How to have a beared dragon as a pet?

Question

what size cage do i need what type of food all that stuff.

Answer 1

Start with a 20 gallon long or something similar, and more to a 55 gallon breeder as it grows large enough. feed it crickets that have been dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements, as well as fruits and vegetables like romaine lettuce, yellow squash, carrots, strawberries and bananas. they like to eat brightly colored fruit/veggies the most. they need to be provided with a UV and heat lamp, as well as water, suitable substrate, and a place to hide. when they are babies they are arboreal, so they will like to climb on sticks and probably sleep while clinging to one, make sure you provide them with places to climb.

Answer 2

Depends on the size. I started off in 20 gal, then a 40 gal. They get upto 3.5 feet (mines 3 ft) and grow fast as babies.

Do NOT feed only crickets, they will get a protein overload and die just like if you over dust crickets it will give them calcium build up.

When you get a baby feed mashed juvie pellets and apple flavored, or any flavor, pedialyte b/c its healthier than just veggies. And do that 4 days and in between feed crickets. Just so it wont be biased on foods.

Do NOT put it on cali-sand no matter what they say. They can eat it by being curious and eat too much and get inpacted, become paralized, and die painfully. So use repti-carpet it's whole life b/c it can happen at any size. Not even play sand, thats retarded. That happend to my first one when I got two, fortunantly my second is my big girl now :].

Get a UV strip light of either 8.0-10.0 And a basking light APPROPRIATE for the size tank. (ie 20 needs 75-100, 40 needs 100-150.) For a baby, use a 75 watt.They have infared lights in same watts, incase your house temp at night falls below 75, they will most deff need this. Its good bc the can't tell its light they just sense its a hot night. Just switch out the basking for infared when the 12 hr period for lighting is done, and turn the Uv off too.

Make sure the water bowl is big enough for them to sit in and small so won't drown. They use this to soak in the water b/c theoretically reptiles can't drink out of bowl they drink off of their body, mainly eyes. It takes training to drink out of a bowl,but i did it. They also have water fountains that show movement so it helps them learn.

Also on the basking side, make sure you have a nice rock or decor so they can get diff degrees of heat. And on the UV side have something like alot of plants and wood toys so they can cool there. Have 3 guages for temp 1 thermometer on the basking and UV side. And have a hydrometer near bottom of tank in the middle to make sure the moisture is the right degree so they wont get sick.

thats pretty much it. Oh, they have beardie hammocks that mine reallllly likes in the cool area.

Any other questions, just email me:]

Answer 3

Kim L has given incorrect information....I have never heard of a lizard drinking off it's body , especially the eyes? Most lizards will drink out of a bowl even if you don't witness it. For bearded dragons two good websites that will provide you with the answers you are looking for are beardeddragons.org and bearded-dragons.com

Answer 4

ok so bearded dragons grow very fast--about a quarter inch every two weeks until they're about 2 feet from head to tail (body is one foot and tail is another foot).  They will need at the LEAST a forty gallon tank.  You can usually get those tanks at your average pet store.  As for food, you should go to

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...

this site will tell you what to feed your dragon and what not to feed him.  

also if your not sure how to handle reptiles properly go to http://www.anapsid.org/handlingreptiles....

Make sure you clean out your beardies tank AT LEAST once every four weeks.  If you have sand in your beardie's tank the sand should be changed every year but make sure to remove all p**p or uneaten food in your bearded dragon's tank.  You should have a layer of sand at least 3 inches tall.  Your tank should have a basking rock/wood and a hiding spot.  The basking spot should be 100F-120F and the hiding spot should be around 70F-80F.  Many pet stores sell foods for bearded dragons, small crickets should be provided when you beardie is younger but as it ages switch to large crickets.  You may also want Bearded dragon pellets.  

I hope this helps.

Answer 5

Bearded Dragons



Beardies should have at least a 40 gallon breeder tank.  Breeder tanks are wider rather than being tall.  This allows for more floor space.  The larger the tank, the better for your beardie.  Mine is in a 75 gallon.  



Do not use sand or other loose substrate on the bottom of the tank.  The risk of intestinal impaction is very real and very common.  Also, loose substrate allows for the quick growth of bacteria and harbors parasites.  It is difficult to clean well and usually smells before long.  Good choices for substrate are non-adhesive shelf liner, which is rubbery, cheap, easy to clean, and looks great.  This is what I use in my lizard tanks.  Other choices include reptile carpet and ceramic tile cut-to-fit.  Sand is NOT natural!  In the wild beardies are not forced to live, eat, and p**p all in a confined small space.  



You must have a heat lamp and a way to regulate temperatures.  The easiest way to provide this is to use a reflector dome with a regular household light bulb.  You can change the wattage to increase or decrease heat as needed.  Plug the heat lamp into a thermostat (they sell these for reptile lamps) or a dimmer switch.  This way the temp can be carefully regulated.  Baby beardies need 105F and adults 100F.  Use a digital probe thermometer to measure the basking temp.  These are sold as indoor/outdoor thermometers in most garden departments.  Set it to “outdoor” and place the probe on the basking platform. You cannot use stick on or dial thermometers, as these only measure air temps and not basking temps.  They can be off by more than 20F!  If the temps are too cold or too hot, you’ll end up with a sick and stressed dragon.  Place the heat bulb over one end of the tank so the other end can be the cool end.  The beardie can self-regulate his temperature this way by moving from one end to the other.  Most beardies spend a good part of their days basking.  A basking platform can either be anything the beardie can climb onto to bask.  I prefer the artificial logs or bridges, as they are easy to clean.  



Beardies must have a UVB bulb!  These look like fluorescent bulbs that fit into fixtures made for them.  The larger the better.  These bulbs must be within 12 inches of the basking spot to be effective.  Both heat and UVB bulbs should be on for 12 hours a day.  It is best to use timers to accomplish this as they allow for the creation of a natural day/night cycle.  Good UVB bulbs are Repti-sun 10.0 or Repti-glo 8.0.  These bulbs should be changed every 6 months as they lose potency long before the light gives out.  



Feeding a variety of insects is always best.  In the wild they will eat up to 50 different types of insects.  Good choices include crickets, superworms, phoenix worms, silkworms, hornworms and occasionally wax worms (high in fat).  Avoid mealworms as they are too high in chitin (outer shell) and can cause impactions.  All insects must be properly “gutloaded” before being used as food.  This means providing correct food and water or moisture for them.  All insects fed must be no larger than the space between the beardies eyes.  If the prey is too large, this can lead to impaction and possible paralysis!

Salads must also be provided.  Several greens and vegies should be in each salad.  For a complete list of safe recommended vegies, see the Beautiful Dragons website below under the “Nutrition” link.

Provide your beardie with a small bowl of water.  Do not use a large bowl as this will raise the humidity too high in the tank, which can lead to upper respiratory problems.  



Beardies benefit from bathing and soaking.  This not only helps with shedding, it is a good way to keep him hydrated.  Simply use a large Rubbermaid container.  Fill it to beardie shoulder height with warm water and place the beardie in it.  Some beardies love water and others never learn to enjoy a bath.  Let him soak for 10-15 minutes.  Baby beardies can be soaked 3 times a week (they dehydrate much more quickly) and adults every 1-2 weeks.  Daily misting with a squirt bottle is also beneficial.  



Beardies should have a stool sample checked by an experienced reptile vet twice a year.  They can carry a lot of parasites which can cause loss of appetite, diarrhea, and illness.  Some of these parasites, such as coccidia, can never be totally eliminated.  Under stress their numbers can rise and cause problems.  Your vet can advise you when treatment is needed.



For more info on care, health and feeding, please check out my favorite sites:



http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...



http://www.bio.miami.edu/ktosney/file/BD...



http://www.beardeddragon.org/



http://www.bearded-dragons.com/tips/

Answer 6

I'd recommend doing reaserch on Google.

1)55 gallon tank

2) Food: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...

3)Calcium supplements

4) Heating lamp and UVB

5) basking rock/log/ whatever. and some branches and rocks.