DownUnder Dragonz

Following is a caresheet that we have adopted from another breeder; we believe that it has all the information you'll need to raise a healthy dragon.

Housing

The larger the better when it comes to enclosures for adult bearded dragons. Hatchlings can be housed in as small as a 10-gallon enclosure, but a minimum size for an adult is a 50-gallon terrarium. Rubbermaid tubs also work well for groups of young dragons. Groups of adult dragons should be housed in larger enclosures with numerous logs for basking. Glass is a great choice for display of adult bearded dragons, allowing for optimum vision and brightness, but hatchlings often do better in enclosures that limit vision. It is also thought by many keepers that dragons display better color when housed in enclosures that they cannot see out of. Please be wary of housing young females with males. Dragons may mate at young ages and run into complications. You can house several females together if adequate space is available. We suggest misting your dragon once a day, especially as hatchlings. Dragons will drink during spraying and may be “trained” to drink and soak in a water dish inside the enclosure. If you do not notice your dragon drinking water or just want to make sure they are drinking adequate amount soak them in your sink 3 – 4 times per week.

Substrate

Although sand has been used for many years, we suggest housing young bearded dragons on newspaper or paper towels to prevent problems with impaction. With newspaper, be aware that crickets will hide beneath the paper. We suggest that you replace the old paper with new paper nightly, allowing hidden crickets to be removed or eaten for a late night snack. Left over crickets can harm young dragons, so be careful. If there are extra crickets in the enclosure, provide them with food, so they do not nibble on your dragon at night. Basking logs should be placed within the enclosure to allow your dragon to thermoregulate and feel secure. Decorative rocks and fake plants may also help to liven up the enclosure. Do not use heat rocks. Bearded Dragons sense heat and light using a detector located on top of their heads. They are not as aware of heat coming from below and can badly burn their bellies without knowing it. For this reason, we advise to not use a heat rock or place rocks too close to the basking light. Use wood logs for basking zones instead. Live plants may also be an option. (However, live plants must not be toxic, as they will likely be dinner).

Lighting/Heating

Bearded dragons like it HOT! The key to heating your enclosure is providing a temperature gradient from a hot basking zone, to a cooler area. Basking temperatures should reach over 100-110 degrees F. The cooler zone should be around 85 degrees. The brighter the light, the better. Dragons thrive under a good full spectrum UV source. We recommend active UV/heat or mercury vapor bulbs. These bulbs work double time to give your dragon quality UV and producing heat at the same time. You may also use fluorescent UV full spectrum tubes, although they do not produce the same UV quality. The colors and health of your lizard depend on good heat, bright light and UV. Your dragon will also benefit from natural sunlight and we recommend bringing your lizard outside in an outdoor basking enclosure. However the more natural sunlight you expose them to, the less supplements you should give, especially vitamin D3 (this may also be the case when using the active UV/heat bulbs). We also think that younger dragons may become stressed when taken outside, and therefore suggest holding off on outdoor excursions until your dragon is older.

Colors

Many things influence a dragon’s color including stress, genes, and time of day. Many dragons seem to show there best color when sleeping, or soaking in water: others may show their best color when they are basking, excited, or for older dragons, or after they have been exposed to natural sunlight.

Feeding

Bearded dragons are omnivorous and should feed on both vegetation and protein. Crickets, Superworms, Phoenix Worms, Hornworms, and a salad mixture should be staple food sources. Never feed your dragon too large of a prey item. We suggest feeding prey the size of the space between your dragon’s eyes. Dragons require a variety of greens including collard greens, mustard, and turnip greens, red leaf lettuce, greed leaf lettuce. Stay away from iceberg lettuce, large amounts of kale, cabbage, or spinach. We also suggest a variety of vegetables such as mixed vegetables, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, fruits offered in small amounts. Other specialty additions can include cactus fruit, hibiscus flowers, and dandelion flowers. The salad mix can be offered daily using different combinations on ingredients.

When feeding crickets, make sure your source of crickets is clean. You may gut load your crickets with commercial cricket and/or we suggest offering your cricket’s fresh fruit, greens, and water. Remove all old food from your cricket container.

Supplementation

There are many different and often contradictory opinions/views on supplementation. Calcium, D3, and vitamin supplementation are necessary for your dragons. However, supplementation will depend on what you feed your dragons, the bulbs you use, and how much natural sun they receive. Many sources recommend supplementing small dragons daily and decreasing to once or twice per week for adult dragons. We suggest you supplement your young dragons daily with a ratio of 1 part Rep-Cal Herptivite to 3 parts Rep-Cal calcium with Vitamin D3.

Calcium/Vitamin Deficiency

This serious problem can have permanent effects on the life of your bearded dragon. Too little D3 and calcium can lead to metabolic bone disease. Some early symptoms of this problem include the shaking, twitching, or stiffness of limbs (especially rear legs), separation of the mouth, and difficulty chewing food. If this problem is caught early enough, supplementation and exposure to natural sun can be good remedies. Calcium deficiency is often seen in older dragons, or under supplemented dragons. There is also the possibility of over supplementing your dragons, causing a myriad of problems all its own.

List of Supplies Needed

ALL THESE ITEMS CAN BE PURCHASED AT PETCO OR PETSMART.

Websites to visit

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