Bearded Dragon Care

  •          Care Difficulty – Beginner
  •           Average Life Span - 8-12 years with proper care
  •          Average Adult Size - Up to 24 inches long, head to tail
  •           Diet – Omnivore


    Minimum/ideal Habitat Size- 40-gallon tank for an adult Minimum, Ideal 120-gallon tank

  • Décor - Provide a hiding area and branches for climbing and basking. A hide box should contain moist substrate such as damp sphagnum moss to aid in shedding. Moss must be replaced frequently to prevent mold from developing
  • Substrate - Provide commercially available substrate or reptile carpet. Gravel, wood chips and walnut shells are not recommended. If using a particulate matter bedding such as sand, feed your reptile in a dish or feeding tank to reduce the ingestion of substrate, which can cause potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal tract obstructions
  • Temperature – A temperature gradient (105°F for the warm end and 75°F for the cool end) should be provided. Temperatures should not fall lower than 70°F at night. Use an incandescent light or ceramic heater as the primary heat source at one end of the tank to establish a basking zone during the day. Thermometers should be used to monitor tank temperatures. A red heat bulb or ceramic heat emitter may be necessary at night to provide adequate heat without light if temps fall below 70°F.
  • Lighting - To produce vitamin D in their skin to enable them to absorb dietary calcium and build strong bones, bearded dragons require a full-spectrum ultraviolet (UV) bulb with UVB rays for 10 to 12 hours a day. The light should be approximately 1-2 feet away from the lizard and should be replaced every six months, as its potency wanes
  • Humidity - Maintain at 30 to 50% humidity and monitor with a humidity gauge. Mist lizards and décor as needed to maintain humidity in this range. When humidity falls too low, lizards will retain shed skin. To decrease humidity in a tank, improve ventilation. To increase ventilation, increase the frequency of misting and add live plants to the habitat.

 

Cleaning your habitat

Thoroughly clean and disinfect water and food bowls daily. The habitat should be spot-cleaned daily to remove droppings and discarded food. Thoroughly clean the habitat at least once a week:

  • Place bearded dragon in a secure habitat
  • Scrub the tank and furnishings with a reptile habitat cleaner or 3% bleach solution
  • Rinse the tank and all furnishings thoroughly with water, removing all traces of habitat cleaner or bleach smell
  • Dry the tank and furnishings before putting the bearded dragon back in the habitat

 

What do bearded dragons eat?

Bearded dragons are omnivores (requiring both plant and animal matter). A well-balanced juvenile bearded dragon diet consists of:

  • 70% gut-loaded (recently fed) insects such as crickets, mealworms, hornworms, waxworms, calciworms, roaches , and superworms and 30% mixed vegetables (such as deep leafy greens, squash, carrots, greens) daily and fruit (including kiwi, banana, mango, papaya, apple) on occasions.
  • May also be supplemented with a commercially available bearded dragon food
  • As bearded dragons reach adulthood, they should eat fewer insects and more vegetation daily consisting of 70% veggies and 30% Insects.

Things to remember when feeding your bearded dragon:

  • Fresh, clean water should be available at all times
  • Feed daily
  • Insects fed should not be longer than the space between the bearded dragon’s eyes
  • Chop vegetables and fruits to make them easier to eat
  • In general, juveniles are growing and need to eat more live food; adults can eat more vegetation
  • Vitamin supplementation should be alternated every day by sprinkling food lightly with powdered calcium without vitamin D and calcium with vitamin D, plus a multivitamin supplement once a week.  Insects can be lightly dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements by placing them inside a plastic bag with the powdered supplements and shaking the bag lightly to coat the insects prior to feeding them to the lizard
  • Vegetables and fruits not eaten within 10 hours should be discarded
  • Offer food from a shallow dish or feeding tank rather than feeding off the habitat floor to lessen accidental ingestion of substrate

 

 

 

Care

Bearded dragons regularly shed their skin; ensure humidity of habitat is at appropriate level to allow proper shedding. To facilitate shedding, soak lizard in warm water in a large container that allows the bearded dragon to immerse their entire body while keeping their head out of water, or provide a shed box, a hide box with moist sphagnum moss. Be sure to replace the water in the soaking dish often to keep it clean and change the moss frequently to prevent mold from developing.

 

Habitat mates

Male bearded dragons are territorial and should be housed separately. Males and females housed together will likely breed, and females should not be housed with males until they are at least 2 years old or they may have difficulty laying eggs.  Do not house different reptile species together.

 

Health 

Signs of a healthy bearded dragon

  • Active and alert
  • Clear, bright eyes with no swelling or discharge
  • Full, muscular tail
  • Supple skin with no sores, swellings or discoloration
  • Droppings are firm, not runny or bloody
  • Eats and passes stool regularly
  • Clear nose and vent

 

Red flags (If you notice any of these signs, contact your veterinarian.)

  • Weight loss or decreased appetite
  • Discharge or bubbles from eyes, mouth or nose
  • Lesions, swelling or discoloration of skin or retained shed 
  • Lethargy
  • Sneezing, runny nose, difficulty breathing
  • Weakness or paralysis of limbs
  • Runny or bloody stool or lack of stool