Bearded Dragon Care

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Bearded Dragons are one of the most popular pet lizards, and are quickly becoming more popular due to the new and interesting colors they come in. They are easy to care for, and become some of the calmest pet lizards anyone could get.

Housing: Young Bearded Dragons should be put in a 20 gallon aquarium and should be kept on paper towels or Zoomed Cage Carpet for the first 6 months. Any cage décor can be provided as long as it is wide enough to support the animals body.

After 6 months, the Dragon can be moved onto Reptisand or finely sifted play sand. Avoid beddings such as Vitasand or Calcisand. Once the Dragon reaches around 15 inches, they need to be moved up to a 40 gallon long aquarium. Again, any cage décor can be used as long as it is low lying and can support the whole lizard. Larger Dragons are clumsy, so be careful when choosing items for the cage.

*Once minimum cage requirements are met, new items can be added to the cage as wanted.

Lighting: All Dragons require heat and UVB. UVB should be provided by Zoomed Reptisun 10.0 fluorescent light bulbs. Heat should be provided roughly 8-10 hours a day, and should reach temperatures around 105 Degrees Fahrenheit.

*Make sure to replace the Reptisun ever 6-8 months to get maximum UVB

Care: Bearded Dragons are very hardy creatures. As young animals, they should be fed twice daily a variety of insects, and fresh veggies should be available all day. Good insects to feed are: Crickets, Dubia roaches, superworms, and hornworms. Veggies normally fed will be: Kale, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, and Turnip Greens.

Spot clean the cage as needed, as young dragons may go to the bathroom twice a day. Bearded Dragons will very rarely drink from a water bowl, so it is not necessary to have one, rather misting and soaking are the best ways to keep them hydrated.

Health Concerns: Bearded Dragons have very few health issues. The only things to ever take into consideration would be Respiratory infections which come from temperatures dropping too low at night. Impaction is the only other common issue with a Bearded Dragon. Impaction occurs from ingesting substrate that gets stuck inside the animal during digestion, or from eating bugs with too much crunchy shell (mealworms). As long as temperatures are in a good range, and healthy food is fed to the Dragons, you will have a happy, healthy pet for many years to come.

 

Basic Requirements:

  • 20 Gallon Critter Cage
  • Zoomed Cage Carpet
  • Light fixture with 100-150 watt bulb
  • Zoomed Reptisun 10.0 Fluorescent bulb
  • Basking rocks

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