Care sheet for Bearded, Rankins Dragons and similar species (Crevice lizards, Star Agamas, etc)
The Care of Bearded Dragons (Pagona vitticeps)
Other species that require similar care; Crevice lizards, Star Agamas, Desert Iguanas, Atlas/Rankins Dragons
By Kevin Stevens ¡V Herpetologist. Former President and Journal Editor of the International Herpetological Society
Bearded Dragons are not particularly arboreal, this means they do not require a tall vivarium. We suggest a 36" wide and 24" tall vivarium for hatchling and juveniles and a minimum of 48" wide and 24" tall vivarium for adults. It is of course possible to get the larger vivarium to begin with and partition it down the smaller size. Do not be tempted to use the larger size for juveniles, this will certainly lead to stress and lack of eating. Many of the smaller species listed above will be fine in an adult vivarium of 36¡¨ long.
Use a ceramic heater fastened to the roof of the vivarium. Remember to mount it at one end to create a "hot end" and a cooler end. Ceramic heaters must be wired with heat resistant cable, fitted with all the correct reflectors and holders and the output controlled by a thermostat. The Lucky Reptile holder is pre-wired. The choice of thermostat is down to the customer, but we at least recommend a Habistat Pulse Proportional stat. As this species needs a drop at night a Pulse Proportional with a night time drop is a good idea. Daytime basking temperatures should be 32¢XC under the ceramic dropping to around 22¢XC at night. Some authors suggest much higher temperatures, but we have found this makes the Beardies uncomfortable.
Lighting is vitally important. The most important aspect is to provide 5% UVB. Not all reptile tubes are designed to give off this amount of UVB. We recommend Zoo-med's Reptisun 5.0. or Exo-terra Repti Glo 5.0. This tube should be fastened to the vivarium so the dragons are no further than six inches away from it for the majority of the day. Do not mount it in the roof of the vivarium - this is far to far away! Recent research suggests that a higher power tube further away from the animal may do the same job. This tube must be replaced every six to nine months, even if still glowing - after this time it stops giving off the correct levels of UVB. Without UVB a disease known as Metabolic Bone Disease is common. A full spectrum lighting tube can also be provided, we recommend Reptisun 2.0. This can be mounted to the roof and is designed to give off similar colours to the sun. Although not as important as UVB it can help the dragons feel happier and thus they may feed better. Plus the dull glow given off by the UVB may make the vivarium too dimly lit for your own taste. Leave the lights on for around 12 hours in the day
Use beech chip as floor covering, this is a very drying substrate which suits desert species well. All floor coverings have their down sides, beech chip can be accidentally eaten and can cause blockages, but this is not a common problem. Provide lots of hides maybe one or two branches and a small water bowl to allow drinking. Some individuals will not drink from a bowl, especially as babies. Give them a light spraying with tepid water once a day.
As babies feed twice daily, adults are fine just once a day. A varied mixture of Quiet crickets, Black crickets,
waxworms, locust hoppers and the occasional mealworm (appropriate to their size ¡V don¡¦t use food items bigger than the distance between the Beardies eyes) are ideal. Aim to use crickets for the bulk of the diet, with mealworms, waxworms and locust hoppers as treat foods maybe three times a week. We do not encourage the use of mealworms though - once they are large enough to eat Giant mealworms these are a much better source of food. Some will take a mixture of salads, vegetables and - fruits. Foodstuffs should be dusted with a 50/50 mixture of Calypso Cricket dust and Nutrobal Multi-vitamin powders. We recommend dusting every meal for youngsters, except for when feeding at weekends, feed but do not powder for these two days. As adults use these powders around four times a week. Do not forget to gut load your live food also. A special food called bug grub and a special water substitute (called water bites) should be fed to the insects. Once inside the insect and this is eaten the goodness is passed to the dragon. Also looking after and feeding the insects means less insect mortality and thus you save money!
Daily spot clean the vivarium removing all faecal matter and any shed skin., always use a reptile disinfectant. Change water daily. Complete a full strip down every four weeks replacing all substrates and thoroughly cleaning all the vivarium and bowls etc. There is a small risk of catching salmonella from lizards (as with all animals), so ensure vivarium and your own personal hygiene is good. Always wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap after handling.
Finally and very importantly is a mention about over handling. If you do this, especially to a baby it may cause him to become so stressed out that he may refuse to eat. Give him time to settle in and establish himself and then slowly introduce yourself to him. This may be as long as three months after your purchase. Beardies are a naturally tame species and should not require lots of handling to quiet them down. Remember dragons are long lived, so do not rush into it and you will enjoy him longer!
It is vitally important that you have considered the following points;
1. Some species can be long lived, around 20 years ¡V please ask for further details should this worry you.
2. You will need to keep crickets, and they often escape and end up roaming the house!
3. It is unfair not to appreciate other family members fears of reptiles ¡V do not purchase if there is a risk of having to return it to us due to someone¡¦s phobia.
4. They are escape artists - there are no easy solutions to finding an escaped lizard - don't lose them in the first place!
5. All animals can bite. Although they can bite hard, it should be no more severe then a hamster.
6. Bearded Dragons can grow to around 18 inches long, most other similar species are smaller ¡V ask for further details on ultimate size should this concern you.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:59 pm
