Bearded dragon care sheet

Roughly 90% of them come pre-tamed and seem to have no trouble with handling and light playing. That doesn't mean there aren't a few rough ones in the bunch, but generally all lizards react well to them being handled gently with respect. They probably rank second or at least third for best pet lizard for a beginner.

They can grow to a length of 24 inches, but usually wind up in the range of 16 to 22 inches. Be sure to check out the Lizard store for several fun bearded dragon products.

For successful bearded dragon care -be sure and get one that's been bred in captivity, as the ones caught in the wild can be unpredictable and difficult to keep healthy.

Before you purchase a lizard make sure there is a vet in your area that has experience with reptiles. These bearded dragon facts will help you, but a qualified veterinarian will make sure you succeed in giving proper bearded dragon care.

Check out the page on bearded Dragon shedding tips to learn more about how to help your pet bearded Dragon through his shedding process.

Make sure you do the proper research that enables you to make an educated decision on whether or not a pet bearded Dragon is the best pet for you! There are very few reasons why you wouldn't want a beardie compared to a different type of lizard, but you never know -this species may not be for you.

Bearded dragons are omnivores. As a baby and adolescent they need a lot of protein, but veggies should be offered to them every day. The protein comes in the form of crickets, roaches and some other insects that you need to gutload (feed healthy veggies to a day or two before the Dragon eats them) and dust with a multivitamin and calcium powder.

The size of the insect offered should not be bigger than the width of the lizard's mouth. In fact, the insect should be a decent size smaller than the lizard's mouth.

20 to 50 insects(in this case we'll use crickets) should be offered to a baby bearded Dragon -a day(spread out on two separate feedings). Yes, it can get expensive. In addition to this, fresh veggies should be offered daily, even though your baby bearded dragon might not eat much of the veggies -if any.

After about a year, you can slowly move your pet lizard's diet to primarily fresh veggies with crickets three to five times a week. As an adult your dragon will tend to prefer the fresh veggies.

Dandelion greens, mustard greens, collard greens, and turnip greens are all good veggies to offer for proper bearded dragon care.

Lettuce has an extremely low nutritional value, you probably shouldn't be eating it let alone your pet lizard!

Spinach is thought to be a green that might not be appropriate for certain lizards. Bearded dragons are one of them. I've heard of some people feeding their bearded dragons spinach, but they limit the amount to a very infrequent rate. Green beans, winter squashes and carrots can be given but make sure the squash has been cooked(thus softened) and allowed to cool. The green beans and carrots need to be chopped very finely so the bearded dragon can manage to chew and swallow his dinner. Studying these bearded dragon facts might prevent a trip to the vet later.

Water

Providing a water dish is probably not a good idea, it can be a cesspool for bacteria. If you go with the water dish, you need to change it daily because pet lizards have a nice habit of defecating in their water dish.

A good way to provide water is to spray mist their salad. Another good way is to take an eye dropper and put some drops on their nose as if it was a raindrop. You should be giving your pet bearded dragon a bath once a week, your dragon is apt to grab a drink there as well.

Housing

A good bearded dragon habitat should be no smaller than 75 gallons. Bearded dragons are territorial, so housing them together can be a problem. Two female bearded dragons can be housed together, but even then their behavior has to be monitored. If one is eating more than the other, or if one seems to be overpowering the other in any way shape or form it's probably a good idea to put them in separate cages. Never put two males together. It's up to you to provide good bearded dragon care so that the stresses of captivity won't take their toll.

Furniture or stuff for your lizard to climb on, engage with, or hide under should be provided. When possible you want to try to combine something to climb up on -with something to hide under. This saves on floor space. Check out this video that creates a fake rock wall that incorporates something to climb on, a basking spot, and a hiding place. Ideally, for a good bearded dragon habitat you want two hides, one on the hot side -and one on the cold. This allows your pet lizard to regulate its temperature.

As far as a substrate(material or substance on the ground) I've seen everything from newspaper, paper towels or play sand. Sand in general is not encouraged because of the risk of impaction. If your pet lizard, while eating a cricket or a veggie, gets some sand in its mouth -it could consume the sand. This isn't good as the sand could get clogged in the dragon's digestive system.

When discussing bearded dragon facts, this can be a bit of a controversy surrounding the sand issue. The argument for sand comes from the fact that sand is closely related to a bearded dragon's natural substrate -that of loose dirt. The reality is a bearded dragon in the wild doesn't have a great chance of living beyond one year. The odds are stacked against him, and I would bet it's safe to say that impaction probably plays a role in a wild dragon's longevity.

If you have to have sand in your bearded dragons habitat then put sand on just one side of the cage. Put the dragons salad dish on the side -without sand, and feed him crickets in a separate container.

As far as cleaning the cage, you want to spot clean every day and clean the entire cage at least every other week. I use a mixture of half water and half White vinegar-in a water bottle. I let this air out before putting the bearded dragon back in the cage.

For proper bearded dragon care, you need a heat light plus a UVB light. I recommend a mercury vapor bulb, as this is the closest mimic of the sun available. A lot of people say they experience a different pet lizard with a mercury vapor bulb. A healthier pet lizard with more energy and life.

The mercury vapor bulb also emits heat of which your lizard needs to digest its food. If you don't get to a mercury vapor bulb you'll need to add a second light fixture to supply the heat.

Either way you'll want the light fixtures to be ceramic-based.

You need to provide a basking spot for your pet lizard. This spot needs to be in the range of 105° to 112°. You need to get a thermometer to make sure your temps are accurate, I use a temp gun.

The cooler side of the cage needs to be in the range of 75° to 85°. Put the light or lights on an inexpensive automatic timer. Have them on for 12 to 14 hours.

You want your pet lizard to be exposed to the UVB light and heat for at least an hour before you feed him. This will allow him to be able to digest his food.

Proper lighting and temperatures also contribute to a bearded dragon's ability to shed its skin.

Check out the page on bearded Dragon shedding tips to learn more about how to help your pet bearded Dragon through his shedding process.

Brumation

Of all the bearded dragon facts -Brumation is the most difficult to accept and understand. It's the Reptile equivalent of hibernation. Every beardie seems to be slightly different when it comes to Brumation. Some will sleep for up to five months at a time, and other lizards will seemingly skip the entire process. One factor might be -how long your bearded dragon's blood line has been in captivity.

Other factors might be -can your dragon see an open window, if so they can check out the seasonal changes. Or, is the owner trying to mimic a winter daylight schedule and temperature schedule.

Or your bearded dragon could choose to do whatever he or she wants.

An adult beardie(juveniles should not brumate or be encouraged to brumate-they need their protein) will usually start to slow down around October.

The basking light should be maintained as normal(the UVB light) because if your beardie wakes up and decides to eat (you should provide a little food during Brumation) he will need the light to be able to digest his food.

Some people lower the temps to around 72°(room temperature) to simulate the seasonal change.

If you happen to notice your beardie eating during Brumation, it might be a good idea to occasionally put him on the basking spot to encourage good digestion.

As with any care sheet with any pet lizard(or any other animal) it's always a good idea to read several different care sheets to learn as much as possible so your pet lizard can be healthy and happy.

This is of course true with providing excellent bearded Dragon care. Seek out more care sheets and bearded dragon facts to enable you to provide the best possible care for your pet lizard.

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