How to Care for Bearded Dragon

Pets are very important part of our daily lives. They are like a family member and hence there care should be of prime importance. We are familiar with dogs, cats, and birds as pets, however if you have or you wish have some exquisite rare creature as pet, then a bearded dragon can a fine choice. They are the most attractive kinds of pets one can own. One may not be very fond of lizards, yet a bearded dragon is quite an interesting, calm and distinct creature due to which you may wish to have one as pet.

Dragons are actually wonderful pets but special care is required for their healthy living. They are one of the excellent choices for the hobbyists. They usually do not require high maintenance, but there are certain things they need and which the owner should give. If proper care is provided, a bearded dragon can live up to fifteen years. Their care included a correct enclosure, food, water, substrate, lighting and environment. Here are the few guidelines for the beginners for the Bearded Dragon Care:

The Food for Bearded Dragon

The need of correct diet is quite important. Dragons eat fruits, insects and vegetables which imply that they are omnivorous. One can purchase the diet of insects for their pet from a local pet store but ensure that they are not exposed to poisonous stuff. If so then catching some insects for your dragon pet yourself is not at all a bad idea. The dragons usually like to have earth worms, king worms, wax worms, meal worms and cockroaches etc. They are also fond of crickets. They should be given plenty of food they can eat in ten minutes thrice a day. There should also be a meal of fresh vegetable in a day.

To make the diet more effective one can dust a pinch of calcium on the food which in essential for the growth. Water should be given to them in a fixed quantity as too much water is as dangerous as giving no water at all. This is because they actually come from desert. The dragons generally are not able to make out standing water. So for the purpose one may have to haze the food and the water in the right amount.

The right kind of living space for the Dragon

The bearded dragon usually requires a lot of space. A terrarium of 10-15 gallons is of right size for the young hatchlings where as adults may require 50 to 55 gallons size of terrarium. Also there living space should be rectangular as they are semi-arboreal in nature which implies that they require more length than height.

The required Lighting

Another important factor in Bearded Dragon Care is the amount of light they are exposed to. In day time, you may need to provide a UVB bulb for your pet along with the natural light as it is essential for the production of vitamin D3 which helps in the calcium metabolism. In addition to this 14 hours of bright light is required for appropriate care and rest of the day should be spent in darkness.

 

 

 

Different types of bearded dragons

Australia is a place well known for possessing a variety of animals. Many nature lovers get fascinated by the various forms of nature when they visit this place. One class of animals that is present in Australia in a huge variety is the reptiles, precisely the lizards. These reptiles exist in a wide range of sizes and forms. Their mysterious nature and activities attract many animal lovers towards them. Different types of lizards are also kept as pets by many people.

One such variety of lizards which is often kept as a pet is the bearded dragon. All the species of bearded dragons are very attractive and people love to keep them as pets due to their beautiful looks, easy handling and small size. These reptiles require very small places to live and can be easily handled. Here are a few species that are found commonly in Australia and are kept as pets:

• Pogona minor minima or Western bearded dragon – This species of bearded dragon is found in the south- west coast and the interior areas of the continent. It loves to stay in the deep forests and in coastal banks. These are also found in deserts. These generally have a small size with a streamlined body and a long tail.
• Pogona vitticeps or Inland bearded dragons – This type of dragons is the largest in size from all other existing forms. These can be as long as 20cm and are found in very attractive colors like yellow, green, black and brown with scales. These are found in all parts of Australia except the western part. It is the most popular as pet.
• Pogona minor mitchelli dragon – These are commonly found in the interior of northern territory and in the great Sandy desserts of Australia. These are the smallest dragons with a long and thin body. Their maximum length can be 14cm. Their most unique feature is their cone like head spikes that makes it very attractive.
•  Pogona minor dragon – The Pogona minor or the dwarf dragon is the one with the most unique body shape of all the lizards. They have a small head with a bulging belly, a short tail and small legs. These are very small in size. Most of the cartoon characters of dragon are an animated version of this species.
•  Lawson bearded lizard – This sort of dragons are the second most popular pets. These are found in the northern part and the Queensland. These have a huge widened out belly and a scaled body which makes them different. These have a small beard with spikes on the neck.
• Small scaled bearded lizard – These are found in the North West Australian region. As their name suggests, these have small scales and spikes as compared to other lizard species but these are quite long. They can achieve lengths up to 18cm.

Though there are many more species of these creatures, the ones discussed above are more popular as pets. Before you get your bearded dragon, you should get a thorough knowledge about the eating and breeding habits of these creatures.

Bearded Dragon Care for Starters

Bearded Dragons is an excellent option for reptile hobbyists who like to give pets more than just food and a place to live. Breaded dragon care is easy to take care with a little knowledge that goes long way to make sure that your pet is healthy. These lizards are best options for those who are dedicated to keep their pets healthy and happy. If cared properly bearded dragon can live up to fifteen years.

If you are already a proud owner of a bearded dragon or thinking of buying one you should always make sure you are acquainted with all the tips to take care of these little pets. The most important thing in bearded dragon care is to have the right kind of environment ready for your pet, for this you have to make sure that the cage is large enough. If you are buying a baby bearded dragon then he is definitely going to grow, so make sure the space is big enough that allow your pet to grow properly. You have to take extra care for their food requirements, for a baby bearded dragons you need to feed them with a lot of food to support their rapid growth.

In initial days feed your breaded dragon at least 2-3 times a day and watering should be done ones or twice daily. Since bearded dragons are messy creatures, you have to make sure that you clean baby dragon house regularly may be twice a day. Breaded dragon care is incomplete if their surroundings are not clean because at their young age you have to take care that they don’t catch any disease. Having proper lightening in the cage is another aspect that should be taken care of. In addition to the day-light you need to provide your bearded dragon with UVB bulb this is necessary for the production of vitamin D in their body. To be sure about the bearded dragon care you should give them with fourteen hours of bright light and the balance of the day should be taken care in the darkness.

Temperature should be maintained in your beaded dragon cage by using temperature gradient. Being cold-blooded they will keep rushing from one corner of the cage to other to keep their body temperature even. The cage should be warm enough for the breaded dragon to bask and lie in. Lack of humidity in the air can cause your dragon to shed. Breaded dragons are omnivorous that means they eat both vegetables and meat. Therefore, you should give them healthy diet to keep them healthy and strong. While feeding them, make sure the size of the food is not bigger than the space between their eyes because chances are if given too big of food it can cause them health issues. It is recommended to use paper towels for breaded dragons because it’s clean, easy to use and replace.

They are truly magnificent creatures and they require very special care. They aren’t really high maintenance just following the above guidelines will give you a fair idea of what all is involved in a bearded dragon care.

Diverse Species of Dragons

If you are a pet lover, you must have had a dog, cat, parrot etc but have you ever kept a dragon as your pet. A dragon has turned out to be an ideal choice for pet in recent times for the children as well as for the first time owners. These dragons as pets are peaceful to hold and do not cause any difficulty when transported from one place to another. Dragons that are captive tend to live a healthy and active life and are also free from pesticides as compared to the ones who are wild caught. If you are planning to keep the dragon as a pet in your house then you must know about types of dragon and how to care and feed them.

Bearded Dragons are inhabitant of Australia. They belong to a large number of various species. The reason for the popularity of dragons is because they are quite in nature, calm to handle and small in size. A dragon takes up relatively less space than other pet animals such as dogs or cat and is much cleaner. They are not quite prone to health issues; however they easily get mites or worms. Dragons can be found in eight different species out of which six can be kept as pets which are as follows:

• Western Dragon: This kind of dragon is mostly found in southwest coast, in Western Australia. Such dragons can live in coastal dunes, and desert as well but are mainly found in woodland areas.
• The Inland Dragon: This dragon is the largest of its own species and is one of the most famous breed of reptilian pet. They can grow up to 20cm in length. An inland dragon can be found in every state and territory apart from Western Australia.
• The Mitchells Dragon: These dragons can be located in the interior of the north and in the Great Sandy Dessert which is located in the north side of Western Australia. Unique features of this dragon includes his cone like head spikes; they are the smallest of their species and can grow up to 14cm. They are the only one of their kind and are easy to recognize.
• The Dwarf Dragon: These dragons are quite closely related to the previous Mitchell species. They can be found in the Great Sandy Desert. One can recognize a dwarf dragon by noticing his short legs and tiny tail.
• Lawsons Dragon: Lawsons dragons live in almost all the parts of Queensland and some of the northern territory and are second most popular choice of pet species. The total area covered by these species is still not known.
• The Nullabor Dragon: They can be identified easily by their markings; they have large white markings along its back and spines on their sides. They are not very common and are only found in some parts between the South Western and South Australia. They are least likely to be kept as pets due to their rareness and also are not known to breed in captivity.

There could be possibly some other unknown species of Bearded Dragons in Australia and may be sub species as well. They are quite creature who are active in day time. They tend to sloth as the sun sets.

 

 

 

Before keeping it, know the needs of your pet

If you are one of those people who like to keep unique pets, you can try keeping a reptile this time. These are easy to handle peaceful creatures which have very distinctive looks. They don’t require much care and attention like other pets. A bearded dragon can be a very uncommon choice to be kept as a pet. But you should be aware of the fact that these reptiles require some special care. Their eating and living habits are quite different from other warm blooded animals. For a pet lizard owner, it is very important to familiarize with these habits of a bearded dragon.

Habitat features:

Being reptiles, these bearded lizards like to stay in places with more moisture content. So in comparison to an aquarium, a terrarium is a more suitable choice as their habitat. A terrarium is almost like an aquarium but it is designed in such a way that it provides both kinds of atmosphere to the pet that is water and land. A ten gallon terrarium is enough to accommodate two dragons. Though these creatures appear to be slow moving or infrequently changing their position, they have their requirements of an open space to live and roam around. These reptiles like to reside at places which have high levels of humidity. Thus, the terrarium should be such that it has a small opening to provide you enough space to put food into it and maintain the correct levels of humidity every time. Low moisture content can make your dear pet sick.

Eating habits:

As we all know, diet plays an important role in maintaining the overall health of an animal. The eating habits of these creatures are not very different from the other omnivores. They can be given both herbs and non vegetarian food but their diet is required to contain more herbs. Crickets are the favorite food items of these dragons. Their diet should also contain vegetables like squash, carrots and green leafy vegetables. Different dragons have different eating habits so being the owner; you have to observe the pet for what it likes to eat and what the effect of the food you are giving is. Worms like earth worms, wax worms, king worms, cockroaches and meal worms can also be included in the diet of these dragons. These lizards must be provided three meals a day. Overfeeding is not at all good for their health. If you keep on feeding them, they will keep on consuming it. Overconsumption will make them inactive and sluggish. Especially when you have guests at your home, be aware that your pet is not overfed by your guests. Calcium is a necessary ingredient of a lizard’s diet. You can include more calcium rich food into your pet’s diet or get calcium powder from the pet shop that can be sprinkled on the food.

Proper lighting and maintenance of temperature of the habitat is also important. A UV bulb can be placed inside the pet home to aid the calcium metabolism of the lizard. The temperature should be kept somewhere between 80 to 100 degree Fahrenheit.

Information on bearded dragon as a pet

There are a number of reptile enthusiasts that love keeping dragons as their pets because they mainly love its wonderful personality. It is believed that these dragons are pleasant and friendly in nature. Other than this, it is wonderful interacting with them and you’d love handling them. You just have to follow few simple steps and you would successfully domesticate a dragon.

Bearded dragon is such a reptile that is supposed to have approximately eight different known species in the wild. The dragons are supposed to originate from Australia, thus it being their native place and live in mainly the warmer parts of the continent. Dragons have many different names too and in different places are known by diverse names such as Eastern Bearded Lizard, the Lawsony, the Small-scaled dragon, the Western dragon, The Dwarf Bearded Lizard or dragon, Mitchell’s bearded Lizard, Nullabor and the Inland or Central bearded Lizard aka dragon.

The dragons are the most common lizards kept by the pet owners and breeders all over the world especially in Australia. The dragon is also called by ‘oz’ meaning Aussie and beardie. If a look is given to their behavior, you’ll come across that they exhibit some interesting and comical behaviors in the wild and even in the enclosure. The actions that the dragon exhibits are mostly in regard to the territorial or breeding displays. The most common and eye catching behavior of bearded lizard is the inflation of its beards. A dragon’s beard is a pocket of skin that is resilient. When they get disturbed or agitated that is when they fill the pouch with air and expand the pouch to a greater volume resulted in pointed spines that give a look of a huge beard.

This mechanism is basically an illusion to its opponent that the dragon has grown in size and has got spiky. Males are supposed to have larger developed beard then females. They are very skilled in warding off any threat by simply expanding their body, open their mouth and make that hissing sound. Another behavior is used while defending or when its head- bobbing. Such actions are primarily performed by the male dragon in order to show their authority and manhood. When they do this action they stand up high on their toes may be on rock or any branch of the tree and darken the color of their beard and simultaneously move their head up and down.

The most strange and amusing behavior is their arm moving. This is supposed to be the most obedient sign when they are confronted by the dominant lizards. While doing this action they stand on their three feet and waving one in the circular motion. It continues doing this action with its alternate arm. Arm waving action is mostly performed by juveniles, females and male subordinates. This action is very helpful while keeping the aggressive males away from attacking and even keeping them away when they insist the female on courting. If one bearded dragon starts with the action, the whole group starts following the same resulting in a very beautiful sight to watch.

Information on bearded dragon as a pet

There are a number of reptile enthusiasts that love keeping dragons as their pets because they mainly love its wonderful personality. It is believed that these dragons are pleasant and friendly in nature. Other than this, it is wonderful interacting with them and you’d love handling them. You just have to follow few simple steps and you would successfully domesticate a dragon.

Bearded dragon is such a reptile that is supposed to have approximately eight different known species in the wild. The dragons are supposed to originate from Australia, thus it being their native place and live in mainly the warmer parts of the continent. Dragons have many different names too and in different places are known by diverse names such as Eastern Bearded Lizard, the Lawsony, the Small-scaled dragon, the Western dragon, The Dwarf Bearded Lizard or dragon, Mitchell’s bearded Lizard, Nullabor and the Inland or Central bearded Lizard aka dragon.

The dragons are the most common lizards kept by the pet owners and breeders all over the world especially in Australia. The dragon is also called by ‘oz’ meaning Aussie and beardie. If a look is given to their behavior, you’ll come across that they exhibit some interesting and comical behaviors in the wild and even in the enclosure. The actions that the dragon exhibits are mostly in regard to the territorial or breeding displays. The most common and eye catching behavior of bearded lizard is the inflation of its beards. A dragon’s beard is a pocket of skin that is resilient. When they get disturbed or agitated that is when they fill the pouch with air and expand the pouch to a greater volume resulted in pointed spines that give a look of a huge beard.

This mechanism is basically an illusion to its opponent that the dragon has grown in size and has got spiky. Males are supposed to have larger developed beard then females. They are very skilled in warding off any threat by simply expanding their body, open their mouth and make that hissing sound. Another behavior is used while defending or when its head- bobbing. Such actions are primarily performed by the male dragon in order to show their authority and manhood. When they do this action they stand up high on their toes may be on rock or any branch of the tree and darken the color of their beard and simultaneously move their head up and down.

The most strange and amusing behavior is their arm moving. This is supposed to be the most obedient sign when they are confronted by the dominant lizards. While doing this action they stand on their three feet and waving one in the circular motion. It continues doing this action with its alternate arm. Arm waving action is mostly performed by juveniles, females and male subordinates. This action is very helpful while keeping the aggressive males away from attacking and even keeping them away when they insist the female on courting. If one bearded dragon starts with the action, the whole group starts following the same resulting in a very beautiful sight to watch.

 

 

 

Fundamentals of taking care of bearded dragon

Bearded Dragon Care

Without any doubt, the bearded dragons are termed to be the most interesting pets around the globe. There are many who don’t like lizards but still on other hand many have kept bearded lizards as pets due to its playful and unique features.

Thus, if you have one or planning to adopt one, then you must take in account bearded dragon care. The most imperative part of dragon care is to build right type of environment and welcome your new friend when he makes to your house for the first time. Although, the dragon is small in size still the cage must be larger in size. And, if you buy a baby dragon then slot in mind that he would grow with time. Thus, a spacious and airy cage is required so that it could develop properly.

While deciding on the cage, think for the accessories that would be bang on to make the dragon feel at home. Accessories can also be termed as the substrate that’ll help the dragon to adapt the new habitat. If you have adopted a young lizard, then do not go for sand. For such pets paper towels, newspapers, or indoor and outdoor carpets are the best and ideal. As a dragon grows with time, the risk of digestion decreases especially of the loose substrate and that is when one can incorporate sand as well. In order to avoid the circumstances, in which your pet might meet with an accident unintentionally, one may avoid keeping bark, corncobs, and nut shell.

Decorating the home of the pet is also very important. Bearded Dragon love both shade and light so build a home where both can be found easily. Dragons are termed to be sub-arboreal animal so for perching they like to be off the ground. For this purpose you may buy a silk plant or greenery from the local store and install it in the cage.

To give dragon’s habitat a great addition you may add artificial rocks and branches. There are reptilian boxes available, you can install them also and these are available in various sizes. Keeping water is must and make sure you keep in a shallow dish. Cage can be misted but ensure that you don’t mess up. This is because this leads to either very cold or very hot.

Bearded dragons are cold blooded so the owners must ensure that he has provided a place that has adequate place for basking. To provide them with warm, you can buy the specially designed lamps for the reptiles. Low volt bulb and a mirror reflecting it is also suitable. Proper balanced diet of leafy greens, fresh vegetables, meal worms, and gut worms is must in order to keep the pet healthy. Crickets and pinky mice are also pertinent alternative for foodstuff.

These are magnificent creature thus, bearded dragon care is must. This basically doesn’t mean high maintenance. They require certain things accompanied with love and affection. Like other reptiles they cannot have much, thus, only little has to be spent on them. Therefore, above stated fundamental are enough to take care of a bearded dragon.

 

 

 

Various type so bearded dragons

Bearded Dragons

It is said that bearded lizards have their local resident in Australia. It is the only continent and the only country that provides with a great variety of dragons. Different species, variations in breeds is easily offered in the continent.

Not just one, but all the species of bearded dragons are well like and popular due to their quiet nature, ease of handling it, and the most beneficial their small size. If compared to any other reptiles, these bearded lizards demand for a small space to live in comfortably and adding to this can be easily handled by both adults and children. There are near about 8 different kinds of species available and few are discussed below. Remember these are the species that one can keep as a pet at his place.

• The Western Bearded Dragon

These species of dragons are mainly found in the southwest coast and inland areas of western parts of the country. These mainly live in woodland areas, coastal dunes and can live in deserts as well.

• The domestic Bearded Dragon

These species are largest in all species and grow near about 20 cm in size. Not just found in state is easily found in every territory of the country expect for the western coastal part. The domestic bearded dragon is termed to be the most admired variety of reptilian pet.

• The Mitchells Bearded Dragon

This bearded dragon is found in the interior of the northern territory of the country and adding to this even originate in the western part in the sandy desert. It is the smallest species and grows near about 14 cm in size. The distinguished factor of this dragon is its large cone head spikes which are poles apart from all the other dragons. Thus, Mitchell’s bearded dragon is the smallest and easily found dragon.

• The Dwarf Bearded Dragon

The dwarf-bearded dragon, well thought-out to be personally associated to the Mitchell kind, is mainly originated in the Great Sandy Desert. The dwarf dragon is with no trouble Identifiable because of its little legs, and tiny tail.

• Lawson’s Bearded Dragon

The Lawson’s bearded dragon is the subsequent mainly all the rage pet type. This species resides in most of Queensland, and some of the Northern Territory, but the area they occupy is still unknown to all.

• The Nullabor Bearded Dragon

The Nullabor bearded dragon is a very exceptional kind bring into being only in a diminutive region between the South Western, and South Australia. The Nullabor bearded dragon is easily identifiable by its imprints, with hefty white markings by the side of its back, and spines on its sides. However, bearded dragon is the slightest expected of all of the bearded dragons to be kept back as pets, as they are tough to locate in the untamed, and have been known to be very tricky to variety in confinement.

Thus, these are some of the species which one could keep if he is a big animal lover, especially when it comes to bearded lizards. Slot in the one whom you think can easily take care of and provide with suitable custody.

Bearded dragon care and feeding steps for beginners

Bearded dragon feeding

A little knowledge goes a long way to take bearded dragon care to ensure that your pet remains healthy. Owing a bearded dragon is an excellent option for reptile hobbyists who are likely to give pets more care than just the basics of food and a place to live. Bearded dragons comes an amazing option for first time reptile owners and importantly for families and young kids who are looking for a reptilian member for their family. Beaded dragons are medium sized reptiles with the length of 18-24 inches and if you care for them properly they can easily live up to fifteen years. But to take care of these bearded dragons you need to be well acquainted with all the tips to take care of these little pets.

The very first thing that you need to keep in mind is they are omnivorous creatures, which means they naturally eat plants and insects. However, it has been noticed that they often do better on a vegetarian diet. Their diet mainly consist of calcium coated crickets, super worms, other insects, earthworms, pinky mice, dark leafy greens such as romaine, collard greens, kale, escarole, and red-leaf lettuce, and fruits and other vegetables such as strawberries and beans. When you feed them food you need to make sure that the size of the food is not bigger than the space between their eyes because chances are if you will give big size food to them, it can cause them health issues. Another important aspect that you should keep in mind while doing bearded dragon care id that they need to be kept in the right kind of environment so need to make sure that their large is large enough because they are going to grow with the time so the spaces should be big enough for them. Along with their environment needs you also should take extra care of their food requirements, you need to nosh them with a lot of food to support their rapid growth.

In initial days feed your bearded dragon at least 2-3 times a day and watering should be done ones or twice daily. These dragons are very messy creatures so also need to make sure that you clean their cage regularly or you can do it twice a day because there is totally incomplete if their living area is not cleaned on a regular basis and this will also decrease their chances of catching any disease. Except from the day light that should be there in the cage you need to provide your bearded dragon with UVP bulb that is essential for the production of vitamin D in their body. To make your little dragon love up to at least fifteen years you should give them with fourteen hours of bright light which also need to maintain in the darkness. The temperature also need to maintained in the cage and since these are cold-blooded reptiles you will often see them constantly rushing to one side from another in their cage to keep their body temperature normal. You don’t need to take any special or extra measure, just follow the above guidelines and enjoy with your little bearded dragon.