How To Care for Your Bearded Dragon
Bearded Dragons are cold-blooded reptiles with their temperature being regulated by the environment. As a result, beardies are awake during the heat of the day and sleep at night as the temperature drops.
They enjoy being elevated, closer to the heat, hanging out on branches and rocks and basking in the sun.
Setup for your lizard:
The size of the enclosure for your beloved beardie can vary with the age of your dragon. As a baby, your lizard will be fine in a 25- or 30-gallon tank. This size won’t last long though! At full size, an adult bearded dragon will need a tank that is a minimum of 40 gallons but even bigger (around 75 gallons) will make for the most enjoyable living space for your pet.
Your enclosure requires suitable flooring with either paper towels, tile (easy to clean!), or even shredded newspaper. Sand is not a great choice as they can consume it accidentally.
A thermometer is critical to ensure that the temperature is ideal for your beardie. The enclosure should be between 75- and 85-degrees Fahrenheit during the day with their basking spot anywhere between 88- and 100- degrees Fahrenheit. At night, the temperature should remain between 70- and 75- degrees Fahrenheit.
Bearded dragons need heat and full spectrum light. Both UVA and UVB bulbs are necessary for your animal’s enclosure. The UVA bulb generates heat and maintains a day and night cycle. The UVB bulb is critical as it provides your lizard with vitamin D3 and helps to absorb calcium.
Provide rocks and branches for your beardie to climb on and bask in the sun. Order a hammock from us to give your lizard a comfortable place to hang! Make sure you provide some shelter to hide in for when he or she gets too hot and wants to cool down.
Spot checking and cleaning for feces daily maintains a healthy habitat for your beardie. Soiled or wet substrate should be removed and replaced to avoid bacterial growth. You can disinfect the enclosure with dilute soap or dilute bleach solution regularly. Do not use any standard home cleaning products. Make sure to wash your hands after handling your animal and cleaning the enclosure!
Bearded Dragon Diet:
Bearded Dragons are omnivores. They eat insects, fruits, leafy greens, and other vegetables. The link below is a great nutrition spreadsheet full of information for your beardie. Additionally, fresh water should always be available for your pet. Replace it daily.
www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html
As a baby, your dragon should consume approximately 50% greens and vegetables and 50% insects for protein. As an adult the diet should change to 25% percent insects with vegetables and greens being more prominent in their diet.
Beardies eat live insects such as crickets, mealworms, waxworms, hornworms, and dubia roaches. Make sure the size of the insects are the appropriate size for your lizard.
Vegetables and greens that your dragon should NOT eat include cabbage, chard, spinach, broccoli, and parsley.
Once a day your meals can be coated in a calcium powder supplement to aid in bone development, muscle contractions, and proper egg development and reproductive health in females. Calcium deficiency can lead to metabolic bone disease causing bone degeneration and tissue deterioration in your lizard.
Some of the best supplements on the market are:
- Rep Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3
- Repashy Calcium Plus
- Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3
- Fluker’s Repta Calcium with D3