Food
& Water
Bearded Dragons are omnivorous, meaning they
eat both vegetables and meat. Leafy greens and small
pieces of fruit should make up the majority of their
diet, with a few insect meals per week. For insects;
crickets,
mealworms, silkworms,
butterworms (teboworms), superworms, and wild caught
insects (make sure they are collected from a pesticide-free
area). For baby Dragons, dust their food, vegetables
or insects, with a calcium/multi-vitamin supplement
every feeding. For juveniles or adults, dust their food
two or three times a week.
Dragons need a dry habitat to live in, but need plenty
of water. Wild Dragons get the majority of their water
from licking the dew of plants in the morning. Misting
the habitat stimulates this behaviour. For baby's, it
is recommended to spray the top of their heads until they
stop licking the water up, twice daily. For adults, spray
down the habitat 3 times a week. It is also important
to spray their vegetables, as they will get the water
as they eat. Some Dragons will learn to drink from
a dish, so this can be provided. Make sure you change
and clean the water dish daily. If you live in a humid
area, the water dish can make the humidity levels too
high.
Lighting, Temperature & Humidity
Provide a basking map at one end of the terrarium,
providing a contact temperature of 100 degrees F. It
needs to create a gradient, so make sure there are levels
the Dragon can bask at. It is recommended that you provide
a ceramic heat emitter 24 hours a day. Provide a cool
area (at the other end of the habitat) that is kept
at 80 - 85 degrees F.
At night, do not let the temperature drop below 75 degrees
F. Safe humidity levels is normally 40%. If you live
in a dry area, keeping a water dish in the habitat should
take care of this. Flourescent lighting should be offered
to provide the Dragon with needed UVB rays. Specialty
UVB bulbs can also be purchased from your local pet
store. A broad-spectrum heat bulb should also be used
at the top. At night time, use a night blub, either
a blue or red light, which still offers the Dragon a
heat source.
Housing
Bearded Dragons are large reptiles, and need
a lot of room to move around. The habitat also should
be larger on the bottom than it is vertically. A 2'
x 3' base should be a minimum, with a larger tank being
recommended. A full-wire habitat is recommended for
all lizards, but a glass aquarium style tank is sufficient
for Dragons, if a screen top is provided. For a substrate,
you can use newpaper or lizard carpet for babies. It
is safe to use playsand when they are adults. Make sure
the sand does not contain pebbles which could cause
harm in ingested. |
