Care Sheet for Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps)
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Contents
Introduction
Description & Native Habitat
Housing in Captivity
Vivarium Size
Heating
Lighting
Substrate
Furnishing
Feeding
What They Eat
Water
How to Feed Them
Cleaning
General
Bathing
Introduction
Bearded Dragons (Beardies) make great pets. They are active, interesting, totally non-aggressive and very easy to look after. They grow to a reasonable size, but not too big for the average home. Easy to feed, easy to keep and an excellent pet for a beginner. They live for around 6 years, long enough to form a strong attachment! They are good pets for children to look after, but children should be supervised when handling them and an adult should keep a close eye to make sure that they are following all the hygiene procedures that need to be kept.Having said that, you do need to ensure they are properly housed, fed and well looked after — no pet will thrive without the proper care. Beardies are no exception in this respect. As they get larger, they do take more time to keep clean, unless this is done regularly (every day!) they can create quite a strong smell. This would be the first indication that all is not well, and health problems could be starting.
Description & Native Habitat
Beardies are a scaly lizard, with a spiky crest around the head and neck. Colouration is generally grey, but varies greatly from very light to almost black. Some strains have yellow or orange under their mouth and on their throat. There are a wide variety of colouration patterns, including striped varieties. In size, they grow to about 15" (37cm) and housing needs to be chosen with this in mind.
Beardies originate in Australia and there are several species in the Pogona genus. By far the most common species in captivity is vitticeps - the Central Bearded Dragon. This species inhabits the arid regions throughout almost all of the central third of Australia, from the south coast to just short of the northern coast at the Gulf of Carpentaria. Their habitat ranges from semi-arid woodland through scrub to dessert.
Housing in Captivity
Vivarium Size
Obviously, Beardies need to live in a Vivarium. The size of a vivarium, for a single animal, should ideally be about three time the length of the beardie and about as wide as the beardie is long. this means that an adult should be kept in a vivarium of about 4' (120cm) by 18" (45cm). Two or more animal obviously need more room. A 5' (150cm) by 2' (60cm) vivarium should be adequate for 3 adults. In all cases, the vivarium should be between 18" 945cm) and 2' (60cm) high.
Heating
The vivarium needs to be kept quite warm, but it is essential that there is a temperature gradient across the vivarium. The 'hot' end should be around 40-45°C (105-115°F), tapering off to 20-25°C (70-80°F) at the cool end. This heat gradient allows the beardies to regulate their body temperature by moving around the vivarium. Heat mats under the floor or substrate should be avoided. Heat is best supplied in two forms — a general background heat by means of 'heat cables' around the periphery and a concentrated heat source in the form of a spotlight at one end. This spotlight is needed in any case for basking — beardies in the wild spend a lot of time basking and it is part of their means of regulating their body temperature.
Lighting
Apart from the spot/heat light mentioned earlier, beardies also need a source of UV light to remain healthy. They will bask in the UV light and, apart from generating vitamin D in their bodies, the UV light will help them to metabolise the calcium in their diet. Lack of UV will lead to Metabolic Bone Disorder (MBD). The best source of UV are the reptile-specific light tubes. The tube should be at least 75% of the length of the vivarium, and should be left on for 12 hours per day. Bear in mind that UV tubes loose their potency over time and should be replaced every twelve months, even if they still appear to be working.
Substrate
My preference is for clean sand about 1.5" (3.5cm) deep, but it MUST be clean, salt free and washed. Best source for this is children's play sand. Avoid builders sand which is dusty, contaminated and can stain. Coarse Calci-sand should be avoided — this can lead to impaction in the gut as it does not pass through easily, especially in young or juvenile beardies. Other common suitable substrates are carpet tile or specially design reptile tiles. Newspaper is good for very young hatchlings. Pea gravel can also be used, but the size of the gravel must be large enough to prevent the beardie from eating it by accident.
Substrates to avoid include anything that can be eaten be accident (wood chip, crushed shell etc), anything that will hold moisture (wood shavings or sawdust) as this can lead to mould growth and potential infections, scented or flavoured materials such as cedar or pine — the oils can be irritating or just plain poisonous to a beardie.
Furnishing
Beardies love to climb and the vivarium decoration should include branches etc that they can climb on. A beardie will climb closer to the UV light to increase the dose it receives when it needs to — they know what's good for them!
For a full grown beardie, include some 'quiet' areas, shady and partially hidden. They won't spend much time in their during the day (they are active in daylight) but will often retreat to a shady corner in the night time. However, don't do this for young or juvenile beardies — they will spend too much time hiding and not enough time basking. This will lead to problems with digestion and calcium deficiency.
Do NOT include plants in the vivarium, either real or artificial ones — beardies will eat them. If they are real, then even if they are harmless to a beardie (not all are!), they will quickly kill a real plant. If they are artificial plants, beardies will still try to eat them. If you are lucky they will just make your beardie sick. If not, they will probably be fatal. Just use inanimate objects to decorate the vivarium — rocks, branches, logs , etc. If you gather your logs and branches in the wild you need to take care that they are not harbouring pests or parasites. This is most easily done by removing the bark and putting them in the deep freeze for at least 48 hours. Use a coarse sandpaper all over the wood to ensure that there are no sharp splinters that could cause an injury to your beardie.
Feeding
What they eat
Beardies are omnivorous — they'll eat fruit and vegetables as well as insects and other animals. What they need for a balanced diet will change as they grow. A young beardie will need a high protein diet as it grows. Start a baby beardie on tiny crickets, but make fruit and vegetables available from day one. They won't eat much of it, but having it available will enable them to accept them more easily as they grow. Small or juvenile beardies should be eating about 70% insects, 30% fruit and vegetables. By the time they are 12-15 months old they will have reached their maximum size in length although they will put on weight for a little while longer. From this point on, they should be eating about 70% fruit/vegetable matter and 30% animal. They must also be given a vitamin supplement with their food. I prefer the powdered supplement that is mixed especially for reptiles, but liquid forms are also available. Don't overdose the beardies on vitamins — that can cause problems as well. A single pinch per beardie per day is more than adequate.
Water
Beardies don't need a lot of water, but they do need some. However, their environment needs to have the humidity kept as low as possible, so it is not a good idea to leave a bowl of water in the vivarium — they will crawl through it, spill it and generally spread it around. This isn't good for them!
They will get most of the water they need from the food they eat. You should ensure that this is so by making sure that they have water-rich vegetables available every feed — cucumber, courgette, marrow, squash , etc. The other source of water for them should be their regular bath — see more about that under 'Cleaning'.
How to Feed Them
Beardies should be fed 2 or 3 times a day. Because of the high temperature in the vivarium, the food should not be left in the vivarium all the time. Put the food into the vivarium and let them eat all they can for about 15-30 minutes. Then remove the food again (not so easy to do with crickets though!). Fruit and vegetables should be chopped up to a size suitable for the size of the beardie. A rough guide is that pieces should be about the size of the space between their eyes! Variety is important - don't just stuff them up with one type of food. Animal matter should be served complete - don't give them chopped meat. Insect and worms of various types should be served live, large beardies can also be fed 'pinkies' (small, bald newborn mice), and these can be served dead - they are most often bought frozen.
| Staple Food | Regular Food | Occasional Food |
|---|---|---|
| Note: | Variety is important! | |
| Alfalfa | Beans (most types, not Soya) | Beet Greens |
| Mustard Greens | Cabbage (red or white) | Broccoli |
| Squash | Sweet Pepper | Cauliflower |
| Dandelion Leaf | Carrot | Sweet Corn (Maize) |
| Celery | Lettuce | |
| Potato | Parsley | |
| Cucumber | Sprout | |
| Leek | Tomato | |
| Peas (with pod!) | ||
| Pumpkin | ||
| Radish | ||
| Turnip | ||
| Swede | ||
| Staple Food | Regular Food | Occasional Food |
|---|---|---|
| Note: | Fruit should make up no more than 25% of vegetable matter | |
| Apple | Banana (with skin) | |
| Blackberries | Kiwi | |
| Cherry | Pomegranate | |
| Cranberry | ||
| Grape | ||
| Mango | ||
| Melon | ||
| Peach | ||
| Pear | ||
| Plum | ||
| Raspberry | ||
| Strawberry | ||
| Undesirable Food | Reason |
|---|---|
| Note: | Do NOT feed these foods to your beardie! |
| Avocado | Toxic to birds & reptiles |
| Bread | Not easily digested |
| Breakfast Cereal | Too high in Phosphorus |
| Garlic | Probably toxic |
| Onion | Probably toxic |
| Orange | Too acid |
| Lemon | Too acid |
| Grapefruit | Too acid |
| Food | Suitable? | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Note: | See earlier comments about the proportion of animal material in your beardies diet | |
| Common Crickets | Suitable | |
| Black Crickets | Suitable | |
| Locust | Suitable | For large adults beardies only! |
| Pinkie mice | Suitable | For large adults beardies only! Use only occasionally |
| Chopped Meat | Not Suitable | Not a proper nutritional balance |
| Mealworm | Not Suitable | Too much chitin |
| Waxworm | Not Suitable | Too fatty |
| Silkworm | Suitable | Good for a treat |
Cleaning
General
Dragon poo has a very strong smell and should be removed as soon as possible. Along with the poo, a beardie will produce a fair amount of pretty foul liquid. This is where the fine silica sand comes into it's own. The droppings and damp sand can easily be sifted out using a medium coarse sieve. I use an old kitchen strainer - the clean, dry sand pours straight through and the debris stays behind and can be easily disposed of.
Along with the droppings, all the food debris needs to be cleaned promptly. Beardies are messy eaters - vegetables will be scattered through the Vivarium, scaly bits of insect will also be dropped all through the vivarium as well. In addition, in common with all lizards, a beardie sheds it's skin a bit at a time and these flakes of old skin also need cleaning up. A vivarium containing three adult beardies will need a partial sifting at least twice a day, maybe even more often!
The better you keep on top of this cleaning routine, the less smell you will get from your beardies.
Bathing
Beardies love to bathe. It is also good for them to soak occasionally - it has the dual advantages of cleaning them down (and so reducing the smell) and also allows them to store water in their bodies. I generally give them a bath about twice per week. Find a flat-bottomed container large enough to hold your beardie comfortably. I use a plastic storage container for small ones, a baby bath for adults. Fill it with luke warm (about 25°C/75°F) water to a depth equal to the height of the beardies' shoulder joint, and gently place them in it. They may try to scrabble out of it initially, but will quickly settle down and enjoy themselves if you calm them down. Do NOT use any soap r detergents - not even baby soaps, no matter what you read elsewhere. Both soap and detergents can give a beardie an upset stomach if/when they drink it.
Let your beardie sit or splash around for between 15 to 30 minutes, topping up the water with more luke warm water as necessary to maintain a good temperature. Using a soft brush or sponge, wash them down from front to back (don't try to wash 'against the grain'). When they have had enough, lift them out and dab them dry with a cotton cloth (towelling will catch on their scales and claws and can cause some injury or irritation).
Take the opportunity, while they are having their bath, to give their vivarium a good clean-out. Sift the sand, scrub the repti-tile or replace the newspaper. Make sure there is no food left lying around to go rotten.
