Bearded Dragon Husbandry

HOUSING

• Bearded dragons can be housed singly, in breeding pairs, or in groups with one male and two or more Females.
• Provide a terrarium size of at least 72 inches long by 16 inches wide by 17 inches high for a single adult dragon.
• A minimum of eight square feet is needed for up to three adults with another four square feet for each additional dragon.
• A minimum of 10-20 gallon aquarium is necessary for juveniles.
• It is recommended that juveniles be housed singly, but small groups of similar sized juveniles can be placed together if ample food is provided and if the smaller ones are separated out if they are not thriving.
• Newspaper or paper pulp material is recommended as a substrate as it is easily cleaned and will not cause gastrointestinal problems if eaten.
• Play sand (no finer than #30) or decomposed granite can also be used but, is not recommended as sand ingestion may cause problems and sand is difficult to keep clean.
• Provide branches, driftwood, cork bark and/or large rocks for climbing.
• Provide a daytime, focal point basking range of 85-95°F with the ambient temperature 75-80°F.
• If several dragons are housed together provide ample basking sites and hide areas.
• Provide a nighttime temperature range of 60-70o F (16-21o C). A night heat source such a heat strip, ceramic heating element or red bulb may be helpful.
• Provide 12-14 hours of full spectrum light including ultraviolet B (UVB) in the summer and 10-12 hours in the winter. UVB is important for absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal system.
• Change the UVB bulbs every 6 months as the UVB production diminishes with time even if the bulb is still producing light.

FEEDING ADULTS

• Adults are primarily herbivores (plant eaters) and should be fed a variety of dark leafy vegetables such as collard greens, kale, romaine, mustard greens, endive, red/green leaf or Boston Lettuce, spinach(even with oxalates it is safe to feed as a small portion of the diet to increase variety), parsley, bok choy, and broccoli (leaves and florets).
• Limited amounts of other vegetables such as shredded carrots and sweet potato, squash, peas and beans can be offered.
• Chop or shred the greens and place them in a bowl or on a plate and spray with water prior to feeding in order to increase water consumption.
• A calcium supplement can be dusted on top of the salad.
• Offer gut-loaded insects two to three times per week.
• To properly gut load, provide insects with a complete diet such as rodent chow, dry dog food, or psittacine pellets(see Cricket Care).
• Dust insects with a calcium/Vitamin D3 supplement twice weekly and every other week with a multivitamin.
• Crickets should be primarily cricket fed, but mealworms, giant mealworms and wax moth larvae can also be fed in smaller amounts.
• Pinkie or fuzzy mice can be offered, occasionally.
• Commercial bearded dragon diets (moistened with water) can be offered, but should not make up more than 50% of the diet. If they are readily eaten it is important to reduce other vitamin and mineral supplementation.

FEEDING JUVENILES

• Juveniles are omnivorous (eating approximately 50% animal material). A variety of leafy green vegetables as described for adults and appropriately sized crickets (no longer than the width of the dragons head) should be offered twice per day.
• Dust crickets with a calcium/vitamin D3 supplement four to five times a week and a multivitamin once a week.
• Placing too many insects in the enclosure at once can make it difficult to know if the young dragons are eating and can be stressful if the insects crawl all over them.
• Up to 50% of the diet can be moistened, juvenile commercial bearded dragon food but it is important to reduce other vitamin and mineral supplementation if it is being readily eaten.

WATER

• Provide clean fresh water in dishes or bowls that the dragons can easily climb into. For juveniles, offer water in smaller containers that they can sit in or run through.
• Dragons can be encouraged to drink by dripping water on their heads with a water bottle.
• The environment (but not the dragons themselves) can be misted to encourage them to drink the water droplets.
• Soaking dragons occasionally in a warm water bathe may also encourage drinking.

REPRODUCTION

• Use only bearded dragons in good health and body condition for breeding.
• A pre-breeding cooling down period is recommended from early December to mid-February. Reduce the light cycle to 10 hours and provide 14 hours of darkness. Reduce heat or an environmental temperature of 24-29oC (75-85oF)
• Dragons will often be inactive, not eat and stay hidden during this cooling period.
• Fresh water should be provided daily. The dragons can also be soaked weekly in lukewarm water to help keep them hydrated.
• At the end of the cooling period return to 14 hours of daylight and 10 hours of darkness with a normal heat range.
• Feeding will resume and breeding will begin within several weeks.
• Females will “wave” their arms and males will become more aggressive, bobbing their heads and chasing the females.
• Watch the females for excessive trauma to the skin as the males will bite and carry the females around by the skin of the head and neck.
• Eggs will be laid two to three weeks after breeding, and females will become restless and begin to dig in the enclosure.
• Freshly dug garden soil, damp sand, a sand/peak mixture or moist mulch can also be used but should be placed in a container at a depth of 12 inches or more to provide an adequate nesting site within the enclosure.
• “Starter” burrows can be dug out in the nest chamber to entice the females to burrow and lay eggs.
• Eggs can be incubated in moistened coarse vermiculite (ratio of five parts vermiculite to four parts water by weight) in a sealed container, poked with small holes, to allow a small amount of air exchange.
• The eggs should be placed in the moist vermiculite (approximately two thirds buried) in the same position as they are laid and maintained in that position throughout the entire incubation period. The vermiculite (not the eggs themselves) can be misted with water once weekly if it appears to be dry.
• Hatchlings can be left in the incubator for the first day or two after they leave the egg.
• Hatchlings can then be placed in a separate sweater box, poked with air holes and lined with moist paper towels, and kept in the incubator for a day or so.
• Feed and house them as outlined above for juveniles.

COMMON MEDICAL PROBLEMS
Gastrointestinal parasites (coccidian, pinworms and flagellates) are extremely common in bearded dragons. A fecal examination should be performed on all dragons and if necessary appropriate anti-parasitic treatment should be prescribed by a veterinarian. A veterinarian skilled in reptile medicine and surgery should be consulted if any of the following conditions are noted in bearded dragons:

• Weight loss
• Not eating or drinking (generally appetite will be suppressed during the pre-breeding cooling period.)
• Abnormal stools
• Twitching, tremors or seizures
• Swelling of the limbs, inability to close mouth properly
• Discharge from eyes and/or mouth
• Difficulty breathing
• Distention of the abdomen (except in females that have been bred and are doing well otherwise)
• Masses or lumps on the body or limbs, wounds, cuts or scrapes.

REFERENCES
De Vosjoli P, Mailloux R. The general care and maintenance of bearded dragons. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Inc. Lakeside, CA.
Pether J. 1992. Captive breeding (bearded dragon). Inter Reptilian, 5(2):54-57.
Weis P, Weis P. 1994. Breeding bearded dragons. Reptiles Mag, 8:54-55.