Archive for bearded dragon care
Bearded Dragon Care Do’s and Do Nots
Posted by: | CommentsFor those who want to understand the basics of bearded dragon care, we’ve compiled a do and do not list that ought to help make things clearer.
These do and don’t rules are based on a long history of human-lizard interaction, and should assist you in getting used to your new pet, but don’t forget to check out our other blogs for more vital info.
- Feeding
Remember, never feed a dragon anything larger than the space between its eyes, this can cause major health issues when the food particles become impacted in the digestive system. Also avoid feeding your dragon wild caught insects, as these are often contaminated with various pesticides.
2. Sanitation
Always wash your hands after handling a bearded dragon, and ensure you disinfect the inside of its vivarium at least every two weeks. These practices prevent the spread of bacteria to keep both humans and their dragon pets healthy.
3. Housing
Each bearded dragon should ideally have its own space to itself. Even though males and females can be housed together, two males will fight to the death and females will also vie for territory, leading to unhealthy increases in your pets’ stress levels.
Mature males will attempt to mate with females, even if the female is not ready to do so, and in some cases, bearded dragons who did not have enough space have been known to bite or eat their cage-mate’s tails or limbs. In all, you’re better off keeping your dragons in separate enclosures, especially as they grow older.
4. Health
Always get your dragons checked out at the first sign of abnormalities. This includes obvious care issues like the development of lumps, lesions or sores, but things like behavioural changes and lack of sleep are also causes for concern.
Bacterial infections, a common issue in many dragons, spread extremely quickly, meaning that you need to nip such problems in the bud before they become dire. For more great do and don’t tips, please visit our other subject-specific blogs on feeding, housing, lighting and general care.
Bearded Dragon Care and Feeding
Posted by: | CommentsBearded Dragon Care. Your bearded dragon requires loving care if it’s to survive for the decade or more, some have been known to live in captivity, and you can provide it with the best care by following a few easy guidelines.
One of the most enjoyable parts of taking care of a beardie, young or old, is feeding it the live insects and varied vegetables it needs to stay healthy, so learn everything you can about the nutritional requirements.
A bearded dragon who lives in the Australian wilds thrives on variety.
Away from the trappings of human habitation, these lizards will forage for insects of all types, feasting when and wherever they find something they like.
Your feeding routine must accurately replicate the type of diet the bearded dragon needs to stay healthy, providing it with the requisite amounts of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and ever-important vitamins and minerals.
Bearded dragons absorb sunlight as they bask, synthesising vitamin D3.
At home, you can include full-spectrum UVB lighting to help your pet accomplish this vital nutritional task, but you’d still be wise to include vitamin supplements in its diet.
By allowing your insects to feed on nutritious “gut-loading” foods or dusting them with vitamin powder before you let the lizard have at them, you can supplement their diets with essential Calcium and other minerals.
One major rule you always ought to adhere to when feeding a bearded dragon is to ensure the foods they receive are appropriately sized.
As a general guideline, anything bigger than the space between the lizard’s eyes is too large, and must be broken apart. This seems a simple rule to follow, but failure to do so leads to major health issues.
Large pieces of food can become impacted inside a dragon’s body, causing lack of bowel movements, paralysis or the development of painful spinal lumps.
Always make sure to feed your dragon properly, and follow our Bearded Dragon Care blog for other essential care tips.
Bearded Dragon Care Video
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s a very simple and short video I put together about caring for and looking after your Bearded Dragon.
I’m not a professional actor or video person but I hope you enjoy it. Please click the Facebook Like Button and share it with others who like Bearded Dragons!
For a more in depth report about caring for your Bearded Dragon or what to look out for when choosing click here
Bearded Dragon Care As Pets
Posted by: | CommentsA bearded dragon is a perfect pet for anyone who likes lizards, and even those who aren’t too fond of scaly friends will soon warm up to them with this breed. Native to Australian desert climates, beardies love to climb and are exceedingly intelligent although as pets you do need to understand how to care for your bearded dragon.
Their active personalities make them great companions and their lack of extensive care requirements mean they’re great starter pets for younger children.
Bearded dragons get along with children well because they don’t get overly large. This also means that parents don’t have to spend too much on food supplies, although their wide diet variety always guarantees enjoyable feeding sessions.
Bearded Dragon Care
Beardies will consume a range of insects and even some green plants, setting great nutritional examples for their young human companions with the latter. Of course, there are some rules about what they can and cannot eat, but these are not too complex.
Because most bearded dragons as pets are captive bred, you needn’t worry too much about costly veterinary visits.
Although any pet can become ill, breeding in captivity reduces the chances of your animal friends contracting parasitic diseases and other chronic ailments. It also allows anyone to purchase an exotic animal without paying in droves to do so.
Advanced reptile keepers and breeders love the bearded dragon, as do families with tiny tots. They are known for their love of attention, and setting up a vivarium they will enjoy living in is simple.
Requiring far less space than a cat or dog, a bearded dragon won’t get restless just because you live in a small flat, and unlike some other reptiles they’re active during the day.
Bearded dragon pets are fun to handle and once yours becomes used to your presence, which should only take a few feedings, you’ll be inseparable.
Even though there are some specific dos and do nots as far as care is concerned, these rules are simple and regular, thus easy for anyone to learn and adapt to. Follow our blog for more great beardie care tips and visit this site for a great report on Bearded Dragon Care
Bearded Dragon Care Help?
Posted by: | CommentsI came across an exciting new site for people interested bearded dragon care and the best care that they can give.
You can read the report on Bearded Dragon Care here.
Chris Johnson who has kept and bred Bearded Dragons for over 10 years recently put together a tell all, comprehensive report on the care of bearded dragons.
His report also includes the top questions and answers every Bearded Dragon owner must know, a daily feeding guide and a disease busting guide.
For over 10+ years Chris has been helping people who own or want to own a Bearded Dragon and is considered a leading authority.
Be sure to take a look at Chris’s Bearded Dragon Care report and come back and post your comments on this site, I’d love to hear your feedback.
Click here to read the report
Best wishes
Neil
BeardedDragonCareSite.com
Bearded Dragon Care and Heating
Posted by: | CommentsBearded Dragon Care
The colder climes in many countries around the world are absolutely inadequate when it comes to providing the right care and heating that your bearded dragon needs to thrive.
Unlike mammals, these lizards gain their body heat from external sources, so owners who really do focus on their bearded dragon care ensure their pets can readily access warmth.
Bearded dragons usually absorb heat from the sunlight that blasts the arid desert-like regions they hail from.
In captivity, lizards get their heat from any number of ingenious devices people have invented to keep them comfy. The most common of these is the reptile basking light, but ceramic heat emitters and plain light bulbs are often used as well.
So how hot should that vivarium be?
Well, while the bearded dragon in your care will certainly enjoy basking in warm spots, it will need a refuge to cool down in when it gets too toasty.
Make sure you place heaters and thermometers in a fashion that creates a temperature gradient across the tank, with one hot side and one cool side.
For juveniles, maintain a temperature of at most 43ºC on the hot side; adults like it a bit cooler, around 35ºC ought to do nicely. The cool side of the enclosure must be at least 30ºC.
At night, when you turn off the visible lighting so your bearded dragon can get some shuteye, it’s best to maintain temperatures of at least 18ºC.
One thing every good lizard enthusiast knows to avoid is the rock-style heating device commonly seen in snake enclosures. Rocks rarely heat up evenly, and can lead to serious burns on an animal’s belly.
Mat style heaters are acceptable if they’ve been buried underneath the substrate so that animals cannot come into contact with them; these are perfect for keeping the tank warm at night.
Use ceramic fixtures to hold your heating elements. Bearded dragon care seems simple enough, but there are always potential hazards involved with the use of high temperature devices, so be careful, and your beardie will stay comfortable no matter how far north you live.
For more information and a special report click on this link - Bearded Dragon Care
Bearded Dragon Care – Lighting
Posted by: | CommentsFor the best care of your Bearded Dragon it’s important to remember where they come from.
In its natural environment, your new bearded dragon would spend its time crawling about and lounging on fence posts, tree branches or any other out of the way spots where it could easily bask in the full glory of the Aussie sun.
Hot days are ideal, and the weather patterns that we might find uncomfortable are the perfect conditions for these cold-blooded creatures. Your setup at home must accurately replicate the full-spectrum of lighting available in the great outdoors if you want to properly have the best Bearded Dragon care.
Many owners allow their dragons to bask in outdoor cages on sunny days when the temperature is over 70ºF to supplement their artificial light regimen.
While technology can’t imitate the sun perfectly, we can ensure that our bearded dragon friends have the next best thing. UVB lighting provides bearded dragons with the full range of light they need to stay warm and comfy all year long, even indoors.
Reptile lights often include percentage information, numeric ratings that indicate how powerful the UVB light they produce is. Ratings of at least 5.0 are typically the most appropriate for bearded dragons, as these light levels correspond to the same type of desert climates they originally call home.
The coating on the insides of UVB bulbs wears out after about 6 months, so they ought to be replaced regularly. Leaving them on to achieve the 12-14 hours of light bearded dragons require can create quite a fire hazard as heat builds up so take care to use safe ceramic bulb housings and always place lights overhead so that they extend the full tank length. Directing light through the glass reduces the amount of UV rays available for your bearded dragon.
Your visible light sources may not double as heat sources. In cases where one uses both UVB bulbs and normal light bulbs, it’s important to ensure that the each illuminates separate areas. This way, a lizard can bask without overheating.
The effects of not providing your bearded dragon with the right care are devastating to its health. Insufficient lighting can result in issues like metabolic bone diseases and other major problems, so make sure your dragon has the best chances of staying well with the right lighting.
Understanding Bearded Dragon care will lead to a greater enjoyment of your pet.
Bearded Dragon Care and Housing
Posted by: | CommentsKeeping Bearded Dragon care at the forefront of your mind, how do you best recreate the dry woodlands of central Australia in all their wild glory within the confines of a flat or house?
It may seem like an odd question, but those who own a bearded dragon realise it’s an important one.
A Bearded dragon’s housing must include a few critical basics in order to replicate its natural environment. Although a bearded dragon requires personal space, you need to ensure that it doesn’t get stressed out by an overly large, totally unfamiliar habitat.
Even though some owners simply buy a full-size 55-gallon vivarium in the hopes that the dragon will grow into its housing, they take care to divide the space up.
Melamine and other non-reactive plastic partitioning materials are perfect for boxing your bearded dragons into an easily adjustable space.
A locked screen top is also necessary to moderate the build up of humidity, and all materials inside the housing must be disinfected on a regular basis.
If you choose to go with a smaller tank and upgrade gradually, remember that each young lizard will need about 20 gallons of space to itself, but that adults need at least 40 gallons.
Flooring
While you may enjoy bare floors a dragon needs special substrate.
For adults, sand or other loose fills are fine, but youngsters are curious, voracious eaters that enjoy tasting new things.
Non toxic butcher paper, non-felted reptile carpet or similar materials are advised to prevent babies from ingesting something that will result in impaction and other serious health issues.
Use full-spectrum, fire-safe UV lighting to maintain a temperature gradient of about 85-105ºF for 12-14 hours daily.
Dragons love basking and keeping them comfortable is one of the most important parts of your care routine.
Making a habitable home for a lizard takes some effort, but it’ll be well worth it when you’re finally able to welcome your new pet into your family.
For more bearded dragon care tips, continue to follow our regular blog updates.
Bearded Dragon Care
Posted by: | CommentsA bearded dragon makes an amazing exotic pet for any owner, regardless of how much previous lizard experience one has, and owning one is a real treat however bearded dragon care and looking after your bearded dragon is very important.
These lizards come in a variety of colours and sizes, and actually comprise a number of species in the Pogona genus.
In their natural habitat, the arid spacious woodlands of Australia, dragons spend their days climbing trees, fences and rocks, basking in the sun during mornings or afternoons.
Although they do like the wild rough-and-tumble atmosphere of the Southern Hemisphere, they have been widely domesticated the world over.
Bearded dragon care requires a bit more preparation than a warm-blooded dog or feline might, but once you set up a proper habitat, they are extremely low-maintenance creatures.
The basics of general lizard care apply, dragons require ample overhead heat sources as well as large habitats that let them freely regulate their distance from the heat.
Many owners recommend simply partitioning full size 55-gallon vivariums so they can expand the habitat size in accordance with lifelong growth trends, a great way to save money on tank upgrades.
Of course, any young bearded dragon not used to its new habitat must be gradually acclimated to a small space in order to prevent stress, and white dividers also serve this function while reflecting bright light back into the cage.
Heat sources typically take the form of full-spectrum UV lighting. These bulbs ought to be left on for at least 12 hours daily, and should allow the dragon to come relatively close to the light, within about 6-8 inches. While adults require temperatures of around 95ºF, juveniles can handle slightly higher temperatures of up to approximately 115ºF.
Maintain a cool side of the cage at around 85ºF and your dragon ought to be quite comfortable.
Bearded dragon care doesn’t end at habitat set-up. One must properly feed, water and maintain their dragon as well as the environment they inhabit at all times. For more tips, check out some of our other articles.
