I am by absolutely no means an expert, and before you get any animal, it is advised that you do an adequate amount of research so that you can care for it properly. Please do not rely on only my sources to care for your animal, as you will need to do a bunch more research. To impulsively buy an animal without knowing anything about how to care for it is wrong and irresponsible on your part. What works for me may not work for you, and you will learn this through trial and error. (This is not my original image, credit to the original photographer also DONT PUT BEARDIES OF DIFFERENT SIZES TOGETHER, the bigger one will eat the small one and you will not have a good time)
Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons are some of the most easily available pet lizards you can get. While they can be rather expensive while getting all the supplies and the actual animal, it is well worth it if you are looking for a personable animal that you can bond with very easily. Not only are they personable, but also easy to care for once you get the hang of it. They aren’t particularly needy and in my opinion, in the top 3 easiest to keep lizards you can find. These animals do require more than the regular leopard gecko, however they are pretty much tiny, scaly dogs.
Experience Level: Beginner
Origin: Australia
Temperament: Docile, usually very food driven.
Size: Around 2″ of hatching out of the egg, but can easily reach 20″-24″ as adults.
Expenses: Overall, you will spend anywhere from $300-$400 on everything (not counting monthly food). The initial bearded dragon cost will normally be on average $50-100, but can fluctuate depending on where you buy from, and what color morph. Please understand that it is very expensive to house any animal, and you should not buy an animal if you can not support it.
Heating/Lighting: Unlike other beginner lizards or snakes, bearded dragons require both UVB and UVA lighting. If UVB (essentially sunlight in a bulb) is not provided, your scaly friend can develop Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). UVA comes with a regular day light basking bulb, and is essential to provide heat so that your bearded dragon can function properly and pass food. There shouldn’t be a need for a UTH or red/blue/night heat bulb, unless you are looking to heat up a very cold part in your Bearded Dragons enclosure, or at night in the winter, however it is best to have a wide range of temperatures within the enclosure and these heat sources should not be needed otherwise. PLEASE NOTE: Do not buy the “swirl” UVB bulbs for your bearded dragon, they are too bright and can burn your bearded dragon’s eyes. The strip bulbs from Repti-Sun is a very good brand.
Temperatures: As babies, bearded dragons should have a basking spot of around 92-95 degrees Fahrenheit, and the cool side of the enclosure at room temperature (68-74 degrees Fahrenheit). As sub-adults, you can increase this basking temperature to 100-102 degrees.
Humidity: Because bearded dragons are originally from the desert, they are not in need of any special humidity. Ideally, humidity should be around 30-35%, and just having a water bowl should meet these needs. If your humidity is too high, it can lead to an upper respiratory infection (URI). Stay away from glass or plastic lids to your enclosure, and be sure there is plenty of ventilation. (Often times, Beardies enjoy baths!)
Housing: Because of the size difference in baby to adult, there will be some required “upgrading” of tanks. If you put a baby in a 40 gal breeder, it will be less inclined to eat and bask and more likely to hide away. Because of this, as a baby you will be good with a 10 gallon, as a juvenile a 20-25 gallon, and as a sub-adult you can upgrade to their final needed size, a 40 gallon breeder (yes, you can go larger on an adult if you would like). If you happen to have a German Giant beardie, you will need somewhere around 60 gallons. Because bearded dragons will spend most of their time on the ground, it is important to find an enclosure that has more floor space than it does height. Males should never be kept with other males or other females, however under the right circumstances, female bearded dragons can be kept with females (NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS).
Substrate: Many people keep their bearded dragons on sand (calci-sand is just as bad), claiming they can just “bask it out”, however you are still putting your bearded dragon at risk for impaction (not being able to pass food, and getting sick and possibly dying). Bearded dragons use their tongues to get used to their surroundings, so even if you are not feeding on the loose particle substrate, they will still ingest it. Because of this, you should not keep your beardie on any sort of loose-particle substrate that is small enough for them to ingest (sand, calci/repti sand, moss, etc.). Ground coconut fibers is generally okay, but you are not in need of excess humidity, and it is hard to keep up with and messy. Your best options are paper towels, newspaper (the ink will make them dirty), tiles, or reptile carpet.
Diet: Bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning they need both vegetables and protein in their diet (meaning insects). There are a lot of safe and unsafe vegetables and fruit that bearded dragons can and can’t digest. As babies, they should have 35% veggies and 65% insects, and as they get older, around 40% insects and 60% veggies. The main intake of their vegetables should be dandelion greens, mustard greens, and cauliflower greens, however things such as romaine and iceberg lettuce have no nutritional value (good for getting babies to stay hydrated, though!). Bearded dragons also should get Calcium with D3 on their salads and on their insects. Staple insects include crickets, dubia roaches, phoenix worms, and superworms (only for sub-adult+!), treats include wax worms, butter worms, and horn worms (sub-adult+). Mealworms should never be fed to baby or juvenile bearded dragons because of the worm’s hard exoskeleton makes it hard to digest and can lead to impaction. Here is a list of safe and unsafe food: http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded-dragon-diet.php
Common Illnesses: Please take your animal to the vet if you notice any of these things happening to your animal. Impaction is when your animal ingests small fibers or something and cannot digest it, so it may clog and get stuck in the lining of the intestines, which can lead to not pooping, bloody poops, lack of appetite, non-digested foods, and can lead to death. Metabolic Bone Disease is when your animal is not getting enough sun, vitamins, or calcium and it causes the bones to essentially turn into jello, the muscles spasm uncontrollably and you may notice a lack of movement, can be fatal if left untreated. Upper Respiratory infections are caused when there is too much humidity, smoke/residue in the air (do not burn candles or incense or spray anything in the air), or dust (from sand). This can lead to eye crusties, nose and mouth bubbles, mouth rot, and if left untreated, death. Blood Mites (VERY CONTAGIOUS) are also sometimes an issue, mites are sneaky little buttholes that hide under scales, in noses/ears, or vents (butts) of your animal, that if left untreated, can kill beardies. They are small black or brown dots that are caused by unclean bedding/enclosure, leftover food, other animals, etc. When you are buying from anyone, run your hand along the entire body in one swipe and check in all the spots they may be, before placing into the enclosure/buying if you can. Luckily, mites are easily treatable (as in you can go to the pet store to buy it), however difficult to get rid of. Parasites are an issue, and if you see lack of appetite, bloody stool, or lack of gaining weight, take them to the vet IMMEDIATELY with a stool sample that has been passed within the past 24 hours.
Unmentioned/Fun Facts:
Where to buy: (Please be sure to know how to tell the difference between a healthy and unhealthy animal before buying) When buying any “exotic” animal, it is best to stay away from mass producers such as PetSmart or PetCo. This is because the majority of the time, you are buying a sick or unhealthy animal and you never know the history of the parents. The employees are also told to essentially bullshit their way through the conversation, just to make a few extra sales (majority of employees are like that, not all, just 99.9%). The best places to get animals from are rescues, adoption agencies, or (the best option for beginners) BUY ONLINE FROM A BREEDER! Not only are you guaranteed the health and background of the animal, but you also get a better selection. Breeders to stay away from are Underground Reptiles, LLLReptiles, and Backwater Reptiles. Remember to do your research on the breeders themselves as well! I recommend Daichu Dragons, Fire and Ice Dragons, and Atomic Lizard Ranch.
Again, please be sure to do your research before you get any animal! Good sources are on YouTube and across the internet! Don’t be afraid to ask if you have any questions!
I’m not touching anything else in all of this, but Fire and Ice Dragons is a terrible breeder. She sells to minors and ships at unsafe temperatures (my personal experience, as well as many others- but she sold me a dragon when I was fourteen and didn’t talk to my parents, shipped him in a snowstorm- oh, and he wasn’t the color she’d said he’d be, which… I mean, I loved him to pieces, but on the other hand, she took like, 300 dollars from a minor and sent me an animal worth less than a third of that), misrepresents the animals she sells, and then there’s her Board of Inquiry post– seven years of shitty customer service and misleading animal care.
I’ll touch on some of this other stuff. There’s a lot here, so others feel free to address any misinformation I haven’t.
A 40 Gallon Breeder Is Fine For A Juvenile. It’s cheaper than starting at a 10 Gallon and going up, your baby will probably appreciate the room. It’s also difficult to appropriately mount a UV tube in a 10G, most use the T8 which needs to be 8” – 10” away from the lizard, a 10G is usually only 12” high so this wouldn’t allow for a proper basking spot. To my understanding, a T5 is also best mounted inside and needs to be 13” – 15” away. The basking temperatures suggested are also too low, basking temperatures should be at 105F – 110F. Another source I respect is BeardedDragon.org and cited 95F – 102F for adults.
4x2x2 Enclosures are increasingly becoming suggested as the minimum. A lot of places, and a lot of people, cite a 40G Breeder tank as the minimum for an adult but if you see a full grown dragon in one there’s not a lot of room. I won’t say using 40G is wrong, but I’m of the opinion that bigger is better.
Bearded Dragons cannot live together. It doesn’t matter what the dragons sex is, they are solitary by nature and housing them together offers no benefit to the animal. The only benefits, such as saving space, is to the owner and is selfish. You can have a pair, or more, together for years and then one day have a dead Beardie. That’s what happened to this dragon, warning for graphic images in the link. You can find hundreds more examples like this.
Bioactive and naturalistic enclosures are becomming increasingly popular, this means loose substrate. I think loose substrate can be done right, but this isn’t the same as throwing sand or calci-sand in and calling it a day. I generally advise solid substrate for beginners! Calci-sand is especially bad and, in my opinion, never appropriate. HerpCenter used to have a really good article on it but the site seems to be dead, but @followthebluebell did a good write up on the issues with it here. Kaijutegu, who I reblogged this from, did a good write up on why sand isn’t a ‘natural’ substrate for Bearded Dragons. If you’re interested in a bioactive or naturalistic enclosure do your research, here’s some writing on little discussed aspects of bioactive by @tser and the group Reptile and Amphibian Bioactive Setups on Facebook can be helpful.
Bearded Dragon Newbies on Facebook and BeardedDragon.org are good resources for newbies. For more advanced care Bearded Dragons Network is a good group on Facebook. I do not necessarily agree with everything said on each of these sources, but I do believe each have value and utilizing multiple resources is important when researching.
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