Originally Posted by Gia

INTRO

Bearded dragons have an attractive appearance, are moderate in size and have a naturally tame personality. Compared to most reptiles, they are relatively hardy and easy to keep which makes them an ideal reptilian pet for the inexperienced owner. They are fairly safe for children, although there is a risk of transferring Salmonella from feces if basic hygiene is not practiced. You should always wash your hands before and after handling your pet to avoid contamination.

One drawback to owning a bearded dragon is their housing requirements. They like a lot of space so an enclosure of around 36 inches in length and 18 inches in height will be needed, although if you have space for something bigger your pet will appreciate it. You will also need a good heat source to keep your dragon warm and UV lighting to stimulate your pets activity and appetite as well as help it to absorb and create vital vitamins. Bearded dragons will also defecate regularly so daily spot cleaning is important in maintaining the health of your pet.

Also, like most pets you have to keep an eye on parasites such as worms. Your beardie has a natural low level of these parasites in it’s digestive system but sometimes, due to ill health, overcrowding or an improper cleaning regime they can escalate out of control making your pet very ill. Regular fecal examinations can be conducted at a vetinary clinic to keep an eye on things and cost very little. I would recommend doing this at least once every six months.
Should your beardie have to be treated for parasites it will be a very long and time consuming process and will take some recovery as the medicines used kill all the good bacteria that aid their digestion as well so I cannot emphasize the importance of regular checks. It will save you a lot of time and money trust me.

GETTING HOME

You should already have your dragons enclosure set up and ready to go when you get him home. Don’t forget to check the heating and lighting section to make sure you have the correct equipment. If you have more than one beardie make sure both are of similar sizes if they are to be housed together.

NEVER HOUSE A BABY DRAGON WITH AN ADULT AS IT WILL GET EATEN!

Beardies can suffer from relocation stress so it’s a good idea to give him 24hrs alone to settle in before you start handling him, as tempting as it is. It may also take him a while to start feeding, two or three days is normal but if you are worried that it’s going on for too long seek some medical advice.
If you haven’t already found a vet that treats reptiles use the settling in period to find one. There are plenty of good web sites available that can provide you with such information. You may also want to research a little more about your pet while you’re at it. A good site to join is beardeddragon.org. It is a forum based web site with many users that will gladly answer any questions your have about your pet.

After having him home for a while it is a good idea to have a first fecal examination. All you need to do is collect a sample and take it to the vets. They should test it for you without any consultation, a good vets will anyway. At least once the results are back you can relax for a while and concentrate on getting to know your new pet.

DIET AND FEEDING

Bearded dragons are omnivores which means they eat insects and vegetation. They like to consume a wide variety of foods. Younger dragons will eat more insects to compensate for their extreme growth rates, however older dragons will probably eat 65 - 90% plant matter as they reach maturity.
You can feed your dragon crickets (Acheta domestica), mealworms or giant mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), superworms or morio worms (Zophobus morio), wax worms (Galleria mellonella) and phoenix worms (a very good source of calcium).

Crickets should make up the best part of your dragons diet as majority of the insects listed have a very poor nutritional content if used as a main diet. You shouldn’t feed your dragon any insect that is bigger than the space between it’s eyes as a rule. beardies less than 16 inches long shouldn’t have mealworms or superworms incase they can’t digest them properly. These insects are hard shelled and may get stuck in the gut causing impaction. Wax worms are also very high in fat and should only be given as treats.

You can purchase livefood from some pet shops or by mail order. A good site to use is livefoods.co.uk. They sell most types of insects and also offer discounts on bulk buys. They are also very well packaged and livefoods.co.uk offer several shipping methods.

All food given to your dragon should be supplemented with a vitamin powder that contains both calcium and vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is needed for a variety of functions, including the formation of strong bones by aiding the absorption of calcium.

There are several types of supplements available on the market so just choose whatever you feel is best. You will need to lightly coat all insects fed to your dragon and feed as much as it will eat within 10 - 15 minutes. Baby dragons will need to be fed around three times a day where as older dragons only once.
You should also offer a variety of greens such as broccoli, spinach, kale, romaine, and cabbage. You should avoid any type of lettuce as it is majority water and has no nutritional value. You will also need to finely chop the greens for your baby.

Drinking water can be offered in a shallow container although most beardies get enough moisture from their food. You can also give your Dragon a warm bath once a week to make sure is retains enough fluid. This is a good way to bond although not every beardie likes the water. You will need to disinfect the bath after as you may find the warm water will encourage your pet to defecate.

HOUSING REQUIREMENTS

As mentioned earlier, your bearded dragon will like quite a bit of space. Your baby dragon won’t need as much while it grows but an adult will need a minimum of 36 inches in length and 18 inches in height. It’s probably best to start with something smaller for a younger dragon as it will have difficulty finding it’s food and basking sites in a large enclosure. You can always upgrade when the time comes. You may also want to invest in a cage lock, especially if you have cats or young children.

Bearded dragons are also semi-arboreal so will happily climb shrubs, rocks and fallen tree trunks when available. You may want to decorate your enclosure with various pieces of wood, plants and rocks so that your so beardie has a good deal of stimulation. If using branches or wood from outside, make sure it is washed and baked in an oven for a few hours to kill any bacteria before putting it in the cage.

If you intend on using live plants make sure they are not poisonous to your pet and are free from pesticides. It is also a good idea to keep plants in pots. That way you can contain most of the moisture when watering and replace them easily. A few good plants to use are ponytail palms (Beacarnea recurvata), snake plants (Sansevieira spp.) and Jade plants (Crassula argentea).

SUBSTRATE / FLOORING

The cheapest and safest substrate to use, especially for a young dragon, is newspaper or shelf liner. Babies can be quite messy and defecate frequently so it’s good to have something that although not very attractive is easy to keep clean and has no impaction risk.

For older beardies (12 months plus) I recommend the use of washed and sifted playsand. It is a more natural option, easy on the eye and stimulates natural behaviour. You may also find your beardie will half bury himself in it at bedtimes too. To remove any debris I find it easy to use a cat litter scoop or dedicated sieve. Playsand is very fine so if eaten will pass harmfully through your dragons digestive system.

There are plenty of other options but be careful what you choose, some loose substrate can be ingested and may get trapped inside the gut which if not passed through can cause real problems, sometimes even death.

It’s a good idea to research a new substrate before using it as some pet stores may recommend something that may actually
be harmful or inappropriate for your pet.

HEATING AND LIGHTING

Bearded dragons are ecotherms, which means they are cold blooded so providing adequate heat is critical.

For heat you should use a white incandescent bulb or spotlight with a wattage dependent on the size of your enclosure. You may want to try a few different ones until you find one that provides the right temperature gradient (between 90 - 100'F on the hot side). You can experiment with ordinary household screw fit bulbs to save money. Place your heat source on one side of the vivarium, this will give it a thermal gradient so that your dragon can cool off on the other side if needed. You will need to plug your heat source into a thermostat. The Habistat dimming thermometer is a good one to use. Thermostats aren’t cheap but will they help maintain a constant heat in the enclosure which is very important. It is also a good idea to put your lights on a timer so that they come on at the same time each day. This will help mimic the natural light cycles beardies will experience in the wild.

If the enclosure is too cool, their metabolisim will slow down along with the immune system, their digestion rate will drop, they will be more susceptible to parasites and the rate of clearing uric acid through the kidneys will be reduced. This will increase the rate of kidney disease. If it’s too hot, you’ll beardie will overheat very quickly and could die. Bearded dragons heat up faster than they cool down so please be careful.

You will also need a full spectrum UV-B light such as a Repti Glo 8.0 or 10.0 and a starter unit to match the wattage. These are fluorescent tubes that should run the length of the enclosure. You should ensure that your dragon can get within 6 inches of this light to provide maximum benefit. This needn’t
mean having it close to the floor, you can use branches or decor to achieve basking sites. You should also change your UV source every six months.
Bearded dragons grow faster, are healthier and more active when provided with sunlight or full spectrum UV-B lights. It helps them manufacture vitamin D3 which helps them effectively absorb calcium. Remember that UV rays cannot penetrate glass.

There are also some specialist spotlights around that incorporate the heat and UV-B into one such as the Powersun bulb or Mega Ray. Although these are expensive they are very effective. If your budget allows I would recommend you invest in one. Also, during the summer months, try and subject your dragon to as much natural sunlight as possible. You can’t beat a natural UV source and your beardie will enjoy sunbathing with you.

CLEANING

You should spot clean the cage every day to remove any fecal matter or left over food. Food dishes and water dishes should be washed separately to household items with a 10% bleach solution or specialist disinfectant as needed. All cage decoration should be disinfected once every month and you should replace your chosen substrate when you feel it’s needed.

Originally Posted by Gia

continued ....


BEARDIE BEHAVIOURS

Watching how your beardie interacts with you and other dragons has to be the most exciting part of owning one. They have such diverse personalities and are very entertaining however they will only display a full range of behaviors when they reach sexual maturity.

Head bobbing or head jerking refers to the lowering and raising of the head. This will usually be done in repetitive sets quite quickly. Sometimes it may be so vigorous that the entire front of the body jerks upwards. This is more common in males during breeding and territorial displays however a female may do the same but more slowly as a submissive gesture.

Male dragons also darken their beards either when asserting authority or displaying to a female. The underside of their beards will go quite black and they may also puff it out. This is very often referred to as black bearding. It is most often seen during the breeding season either to attract a female or warn of a competing male. Males will also fight each other however there is rarely any serious harm. They do this by flattening their bodies, tilting to one side, performing head bobbing gestures and blackening their beards. They will encircle each other trying to bite or nip the others tail until one decides to back off.

Tongue tasting is another common behavior. Bearded dragons will readily poke out their tongues to taste or investigate new objects, food or other lizards.
During winter you may find your dragon will become less active and eats less. If your beardie is an adult don’t worry. This is a natural behavior most commonly referred to as brumation. Your dragon will slow down and may sleep more. During this time you will need to lower the temperature in the enclosure to around 75-80 degrees fahrenheit and reduce the amount of daylight hours from 14 to around 8 or 10 a day. This is easily done by adjusting your timer. Return conditions to normal when your beardie starts basking and feeding again.

Many owners worry when this happens to them for the first time as they fear their pet may be sick. As long as they are healthy they will lose little or no weight during this shutdown period. Brumation can last from a few weeks to five months so just keep an eye on your dragon and monitor it’s weight and hydration. You can give him a warm bath every now and then to keep his fluids up but don’t try and force feed him as it could be harmful. Any food left in the gut during this period will decompose and rot causing a high level of bacteria and possible health problems.

Either in the wild or in captivity, bearded dragons raised in a group form social hierarchies quite early on in their life. It will quickly become obvious which of these are more dominant than others. The dominant individuals will compete for the best basking sites and will be more aggressive in their feeding behaviors. In general, these more dominant dragons will grow faster. This can cause problems for the more submissive beardies as they will have access to less food. If keeping more than one in the same enclosure you will need to check that the more submissive members aren’t underfed. If this is this case then they will need to be separated.

When there is insufficient food to go round the more dominant members may mutilate the smaller ones by nipping of the tips of tails, toes or lower limbs. Larger dragons may also attempt to eat smaller ones so be sure to house evenly sized dragons together.

Bearded dragons may gape (keep their mouth open) or pant while basking. This their way of cooling down. It shouldn’t be of concern as long as the vivarium is kept at the right temperatures. They may also do this while puffing out their beards if threatened. If your beardie does this to you it may try to bite so be warned, they have tiny but sharp teeth. As you get to know your new pet he will feel more comfortable with you and won’t display this behavior.

Arm waving has to be the earliest social behavior in bearded dragons and can be witnessed within days of hatching. It is a submissive gesture that basically tells other dragons it is of no threat and not to hurt it. Adult females will also use this gesture during the breeding season and more rarely it is performed by submissive males when the more aggressive males attempt to bite their necks or tails.

You will notice your dragon curl it’s tail in the air when feeding or when they are still. This is a sign that they are alert and taking in what’s going on around them and is commonly performed throughout the day.

GOING AWAY

Without livefood there is a high risk of stunting growth and malnutrition so should you need to go away for a few days make sure you have someone who can feed your pet daily as insects left in an enclosure will stress out your Beardie and may bite it. They will also feed on feces increasing the risk of parasite infection. You may also want to leave a feeding instruction sheet by your dragons enclosure so that anybody who may have to feed them for you while you are away knows exactly what to do. This comes in useful if you are rushed into hospital or have to leave the house suddenly in an emergency.

You may also want to invest in a pet carrier for your dragon for vet visits or any other trip you may wish to take with your pet. Microwavable heat pads are a great solution for short trips if you are worried about your beardie getting cold.

FINAL WORDS

Good luck with your new pet. You will learn much more along the way. You might also like to keep a weight record so you can monitor how well your dragon is doing as it gets older.

That's all for now, will add more as needed x
__________________

Originally Posted by Lewb

Thats agood well written caresheet, well done. To be picky and just share opinions I just want to add a few of my own to what you have mentioned already:

Beardies don't have a natural low level of all parasites in them - they just have cocidia. The levels of cocidia in a beardie increase during times of stress and a high level of cocidia will promote the habitation of harmful parasites. Cocidia is present in all dragons and is perfectly healthy at low levels.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Mealworms and morio worms should be avoided by all length dragons - even if the dragon is over 16 inches, the worm is a lot bigger than one that would be fed to a 5 inch dragon so it's still just as tough to digest. They also offer poor nutritional value and a far too high phosphorus content. The best 3 staples are crickets or locusts, roaches and silkworms - in that order. Silkworms are the very best you can get if you can manage to get them.

Originally Posted by Lewb

It used to be believed that a calcium powder with D3 was very much needed - but recently many people now use one without it as D3 produced naturally by the aid of a UV source or the sun is a lot better for the dragon and more efficient in the absorption of calcium from the gut of the dragon. If you have a dragon suffering from MBD then a powder with D3 is useful, but to a healthy dragon it should really not be needed and will not be utilised by the dragon. You should dust one feeding a day with a calcium powder and one a week with a multivitamin, the all in one powders tend to not be as effective and can overdose on some vitamins and under on others.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Common misconception but where beardies come from they don't actually live on sand similar to what we can buy from argos. They live on rocky, gravelly ground which they would struggle to dig into. Playsand is a fine choice but not particularly natural for them.

Originally Posted by Lewb

The temperature on the surface of the basking spot should be roughly 110-115 for a baby, some like it a little cooler and some higher. For an adult 100-110 is fine. This must be measured with a digital thermometer or even better a temperature gun - otherwise the air temperature is just being measured. The ambient temperature of the tank can range from 70-75 in the cool end up to 85-90 in the hot - any higher than 90 degrees ambient temperature and the dragon will be very uncomfortable, probably choosing not to bask but hide away to cool down.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Although thermostats are a very good idea, you need to be careful when using one because if the bulb is too high a wattage, it will become very very dim. BDs thrive in bright enclosures and a poorly lit enclosure will encourage the dragon to become sleepy, lethargic, and eventually very ill.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Thats agood well written caresheet, well done. To be picky and just share opinions I just want to add a few of my own to what you have mentioned already:

Beardies don't have a natural low level of all parasites in them - they just have cocidia. The levels of cocidia in a beardie increase during times of stress and a high level of cocidia will promote the habitation of harmful parasites. Cocidia is present in all dragons and is perfectly healthy at low levels.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Mealworms and morio worms should be avoided by all length dragons - even if the dragon is over 16 inches, the worm is a lot bigger than one that would be fed to a 5 inch dragon so it's still just as tough to digest. They also offer poor nutritional value and a far too high phosphorus content. The best 3 staples are crickets or locusts, roaches and silkworms - in that order. Silkworms are the very best you can get if you can manage to get them.

Originally Posted by Lewb

It used to be believed that a calcium powder with D3 was very much needed - but recently many people now use one without it as D3 produced naturally by the aid of a UV source or the sun is a lot better for the dragon and more efficient in the absorption of calcium from the gut of the dragon. If you have a dragon suffering from MBD then a powder with D3 is useful, but to a healthy dragon it should really not be needed and will not be utilised by the dragon. You should dust one feeding a day with a calcium powder and one a week with a multivitamin, the all in one powders tend to not be as effective and can overdose on some vitamins and under on others.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Common misconception but where beardies come from they don't actually live on sand similar to what we can buy from argos. They live on rocky, gravelly ground which they would struggle to dig into. Playsand is a fine choice but not particularly natural for them.

Originally Posted by Lewb

The temperature on the surface of the basking spot should be roughly 110-115 for a baby, some like it a little cooler and some higher. For an adult 100-110 is fine. This must be measured with a digital thermometer or even better a temperature gun - otherwise the air temperature is just being measured. The ambient temperature of the tank can range from 70-75 in the cool end up to 85-90 in the hot - any higher than 90 degrees ambient temperature and the dragon will be very uncomfortable, probably choosing not to bask but hide away to cool down.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Although thermostats are a very good idea, you need to be careful when using one because if the bulb is too high a wattage, it will become very very dim. BDs thrive in bright enclosures and a poorly lit enclosure will encourage the dragon to become sleepy, lethargic, and eventually very ill.

Originally Posted by Lewb

Ooh here I go again.. sorry...:

BDs aren't raised in groups in the wild. They are solitary apart from when they find a partner to mate with during breeding season - even then they meet and then do not stay together once the deed is done.