What are they?
These gentle lizards are from Australia but are now readily available as they can be easily bred in captivity. Due to their docile nature and small size (usually 16-20 inches) they have become quite popular in recent years and are ideal pets for children and teenagers.

What do I keep them in?
Young beardies can be housed in an aquarium, but they grow quickly. Adult beardies should be housed in nothing smaller than a 40 gallon tank. Screen lids should be used for the top. Do not use glass, plastic or wood to cover your cages. This will not allow air circulation and will also trap humidity in the cage.

I hear they need UV light, what’s all this about?
Beardies require full spectrum UV lighting, such as fluorescent bulbs, for 12-14 hours a day. These fluorescent bulbs should stretch the length of the enclosure and your dragon should be able to come within 6-8 inches of the light. The UV light should be placed in the cage and not directed through the glass, as glass will deflect the UV rays. Follow the directions on the package of the bulb for replacement frequency, but 6 months is usually how long they last.

So they’re from “down under” are they? Does that mean they need to be kept at high temperatures?
To produce heat and a basking spot in your enclosure you can use either a ceramic heat emitter, a reptile basking light (red, blue or white) or just a regular light bulb within a small cage to stop the beardie burning itself. The best fixture for any of these choices is a porcelain dome light fixture. The temperature for this basking spot should be around 43°C/110f for juveniles and can be around 35°C/95f for adults. The cool side of the enclosure should be around 29°C/85f during the day. Once again within a few degrees of this temp is just fine. Night time temperatures can fall as low as 18°C/65f. It is fairly easy to keep your night temps above this even in the winter. If you can't keep your temps above this you may want to consider buying an under tank heater for night time use. Using this just during the evening hours will help create a warm spot for your Dragon to sleep. DO NOT use heat rocks as these can cause serious burns.

What can I put in the tank?
For young beardies use either newspaper, paper towels, butcher’s paper or reptile carpet. DO NOT use sand, shavings or any other loose substrate for young beardies. They like to taste everything. Any kind of loose substrate holds serious health risks to your beardie if they eat it they can become impacted and die. Crushed walnut shell is also dangerous as it is not digestible. You can use large bits of bark, tubes and rocks for them to hide under.

What do they eat?
Bearded Dragons are omnivorous, so they require both animal and vegetable based food. Any and all food items that your beardies eat should be no bigger than the space between their eyes. Baby and juvenile beardies should be offered appropriately sized crickets two to three times a day. Offer as many as your beardie will eat. Young Bearded Dragons can eat anywhere from 20-60 small crickets a day. Your beardie should also be given fresh greens daily. Spraying the greens with water will help them last longer and will also help keep your beardie hydrated. Sub-adult to adult beardies only need to eat prey items once a day along with fresh greens. Once they are this age you can also offer them locusts and mealworms. But crickets and greens should be the stable part of your beardie’s diet. Prey items should be dusted once a day with a calcium/vitamin D3 supplement and dusted once a week with a multivitamin supplement. These are easily found online or at larger pet stores. Dandelion leaves, Pok choy, Kale, and Chicory are among the easiest greens to find and the best to use. Lettuce has little nutritional value. Spinach should also be avoided as calcium binds to it and will not be digested by your animal. A wide variety of vegetables can also be offered to your beardie. Squash, green beans, parsnips, sweet potato and snow peas. Carrots should only be used as an occasional treat due to the high amounts of vitamin A. Hard vegetables may need to be partially cooked and/or minced before offering them to your beardie. Fruits can also be used, just avoid any citrus fruit such as oranges and grapefruit. Also avoid grapes and remove the seeds from apples.