Housing | Lighting | Diet | Common Ailments | Breeding

Bearded Dragons are, in my opinion, one of the best reptiles for a pet. Besides being cute, having a lot of personality, and being fun, they are also easy to take care of and don't get nearly as big as iguanas or monitors or many other reptiles. Bearded Dragons were originally from Australia, but all available dragons are captive bred in America because of import laws. They are desert creatures, so they like warm atmospheres with a lot of sunlight.

Max. Size: apprx. 1' body, another 1' in tail length
Max. Age: can live up to 10 years in captivity

Housing

When purchased as a baby or juvenile, a bearded dragon might only need a 10 gallon cage. Although this size will temporarily be OK, they will soon outgrow it and will eventually need at least a 50 gallon aquarium. I keep mine in a 55 gallon and it's perfect. A cage will need some type of rock or branch that the dragon can climb on, and that can usually serve at a "basking spot" for them. Some type of water source that they can climb in and out of is important. It is rare that a bearded dragon will drink out of the water bowl, but they still need it to soak. (They also need to be misted every day since it is rare for a dragon to drink out of a bowl. They don't have pools in the desert!) The substrate (bottom) in the tank is very important and is a very controversial subject . I recommend astro-turf (or reptile carpet) because it is one of the only substrate that cannot be ingested and cause impaction. NEVER USE CEDAR! Cedar contains chemicals that are harmful if your dragon accidentally eats it. Because dragons live in the Australian desert which is a rough mix of dirt, sand, and other stuff almost cemented together, all commercial substrates can be dangerous because they are not natural and can cause impaction. Because of this, make sure to use paper towels for young dragons and carefully watch how your beardy reacts to his substrate.

SAND- Calcium sand used to be very popular because it was believed to be "safe to ingest". Recently it has been proven that even calcium sand can cause impaction. If you really like the way the sand looks, then take your bearded dragon outside of his cage when you feed him so he doesn't ingest it. This is always a safe way to prevent injury and is also easier for your dragon to catch his food.

Desert-Blend- Desert Blend™ is a product made by ESU® that is made of walnut shells. Recently I have heard of some dragons ingesting this and dying of impaction. Don't use this product!

ASTRO-TURF- This is definitely the best option for a bearded dragon because of how safe it is. It is also reusable for a long time because you can just take it out and wash it when it gets dirty. [Top]

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important things when it comes to taking care of bearded dragons. For one, they need a heat source. Some people use heat rocks, but I would never, ever use one because if the temperature is too high, it can burn you dragon (or other reptile) because they do not have the mental capability to know that they are burning. They will just sit on it, and then you'd come home and find a roast Australian cuisine! (gross) Anyway, I use a heat lamp, and that has always worked for me. A cage should be between 100° and 105° in a "hot spot" and between 90° and 95° on the other side of the cage. It is also nice to have a cool spot, like a cave or something in the mid-80's where they can retreat if too hot. This allows the dragon to regulate its body temperature. A stick or rock placed under the heat lamp serves as a good "hot spot". For a light bulb, there are a few options. A dragon needs to get some of his vitamins from sunlight. This needs to come from a UVA/UVB florescent light. These lights are necessary, but they do not heat the tank. To heat the tank, you can buy reptile lights, but they only provide UVA rays, so you still need the florescent. Personally, I like to use just regular house lights to heat the tank, and then the florescent light for the UVA/UVB requirements. [Top]

Diet

Feeding your dragon properly is of the utmost importance. They need certain things that if not provided can lead to serious problems.

1) Crickets- These are the staple diet. They should be fed at least EVERY OTHER day, as much as your dragon can eat in that day. I usually go through about 5 or 6 dozen crickets a week to my adult male dragon. Crickets should be dusted* with a calcium supplement. I use T-Rex (2:0) Calcium/No Phosphorus® for my lizards. If you have a product, use the least amount of phosphorous. T-Rex (2:1) Calcium/Phosphorous® is also ok, or most Rep-Cal® or Reptocal®. Bearded Dragons should only be fed crickets apprx. 1/3 to 1/2 the size of their head. (Keep your crickets alive! Go to cricket care!)

2) A dry food should also be given, like Rep-Cal Juvenile Bearded Dragon Food®. Many dragons will not eat it at first, but it is important that it is left in there everyday for them. It should be sprayed to soften it. If your dragon does eat it, don't think that's its OK to feed it solely that. A dragon needs a varied diet to give it all the nutrients it needs. I don't care if it says it s "Fortified Daily Diet" and that it provided what dragons need. It doesn't. I lost a dragon from my school that got Metabolic Bone Disease (described below) from not getting a good diet and fed only those pellets.

3) Fresh Greens- Since bearded dragons are omnivores, they need a daily supply of green vegetables. They should be chopped into small pieces and given to the dragon every day. Ok greens are: lettuce (no iceberg), carrots, peas, spinach, kale, dandelions (flowers and greens), hibiscus (only the bloom), and others, but that's all I can think of.

4) For older dragons, pinkie mice can be fed once a week. Since they have bones, they are very healthy because they provide calcium. If you are a queasy person, you might not want to watch....

Bearded dragons need to be sprayed down with water at least every day until they are saturated. In the wild, they get most of their water from rain. They will drink as you spray them. It might also be helpful to stick their nose in the water to encourage them to drink and show them the water is there.
*dusted- put crickets into some type of bag, dump in some calcium supplement, and shake until nice and coated. [Top]

Common Ailments

These are the ailments that I personally have encountered. There are more out there, but I don't know enough to talk about them.

1) Coccidia- This is a bacterial infection. Coccidia is a bacteria that naturally occurs in small amount in bearded dragons, but in large amounts will cause listlessness, no appetite, no energy, and eventually death. Thankfully, it is treatable by veterinarians who work with reptiles, and my baby, Sushi, recovered well at new. (Of course I was left with an empty wallet, but part of the responsibility of owning a pet is to take care of it.) As far as my vet said, the high level of coccidia can be cause by accidental ingestion of feces. Needless to say, I never leave the cage dirty anymore.

2) Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) - This is a disease caused by lack of calcium in a dragon's diet. It is easily prevented by just using the calcium supplement, but once they get it, it will start taking calcium out of their bones and leaving them unable to walk correctly. As I said, I had a dragon that my school owned that has MBD, but with the calcium and good diet, she is got a lot better. Unfortunately, her legs still worked a little funny and that never went away, but she got her spirit back, which seemed to have been lost in the schools custody. Don't ever breed a female dragon that has or had MBD. Laying eggs takes too much calcium out of them, and one that has MBD will suffer too much. This happened unintentionally to my female. She then got egg-bound and finally after vet trips and medicine, she laid her eggs, but then refused to eat and had to be put down. DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE!

3) Egg-Bound - This is when a female is pregnant and either has nowhere to lay her eggs or is unable to due to many reasons (i.e. lack of calcium). This is very serious. If the female cannot lay her eggs, she WILL DIE! There is no question about it. The eggs will not be "absorbed" back into her or anything else. If a female is not given a place to lay her eggs in time, but eventually is given a place, even if she does lay her eggs, there is a good chance she will still get sick and die. So, be careful with your female dragon. Make sure to handle her often and check her out. If you notice her getting fatter and/or lumpier, make sure to put an egg-laying box in immediately.

5) Impaction - This is when a dragon accidentally ingets its substrate and cannot digest or pass it out. This can be very dangerous and many times requires surgery to fix it. Be careful what substrate you choose cause it could be your dragon's last! [Top]

Breeding

I'm not going to claim I'm an expert at breeding beardies, not that I even know much, but this I what I've learned with experience. Basically, I thought I had two male bearded dragons until I picked one up and she was full of eggs! I guess I was wrong, anyway, to breed, you'll obviously need a male and female, but you don't want them to be together at all times. They need to be separated in the winter for "hibernation" and re-introduced in the spring. A female can have a clutch up to 30 eggs! When you notice that she is getting plumper and lumpier, and when she begins to dig in the cage, place either damp vermiculite or cactus soil in the tank at least 5" or 6" deep. (You can also use a container like a litter box.) After she has laid the eggs, you will want to remove them and put them in an incubator. (Go here to learn how to make your own incubator.) Make sure when you remove the eggs, you don't turn or rotate them AT ALL! Set the incubator to around 83°-85° degrees and in 2-3 months you'll have babies. During the incubation time, make sure to check the eggs each day for deflated or rotten eggs and remove them promptly. [Top]