Bearded Dragon – Care And Keeping

The bearded dragon is an attractive large pet lizard. Tamed from young by being made familiar with handling in short sessions, the bearded dragon will develop into a friendly and non-aggressive pet which over time will often allow you to feed it by hand. Bearded dragons also being bathed so that handling is often apprciated provided that it is not done for too long at any one time. As well as being much friendlier than an adult green iguana, the bearded dragon is also smaller, growing to just under two feet in length, which contributes to them being one of the easiest large lizards to keep as pets.

The base of the terrarium for a bearded dragon should be kept dry but can simulate either a desert or a woodland habitat, using rocks and sand or rocks and bark or cork substrate respectively. Beardies will both climb and burrow, will require a shallow water dish and eat both plants and meat.

Terrariums should measure 4020×20 inches for a single dragon, and an absolute minimum of 6025×25 inches for a group of one male and two females. Males should be kept spearately as they are territorial and will fight over habitat and females. If keeping more than one dragon in a terrarium, then providing more than one basking area and sevfral feeding areas is definitely advisable, to reduce the likelihood of squabbles and also make sure all the occupants get enough to eat. Commercially available foods are the easiest and a good option for beardies as they give them ythe right balance in their diet, which can then be supplemented by meat. Meat should form a plentiful part of their food.

The terrarium should be ready to be heated to a range of between 86 and 120 degrees fahrenheit using full spectrum lighting. This can be supplemented using an under-floor heated pad.Any waste from bearded dragons should be removed frequently as they are greedy and will produce quantities, which can be a source of infection to these friendly pets.