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Bearded Dragon Care

CHOOSING YOUR BEARDED DRAGON

There are a couple of easy ways you can tell how healthy a dragon is before you buy it. The first way is to see how alert and active it is. A healthy dragon will not be lethargic and will keep its head lifted and most dragons will be alert enough to notice you approaching them.

You should also look at their body for the following things:

Make sure they don't have any visible injuries (scars, burns, etc.)

If you do see an injury, make sure it appears to be healing and is not infected

Make sure their eyes are not runny and there are no signs of puss on their face

It is important that you make sure the bearded dragon is not missing any body parts. Bearded dragons do not regrow their tails, toes, or limbs. So, if your bearded dragon is missing something, it will not grow back. It is not unusual for a beardie to be missing a few toes or the very end of its tail (many times bearded dragons will fight over females and minor injuries like this occur).

COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS

Common health conditions of pet bearded dragons include metabolic bone disease, infectious stomatitis ('mouth rot'), parasites, respiratory infections, and adenovirus infection.

 

"If they are well looked after, with a good diet and proper environment, bearded dragons are reasonably hardy animals."

HOUSING

The enclosure of a Bearded Dragon should be glass with a screen top. Their tank should measure anywhere from four to six feet long, two feet wide, and two to three feet high.

 

A tank of this size is big enough for this lizard and it will also help the tank from overheating. In general, the bigger the tank the better.

 

To better replicate their natural environment, there should be rocks and branches in the tank to give them places to hide and shade to cool off after basking.

 

The humidity in the tank should stay between 30%-40%, and this can be maintained by misting the tank every 48 hours. The exact humidity and temperature depend on the geographical location and ultimately the species of Bearded Dragon you have in captivity. In general, temperatures are very high, and the humidity is relatively low.

LIGHTING

Bearded Dragons require an ultraviolet light to be fully healthy (and when combined with calcium supplements helps to prevent Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism and Metabolic Bone Disease). UVB bulbs can be monitored with a UV radiometer and should be replaced every 6-12 months. In addition to a UVB bulb, they should also be provided with a 40 to 75W infrared bulb to bask in.

There should be distinct climates in the tank, a basking side, and a “cool” side. You should keep two thermometers: one in the basking area, and one in the cool side:

  • They enjoy basking in heat and this section of your tank should be 95℉-105℉

  • The rest of the tank should be about 80℉ during the day, but this may reduce at night. Using heating pads underneath the tank will prevent any rocks in the tank from getting too hot.

 

A Bearded Dragon opening its mouth and “smiling” excessively may indicate that the tank is too hot.

 

  • Some enjoy being outside in natural daylight, if you do decide to do this, make sure to always supervise your dragon!

  • When basking in heat, their ribs will expand to maximize the amount of heat they absorb, and this gives them a “flat” appearance.

FEEDING

In the wild, Beardies are omnivores and eat spiders, insects, worms, small rodents, smaller lizards, greens, fruits, and flowers.

They are an opportunistic predator that attacks their food when it is close by.

When in captivity their diet is easy to maintain.

As a hatchling (less than 2 months old), they will eat 2-3 times a day.

This diet should consist of 30% vegetables and 70% small crickets. The protein in a dragon’s diet can consist of crickets, super worms, or even a pinky mouse. In all life-stages they should eat the following vegetables:

  • Dandelions

  • Leafy Greens

  • Zucchini

  • Romaine Lettuce

  • Carrots

  • Beet Tops

  • Squash

 

As a juvenile, they should eat every day and have a balanced diet of leafy greens and insects. While greens should be fed every day, insects should be fed every other day.

 

In their adult stage, a Bearded Dragon should be fed daily. This should consist of mostly crickets and lots of green vegetables.

 

Calcium and Vitamin D3 supplements should also be incorporated into their food to keep them healthy. The best time of day to feed your dragon is the morning as this allows them to digest their food in the warmest part of the day.

 

In terms of hydration, they are picky if they must get their water intake from a deep bowl. Therefore, it is best to always offer them water from a shallow water bowl with clean water.

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