Bearded Dragon MythBusters

I thought this would be a cool topic for those of us to share common bearded dragon myths and prove them correct or bust them.

Here's one I fell for when I first started out.

Myth: You need to chop the heads off superworms or they will chew a whole through the bearded dragons stomach.

False: While this may apply to some animals such as frogs and chameleons it does not ring true for bearded dragons. The dragon does infact chew and kill the superworm before swallowing. Also the heat is much higher for bearded dragons and they digest the supers much quicker then other animals.

Now I admit for the first 3-4 months of owning dragons I used a razor blade and chopped off every supers head before I fed them. Took forever and was absolutely not needed. It took mentioning this little gem to Vicki Dachiu in a phone call and being laughed at for 10 min before I finally learned the truth.

I never even knew about that about super worms interesting........... Then again I never use them and I own more snakes than anything lol

I feed mini supers as a staple to my baby dragons with no problems at all. Josh

Myth: All dragons originate from the same breeding pair imported from Australia.

Busted: There were many dragons imported before Australia stopped it. Several individuals started breeding programs with different pairs from different bloodlines. Dragons are imported today from countries in Europe providing a much needed crop of fresh blood in the US breeding populations. Although the US population is pretty close in genetics it could be a lot worse.

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Fact - You will be hard pressed to find a dragon utilizing cage carpet, shelf liner, paper towels, ceramic tiles or bricks in their natural habitat.

Idea - Try mixing some top soil (not potting soil) in with the sand. Dampen it, pack it down some and let it dry. The soil will help to keep the substrate more stationary; while the sand will allow it to still be 'scoop-able'.

* Any dragon - wild or captive - is susceptible to impaction... one no more than the other.
* Captive dragon are not more susceptible to disease, but more frequently exposed to disease/illness causing agent within their environment. The spreading or outbreak of a problem is generally introduced - Whether it is an unclean cage or contamination through contact.

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Hmmm I've always used Reptilite sand substrate and never had a real problem with impaction. My beardie seems to do well on it maybe since it is 100% calcium that If he ingests it it doesn't bother him. But I recently switched to something else and he has been on it for a couple of months. (they ran out of my normal substrate) And I have noticed a decline in his eating habits over the last couple of day/week. I wonder if he suffers from some sort of impaction or if he is going into winter shutdown.

With some many options for substrates it's hard to say why your dragon might not be eating as well as it once did. It's possible the substrate change has nothing to do with it. I know my guys have been slowing down a little bit over the past week or so. It's that time of the year.

That's what I thought and why I wasn't to concerned about it. I know he hasn't had his normal "Garbage Disposal I eat Everything in Sight" appetite but he is still eating. And I thought it might because of their winter shutdown deal. Thank you though. I feel better that someone else confirms what I thought in the first place.