Welcome to the bearded dragon care guide

key facts

Pogona vitticeps (inland or central); P. barbata (eastern)

  • Lifespan: 10-15 years
  • Sexual maturity: 8-12 months old
  • Diurnal
  • Solitary
  • New animals should be quarantined for minimum 3 months minimum to ensure they are healthy
Bearded dragon pogona lizard

enclosure

  • Minimum 1.2-1.8m long and 0.6-0.9m high
  • Thermal gradient
    • Basking area 35-42°C
    • Cool end 24-26°C
    • No less than 20°C at night
      • Temperature is best monitored through a temperature gun
      • Do not rely on thermostats, manual measurement is important
      • If using a thermometer there should be one at the warm end and one at the cold end. They should be at the level the dragon would be in the enclosure.
      • Do not use hot rocks as they can cause burns
  • Radiant heat is best (not rocks or mats) as they are a basking species
  • 20-30min unfiltered sunlight 2-3 times per week is beneficial
  • Humidity: 25-40%
    • A hygrometer should be in the enclosure at dragon height to measure this
  • Avoid substrates that they can ingest
    • But need to be able to dig as this is a natural behaviour for them
    • Sand-soil can be good
  • Hides, rocks and branches
    • Avoid anything too porous as can be hard to clean
  • Arcadia T5 light for UVB (12% tube bulb)
    • Follow manufacturer instructions as to how far the bulb should be from the dragon
    • Change every 6-9months
    • 12hr light and 12 hour dark (in winter, in summer 14 hours light, 10 hours dark)
    • Bulb should cover as much of the vivarium length as possible
    • No solid barrier between UV source and dragon (i.e. can’t be on top of glass/ behind plastic), UV does not penetrate through windows so sunlight through a window is NOT sufficient source of UV

Diet

  • Hatchlings
    • Small number of insects 2-3 times a day + some chopped up greens
    • 25% greens + 75% insects
  • Adults (from 4 months of age)
    • Shift towards more of a herbivorous diet as they get older
    • Daily plants/salads, this can include:
      • Leafy salad greens, lettuce (not iceberg), kale, rocket, cabbage, collard greens, mustard greens, Asian greens
      • Dandelion, clover, chicory, watercress
      • Parsley, basil
      • Squash, kumara, carrots (Fibrous foods can be helpful in preventing dental disease)
      • Can have a SMALL amount of fruit: Apple, banana, blueberries, raspberries
    • Insects 2-3 times a week (8-10 max per feed)
      • Crickets, roaches, moths,
      • Do not just feed mealworms as these are high in calories which can lead to obesity and liver disease
      • Feeding hard bodied insects such as crickets will help with tartar prevention
    • Multivitamin on vegetables once every 2 weeks
      • Spray water onto food to make multivitamin stick
      • E.g. Repashy Calcium Plus or Flukers Reptile Liquid
    • Gut load insects 12-24 hours before feeding them to the dragon and dust with Ca immediately before feeding
      • Ensure no vit D3 or phosphorus in dust
      • Gut loading examples are:
        • Arcadia Insect Fuel or Repashy superload
    • Remove uneaten insects as they may harm your dragon
    • Offer food in mornings so digest in warmest part of the day
    • Water
      • Small bowl at cool end shallow enough for them to enter and exit
      • If put too close to heat source will increase the humidity of the enclosure
      • Some dragons will drink water dropped onto face
      • Some will only drink when bathed

PREVENTATIVE CARE

  • A yearly health check is recommended with a reptile savvy vet
  • Yearly faecal and blood tests +/- x-rays as a minimum can ensure problems are detected early
  • Many dragons brumate from March/April-Aug/Sept
    • Only healthy dragons should be allowed to brumate
    • It is recommended to have a health check a couple of weeks before this to ensure it is safe for your dragon to brumate