Bearded Dragon as pet in reptiles species

Bearded Dragon as pet

Reptiles are becoming rising stars in the hobby pet circle. Popular among these is the bearded dragon. If you do not have much information on these reptiles, you may ask yourself what is all the fuss about. Read the bearded dragon info below to find out.

Beardies are excellent pets for several reasons first among these is that they are extremely cute. Secondly, they are not among the smallest available reptiles, which means they can be housed in an enclosure that requires little space in your house. Thirdly, they are easy to feed once you have their diet figured out.

The first time that you set your eyes upon a bearded dragon, your first impulse will be to buy him right on the spot. These creatures are completely stunning and they are available in a wide assortment of colors. Some colors include lemon, orange, white and red. They have delightful markings from their heads to their toes and the prickly looking spines around their throats give the impression that they have a beard (hence the name).

Looks are not the only factor that makes beardies excellent pets they are among some of the tamest and friendliest reptiles around. Bearded dragons that are bread in captivity most times do not need to be tamed. Most handlers report positive experiences when handling the first time. Bearded dragons are comfortable around their human companions and most times will cling to their keeper's hands in order to avoid going back inside of the enclosure. Naturally, beardies are inquisitive and friendly this makes it an excellent staging ground for owner and pet.

The bearded dragon is perfect for families who have children; however, they need to understand that beardies are very fragile and if mishandled, injury is likely to occur. Dragons will not scratch or bite this makes them perfect for children. They will be very happy in being held and will not show signs of distress or discomfort while they are being handled.

Beardies are quite easy to care for once you have the necessary equipment to stimulate their environment. When the conditions are correct, they will reproduce easily. Many reptile owners recommend starting off with a beardie if you are just seeking a reptilian pet as they are gentle and hardy.

If you plan on getting a beardie, you will need to have all the necessary items prior to bringing them home. These include food, a terrarium, lighting equipment, and other beardie equipment. You will need to know what the bearded dragon was fed prior to you taking it home. Their environment needs to be stimulating and it must also resemble their wild habitat. Doing this will keep your reptilian friend happy and healthy for many years.

Bearded dragon diseases

Bearded dragons are popular reptilian pets that originate in Australia. They are omnivorous and will grow up to 24 inches in length. They can live up to 15 years if they are taken care of properly. Even though these animals are quite robust, they are susceptible to a number of bearded dragon diseases.

Bearded dragon diseases include respiratory conditions, calcium deficiency, mites, impactions, parasites and a common condition that is called metabolic bone disease. These are just some conditions that may affect your beardie. Calcium is an important mineral that your beardie must have included in their diet. They should also sunbathe in order to receive UVA and UVB light which helps prevent conditions that cause their bones to weaken due to the imbalances in calcium, vitamin D and phosphorous. The metabolic bone disease may cause deformities as well as pain in bearded dragons and other reptiles.

Bearded Dragon Diseases - Parasites

Your beardies may acquire parasites through insects and unclean cage conditions. Symptoms of parasite infestation include foul-smelling or runny droppings, loss of appetite, weight loss and listlessness. If you notice any off the signs, you should not hesitate to have your lizard check out to by a vet. Treating parasitic infestations is fairly easy with a high rate of success. If left untreated for a long period parasites will damage the health of your dragon and eventually lead to its death.

Beardie Diseases - Adenovirus

A new problem that has recently been affecting beardies is the adenovirus. These viruses will take advantage of young animals that are weak. The actual signs of this disease are vague and will often manifest itself as another problem such as calcium deficiency. The only way that one can correctly diagnose the virus is through an autopsy. Most dragons who are infected by this virus rarely survive, but there are some who do. In order to care for a pet that has contracted this virus, the owner will need to force-feed, provide lots of fluid. Antibiotics are required to combat any bacterial infections that may develop as a result of the virus infection.

Bearded Dragon Diseases - Respiratory Conditions

Bearded dragons are cold-blooded so they need to be provided with a lot of warmth. However, moisture often comes with warmth and too much moisture can cause them to develop a respiratory condition. Signs of this condition include mucus, clogged nostrils, and raspy breathing. You may also notice that they are breathing through their mouths more frequently. If this beardie disease develops, antibiotics will be necessary for treatment as well as improving their cage conditions.

Bearded Dragon Diseases - Egg Binding

Females that are breeding may suffer from egg binding. This mostly happens during the first breeding cycle with infertile eggs. In order to prevent this, female dragons need to be old enough, of the right size and in a healthy condition for breeding. If these requirements are met and the egg binding still occurs, a vet is able to fix the problem.

Most bearded dragon diseases can be cured using antibiotics or other treatments or through adequate care. The adenovirus is the only condition that has a poor prognosis, and it is not very common. One needs to take extra care when acquiring a new beardie to ensure they are not carrying this disease or any other diseases.

Bearded Dragon care

In the event that you have decided to purchase a bearded dragon as a pet, then I would like to say that you made an excellent decision. Bearded dragons are awesome to keep for a handful of reasons. They don't get too large; they're pretty active in the daytime and they are very docile. Your dragon will definitely keep you entertained. Some more good things about them is that they aren't too costly, they're quite simple to take care of and you can find them in almost any pet store. To sum things up, they can be great pets. In the following paragraphs, I am going to provide you with simple info on caring for your bearded dragon. This should provide you with an understanding on what you're in store for.

Given that you're probably going to be purchasing a bearded dragon you should have the correct supplies to make his or her life with you extremely relaxing. Just like I explained above they are quite simple to take care of however that doesn't imply that you are free to leave it inside its tank and that's it. They undoubtedly have certain needs. For example, they require a very big terrarium or a big tank. Make certain that it has a screened top. Given that they are probably going to be kept inside the tank much of the time you need to provide them with room to move around in. Your pet dragon needs light, therefore, I suggest you acquire a light fixture that supports incandescent and fluorescent lighting. I also recommend you obtain a UVB fluorescent bulb. These are easy to obtain on the internet or in a store such as Home Depot. Your dragon is going to require constant heat so you have to purchase a heat emitter or a daylight bulb. In addition, you have to have a heating pad. Purchase one that you place under the tank. You can buy those in a local pet store easily.

You're going to require the substrate to place on the bottom of the tank. For me personally, I'm a fan of sand; however, you can use just about anything that is compatible with lizards. Even wooden shavings do good. Bearded dragons like hiding places, which means that you need to provide them with places to hide. All lizards like to climb, so I suggest you acquire a combination of rocks and tree branches. I'd add artificial plants, an attractive background and other decorations which will make the environment of your tank appear as natural as it can be. It shouldn't be difficult to do. I would search the Internet for images on terrariums and you will definitely get a good idea.

Your bearded dragon needs to eat and drink, which means you must provide it with a water dish and a food bowl. Bearded dragons may be fed a variety of various foods. They enjoy insects so you're going to have to supply him or her with gut-loaded crickets as well as mealworms. Sure, it may seem nauseating but it's necessary for them. You should also supply him or her with frozen mixed veggies along with fresh vegetables such as carrots and greens. In addition, they require calcium, so I advise that you obtain a vitamin D3 calcium supplement powder.

So as you can see bearded dragons are fairly easy to care for but basically like all household pets they do have particular requirements which you will need to provide them with. Keep in mind a happy pet is a healthy pet!

Bearded Dragon facts

This bearded dragon care sheet will hopefully help you better understand and care for your Bearded Dragon.

I want to stress the importance of knowing what a bearded dragon needs to be healthy and happy BEFORE you purchase one!

Healthy Looking Bearded Dragon:

Whether you decide to purchase your bearded dragon from a breeder or pet store, there are certain things you must look for before you purchase your beardie.

They should be alert and active. They should be watching you with interest and curiosity. Their eyes should be clear and bright; you shouldn't be able to see any puss or anything in the eyes.

When looking at their bodies, you should look for any sores or infections of any kind, especially if the beardie is housed with other beardies. Male beardies will fight!

Make sure that wherever you purchase your beardie, you have a reasonable time frame to return him if you need to. usually, 14 days to a month is good, and that you take him to your Vet as soon as you can and have him checked over carefully.

Bearded Dragon habitat setup

The bearded dragon needs room to run around, not climb too much. These pets are from Australia and are used to being able to roam free in the desert area. The best enclosure for beardies, in my opinion, is a glass aquarium. The aquarium should be big enough for them to run back and forth, but not that big they can not catch their crickets.

Beardies 3 to 7 inches can be kept in a 10 gal. aquarium while 7 to 12 in. beardies can be kept in a 20 gal. tank. Beardies over a foot long, which is 12 in., should be kept in a 40 gal. tank.

Lighting/Temperature

Make sure you have a Basking Lamp and a UV Bulb. The uv/uvb rays provide vitamin D which helps with the body's ability to absorb calcium. The temp should be around 90 degrees and 100 degrees during the day, and during the night the temp shouldn't go below 70 degrees at all during the night, however, if it does your beardie can survive one night if it drops that low then you should invest in a night heating light.

Make sure your beardie has a cool side and a basking side in his tank. Beardies love to bask during the day but you need to keep his food and water on the cool side

The best way to heat a glass aquarium is to use what is called under-the-tank heating pad, you can get one of these at most pet stores. You do not, I repeat, do not want to use any kind of heating rocks or fixtures in the tank your beardie can reach.

Substrate:

Now, this is a very tricky section, why? Because each dragon is different, and it seems to depend on your region. I recommend reptile carpet because it's easy to clean, it's inexpensive, and it comes in a variety of colors and sizes.

With young beardies try to use the felt type carpets, other types have loops that their nails will catch and can harm them.

Water Needs

Bearded dragons need access to water all day and all night. Their natural habitat in Australia provides water for them from the dew on the plant leaves and ground. They are used to drinking this way and a lot of beardies do not drink from any type of water dish.

It is important to make sure they are misted regularly with a misting spray bottle. For babies and juveniles mist them daily and also mist their perch and the sides of the glass aquarium. You should put enough mist on their heads until they no longer drink it or runoff.

Also, your beardie needs to absorb moisture their the skin pores, so they should be bathed in a tub of water that comes no higher than their elbows for at least 15 to 20 minutes. You should do this daily for babies and juveniles and weekly for adults.

Bearded Dragon diet

Bearded Dragons are omnivorous; this means they eat both meat and vegetables. Now they can not eat just anything; they have a very special diet you must follow to keep them happy and healthy.

The size of their food should no bigger than space between their eyes, if given too big of food it can cause impaction and other health issues, careful on the size of food, any food items, you feed your beardie.

One thing some new owners don't seem to realize is that baby beardies and juvenile beardies need to eat 2 to 3 times a day! Not just once a day.

Bearded Dragon breeding

The bearded dragon is one of the most popular lizards today. This has brought a great interest in the topic of bearded dragon breeding.

The process of breeding bearded dragons takes specific timing and conditions to produce fertile eggs and healthy hatchlings. Know the proper conditions needed to breed successfully. You must recreate the dragons’ natural environment.

Before you can breed dragons, you need to be sure that both the male and female are in good health and are of the proper age.

Preparation Before Breeding

You need to set the conditions in the bearded dragon tank to simulate the winter season. The UVB light needs to be on for only 10 hours, rather than the normal 14 hours, and provide the dragon with 14 hours of darkness rather than the 10 hours of darkness. You need to decrease the amount of food to the breeding pair.

The temperature needs to be dropped down to 78 degrees on the hot side while the temperature should be around 67 degrees on the cooler side of the tank.

You keep these conditions for about 6 weeks, then you can put the lighting and temperature back to normal.

Once this period is over, provide the dragons with more food than normal, it is very important to put some weight on them, so offer them the fattier foods such as wax worms.

Keep the pair apart and feeding as stated above for another 4 weeks before putting them together. It is advisable to put only the two breeding dragons in the tank together. If you put more than one male into the tank, they may become aggressive toward each other.

The female will show signs of being submissiveness by waving her arm and bobbing her head slowly. The male will begin to chase her around the tank trying to mount her.

Once the female is fertile, which you will know by her being much heavier than normal, she will be looking for a place to lay her eggs.

You can provide the female with a lay box that consists of sand and garden soil and should be kept moist at all times.

Bearded Dragon eggs hatching

The female will lay her eggs in a small hole, you need to make sure you know where she laid them, you will need to remove the eggs, usually with a spoon and Do Not turn them. The eggs need to be placed in an incubator, preferably a store-bought one rather than one hand made. The success rate using a store-bought incubator is higher. Make sure to keep the eggs at 85 degrees at all times; you should never let the temperature get below 83 degrees. Keep the eggs moist at all times by providing a small container of water inside the incubator and misting them lightly.

New Bearded Dragons

Shortly before the baby bearded dragon breaks the shell, you will notice the egg collapse. After they break through their shell, you need to place them into their own tank known as a rearing tank. The baby dragons will be very hungry and need to be fed often, at least 3 times a day. Make sure you are prepared for this or they can begin to chew on each other's tails and toes, which will not grow back.

You can feed the baby lizards tiny wax worms and crickets, it is vital that the size of their food be small or it could harm the babies. Continue feeding the baby dragons 3 times a day until they are at least 4 months old. You can also finely chop up vegetables to offer them. During their first 4 months though, it is vital they get more crickets and wax worms than vegetables to help them grow strong bones and be healthy and happy.

Bearded Dragon setup

If you've decided to become the proud owner of a new bearded dragon,

Firstly, you must prepare a fully operational and safe and secure enclosure for your bearded dragon to live in. This is very important because if you bring one home and you're unprepared, your dragon may suffer health problems. So avoiding this, have everything ready to go including the tank, substrate, tank background, basking rock, hideaway, climbing branches, and lighting. Also, don't forget to be ready to feed your beardie. For this, you'll want to do some research to find out what the optimal diet is. On the day you bring him or her home, turn on the light and heat so it's warm and cozy on arrival.

Once you have everything set up, you're ready to look for your new pet. You have some options when it comes to buying bearded dragon. There are several suppliers available, including pet shops, breeders and reptile shows. The most popular and dependable suppliers would be your local pet store or a reputable breeder. Breeders have a much larger variety to choose from such as the age of the dragon, size, species, and morph. Some specialize in providing morphs in just about every color imaginable and will have the best looking, healthiest dragons. However, this is expected as they specialize in a very specific area. Pet shops, are in the business of selling multiple types of animals plus products and services, which means you won't be receiving individualized expertise. However, they should still provide healthy bearded dragons. A pet shop is usually where you would purchase most of the equipment you'll require.

When you're looking for a bearded dragon there are a number of factors you'll need to take into consideration such as the health of the dragon. To determine this you will want to personally inspect the candidate and check to make sure there are no obvious signs of ill health. The mouth should be clean and closed, the eyes clear and open, no unusual lumps or discoloration and most importantly be active or happily basking. Another indication of a beardies health is his or her appetite. They should be eating well with a combination of insects and vegetables, so it may pay to ask if you can observe them feeding.

Once you're happy with their health you'll want to ask the age of the dragon and ensure you realize its size and exactly how much space you'll need to keep it. There's nothing quite like being extra prepared or overcautious. You might also want to make sure you like the color of your dragon as they come in a huge diversity of different morphs. Be aware though that the price can change depending on the type of morph.

This brings me to the final step. Find out how much it will cost. As I mentioned before, not all bearded dragons are the same price and can vary depending on age, size, and color. But once you're happy you can buy your new pet and take him or her home.

What does Bearded Dragon eat

Most think that a bearded dragon eats insects, this is not true, you feed bearded dragons mostly vegetables. They enjoy both insects such as crickets and mealworms, but vegetables are an important part of their diet.

These lizards will eat a combination of both insects and vegetables their entire life. When a beardie is young, usually under the age of 1, they will mainly eat live insects. As your beardie grows, the insect intake will decrease and their vegetable intake will increase.

Here are some basic guidelines you can follow on what to feed bearded dragons:

Insects -

The insects you offer to your beardie will depend on his/her age. For a young beardie, you should provide mainly crickets every day. Only feed enough crickets that your bearded dragon can eat within about 15 minutes. The insects you offer your beardie should be NO bigger than the space between his/her eyes. If they are too large, they can cause your dragon to choke.

As your dragon grows, the intact of insects will decrease and you can start to feed them about every other day. Instead, start feeding him/her vegetables on a daily basis.

Vegetables -

Your beardies' diet should include a wide variety of vegetables, as this will offer them more vitamins and nutrients. The majority of vegetables you feed your bearded dragon should consist of greens, such as, collard greens, mustard greens, and kale. There are many others out there but stay away from such greens as iceberg lettuce this will kill your beardie.

You can mix in fruits with the vegetables as well, some common fruits are strawberries, mango, and grapes.

Some other types of vegetables you should add in are carrots and squash.

All vegetables should be chopped up so it is no bigger than the space between his/her eyes.

Supplements -

It is very important that you make sure your beardie is getting the proper nutrients and vitamins he/she needs. The most important supplement you need to provide is calcium because dragons are susceptible to metabolic bone disease. This can cripple and even kill your beardie.

You can put the supplement on their food by using powders, you would just lightly sprinkle the powder on to the food. You can do this with their insects as well, by putting the insect and the powder in a plastic bag and shake well. Be sure to give the insects to your beardie right away, as the insects will lick the powder off.

Making sure your beardie has a proper diet and the right amount of nutrients and vitamins will help him/her to have a long and healthy life. Be sure that you know what they can and can not eat, do not ever give them household insects or bugs you find outside your home. Always purchase the insects from a local pet store or breeder to ensure they were raised properly.

The insects you give your beardie should also be well gut loaded. You do this by feeding the insects a proper diet as well. The bearded dragon enjoys crickets so you should be giving your crickets things such as fruits to help make sure your beardie gets them too.

In summary, make sure your beardie is getting the right food at the right age. Be sure they are getting the proper nutrients along with their food. Not all the food you feed your beardie will have the proper nutrients so added supplements are needed.

Lighting for Bearded Dragon

Providing proper lighting for bearded dragons is essential to their well being. These lizards require certain types of lights, heating, and UVB to maintain health and growth.

The light that is provided should give off certain types of UVB rays for your beardie. This helps them to product an important vitamin, vitamin D3 so they can efficiently absorb calcium. Lack of this vitamin can cause calcium deficiency leading to bone loss. This is especially true for baby bearded dragons, as these little guys need a lot of calcium for their bones.

The UVB is a special bulb you get at your local pet store and should extend the entire length of the enclosure. This type of lighting for bearded dragons will help them grow faster, eat more, and be more active.

The other type of light you will need is a spotlight that will product heat for them. These lizards come from the desert area and are used very hot exposure. This should be a direct spotlight focused on one end of the enclosure and you should provide your beardie with a basking perch to climb on.

Your beardie can lay under this light for hours during the day, this is totally normal. A bearded dragon can control their own body temperate by moving from the hot end of their enclosure to the cool end. So make sure this spotlight is only directed at one end and not in the center.

When setting up the beardie tank there are some other things you need to make sure of. Make sure that the top of your tank is a screen with holes evenly spaced and not too small. If the holes are too small it will block the UVB rays.

The temperature the tank needs to be at should be around 90 to 100 degrees during the day and not ever get lower than 70 degrees.

You need to provide lighting for the bearded dragon at least 14 hours a day, if you find this difficult to do, set up a timer so your beardie will get 14 hours of lighting and 10 hours of darkness.

Another way you can provide the proper UVB lighting is to take your beardie outside to get natural sunlight. If you do this, make sure you are also providing him/her with somewhere to hide to cool themselves down.

Putting your tank next to a window will not provide the proper UVB lighting, the window will block out the rays. So it is not a good idea to keep your tank close to a window.

Follow these tips for the lighting of your bearded dragon and you will have a happy and healthy beardie for years to come. Lighting is very important to the health of your lizard so make sure you do it right.

You can find almost all UVB bulbs and other spot lamps at your local pet stores, the first time you purchase them, they can be expensive. Keep this in mind when setting up your lighting for a bearded dragon.

Types of bearded dragon

Altogether there are 8 species of the bearded dragon. However throughout history, when these reptiles were gradually discovered, much controversy and confusion arose. As a result, there are many different common names for some species of dragon and in some cases, they may even have a variation to their scientific name as well. To complicate matters further, some people only recognize 6 species and 2 subspecies. Whilst I could go into more detail about the history of bearded dragon discovery, I thought I'd just bring the resulting confusion to your attention and move onto the important facts about each species.

Bearded dragons were named because of the beard that they display when they feel threatened. The first species discovered was the eastern beardie (pogona barbata). You may have noticed the scientific name for the eastern beardie is barbara. Can you guess why? Well, barbate comes from the word barber. I think the scientist who made the discovery though it needed a shave! These lizards grow to just under two feet in length making it one of the biggest bearded dragons. They can be found along the east coast of Australia in a variety of areas including open forest and dry scrublands. Unfortunately, these dragons are prone to harm from human contact as they love to bask on roads for warmth. This can be quite dangerous!

Now if you're looking for a dragon to keep, you're more than likely going to stumble across the inland bearded dragon (pogona vitticeps) as they are the most popular and readily available in the pet trade. They're also known as the central bearded dragon because they live in the center of Australia. These guys are also the largest of all bearded dragons, growing to two feet in length. They live in desert areas, dry forests, and scrublands.

The Nullarbor dragon (pogona nullabor), a type of beardie, is only found in Australia and therefore not available overseas. They're a fairly small dragon, reaching only 8 - 10 inches in length and live obviously on the Nullarbor plain of southwest Australia, hence the scientific name. These beardies are unique because of the white bands that extend along their backs.

The other species named after the small habitat in which it is found is the Drysdale River Bearded Dragon (pogona microlepidota). The Drysdale River National Park is home to these spectacular lizards. This is literally the only place they can be found as they're not available in any other counties. So if you want to see these dragons you'll have to make a trip down under.

Lawson's Bearded Dragons are also members of the beardie clan and whilst they can be found overseas, they're diminishing in number as they are difficult to breed. They grow to a length of 10 inches and can be found in the plains of central Australia, a habitat that is very hot and dry.

Now you would think that this next beardie would be the smallest of the lot, however, funnily enough, this is not the case. The Dwarf Beardie (pogona minor) can be found on the east of Western Australia and inland regions of South Australia and the Northern Territory. They grow to 8 - 10 inches and are similar in appearance to the Western Beardie.

This is one of the beardies that can be categorized as a subspecies of the Dwarf Bearded Dragon. The Western Bearded Dragon (pogona minima) can be found overseas and grow to be 20 inches in length. Called the western beardie because they're mostly found in southwest Australia, inhabiting coastal dunes and dense forest.

The Mitchell's Dragon (pogona mitchelli) is native to northwest Australia in dry woodland and desert areas. They grow to be about 8 inches and can not be found overseas. Therefore, these fantastic dragons are not available in the pet trade.

I hope this information will definitely helpful for all Bearded Dragon lovers.

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