Care Guide

Husbandry and Housing

Most health issues can be traced back to improper husbandry issues, and therefore can be prevented and fixed rather easily. First which is essential for the health and happiness of the dragon, but also allows for the growth of live plants and soil life to keep the enclosure operating properly is the need for proper lighting and temperatures. Those will be covered in other sections.

Also important is what you put inside your enclosure. Dragons are adept climbers, burrowers, and sunbathers. Dragons do best if there are things to climb on and soil to dig in for exercise inside their enclosures. You can provide these by making use of ledges coming from the background, or adding branches to climb on. Some owners will even provide a dig box on one side of the enclosure, even if its not the full floor. They will use every inch of space you provide for them. In addition to a hotspot, which provides warmth for the animal that aides in digestion, bearded dragons need “hides,” or places to occasionally escape their lights. Its best to place two hides in the enclosure, one on the hot side and one on the cool side. 

Decorating their homes and watching them use their space is one of the most rewarding aspects of being the parent of a bearded dragon. Some owners choose an authentic Australian Outback look, while others have been known to decorate vivarium's in themes that highlight both the owners and dragons’ personality or interests. Our advice is to have fun with it. Your new dragon will happily live in a Hogwarts classroom or any other themed enclosure if they are healthy and well cared for.

Heating and Lighting

More important than decorating a healthy environment for your dragons, is lighting. Bearded dragons need 4 lights in their enclosure. One that produces heat (like a halogen), one that produces UVB, one that produces UVA (like a metal halide), and one that produces visible, or full spectrum, light. Best practice is to have these lights angled so that they merge onto one spot, on one side, of the enclosure, That will be your dragons basking spot.

UVB and UVA are essential for the production of D3 which allows for the proper absorption of calcium. Calcium makes your dragons bones strong and healthy. Proper UVB bulbs for bearded dragons are linear and UVA producing metal halide lights are spot light bulbs.

The hotspot itself can be made of many things, tree branches, driftwood or slate rock are good examples. The heating in your enclosure should go like this: hot spot surface temperature 105 to 115 degrees; cool side surface temperature: 75 to 85 degrees; nighttime should not go below 55 degrees. These parameters allow your dragon to heat up and keep their immune system and digestion working properly, but also allows them to get out of the heat and cool off. It is important to allow the night time temperatures drop, so that the dragon’s system will work properly.

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The full spectrum lights produce what is called visible light. While most people know these as important for better plant growth, they are also a large part of the suns natural rays. These lights help in ways we don't fully understand for our dragons, however when they are provided dragons have a drastic uptick in activity and spunk. These lights typically come in the form of LED bars, or spot lights.

It is best practice to follow the manufacturers guidelines for distance to the basking spot. Calibrating the lights might take a bit of patience and coordination. You may need to play around with the wattage of your bulbs to get the proper temperature, as many factors will determine what is needed. Some of those things include the temperature of your home or the humidity of your climate. 

Substrate

After you’ve properly lit and heated your dragon’s environment the next aspect to tackle is what they will be standing upon. Ideas on how best to keep bearded dragons have evolved over the last several years, The more “traditional” style includes placing paper towels, slate tile or laminate on the floor of the enclosure. The newer school of thought is to create a bioactive enclosure. A bioactive enclosure has living plants, a clean up crew of bugs, and 4 to 6 inches of a soil and sand mix for a floor. Some say that the softer floor is better on a dragons feet and joints. 

The bearded dragon can grow up to 24” long, so it needs space to move around. Current standards of care advocate a 6’x3’x3’ enclosure. This size enclosure allows a proper heat gradient, plenty of room to run around, climb and dig. We at Lizard Kisses believe that a more natural environment or bioactive enclosure will encourage your dragon to dig and hunt for food causing them to be more engaged.

So what soil should you use? These lizards come from a place with a 90% sand, organic soil and clay mix composition. It is recommended that you use a safe sand, like Children's Play Sand, or Australian dessert sand, as opposed to sand with additives, like calcium sand.  Dragons have been known to eat the calcium sand, which can cause serious health problems. The organic soil that you should use should have no fertilizers or additives.

No matter which style of keeping you choose, as long as the lights, heat, and size requirements are met, you can have a healthy and happy dragon.  

 Health & Body Condition

Recognizing a healthy bearded dragon can sometimes be difficult for even more experienced reptile owners. It is widely presented in the hobby that bearded dragons are supposed to be big and plump, however this is not the case. In fact, it’s crucial for a bearded dragon’s long-term well-being that they remain lean and muscular. They are a slow growing lizard, and should reach adult size in two years. When measured in the wild, female bearded dragons were on average 8.5 inches snout to vent, and weigh 254 grams. Male bearded dragons average 9.5 inches snout to vent, and 372.8 grams. These are healthy weights and lengths of bearded dragons. While captive dragons can be slightly larger than their counterparts in the wild, the closer your dragon is to these marks, the better their long-term health will be. Obese dragons are at risk for several diseases including Follicular Stasis, Hepatic lipidosis commonly known as fatty liver disease, and dysregulation of digestive processes. Follicular Stasis occurs in females when excess calories are stored as egg yolk. In captivity, bearded dragons can develop an overabundance of yolk. In the absence of offspring, yolk sacks may become fragile and rupture. This can be fatal. Healthy bearded dragons naturally store fat in several locations around their bodies. These areas known as “fat pads” and help to protect and insulate them. However, when these “fat pads” are full, deposits begin to form around the body cavity and organs. This can cause the liver to completely shut down, and is called Hepatic lipidosis. Fatty Liver disease is a common cause of death of captive bread Bearded Dragons. In addition, extra fat in the body cavity can prevent a bearded dragon from properly digesting their food. Bulging fat can start to squeeze the organs hampering their ability to work. The extra fat will literally block the sun from penetrating into the organs of your bearded dragon. Because bearded dragons are ectothermic animals, which require energy from the sun to digest their food, as well as complete all body processes. Failure to properly digest food can lead to a series of issues including impaction. Impaction is potentially fatal and happens when a dragon cannot pass their food. Eventually a failure to process their food causes waste to build in their systems. If caught early, the painful affliction can be reversed by a veterinarian. These issues aren’t meant to scare those who care and love Bearded Dragons. As parents of several lizards ourselves we understand that information is key to keeping and maintaining a happy and healthy bearded dragon which when cared for properly can lead an enriched life for up to 15 years.

Feeding

It is really important not to overfeed your dragon. According to DVM Dr. Jonathan Howard (The BeardieVet), feeding should be done by weight/age. 

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Under 40 grams: 5-6 items/day

40+ grams: 4-5 items/day

Adults: 3-4 items, 3x/week

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All bugs need to be dusted with calcium, and you should feed a variety of prey items.

Black Soldier Flies, Dubia Roaches, Discoid Roaches, Orangehead Roaches, Mealworms, Silkworms and Superworms are all examples of prey items. Its also important to feed the correct size of bug. They should be no bigger then the space between your dragons eyes.

In addition to bugs, your dragons will need salads. Staple greens are: Arugula, Bok Choy, Cactus Pads, Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Endive, Escarole, Kale, Mustard Greens, Oak Choy, Turnip Greens, and Swiss Chard.

Occasional Offerings and Salad Toppers are: Artichoke Heart, Basil, Bell Pepper, Carnations, Cilantro, Carrot Greens, Cucumbers, Peeled Carrots, Grated Raw Clover(pesticide/herbicide free), Mint leaves, Parsley, Rose Petals, Raw Squash, Sweet Potato.

Avoid Avocado, Onion, chives, mushrooms, garlic and eggplant, These are poisonous.

Instead of adding sugary fruits which can lead to several health conditions, try adding flowers and veggies instead. Here are some tasty snack options for your bearded dragon:

Flowers

Carnations, Hibiscus, Pansies, Petunia, Rose, Rosemary, Sage or Impatiens 2x/week

Hollyhock 1x/week

Mint or Watercress 3x/week

Nasturtium 5x/week

Veggies

Asparagus, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Green Beans, Okra, Parsnips, Spaghetti Squash, Swiss Chard or Zucchini 2x/week

Bok Choy, Butternut Squash or Fennel Greens 3x/week