Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Reptile Care SHEET Bearded Dragon Care Introduction Bearded dragons make for wonderful pets. They are very calm and actually will demand to be held. Of all the reptiles in the world we personally believe bearded dragons are the ones who have the greatest personalities. Every bearded dragon seems to be different in its own unique way. Their actions and expressions will make anyone smile. I think they are almost therapeutic in a way. If you have had a bad day at work hold a bearded dragon. If you suffer from empty nest, hold a bearded dragon. No joke, they are super great pets for people young and old alike. Bearded dragons do require special care and attention that many other reptiles do not. They require certain essential amenities to be maintained properly as pets. Here are some basic guidelines for proper bearded dragon care. Habitat The most overlooked item that many people don’t realize when they purchase a new bearded dragon from a pet store is the adult lizard size and the necessary cage size requirement. As babies these lizards can be maintained in a 10 gallon tank. But only for a very short period of time. They will quickly outgrow this and will even outgrow a 20 gallon tank. The best thing to do is go directly to a 40 or 55 gallon tank right at the start. This size will house a single bearded dragon throughout its lifetime. Best rule of thumb is to have around 6 to 8 square feet of floor space per dragon. There are several places that custom build reptile cages for these and other large reptiles. These can be very costly but look very nice. We custom build all our reptile cages to fit our own breeding needs. Overall cage temperatures should be in a range from 80 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day and no less than 65 degrees at night. It is also essential to provide a basking zone offering a temperature of 100-110 degrees during the day. Basking spot lamps can be used for this. You also need to be able to provide a UVB light source. There are bulbs that can provide both heat and UV requirements at the same time. These are mercury vapor bulbs and are very good to use. Read more on lighting. We do not recommend the use of compact fluorescent UV lights. There have been some reported cases of photo-kerato-conjunctivitis in bearded dragons. This is an eye disease that can lead to partial blindness in bearded dragons. The problem is that these lights produce a very high powered output and can be too strong for their eyes. Substrate usage Bearded dragons can live on many different types of flooring. This can be clay sand, calci-sand, reptile carpet, floor tiles, or even paper grocery bags. We stay away from any sands to prevent any accidental ingestion which may cause impaction or blockage in the intestines. Slate tiles work great because they easily absorb and hold heat under the basking light. Special Lighting Requirements Bearded dragons require special lighting along with a basking lamp. They need a UVB light to prevent them from getting bone diseases. This naturally comes from unfiltered sunlight. An alternative to this, is using full spectrum fluorescent bulbs that give off both UVB and UVA rays. It is a good idea to change out the fluorescent bulbs at least every six months because the UVB output diminishes over time. These bulbs along with the basking lamp should be adequate for both heat and light requirements. Lights should also be turned off during the night to allow for adequate times for darkness and a cool down time. You may also need an alternate non light heat source to maintain proper nighttime cage temperatures. Read more on UV lighting. Diet Bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning they eat both veggies and meaty sources. Dusted crickets should be offered twice a day to baby dragons. Do not offer more crickets then they can eat at any one time. This will prevent injury from the crickets biting the dragons. It is also better to have several small cricket feedings throughout the day then having one big one. They are very fast eaters when it comes to meaties and sometimes tend to eat too fast and may regurgitate their food. You can also offer appropriately sized roaches to your dragons. It is ideal to feed roaches that are freshly molted. They are softer and easier to eat that way. You can also offer mealworms, superworms, phoenix worms, hormworms, butterworms or waxworms as a treat or to give a variety in their diet. You also need to offer them a dish of fresh veggies that is made available throughout the day. There are certain veggies that are beneficial to a dragon and some that are not so beneficial and some may even kill a dragon. Veggie staples that are good include mustard greens, dandelion greens, and collard greens. On occasion you can give them diced apples, grapes and strawberries (without the seeds). There are a huge number of vegetables that a dragon can eat. Here is a link to List of Dragon Foods by Beautiful Dragons. Many dragon owners and breeders have used this “shopping list” for years to help give dragons a variety in their diet. If you feed your dragon the same food over and over again you will notice that he will start to ignore the vegetables all together sometimes. Rhubarb and lightning bugs can kill a dragon. You can also purchase special dietary foods that include appetite stimulants. These can be mixed in with the fruits and veggies on occasion. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look like your baby dragon is eating all of its veggies. As babies, they tend to not eat all their veggies but as they grow older the veggie diet will normally increase. Fresh veggies should always be offered even if it doesn’t look like they touch it. Baby dragons should have a diet consisting of 80 percent insects and 20 percent veggies. This will gradually reverse as it gets older to 20 percent insects and 80 percent veggie diet. Dust insects daily with calcium powder without vitamin D3 prior to feeding your dragon. Also use bearded dragon vitamin supplements 3 or 4 times a week. Bathtime Dragons will not normally drink from a water dish just because it is not moving. An essential care requirement and good way to guarantee hydration is to give your dragon a bath at least once a week. Dragons may freak out the first few time you put them in for a bath but they will usually calm down and start to enjoy it more each time. Water should be warm. Not too cold and not too hot. Water should be at a level reaching the dragons armpits. They will sometimes burry their head underwater to drink and allow water through the vents for hydration. 5 to 10 minutes time in the water is usually sufficient for hydration and cleaning. Never use any soap products with your dragon. If your dragon is really dirty you can use a very soft toothbrush or soft cloth to clean him and remove any dead skin. This is not necessary but can be done if done very gently.

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