sunday is the big day!!

well i'm getting my beardie on sunday!! i'm so excited. i have a 20L all set up and so far the temps are staying pretty steady. the basking spot is at 115 and the cool side is at 75. got a uvb light and it's set on a 12/12 timer. now i read somewhere that hatchlings should not have a hide box of any type because food can hide in it. is this true? i don't have anyplace for it to hide in there. another question i have is which vitamin is better to use? i have the t-rex bearded dragon diet dust and i also have herpitivite and phosphorus free calcium with D3 from rep cal. i know to dust one feeding each day for hatchlings and feed 2-3 times a day along with veggies. i'll be picking up crickets tomorrow to start gut loading. i read somewhere that they shouldn't get mealworms until older, is that true? i also have discoids, can they have them too? i have read 2 books on them and done research on the net for 2 weeks and still have conflicting info on some things. thank you for your advice and info. can't wait to see it on sunday. will definitely get pics

Congratualtions on your new beardie! I don't think it really matters what kind of vitamins you feed. Personally, I use the T-rex one because that's all they carry at my local pet store. If you're worried about the prey hiding in the hide box, I would just remove it when you went to feed your little guy the crickets and then put it back in when he was done feeding. I never put a hidebox in with mine when they were that little because they hid under the paper towels anyways. It is true to wait until they're older to feed them mealworms. The reason why is because mealworms contain a high level of chitin which is hard for them to digest, which can lead to them becoming impacted. I don't know what discoids are, so I can't help you there. What are you using for substrate? Since it's a baby, I would use either paper towels or newspaper. Also, where are you getting your little guy from? And lastly, you'll definately have to post some pics. :scatter:

thanks for the info. discoids are roaches(aka false deathheads). i have a friend who is going to the hamburg show on saturday and he will be picking one for me. he has a ton of reptiles and i trust his pick for me. there is no way for me to go to the show due to work. as for substrate i always have used the adhesive vinyl tiles, it's easier for me to clean and holds heat well, just doesn't give them a place to hide. i have two pieces for them to climb on that have multiple layers.

made some changes to the tank. actually i decided to use the 30 gallon breeder tank i have for the 2 girl leos. just got to buy an 18 inch uvb light now and i should be set. my friend said he might even try to get me a pair if he finds some for the right price. he is going to look and see if he can get me some reds or golds so if i decide to breed i have a good pair to start with. for the hide box i was thinking about using some sand in there so they have an area to dig, is this a good idea? i have regular aquarium sand that i use for my hermit crabs, is that good? i normally use peat moss for all my guys hides. now since i'm getting the wee one on sunday would it be ok to use 10% bleach on the tank tomorrow to clean it from the leos? that should be enough time to get everything out. are there any bits of important info that i am forgetting? thanks again for all your help. i did get small crickets today, just a wee bigger than pinheads (--- <--about that size) so i can start gutloading them. that should be good for hatchlings right? thanks again.

Originally Posted by techgirl

made some changes to the tank. actually i decided to use the 30 gallon breeder tank i have for the 2 girl leos. just got to buy an 18 inch uvb light now and i should be set. my friend said he might even try to get me a pair if he finds some for the right price. he is going to look and see if he can get me some reds or golds so if i decide to breed i have a good pair to start with. for the hide box i was thinking about using some sand in there so they have an area to dig, is this a good idea? i have regular aquarium sand that i use for my hermit crabs, is that good? i normally use peat moss for all my guys hides. now since i'm getting the wee one on sunday would it be ok to use 10% bleach on the tank tomorrow to clean it from the leos? that should be enough time to get everything out. are there any bits of important info that i am forgetting? thanks again for all your help. i did get small crickets today, just a wee bigger than pinheads (--- <--about that size) so i can start gutloading them. that should be good for hatchlings right? thanks again.

There is no need for a hide. The crickets will certainly hide from the dragons in it. I use sifted children's play sand for my dragons. I am not quite sure what kind of sand you are talking about when referring to your hermit crabs but it might be ok....... The cricket size you described seems to be fine. Just make sure to make any needed changes in the size once you see how big the dragon your getting is.

Any other questions you can always look here to get any information you need.

Good luck,