I just got Two blood red bearded dragons

I just wanted to know how to tell them apart by gender, and any basic information. They are about a week and a half old by the look of a comparison with 2 week old pics of other ones. PLEASE TELL ME AS SOON AS YOU READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

 

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It is very hard to tell when they are that young. Even people who are sure end up suprised. The best way to tell though is by their vent and tail. The males tail will be very long with a long taper, where as the females is more stumpy

HOUSING:

Baby/Juvenile (0-12 months)
A Minimum of a 20 gallon long (30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 12 3/4) tank is needed is achieve a reasonable gradient of temperatures. Aggressive tendencies, injuries and other complications such as the loss of limbs and tails and even death have been noted when attempting to house more than one dragon together.

Adult (12 months +)
A minimum size of 36" x 18" with 48" x 24" or larger being preferable, and a height between 18" and 24" is required to house one adult.

Bearded dragons are not social creatures by nature and only gather together for mating purposes. Aggressive tendencies, injuries and other complications have been noted when attempting to house more than one dragon together.


SUBSTRATES:

Substrates are a highly debated topic among experienced owners, keepers and breeders. Opinions vary with experience and skill.
With that said......babies are safely raised on a non particle substrate material such as reptile carpet, shelf liner, butcher paper, paper towels, or ceramic tiles. Non particle substrates hold no chance of contributing to impaction.

Adults may use any of the above mentioned substrates and can also safely live on sifted washed playsand purchased from your local retail store or hardware store. Avoid all pet store substrates.

When fed on particle substrates, the new owner should understand that the consumption of substrate material is possible and all live prey should be fed in a separate container.

FEEDING:

Baby/Juvenile
They should be fed a ratio of 80% protein and 20% greens. This breaks down to feeding a baby 2-3x a day as many crickets as they can eat in 10 minutes. The crickets should be no bigger than the space between a beardie's eyes. If feeding in the same tank as the beardie is living in, all uneaten crickets should be removed. Make sure that one feeding a day (6 days) is dusted with a calcium dust. This dust should have d3 and should be phosphorus free. On the 7th day make sure you dust one feeding of crickets with a multivitamin. Offer a fresh variety of greens daily. Examples of greens...dandelions, chicory, bok choy, swiss chard, escarole, there are many more. NO lettuce of any kind should be fed. Fruits can be given as a treat once a week. NO citric. It usually take a while for babies to adjust to greens, keep trying as they will eventually eat them.

Adult
Their ratio should be 80% greens 20% protein. This breaks down to about 15-25 crickets a week. You can feed them all in one day or broken up between a couple, whichever is better for the owner and dragon. Dust with calcium one week then dust with a multivitamin the next. Offer a fresh variety of greens. The same as above, but they should be eating much more. Make sure that there is enough greens for an adult beardie.

HYDRATION:

It is very important to keep your dragon well hydrated. This can be done in several ways. Dragons get a lot of their needed moisture through the foods they eat so it is a good idea to mist the greens and veggies that you feed your dragon. Some dragons will drink from a water bowl but many will not so it is up to the individual keeper to find out if their dragon will or not. Many dragons do just fine with no water bowl in their tank. Most keepers will bath or soak their dragons 3 or 4 times a week for about 15-20 minutes in water that is shoulder deep and between 90-100 degrees. Some like it a little cooler some a little hotter. The last method would be misting your dragon. Misting is of questionable benefit but dragons may lick up water that is misted on their head and drips to their lips. Misting is probably most beneficial when the dragon is in shed and the mist will help moisten and loosen the shedding skin.

LIGHTING/HEAT/TEMPERATURES:

Baby/Juvenile
UVA lighting provides heat in the form of indoor flood lights, reptile bulbs or typical household bulbs. The wattage of the bulb required to reach proper basking temperatures of 110-115* (see Measuring Temps section below) for a baby depends on the size of the tank, the ambient temperature inside your house, cage decor and it's proximity to the basking site. Heat bulbs and UVB bulbs should be set up by a timer available at your local hardware store. They should be set for a basic 14/10 day. There should be a good gradient temp between the basking site and the cool end. The ambient temperature for the cool side should be 70-85F with the temp closer to 85F for a baby.

UVB lighting provides rays essential for good physical and mental health. UVB fixtures should be no less than 18 inches long and should be placed directly on top of the screen top so that the dragon can get within 6-8 inches of the light. Longer fixtures reaching the length of the tank will help ensure good exposure. Some fixtures come with a plastic lens over the bulb that should be removed before using.

Adult
UVA lighting provides heat in the form of indoor flood lights, reptile bulbs or typical household bulbs. The wattage of the bulb required to reach proper basking temperatures of 110-115* (see Measuring Temps section below) for a dragon depends on the size of the tank, the ambient temperature inside your house, cage decor and it's proximity to the basking site. Heat bulbs and UVB bulbs should be set up by a timer available at your local hardware store. They should be set for a basic 14/10 day. There should be a good gradient temp between the basking site and the cool end. The ambient temperature of the cool side should be 70-85F with the temp being closer to 80F for an adult.

UVB lighting provides rays essential for good physical and mental health. UVB fixtures should be no less than 18 inches long and should be placed directly on top of the screen top so that the dragon can get within 6-8 inches of the light. Longer fixtures reaching the length of the tank will help ensure good exposure. Some fixtures come with a plastic lens over the bulb that should be removed before using.

Night temps
Night time the dragon needs a cooling off period as well as complete darkness. As long as the temp does not drop below 60ºF no heat should be added to the enclosure. If temps do drop below 60ºF then a heat mat mounted to the side wall of the enclosure or a ceramic heat emitter can be used to raise the temps. Night glow or red lights should be avoided for night time heat.

Measuring Temps
There are two methods to measure basking surface temps. The first is with a digital thermometer with a probe. Using this method you place the probe of the digital thermometer directly on the hottest spot of the basking surface. Remember we are trying to read the surface temp not the air temp. Care must be taken to ensure the probe is in direct firm contact with the surface and that the thermometer has had long enough time to reach the maximum temp, this may take several minutes depending on the digital thermometer.

The second method is the best and fastest way. Using an infra red temp gun is more accurate and much faster. You simply point the temp gun at the basking surface and push the button. The temp gun gives you an instant and accurate reading of the surface temp of the basking area.

All temperatures should be accurately measured with a digital thermometer or temp gun. All other forms of measurement may be as much as 20 degrees off.

UVB LIGHTING SUGGESTIONS:

Repti Sun 10.0
Mercury Vapor Bulbs
Arcadia D3+ 12% Reptile

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS:

Calcium
Rep-cal Phosphate free w/d3
Absolute Calcium
Minerall
Calypso

Note: Dragon Dust is NOT a calcium supplement.

Multivitamin
Herptivite
Reptivite

Parasite control
Parazap