WELCOME TO THE BEARDED DRAGON WORLD!
(Beginner Lizard, but keep in mind the silk back morph and the extra attention they need to their shed!)
We will go over the care of your bearded dragon in this sheet! I have owned reptiles since I was six years old and have had a deep fascination with lizards. I have had years of researching, reptile-common-sense, and experience to debunk the false care info and put together a care sheet to educate people about their needs and enrich their lives.
Products to buy from Amazon:
- Thermostat with probe is essential to regulate the correct temperatures.
- Dual Lamp to be able to provide a UVB and Heat bulb.
- Depending on cage size the heat bulb wattage can vary, your options are 25w, 50w, 75w, 100w, or 150w. The thermostat will protect the reptile from burning, but if you purchase a weak bulb you wont be able to heat the enclosure properly.
- Digital Thermostat and Hygrometer to monitor.
- We prefer tiles or sand mats, but if you want loose substrate walnut, or vita sand works as long as you know your basking temperature is optimal and that you offer a worm dish so the beardie doesn’t eat loose substrate.
- A water bowl that allows them to be able to lay in it. We personally like this one.
- Hides and décor for the reptiles comfort.
- Here’s a starter enclosure for a baby, but if you are looking for something different there are these.
- Tongs for tong feeding and a worm dish to keep insects in a bowl for feeding.
- Calcium Powder without d3 or with d3
Important Care:
Pogona Vitticeps
This pertains to silk backs!!! You can grab a reptile shed aide and rub that in their skin. Soak them when they are shedding! They shed a lot, giving them lots of humidity during these times.
Enclosure:
Babies can live in a 50-gal enclosure. It would be economical to upgrade the yearling 5’3’3 to a 5’3’3 ft enclosure. This would be their final cage upgrade, but if you want to go bigger, you can. Just add a lot of clutter to make smaller beardies feel secure.
Substrate(Flooring):
You can put down eco-earth or wood chip shavings, tile, kitchen liners, or excavator clay.
Décor:
You can add climbing décor. They like to bask on a platform. Add a tile on an elevated space for basking. Have a water bowl on the cold side (reduces bacteria), and you can put a hide on the hot and cold side. Add a bunch of clutter. Refrain from cardboard. It molds super fast!
Cohabbing lonisn’tm isn’t a good idea.
Humidity & Temps:
40-60% or higher humidity. 75-80° Cool side 95-100° Hot side. Put a basking light on a thermostat for accurate temp control.
Handling:
They can be flighty in the beginning. Always approach a monitor slow and low. Regular handling will keep them tame.
Feeding:
((See the last page for the entire list of feeders))
Bearded Dragons can eat insects like well-fed crickets, waxworms, mealworms, earthworms, super worms, silkworms, grasshoppers, roaches, and canned insects. VARIETY IS KEY! They also need fruits and veggies in their diet. Some good fruits are Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Grapes, Strawberries, and Watermelon. Most importantly, I will list what you should not feed your bearded dragon: onions, chives, leeks, mushrooms, garlic, rhubarb, avocados, eggplants, and iceberg lettuce. Some common veggies you can feed your beardie are collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, broccoli, turnip greens, alfalfa hay or chow, kale, parsley, Swiss chard, watercress, clover, red or green cabbage, savory, cilantro, kohlrabi, bell peppers, okra, and green beans. Feeding them veggies may be a challenge, so cutting everything into tiny bits will help them eat them on accident!
Vitamins:
A light dusting of calcium.
Cleaning:
Please clean the monitor’s poops & pees once you see them; they can get sick if you don’t! Every six months, deep clean & replace the substrate.
ALL INSECT FEEDERS:
You can feed your beardy insects, fruit, and vegetables. Now all below are insects that can provide your Beardy. Dubai, Hisser, DuskyCave, Lobster, Headlamp, Ivoryhead, Peruvian Cave, RedHead, RedGoblin, and Red Runner ROACHES
Florida OWNERS: Discoid, Australian, Green Banana, Suriname, Horseshoe crab, Oriental, Plaid, Death Head, Florida Skunk ROACHES
Locust, Crickets, Grasshoppers, Silkworms, Superworms, Mantis, Earthworm, European/African/Canadian Nightcrawlers, Alabama Jumper, Black Soldier Fly Larva/BSFL/Phoenix Worms/Calci Worm, Butter Worms, Wax Worms, Hornworms. Fruit that they can eat: Figs, Apples, Watermelon, Mango, Papaya, Dates, Peaches, Apricots, Plums, Kiwi, Pears, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Guava, Grapes, Raisins, and Apricots. They can eat vegetables: Peas, Green beans, Courgette, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Bell Pepper, Okra, Small amounts of Broccoli, Acorn Squash, Cabbage, Parsnip, Yellow Squash, and Asparagus. To elaborate on the greens they can eat: Spring Greens, Floret mix, Lamb Lettuce, Kale, Collards, Parsley, Clover, Dandelion greens, Turnip Greens, Mustard Greens, Endive, Rocket, Coriander, Watercress. They can also eat weeds, but only these kinds, so please identify them before you let your beardie eat them: dandelion, Catsear, Dead Nettle, and Plantain. Now here are the foods to AVOID!!: Onions, Celery, Mushrooms, Lemon, Orange, Iceberg Lettuce, Spinach, Beet tops, Wild insects that you or the beardie catches, Fireflies, Avocados, and Rhubarb. A lot of these are also what other reptiles are sick of too. So please be mindful of these.