How to Care for Bearded Dragon

Pets are very important part of our daily lives. They are like a family member and hence there care should be of prime importance. We are familiar with dogs, cats, and birds as pets, however if you have or you wish have some exquisite rare creature as pet, then a bearded dragon can a fine choice. They are the most attractive kinds of pets one can own. One may not be very fond of lizards, yet a bearded dragon is quite an interesting, calm and distinct creature due to which you may wish to have one as pet.

Dragons are actually wonderful pets but special care is required for their healthy living. They are one of the excellent choices for the hobbyists. They usually do not require high maintenance, but there are certain things they need and which the owner should give. If proper care is provided, a bearded dragon can live up to fifteen years. Their care included a correct enclosure, food, water, substrate, lighting and environment. Here are the few guidelines for the beginners for the Bearded Dragon Care:

The Food for Bearded Dragon

The need of correct diet is quite important. Dragons eat fruits, insects and vegetables which imply that they are omnivorous. One can purchase the diet of insects for their pet from a local pet store but ensure that they are not exposed to poisonous stuff. If so then catching some insects for your dragon pet yourself is not at all a bad idea. The dragons usually like to have earth worms, king worms, wax worms, meal worms and cockroaches etc. They are also fond of crickets. They should be given plenty of food they can eat in ten minutes thrice a day. There should also be a meal of fresh vegetable in a day.

To make the diet more effective one can dust a pinch of calcium on the food which in essential for the growth. Water should be given to them in a fixed quantity as too much water is as dangerous as giving no water at all. This is because they actually come from desert. The dragons generally are not able to make out standing water. So for the purpose one may have to haze the food and the water in the right amount.

The right kind of living space for the Dragon

The bearded dragon usually requires a lot of space. A terrarium of 10-15 gallons is of right size for the young hatchlings where as adults may require 50 to 55 gallons size of terrarium. Also there living space should be rectangular as they are semi-arboreal in nature which implies that they require more length than height.

The required Lighting

Another important factor in Bearded Dragon Care is the amount of light they are exposed to. In day time, you may need to provide a UVB bulb for your pet along with the natural light as it is essential for the production of vitamin D3 which helps in the calcium metabolism. In addition to this 14 hours of bright light is required for appropriate care and rest of the day should be spent in darkness.

Different types of bearded dragons

Australia is a place well known for possessing a variety of animals. Many nature lovers get fascinated by the various forms of nature when they visit this place. One class of animals that is present in Australia in a huge variety is the reptiles, precisely the lizards. These reptiles exist in a wide range of sizes and forms. Their mysterious nature and activities attract many animal lovers towards them. Different types of lizards are also kept as pets by many people.

One such variety of lizards which is often kept as a pet is the bearded dragon. All the species of bearded dragons are very attractive and people love to keep them as pets due to their beautiful looks, easy handling and small size. These reptiles require very small places to live and can be easily handled. Here are a few species that are found commonly in Australia and are kept as pets:

·         Pogona minor minima or Western bearded dragon – This species of bearded dragon is found in the south- west coast and the interior areas of the continent. It loves to stay in the deep forests and in coastal banks. These are also found in deserts. These generally have a small size with a streamlined body and a long tail.

·         Pogona vitticeps or Inland bearded dragons – This type of dragons is the largest in size from all other existing forms. These can be as long as 20cm and are found in very attractive colors like yellow, green, black and brown with scales. These are found in all parts of Australia except the western part. It is the most popular as pet.

·         Pogona minor mitchelli dragon – These are commonly found in the interior of northern territory and in the great Sandy desserts of Australia. These are the smallest dragons with a long and thin body. Their maximum length can be 14cm. Their most unique feature is their cone like head spikes that makes it very attractive.

·          Pogona minor dragon – The Pogona minor or the dwarf dragon is the one with the most unique body shape of all the lizards. They have a small head with a bulging belly, a short tail and small legs. These are very small in size. Most of the cartoon characters of dragon are an animated version of this species.

·          Lawson bearded lizard – This sort of dragons are the second most popular pets. These are found in the northern part and the Queensland. These have a huge widened out belly and a scaled body which makes them different. These have a small beard with spikes on the neck.   

·         Small scaled bearded lizard – These are found in the North West Australian region. As their name suggests, these have small scales and spikes as compared to other lizard species but these are quite long. They can achieve lengths up to 18cm.

Though there are many more species of these creatures, the ones discussed above are more popular as pets. Before you get your bearded dragon, you should get a thorough knowledge about the eating and breeding habits of these creatures.

Bearded Dragon Care

Diverse Species of Dragons

If you are a pet lover, you must have had a dog, cat, parrot etc but have you ever kept a dragon as your pet. A dragon has turned out to be an ideal choice for pet in recent times for the children as well as for the first time owners. These dragons as pets are peaceful to hold and do not cause any difficulty when transported from one place to another. Dragons that are captive tend to live a healthy and active life and are also free from pesticides as compared to the ones who are wild caught. If you are planning to keep the dragon as a pet in your house then you must know about types of dragon and how to care and feed them.

Bearded Dragons are inhabitant of Australia. They belong to a large number of various species. The reason for the popularity of dragons is because they are quite in nature, calm to handle and small in size. A dragon takes up relatively less space than other pet animals such as dogs or cat and is much cleaner. They are not quite prone to health issues; however they easily get mites or worms. Dragons can be found in eight different species out of which six can be kept as pets which are as follows:

·         Western Dragon: This kind of dragon is mostly found in southwest coast, in Western Australia. Such dragons can live in coastal dunes, and desert as well but are mainly found in woodland areas.

·         The Inland Dragon: This dragon is the largest of its own species and is one of the most famous breed of reptilian pet. They can grow up to 20cm in length. An inland dragon can be found in every state and territory apart from Western Australia.

·         The Mitchells Dragon: These dragons can be located in the interior of the north and in the Great Sandy Dessert which is located in the north side of Western Australia. Unique features of this dragon includes his cone like head spikes; they are the smallest of their species and can grow up to 14cm. They are the only one of their kind and are easy to recognize.

·         The Dwarf Dragon: These dragons are quite closely related to the previous Mitchell species. They can be found in the Great Sandy Desert. One can recognize a dwarf dragon by noticing his short legs and tiny tail.

·         Lawsons Dragon: Lawsons dragons live in almost all the parts of Queensland and some of the northern territory and are second most popular choice of pet species. The total area covered by these species is still not known.

·         The Nullabor Dragon: They can be identified easily by their markings; they have large white markings along its back and spines on their sides. They are not very common and are only found in some parts between the South Western and South Australia. They are least likely to be kept as pets due to their rareness and also are not known to breed in captivity.

There could be possibly some other unknown species of Bearded Dragons in Australia and may be sub species as well. They are quite creature who are active in day time. They tend to sloth as the sun sets.

Before keeping it, know the needs of your pet

If you are one of those people who like to keep unique pets, you can try keeping a reptile this time. These are easy to handle peaceful creatures which have very distinctive looks. They don’t require much care and attention like other pets. A bearded dragon can be a very uncommon choice to be kept as a pet. But you should be aware of the fact that these reptiles require some special care. Their eating and living habits are quite different from other warm blooded animals. For a pet lizard owner, it is very important to familiarize with these habits of a bearded dragon.

Habitat features:

Being reptiles, these bearded lizards like to stay in places with more moisture content. So in comparison to an aquarium, a terrarium is a more suitable choice as their habitat. A terrarium is almost like an aquarium but it is designed in such a way that it provides both kinds of atmosphere to the pet that is water and land. A ten gallon terrarium is enough to accommodate two dragons. Though these creatures appear to be slow moving or infrequently changing their position, they have their requirements of an open space to live and roam around. These reptiles like to reside at places which have high levels of humidity. Thus, the terrarium should be such that it has a small opening to provide you enough space to put food into it and maintain the correct levels of humidity every time. Low moisture content can make your dear pet sick.

Eating habits:

As we all know, diet plays an important role in maintaining the overall health of an animal. The eating habits of these creatures are not very different from the other omnivores. They can be given both herbs and non vegetarian food but their diet is required to contain more herbs. Crickets are the favorite food items of these dragons. Their diet should also contain vegetables like squash, carrots and green leafy vegetables. Different dragons have different eating habits so being the owner; you have to observe the pet for what it likes to eat and what the effect of the food you are giving is. Worms like earth worms, wax worms, king worms, cockroaches and meal worms can also be included in the diet of these dragons. These lizards must be provided three meals a day. Overfeeding is not at all good for their health. If you keep on feeding them, they will keep on consuming it. Overconsumption will make them inactive and sluggish. Especially when you have guests at your home, be aware that your pet is not overfed by your guests. Calcium is a necessary ingredient of a lizard’s diet. You can include more calcium rich food into your pet’s diet or get calcium powder from the pet shop that can be sprinkled on the food.

Proper lighting and maintenance of temperature of the habitat is also important. A UV bulb can be placed inside the pet home to aid the calcium metabolism of the lizard. The temperature should be kept somewhere between 80 to 100 degree Fahrenheit.  

Bearded Dragons

Observe the conduct exhibited by bearded dragon

It is believed that bearded lizards or dragons communicate through their body language. These incorporate special movements that are essential in relaying message to other lizards, dragons or predators. Reptiles and dragons have few activities in common and are essential in displaying certain characteristics. General behavior of bearded lizard is same in both wild and custody. Thus, it is must to learn about the behavior so that you can take proper care of it.

Apart from other reptiles, male and female bearded dragon also has common behavior, and this general conduct is inflating of dragon’s beard. This conduct of inflation could be observed when the dragons are about to mate or when they become belligerent. An inflated beard is more popular among the men, though one cannot deny that it is not at all viewed among the female dragons. If you ever notice that while the dragon is inflating and correspondingly opens his mouth, it can be said that the lizard is getting violent.

Adding to inflating, head bobbing is one more behavior seen in both female and male drags. When a male dragon is bobbing his head, it is said he is doing so to show his supremacy, or boasting masculinity to other dragons. It is generally done in order to make an attempt to appear the masculine and supreme to others. Apart from this, when a male dragon is showing courtship to female dragon, then also head bobbing can be observed.

Then comes into the picture, arm waving. It is generally the sign of obedience in order to dominant dragon. The male and female dragons that are less governing, wave their arms to the dominant reptiles in order to show that they are more subservient. When a female waves arm, it is normally while breeding when it refuses to the courtship of a male bearded lizard.

If you have pet i.e. bearded lizard then you must have seen it curbing its tale. A dragon curbs its tail when it is trying to bend his body and touching the body or head. Tail decrease is a symbol that the bearded dragon is conscientious; it is an imperative signal to prove that your reptile is hale and hearty.

Apart from the above stated there are some common activities too namely sun bathing and perching. It is believed that a bearded dragon sun bathe during the day time. And, this depicts that the dragon is seeking warmth and is busy in normal activities. While one of the dragons is perching, it tends to find a position off the ground to dwell in. Higher the dragon perches more are the chances that it’ll be more dominating. They may perch on tree limbs or rocks. While one is keeping a pet, make sure you give the suitable perching area and even provide a place where he can take sun bath.

Thus, in order to ensure that your pet is hale and hearty it is the duty of the owner to check for the behavior. If you acknowledge any of the changes then for sure there is some or the other problem.