Beardies in Durban

Re: Beardies in Durban

Postby Sh1rk3E » Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:43 pm

lol Angel, any advice is appreciated. I'm a complete novice at keeping reptiles...and with a trigger happy mother who is just waiting for something to go wrong and get rid of my beloved animals, I can’t afford to stuff up.

How are your temps in the glass tanks?

I've experience endless problems from tanks deforming due to the UVA lights to animals fighting with their reflections in the glass to the point that their mouths where ripped up...not a fan of it..

Still curious though about what temps I'll need for him on the basking area and on ''the cooler side''.

Can u keep the dragons on just the wooden base with newspaper over it? No substrate?

Unfortunately due to exams I'm only allowed to get him after the 6th of March (Parents)
So I do have a bit of time to play with and would prefer to soak up as many tips hints and suggestions from anyone that’s had experience keeping these amazing animals.
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Re: Beardies in Durban

Postby aleena_angel » Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:09 am

I use newspaper and haven't had any issues. I haven't had any trouble with glass warping under a heat lamp, guess I'm lucky! I try to keep the basking spot about 100-110 F. There's a specific formula as to what the warm spot and cool spot should be. You can find it in the search function on this site... I'm just not sure what it was because it was in Celsius and I'm awful at translating it. I just bought a hotter light because it wasn't keeping quite up to temp and my poor Gabe got a respiratory infection. With a lot of perseverance and keeping him in a 10 gallon to keep him even warmer for a while we got him over it with the help of the antibiotics. Now the tank is getting a bit too hot, I'm a little frustrated. I believe the cooler side should be around 80. I didn't answer the question before because I wasn't sure and was getting frustrated with it myself at the time. Oh... sorry you have to wait. Do me a favor and post a pic when you get the little guy! I'm going to be heading out of town in too little time to have a good night sleep so I won't be around for a few days, I should be back Monday though to answer any of your questions that I can! I don't want to give you any bad info so someone please correct me on the temps if I'm wrong! (I've had enough missteps that I've researched later and realized what I should have done so I can answer a lot, just not everything. Pet stores can give out some really bad advice when they're just trying to sell an animal).
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Re: Beardies in Durban

Postby CazOmega » Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:16 pm

I've had success with keeping beardies indoors and outdoors in Durban. My younger beardies are kept indoors in a nice big tank. Newspaper flooring for easy cleaning with some biggish rocks, logs and hiding spots for them to use for basking and to change the environment up a bit. Clean up is easy and it's less expensive than substrates that could potentially cause impaction and other issues. I have a UV lamp for daytime use and a basking lamp that is only turned on when it is cold (read under 16 degrees for Durban as being cold). They are in a big tank and they seem to regulate their own temps by moving closer or further away from the basking lamp when they are hot/cold. Just don't let the whole tank get too hot for them. If mine show any signs of overheating (open mouths etc.), the basking light goes off, but generally try to keep the temperature between 30 and 32 degrees.

For the outside pair, no need of UV as they have the sun. Big enclosure with 2 levels and a ladder going up. I used weld mesh open on top and all 4 sides but half of the bottom level is enclosed to provide a hide for them. I used loose astroturf as bedding as the layers are built out of wood (varnished for easy cleaning), and the pieces can be removed, scrubbed, disinfected and replaced as required if they mess on it. If it gets cool I take them inside and put them in a tank with a basking light to ensure digestion happens easily, but when it is warm (as Durban is most of the time), I haven't found a need for a basking light for the outside dragons. They eat really well and go to the bathroom regularly. The enclosure is kept on my balcony as there is always a fear of big birds that could try attack them through the wire, so just in case, they are kept under roofing. If they weren't on my balcony, I would use a corrugated plastic roofing I think, to keep off the rain and protect against predators.

Do a bit of research and see what works for you, the space you have available and obviously to the best benefit of your beardies.

I have never been bitten by a beardy except by accident by one that used to like being handfed her veggies. They tend to be rather placid when handled often.

Hope all goes well and your new scaley kids settle in well and are healthy and happy. Just as a heads up, if you are picking from a batch of babies, the ones that are active and alert with bright eyes tend to be healthier than the ones that are just sitting there....
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Re: Beardies in Durban

Postby Westley Price » Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:30 pm

Topic is 3.5 years old.....
"I am dying by inches from not having anybody to talk to about insects." - Charles Darwin
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