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1 MagnaRep: Reptiles & Exotics, Rescue & Support is a non-funded voluntary charity specialising in the care, rehabilitation and support of exotic species including reptiles, birds, invertebrates & Marsupials. We were setup for the animals and general public with the aim to pass along in dependant information based on fact, evidence and research in house and outsourced. As such, all the information within our care documents is for the benefit of the animal, not the pet shops or money making organizations nor for the benefit or convenience of the pet owners. Please bear that in mind. Keeping a pet means you have a duty and responsibility to that animal, whether convenient to you or not! We are providing properly sourced information and proven fact and researched care methods. As such, some of the information in our documents WILL be contradictory to care documents found online and in pet shops. This is our aim. To make sure you know what is right, and not what will make someone else money. Tel: magnarep@live.co.uk 1

2 Bearded Dragon Care Sheet Introduction Bearded dragons make good pets for anyone who is willing to care for them, but they do not necessarily make good pets for beginners. Bearded dragon love attention, therefore I would recommend having a beardy if you have an older child willing to interact with your beardy. However, these bearded dragons are at times unpredictable. Young or Juvenile Beardie s can be delicate and can be harmed very easily, so I would suggest having them handle the dragon with adult supervision. These medium sized creatures have become very popular pets over the years and now 1 in 3 houses have a reptile pet, the most common being bearded dragons. They are very tame, and docile creatures and are highly recommended to have as part of your family Longevity A well cared for bearded dragon will usually live years of age with some living much longer. The Juvenile stages are the most important part of the bearded dragon s life. If not cared for properly, it will most likely cut the lifespan short of your precious bearded dragon s life. If fed properly, getting enough UV radiation (Specialised UV Lighting inside the vivarium), vitamins, and minerals, and of course, a healthy balance of everyday living, this will enable a long happy and healthy life. 2

3 Housing / Vivarium Younger bearded dragons approximately ten inches and smaller can be housed in a 3ft Tank. This will probably only last a few months, if fed properly they will grow very fast. Adult dragons can be housed in a 4ft Vivarium at minimum. I would recommend using a tank that is 48in x 24in x 24in as a minimum for an adult bearded dragon, The Bigger the space you can provide, however, is best as is more room to run around the tank. They utilize every inch of their home so bigger is definitely better. Substrate There are many different substrates provided for bearded dragons, however, most if not all are no good. Here is a list of the following good substrates: non-porous tiles, paper towels, and newspaper. Our recommended substrate is however, Lino (linoleum/vinyl) which after many years of rigorous testing and safe use in our vivariums and our Quarantine facility has been proven the single best substrate! NEVER use loose substrates including sand of any kind, that includes sand marketed for reptiles (Calci Sand, Repti Sand, Desert Sand ect.) Contrary to popular belief, bearded dragons DO NOT come from the desert, they live in arid grasslands and as such sand is a huge risk. There is a great risk of impaction, where the bearded dragon eats the sand whilst engaging its environment & whilst hunting its food. This causes a build up of the substrate material which can and will kill the bearded dragon. This may not happen instantly and it can develop over a number of months/years but it is a certainty. Food that has died can be buried and release ammonia and other harmful bacteria/toxins. it can harbour Bacteria and fungi which can cause infections and also raise humidity by trapping ambient water droplets and releasing them later Other substrates to avoid are the following: Bed a beast, Wood shavings, wood chippings, soils, coconut fibres, hay, bark, if anything that is loose and can be ingested is in the cage please take it out immediately. 3

4 Cleaning To clean your bearded dragon cage is really simple and there are many tried and tested methods that work. The recommended method is the use of a Steam Cleaner coupled with a wash with 1:10 bleach solution. Simply wipe the vivarium down completely with the bleach solution. Wait around 10 minutes then go over the entire enclosure with the steamer. If using lino this can also be cleaned with this method. Remove any aesthetics such as branches, logs, stones or rocks and scrub them separately and allow them to soak in bleach solution for around 10 minutes. Rinse with fresh water and Allow them to fully dry before replacing them into the vivarium. Water Notice: This is a very controversial topic in the reptile world. We have tried and tested many methods and only found one that works and keeps the animal healthy. I will explain our research and reasons as I go along We do not recommend the use of a water bowl / fountain/ water source within the vivarium. There are many reasons why. Standing or moving water is a hazard to your beardie s health. It raises humidity levels up to 60% over the recommended humidity level of 12%-18%. This increase alone is enough to slowly and painfully kill a bearded dragon. With more moisture in the environment, beardie s can get sick from the increased bacterial load inside the vivarium. Fungus and moulds grow increasingly with such high moisture levels. Bearded Dragons can only tolerate up to 30% humidity but you should always aim to keep the humidity level at the most 18%. In the UK, our homes have an ambient humidity level of around 60% so we need to drastically reduce the ambient humidity within the vivarium just to keep the bearded dragon healthy. Adding water raises humidity so it is not advised. The below section will tell you how to hydrate your bearded dragon. 4

5 Bathing Bearded dragons will need to be bathed at least 3 times a week, Daily is advised if it is possible. Bathing is an important activity. It not only allows the bearded dragon to rehydrate by drinking and also absorbing water through its vent and skin, but also a huge amount of enrichment for your animals life. It is an excellent exercise technique allowing the beardy time to strengthen its muscles but also play. Bathing only takes 5 minutes but preferably you should allow around 30minutes. Do not worry too much about the temperature of the water. It needs to be hot, but not as hot as you would have it to bathe in yourself. Luke warm or baby warm is not hot enough. The water level should come up to the beardie s chest area for proper exercise as the beardy will use more muscles to move around this way. Diet Bearded dragon are omnivores, they eat both live insect food, and plant matter. Most food items should be that your bearded dragons eat should be no bigger than the space between their eyes. If the food items are bigger than the space between their eyes it can cause the animal to choke. It can also cause impaction and paralysis. Either one of these mentioned above can cause your beardy to suffer horribly. They eat lots of live food throughout their lives. The diet should consist of an 80% live, and 20% greens. Contrary to popular belief crickets are NOT a good food to feed your dragon or many other reptiles for that matter. They are very high in phosphorous which is poisonous. Too much phosphorous and you can make your beardy very sick and risk killing it. Always provide a varied diet for your beardy. Other insects such as Locust, mealworms, Morioworms, silkworms, roaches (Turkistan, lobster, dubia, and just about any other roach out in the market) make wonderful staple diets. Here are some good treats, super worms, butter worms, and wax worms, these all play a role in your beardie s diet, however, these are not recommended staple foods. Babies & juveniles should be fed lots of protein to help grow, so in order for this, they will need lots of bugs, they can eat up to 100 crickets a day, 5

6 however, usually they eat a day. Younger bearded dragons should be fed 3x a day with in a minute period. Once they have reached the adult stage they will no longer need anywhere close to as much protein, so the feeders will be limited to insects every day. DO NOT feed any bugs caught from your back garden, these bugs could have parasites, and pesticides or other poisons which can cause your beardy serious harm Feeder insects should be dusted with calcium (with D3 and no phosphorus) 5x a week for smaller dragons, along with a multivitamin which is dusted 3x a week, however, with adults it should be 3x a week for calcium (with D3 and no phosphorus), and 3x a week for multivitamin. We use a system whereby we dust calcium one day and multivitamin the next and alternate this way and do not dose on the weekends When considering your vegetable foods for your beardy it is important to consider this quick and easy colour code scheme White/Light Green Never feed these items. Green/Dark green Use as a staple food, every day is fine Coloured vegetables 2-3 times per week, deseeded Non/low acidic Fruits 2-3 times a week High acidic foods Never feed these items Calcium/vitamin deficiency Sadly, this is one of the most common problems with bearded dragons today. They are not getting anywhere near enough UV radiation, access to vitamins, etc. This can have a permanent effect on your dragon. I would advise using the vitamin supplements given above in the order given, so this problem will not happen. Too little D3 is used, this is what causes MBD (metabolic bone disease), so be sure this does NOT happen to your bearded dragon(s). 6

7 Lighting Bearded dragons need a combination of heat and UV Lighting for 12 hours a day. They need a UVB florescent light of 10.0 % or 12.0 % these are the best for bearded dragon. UVB lights are VITAL for bearded dragon, most importantly they need it to survive. Most of their body s vital functions require access to UV radiation. They cannot properly digest food without it, their bones will warp and twist (Metabolic bone disease) they cannot uptake vitamins and minerals from their food so will quickly malnourish. It helps for better activity, better appetite. This bulb should be within 8-12 inches from your beardy. We advise placing the light against the back wall of the vivarium around half way from the top, this allows for better UV saturation. Be sure to replace this light every 5-6 months as it will wear out. It will still produce light but will no longer produce the required UVB Radiation. Heating and Temperatures To give off enough heat for proper digestion basking spots should be made. One basking spot will be fine. Using a halogen bulb is advised due to the heat given off. Some bulbs like PAR38 bulbs are excellent but expensive alternatives. Basking spots should be F for babies and juveniles, however, once the adult stage is reached the basking temps should go down to 110F. Thermostats are highly recommended to ensure that your animal is never too hot or too cold. Please bear in mind that when the temperature rises say in the summer, without a thermostat, the temperatures inside the vivarium will also rise so temperatures that are measured in the winter will drastically differ to those measured in the summer. The cool side of the cage should be 80-85F during the day. Night temperatures should not go lower then 65F, if the temps go any lower, you should use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to get the temps higher. The use of a Thermostat is 100% required when using a ceramic as they produce much more heat per watt than a standard light bulb and can be over 400oC contact temperature if used incorrectly. I would not suggest using a UTH (under tank heater or heat mat), bearded dragons do not feel heat from under their bodies, so they can actually get burned from the heater. Also never use any heat rock as mentioned above as beardie s cannot feel heat from their undersides so they will not know the true heat being given out by the rock and as they are prone 7

8 to malfunction and can set alight. Be sure to keep a thermometer on each the cool side, and hot side for both temperatures. Use a temp gun, or a digital thermometer for accurate temperature monitoring. A digital thermometer can be purchased from most pet shops. A temp gun can be purchased online or maybe at a reputable pet store. NEVER use analogue style thermometers like needle gauge thermometers as they are NEVER going to be accurate enough and require constant recalibration Co-habitation Most pet shops and private keepers co-habitate their dragons. This is by no means a successful keeping technique and is very dangerous! It is a huge risk to all the animals involved. Bearded dragons are solitary animals in the wild, they live alone and only meet for copulation. They have no sense of compassion or friendship. If you see 2 dragons sitting on top of one another, they are not cuddling or in love or friends. That is the top dragon asserting its dominance over the lower dragon by claiming the higher spot, and usually this is whilst basking under the heat lamp. If two males encounter one another in the wild they will fight for territory or possession. This does not stop in captivity and is a primal instinct. What most people do not see is the animal s body language. It is important to learn to read body language and this can only happen through spending time with your dragon and researching the topic thoroughly. We have a saying at MagnaRep; Just because it has not happened yet, does not mean that it won t happen! This applies very much to bearded dragons as they can tolerate each other for a period of time where no fighting will occur, but at some point, it will happen and we have warned you. Two male bearded dragons usually initiate a fight immediately, whereby a male and female or female and female may tolerate each other for a number of months, even years. This time together is fatally stressful for the female, not so much the male. Males can breed multiple times daily, whereas a female can only breed safely and more importantly, willingly a few times a year. Females that are allowed to breed continuously with males will suffer various stress related illnesses. Females most commonly suffer from depression due to them being bullied and/or raped by the dominant dragon and as such can go into a fast where they will not eat or drink, they can be very lethargic and often stay at the cool end of the tank making no effort to move or show normal or typical behaviours. We call this 8

9 Suicide mode. This is when a dragon is so down-trodden by its current circumstances that it gives up on the notion of life and is willing to die to end its suffering. During this period its immune system is severely weakened which can allow for various non stress related illnesses to affect the dragon. One most common is the sharp rise in the number of intestinal parasites inside the dragon. When that dragon goes to the toilet, it can pass those directly to the other dragon(s) it is co-habituating with, infecting them all with potentially deadly levels of parasites. This also applies if the dragon is a carrier of a certain virus or disease. Other dragons can come into contact with infected faecal matter, bodily fluids, blood and even sometimes just touching another dragon can cause the transfer of this ailments! Why risk your pets life by co-habitating them. They will not thank you for it. Sexing Bearded dragons are rather easy to sex as long as they are the correct age. Bearded dragons are sexed easily after 6 months of age. The males will have two bulges right above their vent with one being at either side, and their femoral pores are more pronounced. However, females are a little different; they have one (or no) bulge in the centre above the vent, and don t have as pronounced femoral pores. The easiest way to sex a bearded dragon is to ask a vet, do not always trust the word of your pet shop as some are very inexperienced even if they seem like they know what they are talking about. Remember there is no training needed to open a pet shop! Things to AVOID When choosing a bearded dragon Try not to get a baby that is on sand (especially calci-sand/repti-sand), wrong temperatures, not enough food or incorrect food, small vivarium, sores, burns external parasites, any sign of deformities, too many babies in one tank (5 babies is the max.) Many babies will have nipped tails and nipped toes and underweight bearded dragons at the pet shop, this is why I would not recommend getting a beardy from the pet shop. Please be sure to follow these simple instructions for the health of your new bearded dragon 9

10 Vet check up You should always get a vet check up done at least every 12 months. It is important to check whether your beardy is healthy as some minor mistakes in husbandry can make the animal very ill. Therefore you need to get a faecal exam, and a general health check up. A good place to start is by finding a good vet for your beardy. Not all vets are considered good and some do not treat reptiles so find the right veterinary practice now before an emergency may arise. It s not going to be easy finding a trusted vet; however, it is necessary for your dragon s safety. Bearded dragons can get many different kinds of parasites, as a result if left untreated, can seriously harm your dragon, or kill him, so this is very vital to your bearded dragons care and health. A faecal exam is the easiest way to solve this problem. Blood tests are a brilliant way of telling if your animal is healthy or not. There are different types of test but a basic test will be a good indicator of illness. Although it is costly it is possibly going to save your animals life. Written from Experience by; Nick Wilburn Founding Trustee & Chief Rescue Agent MagnaRep: Reptiles & Exotics, Rescue & Support 10