HOUSING:
The larger the better when it comes to enclosures for adult bearded dragons. Hatchlings
can be housed in as small as a 10-gallon enclosure, but a minimum size for an adult is a
50-gallon terrarium. Rubbermaid tubs also work well for groups of young dragons. We
suggest a minimum 15 gallon tall tub, with the lid turned into a screen top. Cut a large hold
in the top, and use Liquid Nails to glue the screen to the plastic top. Enclosures should
typically be longer than they are high. Groups of adult dragons should be housed in larger
enclosures with numerous logs for basking. Glass is a great choice for display of adult
bearded dragons, allowing for optimum vision and brightness, but hatchlings often do
better in enclosures that limit vision. It is also thought by many keepers that dragons
display better color when housed in enclosures that they cannot see out of. Please be
wary of housing young females with males. Dragons may mate at young ages and run into
complications with egg binding.
SUBSTRATE/CAGE:
Washed play sand (you can purchase this in 50 lb. bags at Home Depot or Walmart)
makes for a great substrate. However if using sand we recommend screening out the
larger pieces of rocks in play sand. This can be done with window screen from the
hardware store. We recommend playsand over the "digestible" high-end sands sold at pet
stores (such as calci sand). We have found that it is difficult to monitor the lizards' calcium
intake if they live on calci sand and are a bit concerned with the large size of the sand
particles. And playsand can be as cheap as $2 a bag! We suggest housing young bearded
dragons on newspaper or paper towels to prevent problems with impaction. With
newspaper, be aware that crickets will hide beneath the paper. We suggest that you
replace the old paper with new paper nightly, allowing hidden crickets to be removed or
eaten for a late night snack. Left over crickets can harm young dragons, so be careful. If
there are extra crickets in the enclosure, provide them with food, so they do not nibble on
your dragon at night. Basking logs should be placed within the enclosure to allow your
dragon to thermoregulate and feel secure. Decorative rocks and fake plants may also help
to liven up the enclosure. Do not use heat rocks. Bearded Dragons sense heat and light
using a detector located on top of their heads. They are not as aware of heat coming from
below and can badly burn their bellies without knowing it. For this reason we advise to
not use a heat rock or place rocks too close to the basking light. Use wood logs for
basking zones instead. Live plants may also be an option. (But live plants must not be
toxic, as they will likely be dinner).
LIGHTING/HEATING:
Bearded dragons like it HOT! The key to heating your enclosure is providing a
temperature gradient from a hot basking zone, to a cooler area. Basking temps should
reach well over 100 degrees F. The cooler zone should be around 85 degrees.
The brighter the light, the better. Dragons thrive under a good full spectrum UV source.
We recommend active UV/heat or mercury vapor bulbs. These bulbs work double time
to give your dragon quality UV and producing heat at the same time. You may also use
fluorescent UV full spectrum tubes, although they do not produce the same UV quality.
The colors and health of your lizard depend on good heat, bright light and UV. Your
dragon will also benefit from natural sunlight and we recommend bringing your lizard
outside in an outdoor basking enclosure. However the more natural sunlight you expose
them to, the less supplements you should give, especially vitamin D3 (this may also be the
case when using the active UV/heat bulbs). We also think that younger dragons may
become stressed when taken outside, and therefore suggest holding off on outdoor
excursions until your dragon is older .
SEXING:
Sexing dragons, especially young dragons, takes a lot of trial and effort. We personally
feel it is not possible to 100% guarantee sex on young dragons. However there are
differences between male and female dragons. Generally the male has a larger head,
wider tail base, larger pores, and most noticeably, hemipenal bulges. Young male dragons
have two bulges, with a slight space between them just behind the vent. Lifting the tail and
twisting gently may allow for the hemipenal bulges to appear more pronounced. Females
generally have one central or no bulges where the hemipenes would be. However its not
uncommon for what is thought to be a female, to turn out to be an undeveloped (at the
time of sexing) male, and vice versa.
BEHAVIOR:
Bearded Dragons are generally not aggressive towards people, but will attack other
dragons, and many other species of lizards, frogs, etc. Never put a small dragon with a
larger one, as the small dragon may end up dinner. Beardeds tend to spend the day
running from one heat zone to the next, and often searching for food. A happy healthy
dragon is alert, fast, and active. Young dragons can be kept in groups without too many
problems associated with stress, but older males should be kept one to a cage. Breeding
groups of 1 male and 2-5 females are not uncommon. Males will aggressively bob their
heads at the females, while the females will wave their arms in circles back. Males and
some females will also turn their beard jet black. These are part of the breeding rituals and
territorial behaviors of bearded dragons. Adult Bearded dragons enjoy basking lazily on
their logs. Your dragon may "vent" (open mouth breathing) while basking, this is very
normal and not a sign of distress. It is also not uncommon to find a dragon sleeping at
night in what appears to be the most painful position on earth.
LONGEVITY:
A well cared for dragon will live from 6-12 years, maybe longer. The early years of a
dragons life are often the most important. A young dragon that is not properly cared for is
likely to have life long lasting problems. Proper exposure to uvb, vitamins, and minerals
along with a well balanced diet in every stage of a dragon's life will help enable your
dragon to have a long and healthy life.
COLORS:
Many things influence a dragon's color including stress, genes, and time of day. Many
dragons seems to show there best color when sleeping, or soaking in water; others may
show their best color when they are basking, excited, or for older dragons, after they
have been exposed to natural sunlight. Any dragon can have color, but you are more
likely to get a high color animal from breeding animals with high color. Many breeders
have worked with line breeding and today you can find a variety of colors of dragons (the
most famous being the sandfire line of colored dragons). It is actually a bit harder to find a
"common" dragon these days then a colored one. Many dragons will show more color
with age, but that is not always the rule. Color is generally best on healthy happy dragons.
Also be aware that high color is often achieved by inbreeding to different degrees. In
order to achieve some of the flashy high color that fetches high dollar in the market today,
many breeders use inbreeding to "fix" genes. It is controversial as to how much damage
inbreeding does to the health and hardiness of a dragon, and if there are methods of
inbreeding that are more "safe" than others. Problems that have often been associated
with inbreeding include general weakness and longevity issues, increased cancer rates,
sight and neurological problems, size, and behavior. As little as 3-5 years ago, average
hatchling size was cited at about 4.5 inches. Today, it is not uncommon to see 2-3 inch
hatchlings, with just over 3 inches as an average. (Some of these issues may also be
attributed to many people breeding females at too young an age. A female should be at
least 18 months old prior to breeding.)
Color "fixing" is handy for dealers in that it ensures that most of the clutches will turn out
with similar high color (ie. all bright orange), and often straight out-of-the-egg high color.
This can only be consistently achieved throughout an entire clutch by limiting the genetic
diversity. If a clutch is genetically diverse, there should be a wide range of colors and
patterns apparent in the hatchlings. Because of these issues, many breeders today chose
to outcross their color to different color or "normal" dragons in order to "beef up" the
genepool and increase the size and hardiness of the hatchlings.
We highly recommend outcrossing as much as possible. And remember, just because you
acquired your dragons from different sources, does not mean that they are not related. If
you cannot trace the lineage of your dragons, it is always safer to breed different colors
together (ie. a dragon showing red coloration to one showing gold, or orange x normal,
instead of red x red). We also find it is more exciting when we get a bunch of surprises
with each group of hatchlings, instead of a bunch of look-alikes!
FEEDING/SUPPLEMENTAITION:
Bearded dragons are omnivorous and should feed on both vegetation and protein.
Crickets, mealworms, superworms, and a salad mixture should be staple food sources.
Never feed your dragon too large of a prey item. We suggest feeding prey 1/2 to 3/4 the
size of the space between your dragons eyes.
Dragons require a variety of greens including collard greens, red leaf lettuce, green leaf
lettuce, mustard greens, turnip greens, and dandelion greens. Stay away from iceberg
lettuce, large amounts of kale, cabbage, or spinach. We also suggest a variety of
vegetables such as carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, corn, and fruits offered in small
amounts. Other specialty additions can include cactus fruit, dandelion flowers, and
hibiscus flowers. This salad mix can be offered daily using different combinations of
ingredients.
When feeding crickets, make sure your source of crickets is clean. You may gutload your
crickets with commercial cricket and/or we suggest offering your crickets fresh fruit,
greens, and water. Remove all old food from your cricket container. Mold can be toxic to
your lizards. We suggest using a moistened paper towel/sponge, citrus, or carrots to
provide water for your crickets.
Whenever possible try and provide a variety of appropriate sized prey items for your
dragon including super worms, silk worms, roaches, grasshoppers, preying mantis, and a
variety of other bugs (not fireflies). However we strongly suggest not using bugs found
outside, as they may have pesticides that can kill your dragon. Also, use waxworms in
limited amounts, if at all. They contain little nutritional value, and although relished by the
dragons, contain high amounts of fat.
You can also feed rep cal pellets to your dragons at a young age. The best method we
have found to start dragons on the pellets is to moisten the pellets, and drop them like
crickets onto a paper plate in front of the dragons. This will generally trigger a feeding
response from the dragons. Generally they will only eat a couple of pellets in the
beginning, but with patience and age they will start to feed heavily on the pellets. The
pellets have less risk of parasites, associated with much live prey.
You can also feed pinky mice/rats to adult dragons; this is especially good for females
during the breeding season.
We feed all of our hatchlings a minimum of three times a day to ensure optimum growth
and health. As dragons get older, their appetite will decrease. For adult dragons, you can
offer greens daily and crickets or worms 3-4 times per week. As dragons get older, you
may decrease the amount of protein offered.
We suggest misting your dragons once a day, especially as hatchlings. Dragons will drink
during spraying and may also be "trained" to drink and soak in a water dish inside the
enclosure. They also enjoy an occasional warm (not hot) bath.
SUPPLEMENTATION:
There are many different and often contradictory opinions/views on supplementation.
Calcium, D3, and vitamin supplementation are necessary for your dragons. However,
supplementation will depend on what you feed your dragons, the bulbs you use, and how
much natural sun they receive. Many sources recommend supplementing small dragons
daily and decreasing to once or twice per week for adult dragons. But both too little and
too much supplementation can lead to problems. Therefore, we recommend going over
this with your vet to find a schedule that suits the specific needs of your dragon. We
suggest you supplement your young dragons daily with a ratio of 1 part Rep-Cal
Herptivite to 3 parts Rep-Cal calcium with Vitamin D3.
DISEASES & DISORDERS:
Bearded dragons are one of the hardiest reptiles available in the pet trade, yet they still
can succumb to numerous diseases and problems.
We are not veterinarians; please do not use this information as a replacement for taking
your lizard to a vet. This information is meant to raise your awareness of signs and
possible problems. If you notice that your lizard is ill, do not hesitate to make an
appointment with a reptile specialist.
Several pointers to ensure optimal health for your lizard:
Follow all housing, heating/lighting, and feeding/supplementation requirements for your
lizard.
Quarantine all new reptiles.
DO NOT HOUSE YOUR BEARDED DRAGON WITH ANY OTHER SPECIES OF
REPTILE. Different reptiles come from many different environments requiring different
needs in captivity. Even animals that come from similar environments can cause stress and
pass parasites onto your dragon, costing the life of your lizard.
Do not house bearded dragons of different sizes together--this is a sure problem for the
smaller dragons' health.
We recommend housing males separately. You may even need to prevent males from
seeing each other across cages.
Keep your cages and food CLEAN! Clean and sift poop often. Remove all old food.
Wash your hands before and after handling your lizard. Be sure to sanitize hands in
between handling different reptile species. (Hand sanitizer is a good thing to have handy).
CALCIUM/VITAMIN DEFICIENCY:
This is a serious problem that can have permanent effects on the life of your bearded
dragon. Too little D3 and calcium can lead to metabolic bone disease. Some early
symptoms of this problem include the shaking, twitching, or stiffness of limbs (especially
rear legs), separation of the mouth, and difficulty chewing food. If this problem is caught
early enough, supplementation and exposure to natural sun can be good remedies.
Calcium deficiency is often seen in older dragons, or under supplemented dragons. There
is also the possibility of over supplementing your dragons, causing a myriad of problems
all its own.
PARASITES:
There are numerous parasites that can become a problem for a bearded dragon. Many
dragons live with these parasites without problems, but symptoms can often be triggered
by stress (such as contact with an other dragon or animal, change of enclosures,
hibernation, breeding, etc.) Parasites often come from insects, greens, and/or unclean
cage conditions so that it is imperative to keep proper hygiene in these areas. Clean cages
often, sift feces out daily, make sure that your insects are in clean environments, and
remove all old food from your enclosure and your cricket/worm containers. Even fresh
greens and fruit can harbor parasites, so wash them well. If you feed your dragon live
insects it is probable that your dragon carries some level of coccidia and maybe
pinworms. The idea is to keep the levels low.
Symptoms of a problematic parasite infestation include consistently runny and smelly stool
(more foul smelling than normal), an inability to retain weight, loss of appetite, loss of
weight. Do not hesitate to bring your lizard to a vet if you see these signs. Treatments are
relatively easy to administer and successful, especially if the parasite is caught early.
Because of the high probability of your dragon carrying parasites, many vets recommend
deworming dragons 1-2 times per year as a preventative measure similar to dogs and
cats. However, new research does indicate that it might be best to only use medication if
your dragon shows outward symptoms such as weight loss or lack of appetite. This is
especially the case with antibiotics such as albon and with young dragons. It is a good
idea to have medications on hand and we also recommend Parazap as a natural
preventative and treatment. www.parazap.com.
Personally, we are against medicating young dragons unless absoultely necessary. We
believe that the treatments can sometimes do more damage than good. However, we
realize this is a controversial subject and much research still needs to be done. You must
decide what works best for you. Be aware that parasite levels may hike during
acclimation to a new home. We believe that if left alone, a young dragon can control and
lower these levels on their own through "stress management".
MITES:
Since all bearded dragons are captive bred, mites should not be a problem. Although
some pet stores keep less than sanitary conditions and mites may spread from animal to
animal. These are small bugs that can be seen on the dragon. There are several products
on the market that can take care of the problem. We recommend checking with your vet
before administering these products.
ADENOVIRUS:
This is a virus that we know little about at this point. It seems to most strongly affect
hatchlings and is deadly. To prevent infection, follow strict quarantine procedures for all
new animals. Adenovirus has the potential of devastating entire collections. Along with
Adenovirus, "yellow fungus" is an other concern that may or may not be related to
adenovirus. This affliction also seems to affect young dragons and can be quite contagious
and deadly. Again, little is known about this problem. If you see unusual spotting that
does not disappear with sheds, bring your dragon to a vet for a culture. Inform the vet
that the culture for yellow fungus takes longer and traditional antibiotics do not work. Anti-
fungal or yeast medications seem to be the best. More information on these problems is
available on the internet. www.reptilerooms.com would be a good place to start.
EGG BINDING:
Egg binding can happen for several reasons but is more likely to happen during the first
breeding cycle with infertile eggs. This can be a serious problem and should be discussed
with a vet. Suggestions for prevention include making sure the female is old enough, big
enough, and healthy enough to breed; making sure that proper supplementation has been
in place during her growth period, making a suitable lay spot available, and avoiding stress
to the animal.
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS:
Clogged nostrils, the presence of mucous and open mouth (often raspy) breathing (do not
confuse this with venting due to heat) are signs of respiratory problems. These problems
are often due to low heat conditions and excessive moisture. Be sure to check your
temperatures and humidity levels, and contact your vet for treatment.
BRUMATION:
A brumation or hibernation period is considered necessary for breeding cycles. Many
bearded dragons will brumate or slow down eating and activity during winter months even
without initiating any change in lighting and heat conditions. You may winter your dragons
for approximately a two month period. We suggest following the natural light cycle and
wintering during December-February. A slow reduction in daylight hours until you reach
8-10 hours of light per day helps to ease dragons into a brumation period. A temperature
drop should also occur gradually until day temps are between 75-85 degrees F and night
temps can drop to around 60 degrees F. Bearded dragons can safely tolerate temps
down to the 50s. Before putting a dragon "down", be sure that your dragon is healthy and
is free of undigested food. You may choose to provide a space in the enclosure for
burrowing (we find aspen works well for this). Often dragons will dig and bury themselves
for the winter. If you notice your dragon up and about, small amounts of food can be
offered. A heavy hibernation period may not be necessary for many bearded dragons.
When the winter period is over, slowly raise temperature levels to suggested highs and
increase the photoperiod until it is around 14 hours of day to 10 hours of dark.
BREEDING:
*Note: Bearded dragon females may cycle infertile eggs without breeding.
Breeding often requires a period of hibernation or brumation prior to the breeding season
(see section on hibernation). When bearded dragons emerge from hibernation, breeding
usually takes place quickly, so it is important to be prepared…
We suggest that your dragons (specifically females) be at least 18 months-old prior to
breeding. Any small, sick, or young females should be separated from all males to prevent
cycling, breeding, and potentially a loss of life. Dragons that are bred too young can wind
up with serious health problems including death from egg binding. We cannot stress
enough how important it is to have a healthy, mature female. Dragons bred before
maturity will divert energy used for growing and maturity into making eggs, disrupting her
growth process and altering her health. Female dragons bred too young and/or often will
live shorter lives.
We also highly suggest steering clear of inbreeding, especially siblings.
Breeding behavior often appears violent. Head bobbing and black beards are among the
breeding behaviors associated with males (*note: these behaviors are also typical of
territorial disputes between males). Females often perform arm waving and slow head
bobbing. The male usually bites the female around the neck to secure her and attempts to
get the female to lift her tail for copulation.
Gravid females will get quite large and often appear lumpy. Feed gravid females often and
supplement with calcium more frequently. The eggs can often be felt in the female's
stomach when she is close to laying.
As soon as you see breeding behavior it is a good idea to have a lay area in place and an
incubator prepared.
A good lay area is imperative to ensure that your bearded dragon does not egg bind. Lay
areas may consist of a large area filled with one foot of a mixture of moist, somewhat
packed sand and soil, peat moss, or bed-a-beast. You may set up this lay area inside the
enclosure or prepare a separate lay enclosure to place the female in when you notice
digging behavior. Females will tunnel into this area to deposit their eggs. Some dig for
several days before they decide to lay. They like to be fully protected by their burrow (cat
litter pans with an opening work well for this cave-like structure). Only her head will stick
out while she deposit their eggs. After laying, the female will emerge and bury her eggs
back up.
Females may lay clutches as often as 3 weeks apart and can retain sperm for several
clutches.
INCUBATION:
Unearth the eggs GENTLY. Fertile eggs should be a nice white color and leathery in
texture. If candled, fertile eggs will appear pink and a round embryo should be detectable.
If the eggs appear yellow when candled or gelatinous, they are probably infertile (this is
somewhat common for a first clutch of eggs).
Fertile eggs should be placed in a dish with moist vermiculite (and perlite if you wish)
about one inch apart. This dish is then transferred to your pre-calibrated incubator. We
suggest a "Hovabator" incubator. (You can find these at some pet stores, feed stores, and
online). Make sure that your incubator is set at least 24 hours prior to use to avoid drastic
fluctuations in temperature. We recommend incubating at around 84 degrees F. Do not let
temperature range out of the 80s. Spray egg containers to maintain moisture level in the
vermiculite. Eggs should hatch about 60 days after incubation.
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