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Bearded Dragon Resource Bearded Dragons are very popular pets, but their care requirements are complex. This popular pet is falling prey to poor care and misinformation. Here are some tips to help you care for your beardie.
Setup a Bearded Dragon Tank Bearded horses require a clean and dry environment. You can keep your beardie happy, healthy, and comfortable by placing it in a cool, but not too humid room. The ideal room should have a door. Keep a dehumidifier away from your beardie's bedroom. This can disturb the beardie's rest.
Newspapers and paper towels are safer options and are also much easier to clean and dispose of. This substrate should be cleaned regularly or if it shows any signs of bacterial growth.
Bearded dragons can display a variety of morphs. These morphs are mainly based on body types, but can also be derived from selective breeding.
When you’re looking for a bearded dragon, it’s important to understand the different morphs. A morph is a genetic mutation that results in certain traits. The most common are color variations. You can see a wide range of colors in beardies, including beiges, browns, and muted tans.
There are other morphs that result from genetics, such as visual morphs. These are inherited traits that are passed down from parents. They’re often the most unique beardie varieties. Some of them are translucent, meaning they have a transparent appearance. Others, such as hypomelanistic, lack melanin, which makes their skin lighter.
Bearded dragons like many other reptiles have specific lighting requirements that can be really confusing, especially for new owners that don’t have previous experience.
Because of that reason, having a good understanding when it comes to lighting the space of your bearded dragon is very important.
You should know there are plenty of options when it comes to lighting for bearded dragons and choosing the wrong setup can be harmful to your pet. However, if you carefully read our guide you will get plenty of information about setting up proper lighting for your pet.
Handling a bearded drake's skin can cause serious scratches. The reptile will become more docile after it has been acclimated. Avoiding minor scrapes or cuts by wearing long-sleeved clothes and gloves when handling the beardie is important. It is important to remember that all reptiles have the potential for Salmonella bacteria. If not treated, it can cause serious illness.
Their natural coloration is dull brown or tan with red or gold highlights, depending on local soil color, but modern breeding practices have produced a variety of color morphs from white to lemon yellow to dark red. Some breeders specialize in dragons with bright blue “tiger bars.” Modern breeding has also produced different scale textures: Dunners (multidirectional scales), Leatherbacks (small, smooth scales), and Silkbacks (no scales).
Bearded dragons are happy to eat vegetables as well as insects. They eat mostly insects in the wild. They are known to also forage for leaves and flowers. They are a great source of protein, and these plants are great for their diet.
When a male wants to court a female, he will darken his throat and circulate around her. If she accepts, she will flatten her body to allow copulation. During copulation, the male will bite the female’s neck. This mating occurs in spring and early summer when progesterone levels in the female are high. This is after brumation, so it is ideal to brumate your reptiles before breeding them.
Bearded dragons will happily eat vegetables and insects. In the wild they eat mainly insects. They can forage for flowers and leafy greens, but they also eat insects. They can also get protein from these plants, which is great for their diet.
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Bearded dragons are exceptionally popular as pets, with a calm, curious temperament and array of social behaviors that makes them a safe, entertaining first reptile. They have full-color vision and a keen sense of smell that helps them recognize their keepers, and some people claim that their dragons respond to their names. All bearded dragons available for sale outside of Australia are captive bred.
Alone, Bearded Dragons are happy and friendly lizards. They will occasionally hide, but are content to frequently change back and forth between their basking-spot and shade. It is possible for Bearded Dragons to go through a brumation period where they eat slightly less regularly and sleep for two weeks to four months. Many breeders will send their dragons through brumation before sexing. This can be achieved by keeping the tank at 60℉-75℉ for 4-6 weeks and gradually increasing the temperature with time.
According to data on sunrise and sunset times in bearded dragons’ natural habitat in Australia, a cycle of 14 hours/day during summer and 10 hours/day during winter (with gradual adjustments in-between) is appropriate. Alternatively, syncing your dragon’s lights to your local sunrise/sunset times via a smart plug/power strip should also work well.
Bearded Dragon Care Bearded dragons require a clean environment in which to thrive. It is necessary to clean the habitat regularly, including the substrate and accessories. This can be accomplished using a sponge, washcloth, or soft-bristled toothbrush. However, you should not let the habitat become too dirty, as it can pose a serious threat to the health of the animal.
A young bearded dragon (4 to 18 months old) will have a bowel movement every day or so, while you can expect those older than 18 months to poop 1-7 times a week.
Turtles, tortoises, bearded dragons, iguanas, and chameleons are some common examples of reptiles that need UVB light. This helps prevent animals from developing hypocalcemia (or lack of calcium). UVB lights should be kept on during the day and turned off at night and should be used along with calcium supplements.
Many reptiles do cry, including bearded dragons, but they do this because the flow of tears helps to clean out and protect their eyes, not because they are unhappy.
Since bearded dragons are naturally solitary creatures, they do not get lonely if placed alone in a cage or left for some time away from their keeper. They much prefer having their food and heat to themselves rather than sharing it with another bearded dragon.