Bearded Dragon
The "Inland Bearded Dragon" rightfully earns it's name by the very pronounced beard sometimes shown in defensive displays as well as during mating behavior. By puffing out their throat area, both males and females can display a beard, although the male's is usually a much darker almost pitch black beard. Adult bearded dragons average 15 to 24 inches in length, while hatchlings are between 3 to 4 inches at birth. Young dragons grow fast and are sexually mature by one year of age. Juvenile beardeds usually start showing their coloration by two months of age.
Housing
Bearded dragons can be housed in a variety of enclosures as long as their basic requirements are met. All glass aquaria with wire tops are commonly used and are inexpensive to obtain. Custom built enclosures are also very popular and can be sized appropriately. The enclosure should have a basking spot with temperatures ranging from 90 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be provided by an overhead light in a reflective hood. Under tank heating can be used for night time use, supplied by a heating pad or tape. The enclosure should be large enough to allow the lizard to retreat to a cooler area (known as thermoregulation) as needed. A tree branch or log should be supplied for climbing and basking. Good substrates are newspaper, sand, pea rock or aquarium gravel. Substrates such as mulch, shredded tree bark, or corn cob should not be used as they can hold moisture and promote bacterial growth.
Feeding
Bearded dragons should be offered a varied diet consisting of crickets, mealworms, pink or fuzzy mice and a variety of greens and vegetables. Juvenile animals can be raised on small crickets and greens until large enough to eat mealworms and mice. It is very important to regulate the size cricket given to juvenile dragons. Large meals have been associated with partial paralysis and hind leg extension. A general rule is to use crickets no larger than the distance between the dragons eyes to the tip of his nose, and should be offered in several small meals per day rather than one large one. Crickets should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement every other day for up to three months, then reducing supplementation to twice a week. Fresh greens, such as collards, kale, and mustard greens should be finely chopped and offered every other day along with vegetables such as yellow squash, zucchini and shredded carrots. Be sure to thoroughly wash all greens and vegetables before offering them to your dragon. Bearded dragons in the wild get their water from the morning dew on plants and afternoon rains. In captivity, they seem to have a difficult time recognizing standing water. A simple means of offering water is to spray them at least once or twice a day with a spray mist bottle. They will lap up the water off of their noses and lower their head to standing puddles if some type of movement is detected.
Lighting
Bearded dragons (if kept indoors) will require full spectrum lighting with UV-B and UV-A, which helps in synthesizing vitamin D-3 which is required for calcium absorption. These bulbs can be purchased from Zoo-med (Reptisun 5.0) and are relatively inexpensive. Vitamin/mineral supplements which contain vitamin D-3 should be used to dust crickets and/or greens to ensure proper calcium absorption for bone development in growing dragons. Bearded dragons which are kept outdoors or are allowed at least 30 minutes of natural sunlight every other day will not require any special lighting as long as a basking spot with an incandescent bulb is supplied.
Handling
Newly acquired bearded dragons should be allowed to get acclimated to their new enclosures and feeding schedules before attempting to handle them. Once acclimated, short periods of handling and hand feeding will quickly tame most dragons. They will be content to sit on a shoulder or lap for hours while watching TV or using the computer. Young children should be supervised and instructed on careful handling techniques. Be sure to wash your hands before eating or smoking after handling any reptile.
Housing
Bearded dragons can be housed in a variety of enclosures as long as their basic requirements are met. All glass aquaria with wire tops are commonly used and are inexpensive to obtain. Custom built enclosures are also very popular and can be sized appropriately. The enclosure should have a basking spot with temperatures ranging from 90 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be provided by an overhead light in a reflective hood. Under tank heating can be used for night time use, supplied by a heating pad or tape. The enclosure should be large enough to allow the lizard to retreat to a cooler area (known as thermoregulation) as needed. A tree branch or log should be supplied for climbing and basking. Good substrates are newspaper, sand, pea rock or aquarium gravel. Substrates such as mulch, shredded tree bark, or corn cob should not be used as they can hold moisture and promote bacterial growth.
Feeding
Bearded dragons should be offered a varied diet consisting of crickets, mealworms, pink or fuzzy mice and a variety of greens and vegetables. Juvenile animals can be raised on small crickets and greens until large enough to eat mealworms and mice. It is very important to regulate the size cricket given to juvenile dragons. Large meals have been associated with partial paralysis and hind leg extension. A general rule is to use crickets no larger than the distance between the dragons eyes to the tip of his nose, and should be offered in several small meals per day rather than one large one. Crickets should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement every other day for up to three months, then reducing supplementation to twice a week. Fresh greens, such as collards, kale, and mustard greens should be finely chopped and offered every other day along with vegetables such as yellow squash, zucchini and shredded carrots. Be sure to thoroughly wash all greens and vegetables before offering them to your dragon. Bearded dragons in the wild get their water from the morning dew on plants and afternoon rains. In captivity, they seem to have a difficult time recognizing standing water. A simple means of offering water is to spray them at least once or twice a day with a spray mist bottle. They will lap up the water off of their noses and lower their head to standing puddles if some type of movement is detected.
Lighting
Bearded dragons (if kept indoors) will require full spectrum lighting with UV-B and UV-A, which helps in synthesizing vitamin D-3 which is required for calcium absorption. These bulbs can be purchased from Zoo-med (Reptisun 5.0) and are relatively inexpensive. Vitamin/mineral supplements which contain vitamin D-3 should be used to dust crickets and/or greens to ensure proper calcium absorption for bone development in growing dragons. Bearded dragons which are kept outdoors or are allowed at least 30 minutes of natural sunlight every other day will not require any special lighting as long as a basking spot with an incandescent bulb is supplied.
Handling
Newly acquired bearded dragons should be allowed to get acclimated to their new enclosures and feeding schedules before attempting to handle them. Once acclimated, short periods of handling and hand feeding will quickly tame most dragons. They will be content to sit on a shoulder or lap for hours while watching TV or using the computer. Young children should be supervised and instructed on careful handling techniques. Be sure to wash your hands before eating or smoking after handling any reptile.