Bearded Dragon
Care
Lifespan
8 - 10 years on average.
Adult size
Have the potential to reach 2ft (60cm) including the tail. With correct husbandry, they can be expected to reach full size within a year to 18 months.
Housing
As Bearded Dragons grow quickly and are very active whilst young, it is recommended that babies go straight into a 4x2x2ft vivarium, which is the minimum size requirement for an adult. Bearded Dragons are solitary animals in the wild, and are best housed alone.
Heating & Lighting
We recommend that the enclosure has a hot end and a cooler end to allow the Bearded Dragon to thermoregulate (control its own body temperature).
On the hot side, it is recommended that a basking bulb is fitted to the ceiling of the vivarium with a ceramic lamp holder. We recommend the use of a high range dimming thermostat in conjuncture with the bulb to regulate temperatures to prevent overheating. Once correctly set, this will dim and brighten the bulb to maintain the correct temperature during the daytime, which is 110-115F/42-46C directly under the basking bulb (known as the hotspot), down to 76-80F/24-26C in the cooler end.
Checking temperatures regularly is recommended to help catch fluctuations in temperatures.
Bearded Dragons are found between Zones 3 and 4 on the Ferguson Zone chart, meaning they require a high level of UVB exposure as they are heavy sun baskers in the wild.
For this reason, we recommend using a T5 12% High Output UVB tube bulb fixed to the ceiling, covering 2/3rds of the enclosure. Failure to provide this lighting or failure to replace the bulb per the manufacturer’s instructions (usually every 12 months), can lead to the Bearded Dragon developing Metabolic Bone Disease and other serious health issues.
We recommend turning lights (both heating and UVB) on for 12 hour light cycles (for example 8am- 8pm) and turned off at night. Timer plugs are beneficial for this. However If the vivarium drops below 17c at night, additional night time heating such as ceramic heaters or deep heat projectors is recommended to raise night time temps without disturbing the day/night cycle.
Bearded Dragons can brumate during the colder months. For more information about brumation, please ask a member of staff or message our Facebook Page.
Substrate
Bearded Dragons are native to the arid and semi-arid woodland regions of Australia, where they can be found basking on rocky outcrops and fallen branches before digging burrows into the sandy clay soil to sleep in at night.
For this reason a sand/soil mix is the most recommended substrate within the enclosure to enable naturalistic behaviours. The risk of impaction is minimal as long as the basking temperatures are correct.
Females may lay eggs with or without the presence of a male, so a lay box is recommended to allow mature females to dig and lay eggs correctly to avoid reproductive issues (egg-binding).
Water
We recommend a bowl of fresh water is provided daily, and changed when dirty. Keep this bowl at the cooler end of the enclosure so as not to raise humidity too high.
Diet
Bearded Dragons are omnivores, meaning they require a variety of food from both plant and insect origin.
We recommend a mix of salads as per our safe salad list is offered every morning throughout the life of the Dragon. A variety of live insects can then be offered in the afternoon once time has been given to ingest their salad.
Babies require live insects daily, with adults usually only requiring live insects every 3 days. This can include Locusts, Crickets, Dubia Roaches and Calciworms, with the fattier options only offered as occasional treats (such as wax worms and mealworms).
The amount fed should be adjusted based on the body condition and weight of the animal, with quantity and frequency reduced if they are becoming overweight.
Variety is key to the Beardie receiving a wide range of nutrients, however not all vegetation is safe or recommended, so please check before you offer it to your Beardie.
We recommend gut loading live food 48 hours before offering it to your Dragon. This involves feeding the live food a commercial gut loading formula (such as ‘insect fuel’ or ‘bug grub’) and fresh vegetation.
Supplementation
We recommend the use of a calcium supplement used on food offered during weekdays (Monday-Friday) and a multivitamin used once a week on either a Saturday or Sunday (leaving a day of the weekend with no supplements used).
To supplement salad, just lightly sprinkle the supplement over the vegetation before serving. To supplement live food it is most recommended to add the amount of bugs being fed to a small plastic sandwich bag along with a small amount of the supplement, and then to gently shake the bag to lightly coat each insect before feeding.
Alternatively, if feeding a whole tub in one sitting, add ⅓ of a teaspoon of the supplement to the tub of bugs and gently shake. These supplements should not contain vitamin D3 as UVB lighting is provided. Correct supplementation is essential in order to eliminate nutritional deficiencies, such as metabolic bone disease