help

[kman]

i just caught a lizard at the beach yesterday and by all the places ive looked on the internet and by the people at my local pet store i have a baby bearded dragon it is only about 2and a half through three inches long the guy at the pet store said hes about 3 days old i was wondering if it would be better for him to stay alone or if i should get a companion once he gets big enough your input could determine wether my mom lets me get another one thanx in advance cya bye :D :D

[iggysbirds]

Can you post a picture of it so everyone can see what it looks like?? I would suggest leaving it by itself but after letting it settle in for a few days or week giving it lots of attention. Have you done your research to see what they eat, the kind of cage it needs, the kind of lighting it needs etc. It does need very specific care. There are lots of websites you can go to if you do not know how to care for it. If you have already done your research and know how to care for it then that is great. Either way I would say do not get another one. If it is a male it will fight with another male (maybe not while its little but definitely after grown) If it is a male and you get a female it will want to breed even while they are too young (not right away but before adult). If it is a female and you get another female you may be lucky enough that they will get along but better not to chance it. Especially since you found it you need to get it checked by a vet to see if it has any parasites etc.

Good luck and take really good care of it.
Stephanie
IIRBS

[Reptile713]

Wow;
Yeah - a picture would be nice. At a reptile show near here, some people were confused by baby bearded dragons and thought they were horned toads.
If you found a bearded dragon, that would be something to report to a local wildlife agency. Maybe there is a breeding population of bearded dragons down there.

PS - how is it doing now?

[elfomatic]

Yeah ... I'm sure Wildlife would like to hear from you since Bearded Dragons are native to Australia and not wild in the United States ... :rolleyes:

[Reptile713]

True - but there are documented breeding colonies of Jackson's Chameleons in SoCal(Tanzania is quite far from SoCal). There are also possible breeding colonies of Green lizards(Lacerta virdis)and Wall lizards(Lacerta muralis) in New York(both are European lizards). With the popularity of bearded dragons as pets - and a climate like SoCal, it's not too far fetched to believe there might be a breeding population.

[kman]

we found out through research and pictures that it was in fact a western fence lizard. it was given from me to my brother because i decided to get an actual beardie . but any ways it died yesterday and were all very sad :( :( but i love my beardie. he just doesnt seem to be growing... ive had him for three weeks and he hasnt shed at all any advice

[elfomatic]

Reptile713 ... that all may be true but I highly doubt a colony of beadies at this point just the same.

Soaking in warm water is supposed to help with shedding. Just make sure it is warm water (not hot) and change it out when it gets cold. Just soak his body ... not his head ... you don't want to drown him or anything.

kman -- I'm sorry to hear about your lizard. Your beardie may not need to shed yet. If he was fed a bad diet before you received him then he may wait to shed for awhile.

[Reptile713]

kman - I'm sorry about the fence lizard. They are neat little guys. I'm glad you got a beadrd dragon. They are definitely high on my favorites list. Give him a little time to come around - I'm sure in a month he'll be a whole different lizard. Good Luck.

Elfomatic - sorry if I came on a little strong. I was leaning towards the horned toad thing myself - but I guess I can see how a fence lizard could be misidentified as a young bearded dragon.