Bearded Dragon Care Sheet - (Pogona Vitticeps)

Introduction

Bearded dragons are very tame docile creatures that love attention and therefore make very good pets for beginners and advanced reptile keepers alike. They love to be handled and are therefore suitable for a small child, but it should be noted that they are very delicate creatures and need to be handled with care; therefore a child should always be under adult supervision when handling them.

Choosing a Bearded Dragon for a pet

When choosing your bearded dragon either from a breeder or pet store, always check that the creatures are bright eyed, alert and active. Avoid those who are lethargic or unable to lift their heads. Ask the breeder or store to drop some crickets into their tank and see which of the dragons are interested and eat them; also handle the creatures to see how active they are.

Things to AVOID when buying a bearded dragon

In order to purchase a bearded dragon in the best possible health it is strongly advised that you source a reputable breeder as many baby bearded dragons purchased from pet stores have nipped tails and toes and are underweight. Try to avoid babies that are:

• on sand,in particular calci-sand


• being kept at the wrong temperature with insufficient food


• in a tank that's too small


• has burns, sores or infection


• showing any signs of deformity


• kept in a tank that's too small, there should be no more than 5-6 in a vivarium

Veterinary check up

Bearded dragons can contract many different kind of parasites which left untreated can seriously harm or kill them; it is therefore important that they are checked by a vet two or three times per year; this will involve a faecal examination together with a general health check up. Start by sourcing a veterinary practice that has someone who specialises in caring for and treating reptiles.

Longevity/Lifespan

Bearded dragons that are well cared for namely getting enough UV rays, vitamins and minerals together with a healthy balanced diet will usually have a lifespan of approximately 6 to 12 years. The early years for a bearded dragon are the most important part of their life and it is therefore imperative that they are cared for correctly.

Sexing

After the age of 6 months it is normally quite straight forward to determine the sex of a bearded dragon. Males have two bulges above their vent with their femoral pores being more pronounced. Females are a little different in that that they one or possibly no bulge and their femoral pores are not as pronounced as those of the male. The best way to check is to hold your bearded dragon in one hand at right angles to your fingers, facing away from you, placing your thumb over the back in order to hold them in the correct place; using your other hand VERY CAREFULLY lift up the tail at approximately 90 degrees. Please note that if this procedure is carried out incorrectly you may hurt your bearded dragon.

Housing

Bearded dragons grow very quickly; those 10 inches and smaller can be housed in a 3ft Reptile Vivarium; adults should always be housed in larger 4ft Vivarium, this gives the bearded dragon or reptile much more room to grow and relax in. A reptile vivarium that is too small will no benefit the health of your reptile.

Substrate

There are a variety of different substrates available for bearded dragons, however, they are not all particularly good ones. Good substrates to look for are:

Tiles,
Shelf liners,
Reptile carpet,
Paper towels are particularly suitable for young or sick bearded dragons. Newspaper is also suitable for sick or younger bearded dragons.,
Safe non particle substrates are recommended for the safety of bearded dragons.,
Play sand can be used but this is not recommended as it can harbour infections.,

Substrates to avoid are as follows: Calci sand is a product commonly used for bearded dragons but it should be highlighted that this is a very dangerous product to use as it can cause impaction and lead to your bearded dragon becoming paralyzed. Crushed walnut shells have similar side effects to that of calci-sand and can cause serious impaction, together with cuts to their throat etc. Anything that can be ingested by a bearded dragon should be removed immediately.

Water

You can provide your bearded dragons with water in many different ways including bathing or misting. If misting babies/young dragons it is recommended that, due to the fact that they are prone to becoming dehydrated very easily, this is carried out on a daily basis. Baths should be carried out a minimum of two to three times a week in order to provide adequate hydration and to assist when they are shedding.

Diet/Feeding your bearded dragon

Bearded dragons are omnivores eating both plant matter and live food. Food items should be no bigger than the space between their eyes as larger items can cause impaction and/or hind leg paralysis. A younger bearded dragon will eat a lot of live food progressing eventually to consuming a more vegetable based diet as it becomes older. The diet for a young bearded dragon should be 80% live and 20% plant matter. Once grown the diet of an adult dragon should be 20% live and 80% plant matter. Crickets, locusts, roaches (basically any roach available on the market) and silkworms make a very good staple diet for bearded dragons; you can also treat them with worms (super, butter and wax) although these are not recommended as part of their staple diet.

Younger bearded dragons should be fed three times a day and can eat up to 100 crickets a day. Once they become adults they no longer need as much protein and should be limited to 10 crickets on alternate days. Please do not be tempted to feed your bearded dragons with bugs from your garden as they can contain pesticides, parasites or other poisons which may cause your pet serious harm... Remove any uneaten food from the cage.

Feeders for smaller dragons should be dusted with calcium containing D3 and phosphorous 5 times per week; together with a multivitamin which should be dusted 3 times per week. Feeders for adult dragons should be dusted 3 times per week with calcium and once a week with a multivitamin.

Calcium/vitamin deficiency

This is unfortunately one of the most common problems found with bearded dragons, this is mainly due to the fact that they are not getting enough sunlight, etc and can have a permanent effect on your dragon. Vitamin supplements outlined above and given in the correct order should alleviate this problem. If too little D3 is used it can cause metabolic bone disease (MBD).

Greens and Vegetables

There are a large variety of vegetables available on the market today; however, these are not all suitable for bearded dragons. In order to ascertain those most suitable please refer to the nutrient chart on the following website:

Bearded Dragon Nutritional Information

Citrus fruits, such as tangerines, grapefruits, oranges and limes are not suitable for bearded dragons.

Lighting/UV

Full spectrum lighting is required for bearded dragons for 12 hours per day; the use of UVB fluorescent light either 8.0 or 10.0 are the most suitable and are vital for bearded dragons; they also help maintain calcium metabolism. The bulb should be at least 6 to 8 inches away from the bearded dragon; the bulb should last for approximately 6 months and should be replaced in order to provide adequate UV rays after this period. It is useful to note that the UV rays do not penetrate through glass or plastic.

We recommend Arcadia D3+ UV lamps, rated at 12%.

Heatings and Temperatures

In order to provide enough heat for proper digestion, basking spots should be made in the vivarium; preferably two if possible. Basking spots should be at an appropriate temperature according to the age of your bearded dragon; namely 105-110F for babies and juveniles and 95-105F for adults. The use of a regular household light as opposed to those on offer in the pet shop is fine. During the day the cool is side of the cage should be 80-88f with night temperatures going no lower than 65F; if you find that the temperature is going lower than 65F you should use a ceramic heater emitter to increase the temperature. The use of under tank heaters is not recommended as bearded dragons do not feel heat from underneath their bodies and can actually receive burns from the heater. The use of a heat rock is also not recommended as bearded dragons sense heat with a third eye located on the top of their heads. Keep two thermometers in the tank one on the cool side and one on the hot side in order to monitor the correct temperatures.

In order to gauge a completely accurate temperature the use of a temperature gun or digital thermometer is recommended as opposed to stick thermometers as unfortunately these aren’t as accurate as they could be.

Brumation

This is a form of hibernation which your bearded dragon will probably do during its first winter. Brumation is not a complete hibernation; it is in fact a semi inactive stage which most bearded dragons will go through after its first year; this is completely natural and should not be cause for alarm. It is usually caused by a drop in temperature in the house. You should not force your dragon to go into brumation; some dragons will eat less and less prior to going into brumation, although this is not always the case, this is due to the change in season.