Bearded Dragon Care
Bearded dragons are diurnal (awake during daylight hours), omnivorous reptiles accustomed to high temperatures in arid (dry) environments. They are native of the deserts and arid woodlands of Australia and spend the majority of their day searching for food amongst bushes and trees or basking on rocks.
They live an average of 5-8 years in captivity with some living as long as 10 years. As with most reptiles, the most common medical issues we treat is caused by inappropriate or inadequate diet and improper husbandry.
Diet
The diet recommended for bearded dragons consists of an herbivorous part, similar to green iguanas, with the addition of insects and pinkies. The following list of plants is appropriate when a mixture of 3 or more types is used in each meal.
Plant Items
Beet Greens
Bok Choy
Chard
Cilantro
Collard Greens
Dandelion (greens & flowers)
Endive
Escarole
Grape Leaves
Hibiscus (flowers & leaves)
Kale
Mulberry Leaves
Mustard Greens
Parsley
Rose Petals
Snow Peas
Spinach
Turnip Greens
Animal Items*
Beetles
Crickets & Mealworms (require gut-loading 2 days prior to feeding)
Grasshoppers
Grubs
Isopods (pill bugs)
Moths
Pinky Mice
Waxworms
*Never offer scorpions or lightning bugs
A diet consisting of equal parts plant and animal items is nutritionally complete. Vitamin supplements are unnecessary, and in fact are often harmful. When feeding live insects, only provide as many insects as the animal can eat in a few hours. Young bearded dragons typically eat a larger percentage of insects and the number decreases with age. Clean water should be available at all times.
Temperature and Lighting
Daytime ambient temperature (everywhere in the enclosure) should be maintained at 85-95 degrees F (29 - 35 C). Night time ambient temperature should be maintained at 72 - 75 degrees F (29.5 - 35 C). An Incandescent lamp for basking should also be provided. Light bulb wattage should be adequate to provide a basking temperature around 100 degrees F (37 C). This temperature should be measured with a thermometer placed directly at the basking site. Bearded dragons require a good source of UVB light for at least 8 hours every day.
Fluorescent lamps with a stronger UVB output, such as the Repti-sun 8.0 (ZooMed) or ReptiGlo 8.0 (Exoterra) are appropriate. A mercury vapor lamp, such as Power Sun by ZooMed or Mega Ray at www.reptileUV.com provides both heat and UVB. The lamp should be within 18 inches of the animal's body, with no glass or plastic between them.
Housing
Bearded dragons are best housed individually, as fighting with cage mates can occur between all combinations of bearded dragons. If breeding is desired, males and females should be introduced together only during spring or early summer. Recommended cage substrates include desert topsoil, coarse gravel, and folded paper.
The majority of intestinal impactions occur due to sand (including Calci-Sand), crushed walnut shell, or other substrates composed of small, equal-sized particles and therefore these are not recommended. Indoor-outdoor carpeting is also not recommended due to the possibility of carpet threads constricting toes or being ingested.
Gut-Loading
Gut-loading is the practice of feeding insects a diet high in calcium, protein, and other nutrients prior to offering the insects to reptiles and amphibians. Domestic crickets and meal worms should be fed a commercial, grain-based calcium enriched cricket diet such as those made by Flukers or ZooMed, or a diet consisting of four parts chicken or turkey starter mash and one part calcium carbonate for two or three days before offering the crickets to your pet.
Also, offer the crickets water in a shallow dish or wet sponge. Gut-loading beyond 2-3 days is not beneficial, and can actually decrease the life expectancy of the insects.
This adult bearded dragon is an excellent example of proper husbandry and diet