the classifieds section on this forum.


Some rehomes may require additional care, and possibly a trip to the vets. So may not be the best idea for a new keeper.


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## ninjastyle (May 29, 2009)

Nile101 said:


> Some rehomes may require additional care, and possibly a trip to the vets. So may not be the best idea for a new keeper.


the same can be said for buying from a shop.... thats why you READ the advert and speak to the person offering it as 99% of the time theyll be more knowledgeable than the average petshop owner who will generally say owt to get a sale.


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

ninjastyle said:


> the same can be said for buying from a shop.... thats why you READ the advert and speak to the person offering it as 99% of the time theyll be more knowledgeable than the average petshop owner who will generally say owt to get a sale.


Very true, I'm not very experienced in rehomes, only ever taken in one leopard gecko, but I remember that being in a complete state.


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

It would be great to rehome an unwanted beardie but I like the thought of raising one up from a tiny lil thing into a beast to much to resist!


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

mike225 said:


> It would be great to rehome an unwanted beardie but I like the thought of raising one up from a tiny lil thing into a beast to much to resist!


:lol2: I felt the same way with my crestie  Babies are difficult to resist.
How about buying from a reputable breeder? That way, you know where the baby's coming from, what's it's been through, you know how old it is, and likely you may be able to follow its progress closely whilst it's still with the breeder, until it is old enough to be given to you.


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

good call ill check the clasifieds see if theres any near me


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## bcourt2005 (Apr 4, 2010)

First hello and congratz on perswading (cant spell) the mrs to let you get a reptile.A good way to prevent escapes is to put bug mesh over the vents to prevent the escape but still allows circulation of air =]Trust me you dont want escape bugs, i havent had any live for about 4 months now yet they can still be seen and herd all the time at night (drives you insaine)The mesh thing really helps.Also you could try feeding inside a large feeding faunarium and put 10 crix in at a time, watchhim eat them all then add some more till he stoppes, then you know there is non that can escape Personaly id choose locust but its up to you, try both and see what you prefer. Some reptiles can get addicted to lucust just like waxworms.Just a few bits to think about =]]


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## mike225 (Oct 26, 2010)

ive been offerd a fish tank to use as a feeding place will this be ok providing its a decent size? thought that way i will never have to have any bugs in the viv


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