Bearded dragon care sheet

Hi Guys,
I have had this care sheet made up for a while and thought I would post it here. Any feedback on it welcome...I just thought it could help out some of those people who are new to bearded dragons. Tell me what you think.

Before you get started.

You will need:
At least a 20 gallon tank, I would go with at least a 40 breeder tank though since you can separate it to a smaller area while they are little so they don’t get stressed and so they can find the food. A 40 gallon breeder is the minimum they should be in as adults.

A screen top to fit the size tank you have.

For substrate, anything solid, newspaper, paper towels nonadhesive shelf liner or my favorite tile. Loose substrates are not good because bearded dragons taste to explore their world and they taste everything. They have sticky tongues and they will ingest some of the substrate and they can get impacted. I use slate tiles and they look great.

For babies I wouldn’t suggest a hide, sometimes they will go in there and not come out to bask. For adults, they’re good because they like to veg. when shedding or brumating (semi-hibernation, they MAY do it after a year old)

Something for them to bask on, either a log or bricks stacked up to get within a good distance of the basking light.

Lighting:

You have 2 options here, first is getting a fluorescent UVB bulb to run the length of the tank and a basking bulb (heat) which can be any bulb that gives off heat. I like this option because it’s easier to regulate the temps and the UVB runs the length of the tank so they get more exposure. The best UVB bulb is a Reptisun 10 but whichever brand you choose you must replace it every six months even though it will still light up, the UVB properties will wear out by that time.

Second option is a mercury vapor bulb which has both heat and UVB. They are more expensive then the other bulbs but the UVB lasts for the length of the bulb, but they are known to burn out faster. In order to get the proper temps in the tank you may need to experiment with different wattages and with these bulbs that can get to be very expensive.

A water dish and salad dish. You may not see them drink but they sometimes go in the water when shedding or when overheated. As babies they not eat much salad but that should increase as they get older and it should be offered every day.

A digital probe type thermometer (indoor/outdoor Wal-Mart)

Calcium (without D3) multivitamin powder, I use Rep-cal for both.

Setting up

Your tank should be set up prior to getting your beardie so you can allow time to adjust the temps.

Their basking site should be 110-115 for babies and 100-110 for adults, these temps should be measured on the surface of the log/bricks as the air above is often cooler sometimes by as much as 10 degrees. The cool side of the tank should be 80-85.

Night time temps can drop down to 62-65 with no problems as they are from dessert areas which get cold at night.

You will need a lot of crickets, no bigger than the space between your dragon’s eyes or 1/3 the head size of your dragon. Crickets that are too big can cause them to choke or become impacted so err on the small side. You could also use silkworms, discoid or lobster roaches although I can not bring myself to order roaches. These are all feeders you can use as staples. For variety and an occasional treat you can also feed wax worms, butter worms, phoenix worms, goliath horn worms (these are fun, let them grow), super worms. NO MEAL WORMS, they have too much chitin and can cause impaction.

For salad options I suggest you check the beautifuldragons.com site it has a great chart to tell you what veggies you can feed and how often you can feed them. Nothing with the word lettuce in it, no nutritional value in it and will give diarrhea until dehydration. I usually use Kale, mustard greens, collard greens, escarole, and chicory. It’s good to constantly change it up so they have variety. They also like occasional raspberries.

Care;

You should feed your dragon salad everyday; it should always be available to them. Feeders should be given three times per day as much as they will eat in a 15 minute period and then removed from the tank. Believe it or not, crickets can bite your beardie and these bites often get infected.

For babies; feeders should be dusted with calcium 5 times per week and vitamins 3 times per week

Adults; feeders should be dusted 3 times per week with calcium and once with vitamins.

To dust feeders, put a little calcium or vitamin in a zip lock bag and add a few feeders and zip closed and shake, we call this shake and bake.

You should spray or mist your dragon once per day but don’t do it in the cage as they are desert dwellers and the humidity is not good for them. You should bathe your dragon once per week in luke warm water up to their armpits for about 20 minutes. I bathe mine every day and they poop in the water so I let it drain and sanitize the mud sink where I bathe them. This way I know they are hydrated and their tank stays cleaner. You don’t have to though, it’s your choice.

When shedding their skin will first go dark then lighten to light gray. While they are shedding then may lose their appetites and want to hide and sleep a lot. You can help the process by upping the misting and baths during this time. Babies have a tendency to shed whole body or most of it all at the same time while adults will do it in small patches.

When adults they will darken and puff out their beards which is how they got their name. This means they are mad at something or that they want to mate. They may do this often while going through puberty.

You may also notice some little squiggly lines on their stomachs which look almost like little circles. These are stress marks and means they are not happy. Their colors can darken or lighten depending on their moods or the temps.

I pmed you with some suggestions, Dale. Take care B