Info. Bearded Dragon
Care Sheet - Bearded Dragon. Pogona vitticeps
Bearded dragons make excellent first time family lizards.
A baby dragon is similar to owning a kitten, with a two second attention span, constantly wanting to be the centre of attention. An adult dragon is like an old tomcat, quite happy to sit on your knee and watch T.V.
Bearded dragons are sun loving reptiles, providing both the heat they need to stay active, and the UVB rays that keep them healthy. We use two lamps to replicate the sun.
• A spot light plugged into a thermostat heats the tank. A bearded dragon needs to bask at temperatures between 40’c – 42’c, and the cool end of the tank should be around 24’c.
Most modern houses will not drop below 18’c at night even in winter so the heater can simply be turned off.
• A strip light (desert rated 12%UVB are the best) is used to provide the UVB. The UV output is only effective for a limited range, the animal must be able to get within twelve inches of the tube in order to utilise the benefits of the UV.
UV tubes must be replaced every six months in order to remain effective.
• Bearded dragons eat a mixture of live insects, and vegetables. A young dragon will require about 90% insects to about 10% veggies.
• A bearded dragon should be fed fresh vegetables and get fresh water every morning.
• Baby bearded dragons need insects every day.
• Look after the crickets as ‘you are what you eat’.
• A full spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement (such as Nutrobal) should be added to the food twice per week, and a pure calcium supplement should be added a further three times per week.
• Spot clean the vivarium every day and remove any obvious mess. If you keep on top of the spot cleaning then the tank will only need to be fully cleaned about once every four weeks.
• When cleaning the tank do not use household detergents and disinfectants as these can be toxic to reptiles. There are a range of reptile specific cleaners available.
For a fuller set of instructions on caring for your dragon - CLICK HERE.