A Few Notes About Babies in General:
As babies it is good to keep them in something like a 10 gallon to 20 gallon
"long" aquarium with very minimal decoration. Maybe a perch for
them to get to a warmer basking spot closer to the UVB light, a simple hiding
spot on the cool side of the cage, and simple flooring- like lizard carpet
or vinyl flooring. This is because babies are often not good at finding their
food and basking area; the less in their way, the better their chances of
figuring out how to get to what they need. This is also because they may miss
crickets, which try desperately to hide during the day. The babies need to
eat, so they need to be able to find the crickets and, if all the crickets
are not removed after feeding is done, it happens that they can come out and
actually chew on the lizards. Like in the sad picture below.
cricket attack:
When they get a little larger you can (and should) move them into a much
larger, perhaps more decorated environment; so suppress your cravings for
a pretty display tank at the moment. But for now, keep them in a simple cage
in a quiet room.
Their diet can be the same as adults; greens, bugs, etc... Variety is very
good! (as long as it's done right) Just please follow the rule of never feeding
them anything larger than the distance between their eyes. If they try to
swallow something bigger than that they risk paralysis, choking, blockage,
even internal tears. Large crickets are also more likely to overwhelm them,
thus not be eaten, and to chew on the lizards more readily.
(feeder size pic)
For babies, like adults, it's good to try to keep it where the cage is an
ambient 85 Fahrenheit, but their basking spot is between 105 and 110 Fahrenheit.
Babies do like it slightly warmer than adults, so try for 85/110. Placing
a digital thermometer on each side of the cage, where the lizards sit,
can help you achieve this, as can adjusting the height of the heat lamp. (Like
with adults, never use
electric heat rocks! You can put a real rock under the heat lamp though. It
will cool as they stand over it instead of cooking their tummies)
Please keep in mind that they need a cool end of the cage to escape from
the heat, and that proper heat (and cooling) is essential for their health,
digestion, and development. They must be able to move from spot to spot to
regulate their body temp. Many babies have died slowly from over heated cages.
Use a thermometer on each area of the cage to make sure it's in the accurate
temperature range. The cage must also be allowed some drop in temperature
at night, because this happens where they live naturally. Usually turning
off the lights is enough to do the trick, but check the thermometer just to
make sure. I was able to achieve this with a 20 gallon Long aquarium with
a screen top. I used a fluorescent bulb with high UVB output for the length
of the cage and a 100w spot light above the basking spot that was on a far
end of it. Even though I like a Mercury Vapor bulbs for adults, these are
normally too hot for small enclosures. Going with the fluorescent tube and
incandescent heat light combo is a safer bet for babies.
Direct sunlight can effect the cage temperature drastically, turning it into
an oven. Also note that pretty much all window and aquarium glass filters
out the sun's beneficial UV rays, preventing the lizards from getting what
they need from it.
(add: picture of a proper set up)
Avoid impaction, which is very common
in young dragons, by using a
simple substrate at least until they're older. Lizard carpet, vinyl flooring,
newspaper. It may not be as pretty but, when it's a health issue, it's better
to do what's safe.
You can mist your babies to make sure they get water; usually it's best to
do this well after the lights come on and well before they go out- the same
goes for feeding. They need to be warm to properly digest their food. Food
that sits in their gut can basically rot. Dusting their food and crickets
often with extra D3 and Multi-Vitamins
is a must for growing babies. Offer your babies at least 50 small gut-loaded
crickets and finely chopped greens, split between two feedings, every
day. Mine could eat up to 100 crickets a day each; depending on the bug's
size. Just don't scare them by adding too many crickets to their cage all
at once. Fruit is good, but not too much, as it can cause loose stool. Be
sure to remove extra food, and any poo they have made, every day before the
lights go out. Babies can drown even in small amounts of water, so be careful.
It's not required for you to have it in their cage since they seldom drink
from bowls. Just make sure they're hydrated everyday. This comes from their
food, misting, and giving them a supervised soak at least once a week or so;
depending on their set up and how you're caring for them.
(picture of them eating)
Bathing/soaking takes place in a shallow pool of water, that is no warmer
than your body temp, 80 to 90 is fairly good. Do not leave them unattended.
Running water can scare them, as can not giving them a perch (like your arm)
while they're in the water. The first few times you bathe them it's very important
that nothing scary happens. They can like water; if they don't have any reason
not to. Most dragons absorb water through their food, misting them, and through
their anal vent. Very few "drink" from bowls, so soaking can be
very important. (Especially in babies, who can dehydrate quickly.) Bath time
is also a good time to gently wipe off any poo they might of run through,
or food that's dried to their face. Sometimes this warm water will induce
waste elimination, which is a good thing, just empty the water and start the
bath over. When you are done make sure they are thoroughly dry, by patting
them down with a towel, and that they don't go to sleep damp. A should also
note: This is why many "sit" in their water bowls.
(A Proper Bath pic)
It is quite possible, with proper husbandry, for hatchings to reach the size
of 12 inches in 6 months and for them to eat around one thousand small crickets
a week. Babies are more expensive to feed than adults. They're also way more
care intensive. If hatchings are over crowded, (and most certainly if they
are under fed,) they may resort to eating each others toes and tails. This
seems to often happen at night, when no one is around to catch it. You see
this often in pet stores.
(show picture of size range)
Resist the urge of buying a bearded dragon from a pet store or, at least,
from a skeezy one or from a chain pet store like Petco or Petsmart. There
are good reptile petstore that sell only captive bred animals, but they are
not always easy to find. In general the "uncaring or uneducated"
petsore's reptiles are hardly fed, are kept in sub-standard conditions, (as
are most of their animals, the way they treat the ferrets at Petco is disgusting)
and will likely have expensive health problems all their lives. Even if you
feel like you are rescuing an animal from a pet store by buying it, keep in
mind that you are actually supporting the store and encouraging them to order
even more of that type of pet to sell in their next shipment. I know how heart
breaking it is to see a dying animal, I've rescued and adopted my fair share
from many sources, but the best and most helpful route is the hardest one.
If you really want to help, pester the corporate division of the store to
up it's care standards and employee training, and still call the local animal
shelters/authorities to report the ill, mistreated, creatures. If you want
a bearded dragon, adopt or look for a reputable breeder who does it as a small
scale hobby out of love for the species, or a large one who at least cares
about the health of their product. I'll try to add links to some in the extras
section.
