CARE GUIDE
One dragon per cage. Even after 15+ years of raising dragons I have never and would never recommend cohabitation. Dragons are coded to be solo and only need you for companionship. Dangerous life-threatening things can happen. Dragons are reptiles, and reptiles tend to eat anything smaller then them. Cohabitation could mean dinner for one.
During the first 1-2 weeks your own your dragon, do not handle it unless you are getting it out of its cage to soak. This helps reduce stress and prevents your dragon from going on a hunger strike. I am always with my babies from egg to shipment and treat every one like my own pet. That being said, even I do not overhand babies until they are 2-3 weeks out of the egg, so they can get used to their surroundings and adjust. After 2-3 weeks, I am almost handling them every day or at least going in their enclosures. I use front opening cages and try not to go over their head creating a shadow, triggering a natural fear response (as if a bird or other predictor is above them). Do not underestimate the speed of a baby dragon. I like to make sure I have a second “outer” plastic tub or bigger container in case a baby gets out of the “inner” plastic tub when soaking. Dragons tend to slow way down as they gain confidence, trust and size.
Bearded Dragons make great pets and are fun. I have been working with dragons for over 15 years and have never been bitten by an adult. When baby dragons hatch they are about 3 grams and about 4 inches long. In the wild it is very likely they will be eaten by a predator in the first couple of weeks of life. For this reason, when cornered they will open their mouth and will sometimes bite. Their bite will surprise you more than it hurts, and they are not capable of breaking the skin. This is a normal defensive mechanism that they will grow out of. This is actually a good response because if your dragon is feisty, then it is healthy. Regular handling will allow your dragon to become tame. Dragons love interaction and even like to get out of their cages to roam around.
Adult Dragons need a cage that is 2 feet deep by 2 feet tall by 4 feet long minimum. It is important to note that you can go bigger but more lighting and temperature regulation will most likely be needed. The amount of room from a 2x2x4 is the standard. I will never use a top-opening cage. That being said, I have seen successful dragon owners use top-opening cages. I prefer and will only use front-opening cages. Dragons, especially babies, are prey to a lot of animals that can cast a shadow down on them. When reaching into a top-opening cage you may inadvertently trigger a natural fear response programmed into dragons. Doing this can cause added stress to your baby or even adult dragon. Also, the constant moving or repositioning of lights can be a hassle when taking tops off.
I have seen dragon owners start their babies with 20 gallon cages but this is difficult to create the temperature gradient from basking spot to cool side. All dragons put up on our site should be big enough for their adult cages if proper husbandry is followed.
Basking spot temperature – The temperature of the basking spot should be 110 degrees F. Reptiles do not generate heat like mammals. They are dependent on their environment for heat. If they cannot get warm enough, they cannot digest their food. Undigested food makes them sick and they stop eating.
Cool side of the cage – The cool side of the cage should be around 85 degrees F.
Temperature gradient – The basking bulb should be on one end of the enclosure. This creates a temperature gradient in the cage. One side of the cage is hot and the other side is cool. Then dragon can then move between the hot and cool side of the cage to meet its requirements.
Thermometer – The small circular thermometers that come with the cages you purchase at the pet store are not very helpful. They often times get stuck to the back, top corner of the glass. Your dragon will spend zero time on the back top corner of the glass, and it really isn’t necessary to know the temperature in that location. I recommend purchasing an infrared temperature gun. You can pick one up on amazon or local store. Make sure you do not get a human temperature gun.
Night time temperature and lighting – Bearded Dragons are used to temperature drops in the wild. Our dragons are accustom to around 70-74 degrees F night time temperatures. As long as your ambient temperature of the room does not drop below 65 degrees F your dragon should not need any heat source at night. Sometimes owners use red light or ceramic heaters but If your ambient temperature is around 65-75 degrees these are not needed. Some research suggests pitch black is the best for dragons rest at night which is another reason not to use unneeded red lights.
Bearded Dragons are desert species and do not do well with constant high humidity. High humidity can cause respiratory infections in Bearded Dragons. Avoid humid enclosures. If humidity levels are to high, you should consider removing any water dish (see water section). Bearded Dragons get a lot of their fluids from the bugs they eat as long as you are properly “gutloading” (see Insects section) bugs.
Two different types of lights need to be used for bearded dragons. Your dragon will need UVB light to prevent metabolic bone disease and you also need a heat lamp (sometimes reffered to as UVA) to help your dragon maintain their optimal temperature regulation.
UVB – I prefer the linear T5 high output UVB bulbs. I use both Arcadia and Zoomed. Both have provided me with success for years. This bulb and fixture will need to run the length of your enclosure. DO NOT use the coil UVB bulbs, they do not put out enough UVB light for Bearded Dragons.
Heat Lamp – A couple of factors to consider when choosing the proper wattage heat bulb for your enclosure: Ambient temperature of the room, the amount of ventilation in a cage, brand of bulb, and how close the dragon can get to the surface of the bulb. These factors can change the temperature of the basking spot. The correct answer to this question is, you need to purchase the wattage that gets the hot spot to 110 degrees F, whatever wattage that may be. The temperature of the basking spot will change thought the year as the temperature of your house changes. Some heat lamp fixtures will come with a dimmer switch.*It is important to note that only the heat lamp should be dimmed and not the UVB bulb.*
Mercury Vapor Bulbs ( MVBs) - Mercury Vapor Bulbs are also on the market. They are marketed as a sufficient UVB, UVA and heat source for a bearded dragon. I personally DO NOT use these bulbs but feel I should mention them. MVBs have quirks that the separate heat/UV setup don't have. You can't adjust the heat output independent of UV. Dimming the bulb to get the correct temperature also dims the UV. Photogradient is harder to achieve, meaning that if your dragon wants to move out of their basking spot to regulate their temperature they now move out of their only, much needed, UVB source. In other words, even if you get the UV output right at the basking area, it won't be present much of anywhere else. The dragon does not have the option to regulate it's UV exposure.
Timer - Some type of timer for lighting. We run our timers on a 12 hours on 12 hours off system. We run this year round unless a dragon is in brumation. In the past we have changed to less hours of light during the winter months however there seemed to be no change with our dragons. We never change lighting timing around daylight saving, dragons do not care about our goofy human practice.
Solarmeter – Honorable Mention and not necessarily a requirement. A Solarmeter is a tool that measures the amount of UVB produced. It will provide you with an Ultraviolet Index (UVI). This is the best way to make sure your dragon is getting the proper UVB. However, if you change the bulbs as instructed on the box, most times Solarmeters are not needed. *It is important to note that just because you as a human see light coming from a UVB bulb, it does not always mean the correct UVB is being produced by the bulb for the dragon. A UVB bulb might produce light humans can see for a year or more, but could stop producing UVB after 6 months.*
I do not like sand at all. I have used sand in the past and found it to be not as sanitary, smells and can be dangerous for young and old dragons. If you use sand in your enclosure, it is fine, but I recommend changing to paper towels, tile, or reptile mats (not reptile carpet).
We offer greens (collard, kale and arugula) in the morning 3-4 hours after the lights have turned on. Then wait another hour and do the first round of bugs, (we do a variety, but mostly dubias, small superworms and others) and put a few of them on the greens for them. They like to see movement, so sometimes the bugs will stop moving or hide. It helps to jiggle the dish to get the bugs to move around. I offer another small round of bugs around 1-2 hours after that. Three small meals is best from 1-2ish months of age. A good ratio to go by is 80/20 (80% bugs 20% greens). As they age, go slowly in the opposite direction so that once they are about 12-18 months, they are eating 20/80 (20% bugs 80% greens).
“Gutloading” – “gutloading” is a term that is used in the hobby and just refers to feeding your feeder insects. There are several commercially prepared insect foods that can be used. You can also use fresh fruits and veggies to feed your insects before feeding them to your dragon. I believe the healthier your insects are, the healthier your dragon will be.
“Dusting” – “dusting” is a term that is used in the hobby to describe coating your feeder insects with calcium or vitamins before feeding them to your dragon. You can do this by placing a small amount of calcium or vitamin in a small bag or small container then putting your feeders in and shaking them to coat the insects.
Dubia Roaches are my go to because they are high in protein and nutritious. I also use small and large superworms (mealworms aren’t as nutritious), crickets on occasion (crickets are not as clean and can carry more parasites), wax worms, and black solider fly larva. I feed babies a lot of insects during the first year of life, after their first year I feed 80% greens and 20% bugs. A general rule of thumb is worms are high in fat and should only be used as a treat. This is more important once your dragon is an adult. Adult dragons that are fed too many worms can have their lifespan reduce by several years.
I offer all of my baby dragons a variety of mixed greens. They don’t always eat their veggies but continue to offer them regularly. Collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, kale, parsley, arugula, etc....
NO lettuce or spinach. Most times, a simple google search will help decide if a dragon can have a certain fruit or vegetable.
Calcium with D3- calcium with D3 should be “dusted” on feeder insects at least once a day.
Vitamins – a multivitamin should be “dusted” on insects once per week.
Dragons rarely drink standing water from dishes. They are a desert species and standing water isn’t encountered often in the wild. They are more likely to poo in water than drink it. Dragons get a lot of the water they need from their veggies and bugs. If you are worried about getting getting your dragon to drink you can misting the dragon with warm water from a squirt bottle. Just be sure to watch how often you do this (see Humidity section). I allow my baby dragons to soak every other day, and then weekly when they become an adult. During the first 1-2 weeks you own your dragon, this is the only time I recommend handling it.