Bearded Dragon
or
Pogona Vitticeps
Introduction
Bearded dragons are one of the most popular lizard "pets". Their size is ideal, they are big enough to not get "lost" during a playtime outside the cage, but small enough to not require a bedroom-size enclosure. Adult size is about 45-60 cm/18-24". They are intelligent animals, with proper care they become tame and friendly. They are relatively easy to keep and breed if their basic requirements are met which makes them suitable for first time lizard keepers and - under supervision - for children. They are omnivorous lizards i.e. accept a wide variety of both animal protein and plant material which is an advantage over lizards that are food specialists or 100% insectivorous.
Bearded dragons inhabit arid/semi arid regions in Australia. Some people erroneously think that desert is an area with quick sand and no vegetation. In fact only small areas of deserts look like that, most areas are rather rocky than sandy and do have some vegetation, even bushes and some trees. A few areas in the habitat of P. vitticeps even have lakes or rivers at least in the rainy season.
Pogona vitticeps occurs in a variety of colors in the wild (red, yellow, green, grey, brownish to almost black) and they grow to different sizes in different areas. Breeders have created lots of color morphs, unfortunately breeding for color has led to serious problems like poor genetics, birth defects and loss of size. Responsible breeders are now trying to improve this.
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Before buying a
beardie
Before buying your first bearded dragon read carefully all
information you can collect from books, the web etc. Do you have room for a
proper size cage? Money to buy heat bulbs, UVB light (high quality reptile UV is expensive), pay electricity bills,
food bills (babies and juveniles eat a lot), vet bills etc? If the answer is No, a bearded dragon isn't a suitable pet for
you. If the answer is Yes, there's some "homework" for you to do before the
new member is added to your family. Here's a list of accessories for first time owners:
- cage
- heating
- lighting
- UV light source
- substrate
- rocks and branches
- hiding place
- food dishes, water dish
- a spray bottle for mistings
- a large dish for baths
- a large dish (glass or plastic) to house feeder insects
- a feeding tank if you don't want to feed your dragon in its own cage
- vitamin and calcium supplements
First you'll need a proper size cage. A baby can be kept in a 60x40x40 cm/24"x16"x16" tank, 1-2 adults need a minimum floor space of 120x60 cm/4'x2' and about 60 cm/2' of height. If you use a full glass tank it is recommended to cover the back and the sides. Some beardies feel safer that way. A cage that has sliding doors at front is more comfortable for the owner and better for the animal than those that can be accessed from above (lizards that aren't tame yet are afraid of anything that comes from above).
Bearded dragons being diurnal desert dwellers need relatively high temperatures during the day and low temperatures at night. At too low temperatures they can't digest their food properly, at extremely high temperatures they can get heat shock. They need a thermal gradient i.e. different temperatures in different parts of the cage to be able to regulate their body temperature. The basking spot is best kept at 35-40 C/95-105 F, the cool end should be around 25 C/77 F. About 1/3 of the cage should be heated, 1/3 should be kept warm but not hot, the rest can be the cool end. For heat you can use plain household bulbs but personally, I prefer to use spot or flood lights. From plain bulbs the heat goes upward and may never reach the ground. The wattage suitable for you will depend on a lot of things e.g. cage size and material, ambient temperature, whether the bulb is inside the tank or on top of it etc. therefore no exact advice can be given. You'll need to get more than one bulb and experiment a bit until you get
the correct temperatures. Nighttime temperature can drop to 15 C/59 F, for babies I prefer to keep it at 20 C/68 F. Use a digital thermometer to check the temperatures, stick ons aren't reliable. Don't use heat rocks or other underbelly heaters, they can cause burns to the dragon. A UVB light source is also necessary for the beardie for vitamin D3 synthesis. Although most vitamin supplements contain D3, nobody knows exactly how much D3 each lizard species needs and overdose can have serious consequences. It is also questioned if oral D3 is equal with D3 produced with UVB light. Only very few people are lucky enough to estimate right the amount of D3 needed by their animals. Therefore if you want to stay on the safe side it is best to get a UV light source for your dragon. There are some human grade UV light sources that work well for lizards, too still if high quality reptile UV is available and affordable to you I suggest you get it. There are some excellent UV lights that lots of people have good experience
with without anyone having bad experience with them. These are the Reptisun, Exoterra and Arcadia (my preference) tube lights and some mercury vapor lamps e.g. Mega Ray. These light sources aren't cheap but they are worth your money. Beside UVB needed for D3 synthesis these light sources have proper amounts of UVA, too that is needed for proper activity and appetite and stimulates mating behavior. Cheap reptile UV lights although they have UVA put out little or no UVB even if you read "full spectrum" on the label. Beside heat and UVB the intensity of lighting, too plays a big role in keeping your animals active. Even if the temperatures are correct without strong bright light the animals won't be as active as they should be. 40-60 W plain household bulbs don't put out enough light to keep your dragon active therefore you may need some additional light e.g. a fluorescent tube or a bank of tubes if you have a large tank. Spot/flood lights together with the UV tube usually put out enough light. Mercury vapors,
too have plenty of light so additional light isn't necessary. UVB decays in time so most UV light sources have to be replaced every 6-12 months. Follow the instructions on the box. Note that natural sunlight can't be simulated 100% and it is better for your lizard than any tube or bulb therefore I suggest you take your animals outside whenever you can. Beardies that have access to natural sunlight on a regular basis (at least twice a week) don't need artificial UVB.
For substrate it is recommended to use paper towels for babies under 25 cm/10 inches. I've always kept my babies on sand from day one without a problem. Still as it won't work for everyone if you want to be on the safe side use paper towel. Beardies larger than 25 cm are safe on sand. Washed play sand is good, I like quartz sand, too. Never use calci sand or any of the "desert substrates" often recommended by pet stores, they can cause impaction. Also avoid walnut shell, bark chippings and all shaving type substrates. Beside the risk of impaction these substrates get mouldy if there's some moisture from mistings. If you don't like sand you can use reptile carpet. Put a few large rocks and branches in the cage, beardies love to climb. Put the rocks in the cage first THEN the sand otherwise the dragon can dig under the rock and get stuck in there. For hiding place you can use an upturned clay dish with an entry hole, a hollow log, a piece of cork, an artificial cave obtainable from a pet store etc. The hiding
place shouldn't be put directly under the heat lamp but it is best put in a place where the beardie can see the light and feel the heat.
For food and water dishes I use plastic dishes that you put under plant pots. Some people use the clay version of those dishes but I've found that there is some leakage through the bottom of the dishes, moisture will build up underneath plus they soak up moisture from veggies and fruits and they are a pain to keep clean. For babies you can keep a shallow water dish in the tank all the time, juveniles and adults are best given baths outside the tank.
You'll need to find a reliable supplier of feeder insects and a knowledgeable reptile vet. If your "homework" is done the big moment has come for you to go and buy your dragon.
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Buying a beardie
The best place to buy a beardie from would be a reliable breeder not a pet
store. Pet stores often have inbred, undernourished, undersize, underage, sick
animals, won't be able to give you good advice on husbandry and will try to sell you unnecessary or even harmful things. A reliable breeder will have strong, healthy animals, will ask you
what you know about beardies, will readily answer your questions, you can look
at the breeding stock and you can get some good advice, too. If you buy
a young beardie it should be at least 6 weeks old and 6 inches long. For a first time owner I recommend buying a dragon at least 3 months old. A 5-6 months old one or a young adult if available would be even better. It should have clear nostrils, bright eyes, clean
ventral area, no swellings or blisters, no injuries like missing toes or
nipped tail (if several babies of the same clutch have missing toes/tail tips
it means they weren't fed properly and may have other problems, too). You may
find a reliable breeder in your area at http://www.bearded-dragon-network.com. If there's a rescue organization in your area you may find what you need there. Special needs dragons although they require more attention than healthy ones can be a pleasure to own for people that don't insist on having a "perfect" animal.
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Caring for a baby
Babies don't need a large cage, still it should be around 90-100 liter/20 gallon to have proper thermal gradient. Babies can't thermoregulate perfectly, make sure the temperatures aren't too high. For babies I keep the basking spot a bit lower than for adults (36-37 C). For substrate paper towels would be the safest. For hiding place you can use crumpled paper towels or an upturned paper box. Don't put anything heavy in a baby's tank! Mist slightly with luke warm water 1-2 times a day and keep a small water dish in
the cage during the day as babies drink more often than adults and can easily
get dehydrated. Remove the water bowl at night because babies often fall asleep in
the water and they can drown or get sick from spending the night in the cold water. Baby beardies grow very fast and need tons of
proper size insects, often 30-50 per day per baby. The best insect food is crickets, but silkworms, locusts,
grasshoppers, baby roaches are also suitable. Mealworms and superworms are high in chitin and even if small ones are used they can cause impaction in very young dragons. Waxworms are high in fat and phosphorus, it is best to avoid them or feed only 1-2 occasionally.
It is impossible to overfeed a young dragon, the more they eat the faster they grow. They should get
as many insects as they want 2-3 times a day. The insects should be smaller than the
distance between the baby's eyes. Too large prey, although the baby may be able to swallow it, can cause problems (impaction).
Very young beardies usually eat max. 1-2 bites of the greens and aren't interested in veggies and fruits still it is highly recommended to offer them at least some leafy greens regularly. They have to learn that plant material is food otherwise they will remain mainly insect eaters their entire lives wich will deprive them of important vitamins and minerals and may lead to kidney and liver problems, too especially in lack of proper activity.
For babies one meal per day should be dusted with calcium, 2-3 meals per week with vitamins. The last meal should be given at least two hours before lights out so that the beardie has time to bask and digest everything.
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Caring for a juvenile
Beardies older than 3 months are considered as juveniles. Beardies larger than 25 cm (10 inches ) can be kept
on play sand. It is enough to mist once a day and give them
baths once a week. Insects should be fed once a day as many as they
want and the amount of greens can be increased. Veggies and fruits can be
added to their diet. Juveniles over 25 cm can get superworms. It is best to
start with 2-3 worms about every other day for 2-3 weeks. If the beardie can
digest them properly you can gradually increase the amount. From 6-7 months (depending on size, too)
you can feed you beardie insects only every other day or a few (5-6) each day.
Greens and veggies should be fed daily. Note that with proper care and good genetics a juvenile is about 40 cm/16" at 5-6 months. If yours is considerably smaller it is best to continue to feed him/her as many insects as s/he wants. Calcium is still important and should
be supplemented 4-5 times a week, vitamins don't have to be used more than once a week.
Beardies can reach sexual maturity at 5-6 months so if you have both sexes
they should be separated until they are at least a year old (18 months is
better) to avoid breeding too young. At 6-8 months most beardies (especially
the males) change their behavior and eating habits due to hormonal changes.
Weird behavior and loss of appetite is normal during that time.
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Caring for an adult
From 12-18 months the beardie is considered as an adult. Adults' cages need to be misted max. once a day. Usually it isn't a problem if you mist only 1-2 times a week and give them baths about once a week.
Leafy greens are best offered daily, veggies and fruits are less important still you can feed veggies on a daily basis and fruits a few times a week.
As for the frequency of feeding them insects, there is more than one way. You can feed 5-6 superworm or cricket size insects daily or 10-12 every other day or a larger amount (20-25) once or twice a week. It depends on the dragon, large amounts at a time may be difficult to digest for some beardies. And some prefer to eat a large amount than nothing for a few days. Some beardies want insects only a few times a months. And some remain primarily insect eaters their entire lives and you can't do much about it.
1-2 no-food days a week can be useful especially if you dragon is a bit overweight or a picky eater. When you feed your beardie greens don't
feed more than 2-3 kinds at a time. Salads made of 5-6 kinds may get refused. In the edible plants section of my site you can see a list of plants that I feed to my lizards. Many of the iguana websites, too have great info on edible plants. As for animal protein, many adults lose their interest in crickets and prefer to eat other insects. Superworms are most adults' favorite and they are suitable for staple insect food. Mealworms can be used in small amounts occasionally provided your beardie can digest them properly. One of the frequently asked questions is if mice can be fed to dragons. Some people advice against using them, some feed their dragons even furred mice. If you decide to use them make sure they come from a reliable source to reduce the risk of parasites transmission. Don't use them on a daily basis and stop using them if they seem to be hard to digest for your dragon. Rodents are part of beardies' diet in the wild, they aren't a must thing to feed to captive ones. Insects are a perfect animal protein source. Note that there's no such thing as a "best for everyone" diet. It depends on the animal and the owner's personal choice.
For adults it is enough to supplement calcium 2-3 times a week (more often for
gravid females) and vitamins only once a week. For calcium an option is
cuttlebone cut into small pieces. It can be put in the cage in small dishes or just scattered around.
The beardies will eat as much as they need of it, you won't have to worry about overdose. If you
have a good UVB light vitamin D3 should be supplemented rarely or not at all as with the UVB
the lizards can produce their own D3.
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Brumation
Brumation is a period of reduced activity in the coldest part of the year in areas with short an not very cold winters. Brumation isn't the same as hibernation, animals hibernate only in areas with long and cold winters. While animals in hibernation "sleep" all the time, those that brumate are just less active. Some "wake up" and move around at least occasionally.
Very young beardies usually don't want to brumate (there are exceptions though), but adults often "force" their keepers
to brumate them i.e. they stop eating and keep hiding all day
even if high temperatures are maintained. Some don't change their behavior,
remain active and eat well. Beardies that brumate are supposed to live longer
but more research has to be done to confirm this. Brumation seems to stimulate mating behavior, too. In some people's opinion brumation isn't a must thing, personally, I'm an advocate of brumation. It is more natural for the animals and as lots of captive dragons eat more than they would in the wild, don't have room for proper activity etc. a starvation period can't harm and can help avoid fatty liver disease. Anyways, it
is recommended to adjust the heat/light period to the day/night cycle outside i.e.
reduce the photoperiod during autumn and winter. If your beardie loses
appetite and becomes "lazy" you have two options: 1. reduce the heat/light period but turn on the heat lamp and UV for a few hours (at least 2, preferably 3-4) each day.
Food and water can be offered (may get refused though). This is the best way to go with a juvenile that wants to brumate but is too young to shut off and with beardies that aren't in perfect shape but seem to want to brumate. 2. Turn out all
heating/lighting, keep daytime temperatures at about 20C/68F, nighttime
temperatures can drop to 15C/59F or even a bit lower. Some ambient light won't harm and you'll be able to check on the animals sometimes which is recommended. If you decide to shut your dragon down food should
not be offered as the temperatures will be too low for the beardie to digest
it. Stop feeding insects to your dragon about a week before you turn out the heating to leave
him/her time to digest the last meal. Never shut down a dragon with insects in its stomach! Before the beardie is shut down you can give 1-2 baths for hydration.
Brumation usually lasts 2-3 months then you can gradually increase
the temperatures and the heat/light period.
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Baths
Although bearded dragons come from arid/semi-arid regions, they
have been observed in the wild going in the water if there is a
river/lake/puddle around. In captivity they get enough water from their food
and the mistings so baths isn't a must, still most beardies enjoy it, at least
when they are shedding. Babies drink and bathe more often than do adults (in
the wild they hatch at the beginning of the rainy season), therefore they
should have a shallow water dish in the cage all the time (don't forget to
remove it at night), juveniles and adults can get baths about once a
week outside the cage. Get a large bowl, pour luke-warm water in it (if it is
too hot/cold for your hand it will be hot/cold for the beardie, as well). It
should cover the beardie's back and shoulders but not the head. Put the
beardie in the water, don't worry if s/he doesn't seem to enjoy it the first
time, most of them get used to it fast. The beardie can be left in the water
until s/he wants to come out. Some beardies like to swim like crocodiles,
putting the head under the water. If your dragon does so, the water can be
deeper but you should be around to take him/her out or a large rock or
something else should be put in the tub for the beardie to come out of the
water.
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Shedding
Shedding is the process of getting rid of the old skin (i.e. the upper layer) and
getting new one instead. Once the old skin is worn off or "outgrown" it
starts to turn whitish/greyish. A few days/weeks later it starts to peel off. Beardies
shed the old skin in large pieces, not in whole. Different parts of the body
often shed at different times. Babies shed frequently (almost constantly with proper husbandry),
adults only a few times a year. Shedding is a natural process not a disease
so you don't need to do anything to help your beardie. Lizards from arid/semi
arid regions rarely get problems with shedding because they don't need a high
level of humidity to shed. Misting once a day and/or giving 1-2 baths when
the old skin has started to peel off can be useful but nothing else needs to
be done. A large rock or other rough surface can help the beardie rub off
the old skin. Don't try to pull off the old skin, it can damage the new skin
underneath. Should your beardie still get problems with shedding (due to
illness, lack of vitamins etc.) put him/her in luke-warm water, take a soft tooth brush or sponge and rub the
skin gently while the beardie is in the water. Putting a thin layer of
vaseline on the skin can also help. Loss of appetite and reduced activity
before shedding is normal. Some beardies continue to eat and act normally
though.
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Keeping more than one
beardie
Beardies are very social animals, with interesting behavior
patterns that include head-bobbing, showing black beard, arm-waving, push-ups, stomping feet
etc. Black beard, head-bobbing and stomping feet is to express excitement, aggression or dominance in both sexes (more common in males though) and
it is also part of the mating ritual. Arm-waving is a submissive gesture.
Waving and slow push-ups can be a female's answer to the display of a dominant
male, adult males wave less frequently. Young beardies wave often, regardless
of their sex. I've observed gravid females short before laying do slow
push-ups frequently. Beardies that are raised in groups will have the
opportunity to learn social behavior and will usually tolerate cage mates of
the same species. It is best to keep them in pairs or small groups consisting
of 1 male and 2-3 females. Males can be kept together only
in a large cage with at least two basking places and a separate hiding place
for each animal. They usually just bob their heads and show black beard, grab
each other at the neck/beard but injuries are rare. Females usually can be kept together without a problem. If you want to introduce a male
and a female to each other, it is best to put the female in the male's cage.
Males don't show aggression toward a female, but females can be territorial
toward a new male. A female's aggression normally doesn't last longer than a
few days though. Note however that even if a species is known as social, some individuals are an exception to the rule.
Some beardies get lethargic and refuse food if they lose their
cage-mates, some especially if the were raised alone prefer living alone and won't accept a cage-mate. If one of
your beardies gets injured or stressed, separation is unavoidable. A
smaller/weaker beardie can get stressed even with no open aggression on the
part of the dominant animal. You should never put two beardies together with
considerable difference in size, the smaller one may end up as food for the
larger one. If you raise young beardies in pairs/groups, males and females
should be separated at 5-6 months to avoid breeding too young. A newly
acquired beardie shouldn't be put to a healthy stock without a quarantine
period of at least 6 weeks and a fecal check. If one of your animals gets sick separate him/her immediately not only due to the risk of transmitting disease to the healthy one/s but due to the fact that beardies - even the friendliest ones - sometimes attack cage mates that are sick/weak/lethargic.
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Beardies and other
lizards
If you want to get your beardie a cage mate it should be another
beardie of the same size. Don't house beardies together with other species.
Bearded dragons eat small lizards in the wild, and they would do so in
captivity, too. In most lizard species the males (in some species both sexes) are territorial and won't tolerate other
species in their territories (especially in an average size cage). One of the frequently asked questions is if beardies and Uros can be housed together. Well, surprisingly they seem to be sociable with each other. Mine are together in summer in the outdoor enclosure, share food and sleeping places, bask piling up on each other. They have never shown territorial behavior toward each other, have never tried to hurt each other. Still they have separate cages indoors due to their different needs regarding temperatures, humidity etc. and the fact that their cages are smaller than the outdoor enclosure. Besides,
different species from different parts of the world can have parasites
that aren't harmful for themselves but could cause problems if transmitted to
other species.
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