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Latin Name: Pagona vitticeps (Old name Amphibolurus vitticeps)
Native to: Australia
Maximum Length: 15 - 24 inches
Approximate Life Span: 5 - 10 years
BEARDED DRAGON GENERAL INFORMATION
All Bearded Dragons supplied by California Zoological Supply are
captive bred. Bearded Dragons are very docile lizards that get their
name from the spiny scaled area that covers the throat. The male
dragons will "puff" this area out as a sign of dominance and defense.
This will be more common during the breeding season. Arm waving is just
the opposite. It is a submissive behavior. Male bearded dragons tend to lose this
behavior as adults while females tend to increase it, especially during
the breeding season. Dominant dragons will seek the highest basking
point in the enclosure. In order to show dominance, the dragon may
sacrifice long exposure to the heat. You may see them try to cool off
by keeping their mouths open. The message here is, it's better to look
good than be comfortable. Sexual maturity is reached at about 15
months. During the breeding season, the throats of the males will
darken to a solid black. This is a reliable indicator of sex. The
throats of the female dragons tend to have gray scales. When males
fight, they open their mouths, hiss and whip their tails. There are
also Red-Headed Bearded Dragons on the market, unfortunately the heads
will not turn red until they reach about 9 inches in length. Therefore
it is difficult to distinguish Bearded Dragons from their Red-Headed
counterparts. California Zoological Supply recommends you purchase a
baby dragon with a minimum head to tail size of 5 - 6 inches. Anything
smaller than this can be difficult to keep.
BEARDED DRAGON ENCLOSURES
A 10 - 20 gallon aquarium is sufficient for juveniles. As the lizards
grow, increase the size of the enclosure. Adults should have plenty of
room to remain active. A floor area of 1.5 - 2 feet square or larger is
recommended for each adult. Males should not be kept together unless a
very large enclosure is used as they tend to fight in confined spaces
SUBSTRATE FOR BEARDED DRAGONS
Sand is your best choice. Avoid silica sand
as it's fine dust is harmful to you and the lizards. You can obtain
sanitized play sand at your local home center. Provide a layer of at
least 2 inches. Keep the sand clean by sifting and removing any waste
with a cat scooper used for cat boxes. Change the sand completely every
3 months, or sooner if needed. Decorate with Zoo Med REPTI-FLORA™,
drift wood, grape vines or Zoo Med LIZARD LADDERS™.
TEMPERATURE & HUMIDITY
Overall daytime
temperatures should be 85ºf with a basking area of 90 - 95ºf aimed at a
branch or large rock on one end of the enclosure. Nighttime
temperatures can drop to 75ºf.
BEARDED DRAGON HEATING
Use a Zoo Med REPTITHERM® UNDER TANK HEATER
(U.T.H.). For easy heat control use a Zoo Med REPTI-TEMP RHEOSTAT™ in
conjunction with the U.T.H. Do not unplug the U.T.H. to control
temperatures. Reptiles need to be able to regulate their body
temperature, so a temperature gradient must be provided for. A basking
area, consisting of a Zoo Med REPTI™ BASKING SPOT BULB and Zoo Med
REPTICARE® ROCK HEATER, should be provided as well as an area where
your animals can go to cool off. Always use a thermometer and humidity
gauge in all reptile & amphibian enclosures.
LIGHTING
UVB spectrum lighting is a necessity for
Bearded Dragons. The Zoo Med REPTI IGUANA LIGHT UVB310™ with its high
UVB and UVA output is an excellent choice for daytime lighting. Very
high UVB is essential for the dragons to synthesize vitamin D3. All
reptiles and amphibians need a photo period (light cycle). A plug in
timer (for your lights only, do not use a timer for your heating
devices) works well to develop a regular photo period of 12 hours of
light and 12 hours of dark. Use a Zoo Med REPTICARE® CERAMIC HEAT
EMITTER at night and during the day to keep the air temperature up.
Reptiles and amphibians cannot see the red light spectrum, so a low
wattage red bulb is ideal for night time viewing of your Bearded
Dragons.
FOOD & WATER
Bearded Dragons are omnivorous
(feeding on both live food and fruits & vegetables). Live food
consists of crickets, small roaches, grasshoppers and wax worms. Small
sized dragons should get 1 - 2 week old crickets, medium sized dragons
should get 2 - 3 week old crickets and large sized dragons should get
4-5 week, nothing bigger. Pinkie mice can be fed to medium to large
sized dragons occasionally. Do not feed a food item that is too big for
the dragon (the crickets may impact the lizard and it may block off the
intestinal track). An easy way to tell if the food is the proper size;
The food item should not have a body length greater that the width of
the dragon's head. Baby dragons to medium sized dragons should be fed
every day while adults can eat every 2 - 3 days. Always feed your
crickets assorted fruits and vegetables or a prepared commercial
cricket diet 12 - 24 hours before feeding the crickets to your pets.
Dust crickets with Zoo Med REPTIVITE® vitamins just before you feed
them off. Dust also with a calcium supplement twice a week. All Bearded
Dragons should get a mixture of vegetables chopped to bite size once a
day in a separate dish. These vegetables should include; red leaf and
green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, kale, mustard & collard
greens, green beans, shredded carrots & banana squash, grapes and
melons. You can also offer a small dish of Zoo Med canned ZOO MENU®
TEGU/MONITOR FOOD once a week. Provide a shallow bowl with fresh
de-chlorinated or spring water. Mist the dragons in the morning only
for about 1 minute with de-chlorinated water.
NOTES
Always wash your hands before and immediately
after handling reptiles and amphibians. Never leave live food long term
with reptiles & amphibians. They can inflict severe harm, even kill
your pet. If your animals take some time to eat or you feed them at
night, leave a slice of potato, carrot or dry dog food for the live
food items to eat. Your local pet shop is an ideal source for reptile
and amphibian related books and supplies. Please make sure you read and
become familiar with any instructions provided with reptile support
products you may purchase.
For further information on reptiles and amphibians we
recommend you read REPTILES MAGAZINE and THE VIVARIUM. California
Zoological Supply hopes you have enjoyed reading this reference sheet
on Bearded Dragons. We hope that our guidelines will assist you with
the care or possible purchase of your new pet.
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Reptiles 
