Care
Please we do advise you do your research on these animals, they are a long commitment. There is lots of right and wrong info out there so please make sure you getting it from a well known source and not something that out dated.
We recommend if you want more good reliable info and a place to share your dragons and learn much more is to go to bearded dragon owners UK on Facebook.
Bearded Dragon Forum UK
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BDFUK/?ref=share
If you want to learn more about wild bearded dragon and about there natural environment Beardievet on Facebook is great to show natural world of wild bearded dragons.
BeardieVet
https://www.facebook.com/BeardieVet/
life span
Bearded dragons live as much as 8-10 years if well cared for properly some have lived over 10+ years.
Temperament
central Bearded dragons have a very good temperament as long as they are well cared for and handled.
Tank Size
Best size tank for your Dragons size of 4ft x 2ft x 2ft or bigger the better so there is enough space. bearded dragons can get to 18"-24"
wooden Vivarium with glass sliding doors are best to hold the correct temps in the tank.
Temperatures/lights/Heating
Basking lights and U.V lights are a must in your set ups and a big part of your dragons growth and to keep them healthy inside and out side of the body. the have a D3 cycle, which its import for us to create this for them to complete this cycle. With the help of technology we are able to get artificial lighting with U.V.A AND U.V.B to help are dragons thrive.
to get best benefits from both U.V and head light Your U.V light should cover half of your tank length starting from the hot end as it best place next to your heat bulb, so the cool end should provide a shaded area so they can come away from the U.V and the heat.
U.v lights and heat lights are a big part of your dragons growth and body functions. Here a diagram explaining the process D3
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Here is a link that explains the D3 cycle and why its important.
https://www.arcadiareptile.com/d3-cycle/
Lights
Lights should be on for 12 each day and off 12 hours at night. Light timers are a great for controlling when lights go on and off. Winter you can reduce light times to 10 hour daytime light and 14 hours light off at night. This reducing can help encourage brumation.
Night time:
No lights needed or no heat needed, they can sleep happy at low temps and its is good for them to be exposed to this even to slowing there materialism. In the wild they would dig a borrow and temps in these borrows can be recorded in 12c-19c so these are fine for your dragon.
Day time:
Temperatures have to be kept at the following ranges during the day:
basking spot : (40 'c) Cool side:(28 'C) Measure temperatures with a digital probe type thermometer or You can also get a infrared temperature gun to check readings throughout the vivarium which is handy. Stick on thermometers unreliable. Dimming thermostats are essential as they control the basking bulb. This will stop it from dangerously overheating.
Heating
We use R80 reflectors and halogens reflectors but I really do recommend halogen bulbs to use as basking bulbs, these
are either reptile branded or generic as you find them in shops or online.
the basking bulbs need to be clear light emitting bulb.
there are bad and good busking bulbs. a good basking bulb the light and heat should be directly in the middle to produce a basking spot.
a bad busking bulb creates a dark spot in the middle and won't emit the correct the basking temps. if you get a blank peace of paper you can do this your self to check if you bulb is good or not.
here is a example.
do not use red/green/blue lights for basking as these will disrupt a dragon’s colour vision and render it useless.
there are bad and good busking bulbs. a good basking bulb the light and heat should be directly in the middle to produce a basking spot.
a bad busking bulb creates a dark spot in the middle and won't emit the correct the basking temps. if you get a blank peace of paper you can do this your self to check if you bulb is good or not.
here is a example.
A good Basking bulb
A bad Basking bulb.
do not use red/green/blue lights for basking as these will disrupt a dragon’s colour vision and render it useless.
You can also get a infrared temperature gun (IR) to
check readings throughout the vivarium which is handy.
U.V lights
Best U.v to use in 4 X 2 X 2 Vivarium are the Arcadia 12.0 T5 pro kits.
There are 2 types or UV
tubes T5 or T8.
T5 is more modern and emits higher UVI, meaning more UVB for your dragon. the dragon should get no closer than 12” this is were 2 ft high tanks are recommended for T5 lighting. As they have a high out put of U.v. If a dragon does gets too close to tube for long periods of time it can cause issues such as eye problems.
bearded drgaons need a U.V index of 3-5 near basking area.
they need replacing every 12 months.
T8 is older but still emits good UVI if distances are correct. the dragon if under 10% t8 should not get closer than 6” of the tube. and the dragon if under 12% T8 should not be closer then 8”
With every UV it is essential that you maintain
safe distances. If a dragon does gets too close to tube for long periods of time it can cause
issues such as eye problems.
bearded drgaons need a U.V index of 3-5 near basking area
bearded drgaons need a U.V index of 3-5 near basking area
Cleaning
We spot clean every day and every 7 days we do a full tank clean.
We clean with F10 disinfectant spray and use a streamer.
first we remove the dragon from the vivarium, then we remove the dirty paper/substrate, wipe out any loose debris, and then spray the cage down with the F10 disinfectant solution. We scrub any stuck stains and then respray and let it air dry. New paper/substrate is then put down. Clean more often if the cage is dirty. Do not let poo or dirt accumulate in your cages as you will get issues with bacteria and mold growing which isn't good for your bearded dragons health.
New dragon not eating and Handling
So bearded dragons are very sensitive to change. Due to the move to a new home some babies my show signs like hiding away, refusing to eat, lethargy, stress marks ( They can also can get these stress marks when absorbing heat and u.v, when its cold ) if this does happen regular just check you temps are correct.
Please don't panic this is a very normal response for babies to do this after a big move to a new environment. bearded dragons can be territorial, having just left their old territory and now in a new territory it can take time for them to get used to their new home as it can be very scary to them.
Please let your new dragon acclimate to its new home for up to 2 weeks. It can be stressful to relocate so letting them just relax in their cage can help with any stress. as any unnecessary handling can prolong stress and could encourage parasites to arise. make sure you dragon is kept in a quiet area. after 2 weeks you can start the process of handing.
If your dragon is eating well and active, you can feel free to start enjoying your new animal. Bearded dragons love to hang out with people. But be aware, all have different personalities! The more your handle your dragon, the friendlier and more well behaved it will become. Sometimes dragons can go through a feisty phase which can be a challenge for some owners, but just stick it out! Try to hand feed food and don’t be anxious when handling. Try not to grab at your dragon from above, but instead reach in from the side so it does not feel threatened. Bites can happen, but they are pretty uncommon in bearded dragons.
If you dragon hasn't eaten nothing in 1 week from receiving from us please message us on Facebook.
Feeding
Babies should get 60% live prey, and 40 % greens/veggies. But since the greens/veggies are a must when they are older, get them eating their greens/veggies very early. Give greens/veggies in small pieces everyday. You should eventually start decreasing your older dragon's protein intake, after 12months old Their protein intake should of decreases to 20 % live prey and 80% veggies/greens.
a 6-8 week old baby eats 10-12 crickets a day depending on the size of the crickets its all varies from the different staple live food you provide as some will have more great nutrition value.
Giving a variety of live food will benefit there health.
If your adult or young dragon only eating bugs and not eatting its greens you can stop feeding the live food until your dragons starts eatting greens. so every day just keep providing greens until it starts eatting its greens. stopping live food feeding to your adult bearded dragon isn't going to stave your adult dragon because Your still providing greens your dragon, the dragon is just choosing not to eat. once they eatting greens, slowly introduce bugs start with 1 once a week them after a few weeks bump to 2 times a week as I said befor some feed 3 times a week of but make sure your not over feeding.
With greens, vegetables and fruit there are a several you can give to you dragons but here a few we use. As a staple we use Rocket, Sweet Potato (Peeled and Grated), Water cress, Cress, Collard Greens, Basil and Spring greens. Occasional Apple, Blackberries, Blueberries, Bell Pepper, Carrot, Butternut Squash and Mango. for very rare treats we like to give them Bananas, strawberries and raspberry. All of these carry nutrition, fiber and vitamins which is good for your dragon health.
to aid in hydration we use Cucumber or Iceberg lettuce but there not very nutritional so never really feed unless to re-hydrate.
Time of feeding we like to feed our dragons between 1 hour after lights come on so there nice and warm ready to eat to 1-2 hours before light go off. so that they can digest their food before night time.
water
how can you help your dragon with hydration
well I want to say Not all dragons drink, some do and some don't. So if you never seen them drink and its completely active and healthy you don't need to panic.
a shallow water bowl can be proved and water below shoulder height. water shallow water bowl isn't going to affect the Humidity. If your humidity is high you will need to add more vents, some owners don't have water bowls in they set ups as Dragons do get most of there moister from there bugs and greens so you may never see them drink. bathing should only be done when dragon is dirty to reduce stress and you need to make sure the temps of the water is the same temps as your dragon a point infrared thermometer will help get correct temps, bearded dragons only can intake water though there mouth NOT there vent/cloaca. It is unnecessary to regularly soaking/ bathing unless you been told by your exotic Vet to help aid for medication. giving a The water bowl in your tank will give them the option to bath them self's and drink from.
If a dragon becomes dehydrated or is under medication extra water may be provided buy dripping water from a syringe on to the tip of the mouth and some will start to lick the water. or by as I advised in with the feeding section, some providing cucumber and iceberg lettuce as a hydrator aid.
Brumation
adult Beardie's the winter months will go into a Brumation. It is a form of Hibernation that is governed by the weather and time of year, The lights should be on a shorter period at this time. Fresh greens should be available during this period. Do not feed live prey during Brumation.
Remember brumation were this affects the way they poo and the way they eat if your bearded dragon isn't eating or not pooing and it is very sleepy but looking very healthy make sure you get a fecal test done want to make sure that there's no a high count of parasites...
brumation may last up to can be up to about 1 mouth to 4+ months and and they may not eat anything during this time. its a natural process. Please be aware if your dragon come out of brumation good to after they have basked is to offer food if your dragon sleeping try not to disturb them sleeping. If you find your bearded dragon that's in brumation and has fallen unwell or just not doing too well take it to a exotic vet.
Fecal test
fecal test helps test your dragons poo and one of the most common thing you will see is parasites like pinworm.
Its good to get a fecal test done 2 weeks after you receive a new bearded dragon or if you have a dragon its good to get a test done every 12 to 6 months.
when to get a fecal test.
you may need to get a fecal done earlier then your yearly test, at anytime if your dragon displays any of these symptoms may become lethargic, losing weight, doesn't eat much or none at all, doesn't move, hides away, very smelly poo, runny poo, sleepy get a fecal test done.
If fecal come back ok, then may need to check your set up and if thats all correct looking at seeing your exotic vet.
I will say if you notice blood in poo please got straight to you exotic vet as blood can mean parasites but it can also be a serious issues internally that can be life threatening
Bearded dragons can live naturally with a low number of parasites. If your dragons have high number of parasites you will need to show you exotic vet and they can decide on treatment.
if a dragon attempts brumation with a high count of parasites it can be deadly and will becoming very ill during brumation.
If your bearded dragons fecal test is clear before winter you can let dragons (over a year old) go in to brumation.
Supplements
Supplements dust on live food but make sure you dusting once a day if you feeding multiple times in one day like for hatching and juveniles to reduce over dosing.
There are Meany different ones out there.
but there are a few that are the best brand for you dragon.
it all depends on what kind of U.v bulb you have.
remember the live food amounts.
If you're using a T5 UV light
-Arcadia Pro A dust on live feed once a day
you can also add for you dragons supplement
- Acadia CaMg 1x a week.
- Repashy calcium PLUS LoD once every 2-3 weeks
Please if you add these other supplement to remove Arcadia pro day.
T5 UV light has a high out put of d3 so no need for extra +d3 supplement.
If you're using a T8 UV light
Repashy calcium PLUS LoD dusted on live feed once a day.
Repashy calcium PLUS LoD is a 2 in 1 both a calcium and multivitamin 2-in-1 and has low levels of D3 which makes it safe for daily use.
Usage
babies use 7 days a week,
subadults use this 3-5 times a week
adults use 2 days a week.
If you have a female that's gravid you can add a little extra calcium to her diet 1 day a week.
Weight
In my experience with weights with bearded dragon it all can depend on how it been look after, a adult fully grown weight can be anywhere between 250g-600g but at the end of the day its down to you the owner to make sure that its not under or over weight and to checking with your exotic vet.
Over feed female bearded dragon to much can trigger her to reproduce due to the extra calories that she will have no use for other then laying more eggs. If you feel she isn't coping with laying you can get her spayed by a exotic vet.
I like to say keep check of weight of your dragon is a good idea to make sure if any changes to the weight your be able to take action. I like to share something I've recently come a across, a recording of 2 rescue dragons, one overweight and one underweight. According to rescue worker Rachel Shaver, "They were both rescues that came from different situations. Both were seen by a vet. The skinny one was treated for coccidia and pinworms. The obese one was put on milk thistle dandelion to help treat fatty liver. Both have been adopted to homes that understand their special needs.
I hope this helps a lot of your with understanding the important of keep a good weight on a dragon.
We have a example of a good body weight of a dragon here. This is Stitch and he is over a year old,
Notice the belly is a oval shape, shouldn't be rounded unless you have a gravid female, females when gravid will become more rounded and during this period a famale will put weight during ovulation/gravid and can loss body weight during the gravid process.
Dragons may have a larger belly sometime after a larger meal. they should have thick/mussel legs and and thick tail. A dragon Should be able to walk and support the body weight with all 4 legs and with out there belly touching the floor.
BeardieVet also recorded weights of wild caught bearded dragons its good to compare and your see the differences. Heres a link
https://www.facebook.com/BeardieVet/posts/1039595686390156