Help! I just got a baby bearded dragon. How do I care for it?

Congratulations on your new addition! The tank is sufficient for a juvenile, however you will likely need a larger one when Sonora is fully grown. Make sure Sonora can get into and out of the bowl easily to prevent drowning. Place thermometers in the enclosure to monitor temperature. You will need 3. One at the cool side, one on the warm side and one for the basking spot. Hygrometers can also be used to monitor humidity. You can review care information at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

One of the most reliable sites for beardie care is found at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html You can find additional information here: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Bearded-Dragon/ Provide heat, UVB lighting, water and a balanced diet while she recovers and beyond. Once she is healthy again, acclimate her to your presence slowly then gradually introduce her to handling by holding her for ever increasing periods of time.

Some of it depends on the age of the beardie. If young, make sure any live food is small enough for it. Meal works, crickets or even pinkie mice Here's a good recipe for a reptile salad. Basic Salad Recipe 1/2 cup shredded raw green beans 1/2 cup shredded raw orange-fleshed squash (such as acorn, banana, kabocha, spaghetti, and pumpkin) - you can occasionally alternate with carrots 1 medium or 2 small raw shredded parsnips (in areas where these are seasonally hard to find, you can substitute with asparagus or cooked or canned lima, navy or kidney beans that have been well rinsed and minced or mashed. If you use beans, add extra calcium to offset their high phosphorus) * 1/4 cup mashed/minced fruit (strawberries, raspberries, mangos, papaya, figs, cantaloupe, cactus pear) Alfalfa ** Multivitamin and calcium supplements * If parsnips are a seasonal vegetable where you live, you can use 1/2 cup shredded asparagus, trading off with 1/2 cup drained, rinsed, and chopped canned cooked lima beans, plus additional calcium to make up for the lousy calcium:phosphorus ratio in beans. Cooked beans are acceptable for short term use only due to their phosphorous content and other chemicals that can impede the uptake of minerals and trace elements. Asparagus is comparable in protein to parsnip, but does contain oxalates, so should not be a long-term staple. ** The quantity of alfalfa you use will depend upon the alfalfa product you are using. You want to add about 15 grams of protein. That is about 1/2 cup of alfalfa rabbit pellets, or about 1/4 cup or less of alfalfa leaf tea or a tablespoon or so of alfalfa powder. The older the healthy iguana is, the less protein they need, so you may end up using only a couple of teaspoons for an adult iguana. Thoroughly mix all the Basic Salad Recipe ingredients together. Makes about 3.5-4 cups. Add in a multivitamin supplement (any multivitamin supplement for birds or reptiles is fine, but the best, actually, is powder from a crushed Centrum tablet) and a calcium supplement. You do not need to get a calcium supplement that has phosphorous or D3 in it, as the iguana is already getting considerably phosphorous from the plants and multivitamin, and their D3 is best manufactured in their bodies by regular exposure to direct sunlight or special UVB-producing fluorescents. And more good info on husbandry and feeding isnhere. If temperature is not correct they also may not eat. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

Good questions. Since Bearded Dragons are omnivores, you want limit the amount of crickets (and other insects) you feed them, so they are motivated to eat the veggies. You can do this by having a daily feed time. It's not easy to know exactly how many to feed at a certain time, because it depends on their size. I would start with 12. If this seems like too much (he doesn't eat them within a day), then cut back till it seems adequate. Remember, you want a few hours where he only has vegetables to eat. If he/she eats them all right away, then you can add some more. You want the UV lamp to mimic daylight, so it should not be on longer than 12 hours. I always used a timer with my lamps, or I'd invariably leave them on or off for too long. I've included a link to a very helpful website that has great information on how to care for Bearded Dragons. It's highly recommended you read this for the best care of your Beardy. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html Good luck and enjoy - they make great pets!

Reptiles can go some time without eating, but they do need to eat eventually. Crickets are not expensive. Fresh greens and vegetables can also be purchased rather inexpensively. You can soak Toad in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte or just warm water to maintain hydration. He does need to eat though. If your friend cannot provide adequate care, he or she should consider rehoming Toad. Review dragon care at the links below. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Bearded-Dragon/ http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

It looks like you've done a good job rehabbing this poor guy. Getting him up to a warm temperature was definitely a good start. And, I think the liquid coming from the nose and mouth may have been from the bath, so I would not worry too much unless it happens again. Judging from the photos, he has not been well cared for, for a long time. Getting him back to health will be a long process, but can happen if you provide adequate warmth, UV light and the appropriate diet. This is my favorite website for information on caring for bearded dragons: http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html If you follow these guidelines, then you can get this guy back up to health. It depends on how much damage was done though. Sometimes they can be too ill to recover on their own and will need critical care by a veterinarian. It sounds like he's doing much better now, so hopefully he will continue to get better and act more normal soon.

Here is a great website for Bearded dragon husbandry: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/local_resources/pdfs/cape/Care_of_Bearded_Dragons.pdf http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/ The last one has a growth chart.