SIZE: Adult males can reach up to 2 feet in
length (including tail). The average sized dragon
is usually between 18 and 22 inches long.
length (including tail). The average sized dragon
is usually between 18 and 22 inches long.
LIFE EXPECTANCY: Bearded Dragons can live
from 5-10 years of age, with the oldest recorded
dragon reaching 12 years of age in captivity.
from 5-10 years of age, with the oldest recorded
dragon reaching 12 years of age in captivity.
INTRODUCTION: The Bearded Dragon is so
named for its ability to flare the skin of its throat
when feeling territorial or threatened, and in
mature males, for the ability to turn the spines of
the throat completely black.
named for its ability to flare the skin of its throat
when feeling territorial or threatened, and in
mature males, for the ability to turn the spines of
the throat completely black.
ORIGIN: Eastern Australia
ENCLOSURE: Excessively large cages at a
young age will cause your dragon to feel
insecure and stressed. For baby and juvenile
dragons up to 12 inches in length, a vivarium
measuring 30 inches long and 16-18 inches wide
is sufficient. Once your dragon reaches 12
inches, it should be moved to its adult enclosure -
a vivarium that is 48 inches long by 24 inches
wide by 24 inches tall is the perfect size for one
or two dragons. If housing multiple dragons,
remember to allow for a bigger vivarium to house
them in.
Housing multiple dragons together is not
recommended; however, dragons are social
creatures and the females can be housed
together as long as they are very close in size
and your vivarium allows for multiple inhabitants.
Keep in mind though that males should be
separated from each other at six months of age
to avoid fighting between them. Males and
females should also be separated once they
reach six months of age to avoid early breeding,
which can be fatal to a young female. Females
should not be bred until they are at least 18
months old and weigh 400 grams or more.
young age will cause your dragon to feel
insecure and stressed. For baby and juvenile
dragons up to 12 inches in length, a vivarium
measuring 30 inches long and 16-18 inches wide
is sufficient. Once your dragon reaches 12
inches, it should be moved to its adult enclosure -
a vivarium that is 48 inches long by 24 inches
wide by 24 inches tall is the perfect size for one
or two dragons. If housing multiple dragons,
remember to allow for a bigger vivarium to house
them in.
Housing multiple dragons together is not
recommended; however, dragons are social
creatures and the females can be housed
together as long as they are very close in size
and your vivarium allows for multiple inhabitants.
Keep in mind though that males should be
separated from each other at six months of age
to avoid fighting between them. Males and
females should also be separated once they
reach six months of age to avoid early breeding,
which can be fatal to a young female. Females
should not be bred until they are at least 18
months old and weigh 400 grams or more.
FAMILY: Agamidae
TEMPERATURE: Baby dragons require a
basking spot of 105-115°F with the warm side of
the vivarium being in mid to upper 90s. The cool
end should be in the mid 80s. You must provide
your dragon with a cool side of the cage to get
out of the heat, or it will not survive. Adult
dragons should be kept a little cooler at
temperatures of 95-105°F. As long as overnight
temperatures do not drop below 60°F, your
dragon will be fine. If it does tend to get cooler
than the 60s in its vivarium, you should provide it
with a ceramic heat emitter. Digital thermometers
are recommended for monitoring the
temperatures in your bearded dragon's cage as
these are most accurate. Never use a heat rock
for bearded dragons! They cannot sense heat
from underneath, and these can cause severe
and sometimes fatal burns.
basking spot of 105-115°F with the warm side of
the vivarium being in mid to upper 90s. The cool
end should be in the mid 80s. You must provide
your dragon with a cool side of the cage to get
out of the heat, or it will not survive. Adult
dragons should be kept a little cooler at
temperatures of 95-105°F. As long as overnight
temperatures do not drop below 60°F, your
dragon will be fine. If it does tend to get cooler
than the 60s in its vivarium, you should provide it
with a ceramic heat emitter. Digital thermometers
are recommended for monitoring the
temperatures in your bearded dragon's cage as
these are most accurate. Never use a heat rock
for bearded dragons! They cannot sense heat
from underneath, and these can cause severe
and sometimes fatal burns.
Species: Pogona vitticeps
SUBSTRATE: We do not recommend using any
loose substrates (IE sand, calci-sand, wood
chips, or aspen) as these can cause impaction if
they are ingested. Recommended substrates are
newspaper, paper towels, reptile carpet,
indoor/outdoor carpet, and non-stick shelf liner.
Always use solid substrate for baby dragons.
loose substrates (IE sand, calci-sand, wood
chips, or aspen) as these can cause impaction if
they are ingested. Recommended substrates are
newspaper, paper towels, reptile carpet,
indoor/outdoor carpet, and non-stick shelf liner.
Always use solid substrate for baby dragons.
♣ Bearded Dragons ♣
FOOD, SUPPLEMENTATION, & WATER: Baby
dragons eat lots of food. They should be fed at
least twice a day for 15 minutes each time. If fed
properly, young dragons can eat between
50-100 appropriately sized crickets a day. The
appropriate sized prey item is the same size as
the space between your dragon's eyes. Feeding
your dragon too large of a prey item can cause
your dragon to become impacted. Adult dragons
need less live prey than young dragons. 15-20
crickets every other day is sufficient for adults.
Be sure to dust the crickets with calcium and
multivitamins before you feed them to your
dragon. This ensures they get all the nutrients
they need. Your dragon needs phosphorus free
calcium that contains D3 when using a
fluorescent UVB light and plain calcium when
using a mercury vapor bulb, along with
multivitamins once a week. Fresh greens and
vegetables should also be made available to
your dragon throughout the day, but younger
dragons tend to ignore them until they are older.
A complete guide to healthy fruits and veggies
for your dragon is available here.
Silkworms are also a very good substitute for
crickets. They are a more nutritional live prey
item than crickets. One silkworm is equal to 3
equally sized crickets.
Other live prey that may occasionally be given as
a treat are superworms, waxworms, lobster
roaches and locusts. Only feed these once your
dragon has reached a length of at least 12
inches. Remember to use the rule of only
feeding prey the size of the space between your
dragon's eyes.
Water: Dragons don't need to be supplied with a
bowl of water inside their cage. It is important to
mist young dragons 2-3 times a day to make
sure they are well hydrated. Adult dragons only
need to be sprayed with water once a day.
Gently spray the tip of your dragon's nose with
room temperature water. If they are thirsty, they
will begin to lap the water up. Another option is to
spray the side of the tank nearest your dragon,
and once it sees the water, it will lick it off the
side of its cage if it is thirsty.
Bathing your dragon at least once a week in
lukewarm water up to its shoulders for 15-30
minutes is also very important.
dragons eat lots of food. They should be fed at
least twice a day for 15 minutes each time. If fed
properly, young dragons can eat between
50-100 appropriately sized crickets a day. The
appropriate sized prey item is the same size as
the space between your dragon's eyes. Feeding
your dragon too large of a prey item can cause
your dragon to become impacted. Adult dragons
need less live prey than young dragons. 15-20
crickets every other day is sufficient for adults.
Be sure to dust the crickets with calcium and
multivitamins before you feed them to your
dragon. This ensures they get all the nutrients
they need. Your dragon needs phosphorus free
calcium that contains D3 when using a
fluorescent UVB light and plain calcium when
using a mercury vapor bulb, along with
multivitamins once a week. Fresh greens and
vegetables should also be made available to
your dragon throughout the day, but younger
dragons tend to ignore them until they are older.
A complete guide to healthy fruits and veggies
for your dragon is available here.
Silkworms are also a very good substitute for
crickets. They are a more nutritional live prey
item than crickets. One silkworm is equal to 3
equally sized crickets.
Other live prey that may occasionally be given as
a treat are superworms, waxworms, lobster
roaches and locusts. Only feed these once your
dragon has reached a length of at least 12
inches. Remember to use the rule of only
feeding prey the size of the space between your
dragon's eyes.
Water: Dragons don't need to be supplied with a
bowl of water inside their cage. It is important to
mist young dragons 2-3 times a day to make
sure they are well hydrated. Adult dragons only
need to be sprayed with water once a day.
Gently spray the tip of your dragon's nose with
room temperature water. If they are thirsty, they
will begin to lap the water up. Another option is to
spray the side of the tank nearest your dragon,
and once it sees the water, it will lick it off the
side of its cage if it is thirsty.
Bathing your dragon at least once a week in
lukewarm water up to its shoulders for 15-30
minutes is also very important.
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Another option for providing your dragon with
UVB is to get a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB). This
combines the heat and the UVB all in one bulb
and puts out much more UVB than a fluorescent
tube light will. Along with the MVB, a regular
fluorescent light that runs the length of your
dragon's vivarium is still recommended to provide
enough light for your dragon.
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Christine Cotter
