Posts Tagged ‘Care’

How to care for a dragon tree?

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Question by Helen B: How to care for a dragon tree?

I bought a youngish dragon tree a few weeks ago, I’m following the instructions about watering and sunlight, but the tips of the leaves are going dry. What am I doing wrong?

Best answer:

Answer by angel120991
They need a fair bit of light, like near a north, east, or west window, or by a curtained south window. I’ve heard that if you chop off the very top of the growing section of the plant, it branches out, but i’m not sure how true it is. They grow reasonably slowly, but can get quite tall. The tallest one I’ve seen was near 2 meters. If you water it when the top of the soil dries out it will be fine.

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Basic Bearded Dragon Care Guidelines

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

Basic Bearded Dragon Care Guidelines

Reptiles make great pets for those with the proper mindset, and Bearded Dragons are among the most popular of those reptile pets. They are sturdy, just small enough, and eat simple, variant diets. With a lifespan of up to fifteen years, they can be a good long term pet, but only with the proper care and attention to the lifestyle and necessities of their diets.

Because they are desert creatures, Bearded Dragons are used to a substantial influx of sunlight. Without the vitamins and calcium acquired from that absorption, Bearded Dragons can become ill quickly. For that reason, keeping a UVA or UVB light on them for the sunlight hours of their day is vital. Often, vitamin supplements mixed into their diets are good as well. Diseases related to the bones’ weakening through Vitamin D, Calcium and Phosphorous deficiencies can include Metallic Bone disease and various other painful issues in your bearded dragon.

Keeping your bearded lizard’s enclosure clean is incredibly important. The possibility of parasites or diseases infiltrating their environment through food or enclosure additions is constant, and for that reason you should keep a close eye on your lizard for any signs of these diseases. Things like weight loss or unhealthy droppings can be directly attributed to a parasite introduced to their space. If you ignore the signs, the parasite could eventually cause the death of your bearded dragon, or at least extreme health problems. A veterinarian can offer quick and easy solutions for treating these issues.

The environment itself, while fairly stable most of the time can cause problem with your beard dragon’s respiratory system if not kept stable. As a cold blooded creature, low levels of heat and too much moisture can spell immediate health problems for your bearded dragon. These can include anything from clogged nostrils to raspy breathing. Immediate care with antibiotics and the adjustment of your tank’s conditions will repair such issues usually without further harm.

If you decide to breed your bearded dragons, or if your female merely happens to get pregnant, it is important to give her a good, comfortable nesting place. Without the nesting place, she could suffer from egg binding, mostly common the first time a female breeds. Besides nesting areas, it is important to ensure your female dragon is mature enough for mating. Immediately see a vet in this case, as egg binding most often leads to death.

A recent problem to arise in bearded dragons is adenovirus. Preying on smaller animals, adenovirus is hard to catch because of its similarity to other health problems. If problems persist after careful treatment, quickly see a vet. As a fatal disease, adenovirus is often not caught until the lizard has already passed.

When purchasing a bearded dragon, keep in mind that these wonderful pets are no different than most other pets in that they require careful attention to keep from becoming ill. With proper attention and care, a bearded dragon can be expected to live a long and healthy life.

For more information on bearded dragon care, try visiting Bearded Dragon Center (beardeddragoncenter.com), a popular website that provides tips, advice and resources on caring for bearded dragons.

Q&A: How to take care of a bearded dragon?

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Question by Letterbomb: How to take care of a bearded dragon?

I’m planning to get a bearded dragon soon! :)
what kind of food, housing, care do bearded dragons require?
Any info at all would be appreciated.

I’ve read many care-sheets, but is there anything else I may need to know?

Also: Do male and female dragons act differently? Is one more calm than the other?

Best answer:

Answer by Ben
Glass cage with a screen lid with one hot (75-85) and one cool end (70). Newspaper is the easiest substrate, it comes everyday and is in sections, so you can talk one mess out at a time! Fake plants are okay and on the cool end you should have a 10.0 UVB bulb for proper nutrients and a 75-100 watt basking spot lamp with a ceramic fixture so it does not over heat. Crickets should be the main diet, meal/wax worms as a treat, NOT as a regular meal as it is unhealthy. Lettuce is okay but the best is like dinosaur (Tuscan) kale as it is packed with nutrients. Heat rocks give belly burns, make a hide cave/box. Female are calmer, if you want to breed read up on breeding articles. Hope this helps!

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How time consuming is the care for a Chinese Water dragon and how much will the cost be for everything?

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Question by Andrew A: How time consuming is the care for a Chinese Water dragon and how much will the cost be for everything?

How time consuming is the care for a Chinese Water dragon? Is it a daily thing? Is it difficult?

How much will the dragon, enclosure, and all other supplies approximately cost?

Thanx for any help!

Best answer:

Answer by KaylaByrd
They are kind of time consuming. They need daily attention. They have to be misted a few times a day and fed once a day. (once they are old enough you can cut it down to once every other day)
Most enclosures you have to have home made for a full grown water dragon. They can get 72 inches long. They need a cage with plenty of climbing space. So a taller cage is better than a long one.
It’s best to have a cage will all but the front covered and a screen top. Water Dragons think they can run through glass, so the least amount of glass on the set up as possible is best.
Size wise…for a full grown water dragon, the cage should be at least 3 cubic feet…bigger than that is perfered.

The dragon is usually going to be about , and enclosure is hard to price, the cheapest way to go it to build one…mine is out of wood with a screen top and a plexi glass front….then you have to make sure the wood has a finish so it cannot hurt the dragon…so it all depends with that.
Other supplies…you need a very large water bowl that you can change the water for daily…you can also give them a warm bath as often as you want to…(if you do it once a day or so, you can get a smaller water dish)
They need live foods, crickets and worms while they are on the smaller size…then larger bugs when they get bigger.

Cost all depends on your set-up, where you get everything and how you have it all put together. The only thing I can really give you a good quote on is the price of the dragon itsself.

Chinese Water Dragons aren’t the easiest to take care of and they are not the niceset lizards. If you’re not experiences with reptiles, I would start with something else…like a Bearded Dragon. Geckos or Skinks, if you are experienced and are looking for a bit more of a challenge than a CWD would be a good step.

I hope this helps…GOOD LUCK!!!!!

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Q&A: How to care for a dragon tree?

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Question by Helen B: How to care for a dragon tree?

I bought a youngish dragon tree a few weeks ago, I’m following the instructions about watering and sunlight, but the tips of the leaves are going dry. What am I doing wrong?
I’m at uni, it’s got to stay in a pot!

Best answer:

Answer by feyanni
From the web site:

http://www.dragontrees.com/

Plant your tree in full sun and watch it grow 12-15 feet its first year! When mature, the decorative or ornamental Paulownia Kawakmii tree reaches a height of 30 ft. in 3 years, and the Paulownia Fortunei, and Paulownia Elongata trees, reaches a mature height of 75 ft. in ten years!
The Paulownia not only provide shade, but are a source of hardwood, cleaning the air, soil, and water, and a source of feed fodder for animals.
Soak deeply once/twice a week for the first two years. When mature, water requirements are very low. Not recommended for overly wet soil or salty sea air.

Here is another site you might wish to visit for more info:

http://www.dragontrees.com/dragonhi.html

Basic Planting Instructions (see attachments for detailed instructions)

1. Plant your Dragon tree in full sun. Partial shade will work but full sun is best.
2. Dig a hole two feet square and two feet deep, are larger if soil is poor.
3. Fill with good topsoil mixed 50/50 with potting soil and or peat moss.
4. Make a dished out area in the top of the soil mix and plant your tree in the center.
5. Fill the dished out area with water and soak all new soil deeply.
6. Be sure to let soil dry out in between watering, soak deeply each time you water.
7. In the heat of summer (90 and above) water 2 to 3 times a week. (soak deeply)
8. To feed your tree, add high nitrogen fertilizer to water once a week for first season.

Feeding your tree is not a requirement, but is needed for best result.

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How much does a bearded dragon cost to take care of yearly?

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Question by Alex M: How much does a bearded dragon cost to take care of yearly?

I have about 225$ and want a bearded dragon and was wondereing how much the initial startup is and how much it is after that. I was also wondering why my parents won’t let me get one if I pay for it, and all it’s needs and care for it daily.

Best answer:

Answer by Jesse e
bierdies can get quite expensive. lets see if u get one for 50 dollars, and then
get a tank that is twenty gallons thats prolly another forty and then u have to get some things for the tank to have inside for him
sand – 15
hides -5 – 30
heat lamp adn bulb – 20

and then after that u need to keep him on crickets and or greens. they cost very littel per time but can get quite expensve over time.
so initial setup would likely cost you anywhere from like 5 to teh full amount u have lol.

likely ur parents want u to realize what u are getting into and is why whey are tellin u u must pay for it all. they do make great pets tho, and can bring a lot of happieness and if i had 225 saved up id definately get one of my own. i only have a uromastyx and some others but the bierdies are next on my list.

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The Bearded Dragon Care And Diet – What You Must Know

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

The Bearded Dragon Care And Diet – What You Must Know

The bearded dragon diet could quite possibly be the most finicky thing you may ever have to go through as far as pet diets go. Bearded dragons, which are omnivores (meaning they eat both animal and plant, require a specific diet in which to function properly. Below are some specific steps you can take to ensure your bearded dragon is getting the best diet and care it can.

1. Variety is the spice of life. Feeding your beardie only crickets is asking for it to become nutritionally deficient. Spice up its diet by providing a wide variety of foods.

2. When it comes to maintaining a healthy bearded dragon diet, it is essential to do two things when feeding your beardie crickets; Gutload your crickets with healthy stuff. Essentially what your crickets eat, so does your bearded dragon. And secondly, you may also powder your bearded dragons food with bearded dragon vitamin supplements.

3. When eating vegetables, feeding spinach and a few other dark leafy greens may not be healthy in large amounts for your bearded dragon as they may leach precious calcium that they require.

4. As a rule of thumb, never feed your bearded dragon iceberg lettuce.

5. Dandelion Greens (yes, the weed), collard greens and mustard greens are very healthy for bearded dragons and can be eaten regularly.

6. Mealworms are a great source of protein however in large amounts it is hard for the bearded dragon to digest and may cause digestion problems.

7. When it comes down to bearded dragon care, keep in mind that anything in excess is bad. Small amounts here and there provide your dragon with a healthy variety.

8. Maintaining proper temperature in the bearded dragons cage is essential for the bearded dragons digestion. Often times many beardie owners keep their cages too cool and cause problems with the beardies digestion. Remember, these are cold-blooded desert animals, they rely on outside temperatures to maintain health and warmth.

9. Stress and other factors can lead to your bearded dragon not eating in addition to constipation and getting parasites. Keeping a quiet, calm surrounding can be beneficial to your bearded dragon care.

10. If your beardie is sick by any means, if at all possible, take them to a herp vet as soon as you can. Often times if your dragon is visibly sick, it is a really bad sign and something should be done as soon as possible.

If you are considering getting a bearded dragon, don’t let their finicky eating habits cease you from getting one. Yes, they may be a huge responsibility but they are great pets to have and relate to humans extremely well.

Beardies are great companions and quite possibly one of the best pets a person can have. By maintaining a healthy bearded dragon diet and being mindful of your dragons needs you can optimize its health and longevity. By becoming an expert in bearded dragon care, you can best serve your pet for years to come.

Learn more about Bearded Dragon Care at  www.BeardedDragonForum.com, participate in our bearded dragon forum and check out our online shop!