Bearded Dragons - Basic Care
Bearded dragons can make wonderful pet Lizards, with fantastic and fascinating behaviours they are often sold as the perfect 'beginner' lizard. However much care and thought should be put into buying one as a pet. As with all lizards, they are a long-term commitment and have specialist requirements, which need to be understood.
Bearded dragons originate from Australia; although many of the Bearded Dragons sold are captive bred, meaning they are generally healthier specimens. The lifespan of a Beardie is usually around 7 years, which is why careful consideration must be put into owning one! Due to their natural habitats they are terrestrial creatures that like to occasionally climb. They are generally docile creatures that show a lot of expression through body language, so they can be fascinating to watch. They are also one of the few lizards that will tame nicely and some can become quite friendly toward their owners, however you should still keep in mind that they usually prefer their own space.
Housing a Beardie
Bearded dragons are endothermic, like all lizards, meaning they take their heat from their surroundings. With this in mind their enclosure needs to have adequate space and placement to allow them to regulate their temperature. The vivarium itself should be around 36 Inches to 42 inches long and of no less than 18 to 24 Inches widthways. The height should be adequate to place decor and allow the Beardie to climb, so a height of around 18 to 24 Inches should be available.
There are several types of vivarium available, from the usual ply board and sliding glass door type to the all glass type. Either is sufficient, however the wooden types tend to keep heat in more effectively and reduce stress as the wooden sides don't create reflection like glass vivariums and create secluded corners for your pet to retreat to. However some glass vivariums come with metal mesh on the top and ventilation on the doors, allowing for better air movement than the wooden types.
Whatever type of vivarium you choose, placement in your home is important and should be carefully considered before buying. The vivarium should not be placed in draughts or next to radiators, not should it be placed in direct sunlight. All these things will change the temperature of the enclosure and this can lead to problems with your pet. It should also be placed somewhere quiet, where there isn't a lot of 'traffic' or noise either from people or household appliances. Lastly, careful consideration should be put into whether the vivarium is accessible to other pets or younger children who may be overly inquisitive! This also brings about the last point, always make sure the vivarium is secured, either with it's own locking system or a traditional 'viv lock'!
Heat and lighting
Beardies require a temperature gradient of around 30-35 degrees Celsius at the hottest end and 20-25 degrees Celsius at the coolest end. A basking spot reaching around 40 degrees Celsius is also needed. Creating this gradient is the key to beardie success as it governs all of their habits and workings.
So how do you create the correct temperature gradient for a Bearded Dragon? Well, it partly depends on the type of vivarium you have. The main tools of heating are a heat mat (regulated with a thermostat) and a basking spotlight (in addition to UV lighting).
The general method for creating this gradient means putting a heat mat under the substrate at one end of the vivarium, it should cover around half of the vivarium floor. The heat mat works on infrared and will literally heat the substrate and therefore your lizard. A thermostat is usually required to control the heat mats output, avoiding it from getting too hot, as the heat mat needs to stay on all of the time. You should also place a thermometer at each end to check the gradients.
At the same end a basking light should be mounted. This will provide your lizard the area of concentrated heat it needs as well as heating the air in the vivarium, known as 'ambient heat. How you mount the bulb will depend on the type of vivarium you have. Glass vivariums presuming they have a mesh top can simply have the bulb and lighting unit stood on top of the vivarium. Some vivariums have special units that can clip onto the top. If your vivarium is wooden you can use a standard light fitment and affix the bulb to the wood, inside the enclosure. Sometimes the wooden type vivariums have these prefitted. If you have this type of vivarium you need to also purchase a light guard that can fit onto the bulb fitment ensuring your beardie doesn't climb onto the light, burning itself.
The wattage of the light also needs to be carefully considered. Generally smaller enclosures require a smaller wattage, 50, 75 and 100 watts are good standards although larger cages may need 150w. It is also important to remember glass will not insulate the enclosure as well as wooden sided vivariums, therefore may require a higher wattage. The best thing to do is to ask your local pet store on the specifics of your tank, going from there you can experiment until you are satisfied. This also emphasizes the need to set up your vivarium and running it for a bit to see what needs changing and so on.
Lastly, UV lighting is needed for Beardies. Without proper lighting your beardie cannot manufacture the vitamins he needs from food. This can cause serious implications for your Beardie. Usually a UV light strip, manufactured especially for use in vivariums, is put at the centre toward the top back of the vivarium, allowing even light dispersal. The light is usually powered by a starter unit, which allows you to power the light as well as mount it. Some vivariums come with them already fitted and some, such as glass vivariums can have special units that fit on the top of the mesh.
The light itself should be around 10.00 UV level, if you are unsure when buying it is best to ask! The light should be replaced around every six months to ensure its UV output is still at optimum levels. To replicate the environment that a beardie is naturally in you should keep both the basking lamp and fluorescent light on for no more than 14 hours. In the winter months this should be decreased to around 12 hours. After this 'day' period you should turn off the fluorescent light and either dim or turn off the basking light. It is generally better to dim the basking light so there is still some heat being produced in the basking area. You can buy a range of timers and dimmers for this purpose although they are not necessary as you can just turn it off manually.
Cage decor for the Beardie
Beardies require only the most basic decor, substrate, water bowl and somewhere to hide and climb. However you may prefer to create a more stimulating environment both for you and your beardie!
Substrate is the most important thing. It should be carefully considered, there are many different opinions on substrate types, so you should generally use your good sense when choosing. It is important to remember the age of the beardie, fine substrates can be swallowed easily and cause impaction in young lizards. You also need to keep in mind how clean the substrate will be, how easy will it be for you to spot clean? Also, substrate should not be more than an inch thick, as this will stop the heat mat from working properly.
Generally people use sand for older beardies, it is easy to clean and looks natural. There are several types of sand, from calcium sand to fine 'repti-sand'. Which one you use is up to you and how well your beardie responds to it.
You can also consider shelf liner, reptile carpet or newspaper, especially for younger Beardies as it reduces the risk of impaction. However it doesn