PLEASE NOTE
The information on the BambooZoo site is as much as 10 years old and in the hobby much has been learned. Though, I believe there is merit in keeping the site open. There are many controversial issues presented in these pages. Please view BambooZoo as a starting point in your research.
These beings are as complicated as we are and deserve more than a basic 5 paragraph care sheet to maintain their health and well being.
My passions have evolved. This is is the site I am growing today. We Heal the World
CARE OF THE INLAND BEARDED DRAGON
WRITTEN BY: ANDY EDGE
http://www.hadesdragons.co.uk/
This is a guide to how we keep and raise our Bearded Dragons. We are not claiming this is the only way to keep them – this is just how we do it. It is recommended that you keep reading around and looking at websites, as husbandry techniques are constantly changing.
WHAT IS A BEARDED DRAGON
Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are medium-sized, heavily-bodied lizards from Australia. They grow up to 24” in length, with 18-20” being about average. Males tend to be slightly larger than females. Their popularity in the pet trade is helped by their calm demeanours. They are far more tolerant of handling than many other lizards, and their husbandry requirements are relatively easy to maintain. This makes them a good lizard for someone who is new to the hobby.
They owe their names to a “beard” of spikes on their throats. Both males and females are capable of inflating the beard to ward off predators. Males will also inflate their beard (usually accompanied by it darkening) during encounters with other Dragons, and especially when breeding. This is not a sure-fire way of determining sex, however, as females will also occasionally darken their beards.
SALMONELLA
Like all reptiles, Bearded Dragons are believed to carry Salmonella. Up to 90% of individuals probably carry it. Salmonella is normally spread from faeces. The risks can be greatly reduced by following a strict hygiene regime. We use an antibacterial gel - most soaps do not kill the Salmonella Bacteria, due to them being "Gram-Negative". As soaps are pretty ineffective, washing your hands just ensures that the bacteria are spread onto both hands and wrists!
Young children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to Salmonella. It is your responsibility to ensure that anyone who has handled your reptile washes their hands thoroughly, and does not put anything in their mouth until after they have done so. We do not let any young children touch our Dragons.
HOUSING
A Dragon up to 10” long should ideally be kept in a 24" tank, or similarly-sized vivarium. This allows sufficient room to exercise, whilst making sure the Dragon has easy access to food. We have successfully used this setup, along with a 40W narrow spotlight, to achieve a correct temperature gradient and basking temperatures. Be aware that smaller cages tend to pose more problems achieving temperature gradients. Good ventilation is recommended to allow a good air exchange to keep a cooler end below 85F.
Adults should be housed in a vivarium that is a minimum size of 3’ x 2’. This is an absolute minimum, and will look too small for most adults – we recommend an adult be given at least 8 square feet of floor space, e.g. 4’ x 2’. This gives sufficient room to exercise and thermoregulate.
It can be expensive to have to buy a vivarium for a young Dragon, then another when it gets older. It is possible to partition a larger vivarium until the Dragon is large enough to utilise the full space. Alternatively, 15 gallon fish tanks can be picked up second hand for relatively little money, and then sold once your Dragon is large enough to move into its adult home.
We house some of our female Dragons in pairs, but only those which have grown up together. Even then, they are not guaranteed to get on. Because of this, we recommend that most Dragons should be housed individually. Even female Dragons can and will fight. There are also dominance issues, which may affect feeding. If you do house more than one Dragon in an enclosure, you must have a spare setup incase you need to separate them. As you have the setup already, you may as well use it to house Dragons individually. Dragons do show social interactions to one another. We let our Dragons meet and come into contact with each other outside of their cages, under constant supervision. This seems to stimulate them, and we feel is a good way to enrich their lifestyles. This is also generally far more practical than housing them together.
Dragons will often defecate in water dishes in their cage – these must be emptied and cleaned as soon as faeces are noticed. Cages can be spot cleaned as needed, and should be completely emptied and disinfected at least every month or so.
*** We recommend you have your vivarium set up and running for at least 5 days before purchasing a Dragon, to ensure proper, stable temperatures ***
LIGHTING AND HEATING
Bearded Dragons are Ectothermic, and so cannot generate heat to warm themselves up. They must instead bask. We give our Dragons a heated daytime 13 hours long, from 8.30am until 9.30pm. Lights must be turned off at night, to allow your Dragon to sleep. We use basic digital timers (less than £10 from a hardware store) to ensure our daylight periods are constant.
At night, temperatures must be allowed to fall, to help the Dragon to sleep, and to aid metabolic functions. Night time temperatures can drop to 65-70F without any problems. If temperatures are dropping below this, we recommend you install a heatmat on the side of the cage, linked to a thermostat set to around 70F.
We use Spot Lights of varying wattages suspended above a basking rock to give a surface temperature of 105-115F. The surface temperature should be measured using an infra-red temperature gun. The ambient temperature around the basking spot should be around 90F. The ambient temperature on the other side of the cage should be around 80F. We measure this using a digital thermometer. All of our thermometers are bought from www.thermometers4u.co.uk. As a general rule, if your ambient temperatures are too low, you need to increase wattage of the bulb or turn up the thermostat; if the basking temperature is too low, but ambient temperature are fine, you need to move the basking spot nearer to the bulb (use a taller rock/branch). The safest way to achieve good ambient temperatures is to use a Dimming Thermostat. Place the probe in the cool end, and set it to 80F, then adjust the distance between the light and the basking surface to alter basking temperatures.
UV lighting is necessary for production of Vitamin D3, which aids in Calcium absorption. A lack of UV light can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). Allowing your Dragons to bask in natural sunlight is not a year-round option in Britain, so you must provide a high-output source of UV. There are many fluorescent tubes designed for reptiles. Ensure yours has a high output of UV. Depending on manufacturer, you should be looking for an 8%-12% rating. UV tubes should be within 12” of the basking spot, to allow your Dragon to absorbsufficient UVB. We also have non-thermostatted low-energy auxiliary lights, as well as fluorescent tubes, to increase general vivarium brightness. As Bearded Dragons are from Australia, they need very bright light to stimulate normal behaviour. For this reason, we don’t recommend using ceramic bulbs, due to there being no light output.
* * * *
Recently, Mercury Vapour Bulbs (MVBs) have been released onto the market, offering much higher UV output than UV tubes. As yet, we have not received sufficient information about their effects on the Hypomelanistic Dragons we sell. As a result, we advise people to avoid them for Hypomelanistics, until there is more information available on their effects.
Update 5/8/09
I've been trialling a couple of different types of MVB with hypomelanistics and so far have not noticed any problems. These include PowerSun MVBs (fairly low UV output) and MegaRay MVBs (near-natural UV output), for the last year.
I've only briefly tried them with translucents and they did seem to shy away from the light a lot more than with a regular spotlight, so I'd advise caution, especially with the brighter and more powerful MVBs.
I've started a leatherback trial with a MegaRay - so far there seem to be no problems, but then again their scales aren't that dramatically different to those of a regular dragon.
* * * *
Hot rocks should never be used for Dragons. They can cause serious burns if they overheat.
SUBSTRATE
Young Dragons should not be kept on loose substrate. Loose substrates, such as sand, bark chippings etc can easily be ingested – this can be fatal. Even if “petshops do it”, we recommend you do not. We keep our young dragons on plain white kitchen roll. It is inexpensive, and easy to replace. Hereis a graphic photo of a dissection of a Dragon kept on crushed walnut. It's intestines are completely blocked by it. Hereis an X-ray of a Dragon kept on Calci-sand. Wood chippings and Calci-sand are the two worst substrates for a Bearded Dragon. It may be wise to reconsider purchasing a Dragon which has been raised on either, to avoid possible complications later in life.
Adult Dragons have a much lower risk of impaction if kept on a fine, loose substrate such as sand. Bark chippings should never be used for Bearded Dragons. There is still a risk of ingestion and impaction with any loose substrate. If you are not aiming for a Naturalistic Setup, it is recommended that you keep adult Dragons on kitchen roll, rough tiles, reptile carpet, or newspaper (check ink is non-toxic first though). If using sand, check there is not a silica warning on the packaging, and sift to remove any pebbles etc.
In the wild, Bearded Dragons live on hard-packed, sun-baked clay, with a thin layer of sand/dust on top. This is hard to replicate incaptivity. Rough tiles with a sprinkling of sand over the top are probably the closest match. We recommend that Dragons should not be moved from soft, loose substrates to hard substrates as an adult. If they have grown up on soft sand, their toes and claws will be pointing downwards, due to them being able to sink in the sand. Moving them onto a hard substrate once they are fully grown will place a lot of stress on the finger joints and claws when they are walking. If raised on hard substrate from hatching, they will have “flatter” hands and feet, which are more suitable to carrying their adult weight on a hard, flat surface.
CAGE DECORATION
Rocks:
We use smooth river cobbles and sandstone as basking rocks for our Dragons. Rocks should be stable, and without gaps underneath. Crickets may hide in any gaps, and bite your Dragon after the lightsgo out. If using a loose substrate, ensure that the rocks are on the bottom of the cage before adding substrate, to stop the Dragons from tunnelling under them – rocks may collapse if tunnelled under.
Branches:
Branches can be used in addition to rocks, but not instead of. Rocks absorb heat far better than branches, and ensure your Dragon is heated from the top and from underneath. Branches must be secure, and should be as wide as your Dragon. Do not put branches too high in the cage – adult Dragons are not as good climbers as they think they are, and may fall. A large drop can cause serious injury. For our adults, we don’t let them get into any position where there is more than an 8” drop to the bottom of the cage. Babies and juveniles aregenerally more agile.
Hide Boxes:
We do not use hide boxes for our Dragons. For young Dragons, there is a danger that they will spend all day hiding, instead of basking. This will interfere with efficient digestion. Adults will only normally use a hide to sleep in, but are just as happy curled around a rock or tucked into a corner of their vivarium. Additionally, if they have the option to hide, they will not get sufficient UV. In the Australian Outback, the sun is strong enough that a few hours per day in it will suffice. In captivity, UV tubes are not strong enough, so they need to spend a lot more time under them.
FEEDING
Bearded Dragons are omnivores, meaning they will eat both insects and vegetables. Babies are growing rapidly and need a large amount of protein. Their diet should consist of around 80% insects. Adults do not need so much protein, and should be eating up to 75% vegetables. This should be a gradual transition as they grow. Too much livefood in adults can result in liver damage.
A diet for a hatchling should consist of small crickets, and possibly very small locusts. As a general guide, food items should not be longer than the space between your Dragon’s eyes. Any larger than this, and there is a risk of impaction. We believe that young Dragons should never be fed mealworms. Mealworms are very hard to digest, and pose a risk of impaction. Although many people have fed mealworms to young Dragons with no problems, a few keepers have seen their Dragons suffer impactions. Impaction can kill a Dragon, so it is just not worth the risk.
The prey offered should grow in size as the Dragon grows. Adult crickets and locusts can have spines on their back legs. It is advisable to remove these before offering them to your Dragon, to prevent any internal injuries from the spines. Adult Dragons can be fed Morio Worms (aka King Mealworms) in addition to crickets. Waxworms can be offered as an occasional treat. We recommend you do not feed pinkies (baby mice) to Dragons. Pinkies are so high in fat, that they can cause permanent damage to a Dragon’s liver, even if only fed infrequently. A pinkie does not offer anything that Morio worms and waxworms do not, so it is not worth risking the health of your Dragon.
We are currently establishing colonies of Blaptica dubia cockroaches, with the intention of making them our primary feeder, instead of crickets. More information will be posted on the website once we see how our Dragons react to cockroaches. Cockroaches have a much higher amount of protein than crickets, and have less Chitin (exoskeleton). This means they are an ideal feeder insect.
Prey should be gutloaded before feeding (see our “Feeders” Caresheet). This increases its nutritional content. Insectivorous dietsare typically deficient in Calcium, so a Calcium supplement should be used. We use pure Calcium 5 days per week, and a multi-vitamin supplement on the other 2 days.
Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed twice daily. One of these feedings should be dusted with Calcium supplement. We feed our babies 2-3 times per day, and allow them each to eat as much as they want in 10 minutes. Often, this can be a huge amount of food!
Adults should be fed once daily. We give adults greens every day, and dusted crickets every other day.
There is a good list of greens which are suitable and nutritious for Dragons Here. We feed ours on Watercress, Dandelions, Spring Greens, Kale, and the occasional bit of Carrot Shavings and Romaine Lettuce.
Although Bearded Dragons come from an arid climate, they need a regular supply of water. For babies, this should come in the form of spraying the baby’s head with water 2-3 times per day. They will then lick the water from their heads. We also give our babies a constant source of shallow standing water in a shallow water dish. Many adults will not drink from a bowl of water or from being misted. We bath them twice a week. This stimulates them to drink, as well as aiding in shedding.
Bearded Dragons should be given at least 90 minutes to warm up after the lights come on before feeding. Their last feeding should be at least two hours before the lights go out, to enable digestion. Crickets should not be left in the cage overnight, as they can attack sleeping Dragons.
http://www.hadesdragons.co.uk/
This is a guide to how we keep and raise our Bearded Dragons. We are not claiming this is the only way to keep them – this is just how we do it. It is recommended that you keep reading around and looking at websites, as husbandry techniques are constantly changing.
WHAT IS A BEARDED DRAGON
Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are medium-sized, heavily-bodied lizards from Australia. They grow up to 24” in length, with 18-20” being about average. Males tend to be slightly larger than females. Their popularity in the pet trade is helped by their calm demeanours. They are far more tolerant of handling than many other lizards, and their husbandry requirements are relatively easy to maintain. This makes them a good lizard for someone who is new to the hobby.
They owe their names to a “beard” of spikes on their throats. Both males and females are capable of inflating the beard to ward off predators. Males will also inflate their beard (usually accompanied by it darkening) during encounters with other Dragons, and especially when breeding. This is not a sure-fire way of determining sex, however, as females will also occasionally darken their beards.
SALMONELLA
Like all reptiles, Bearded Dragons are believed to carry Salmonella. Up to 90% of individuals probably carry it. Salmonella is normally spread from faeces. The risks can be greatly reduced by following a strict hygiene regime. We use an antibacterial gel - most soaps do not kill the Salmonella Bacteria, due to them being "Gram-Negative". As soaps are pretty ineffective, washing your hands just ensures that the bacteria are spread onto both hands and wrists!
Young children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to Salmonella. It is your responsibility to ensure that anyone who has handled your reptile washes their hands thoroughly, and does not put anything in their mouth until after they have done so. We do not let any young children touch our Dragons.
HOUSING
A Dragon up to 10” long should ideally be kept in a 24" tank, or similarly-sized vivarium. This allows sufficient room to exercise, whilst making sure the Dragon has easy access to food. We have successfully used this setup, along with a 40W narrow spotlight, to achieve a correct temperature gradient and basking temperatures. Be aware that smaller cages tend to pose more problems achieving temperature gradients. Good ventilation is recommended to allow a good air exchange to keep a cooler end below 85F.
Adults should be housed in a vivarium that is a minimum size of 3’ x 2’. This is an absolute minimum, and will look too small for most adults – we recommend an adult be given at least 8 square feet of floor space, e.g. 4’ x 2’. This gives sufficient room to exercise and thermoregulate.
It can be expensive to have to buy a vivarium for a young Dragon, then another when it gets older. It is possible to partition a larger vivarium until the Dragon is large enough to utilise the full space. Alternatively, 15 gallon fish tanks can be picked up second hand for relatively little money, and then sold once your Dragon is large enough to move into its adult home.
We house some of our female Dragons in pairs, but only those which have grown up together. Even then, they are not guaranteed to get on. Because of this, we recommend that most Dragons should be housed individually. Even female Dragons can and will fight. There are also dominance issues, which may affect feeding. If you do house more than one Dragon in an enclosure, you must have a spare setup incase you need to separate them. As you have the setup already, you may as well use it to house Dragons individually. Dragons do show social interactions to one another. We let our Dragons meet and come into contact with each other outside of their cages, under constant supervision. This seems to stimulate them, and we feel is a good way to enrich their lifestyles. This is also generally far more practical than housing them together.
Dragons will often defecate in water dishes in their cage – these must be emptied and cleaned as soon as faeces are noticed. Cages can be spot cleaned as needed, and should be completely emptied and disinfected at least every month or so.
*** We recommend you have your vivarium set up and running for at least 5 days before purchasing a Dragon, to ensure proper, stable temperatures ***
LIGHTING AND HEATING
Bearded Dragons are Ectothermic, and so cannot generate heat to warm themselves up. They must instead bask. We give our Dragons a heated daytime 13 hours long, from 8.30am until 9.30pm. Lights must be turned off at night, to allow your Dragon to sleep. We use basic digital timers (less than £10 from a hardware store) to ensure our daylight periods are constant.
At night, temperatures must be allowed to fall, to help the Dragon to sleep, and to aid metabolic functions. Night time temperatures can drop to 65-70F without any problems. If temperatures are dropping below this, we recommend you install a heatmat on the side of the cage, linked to a thermostat set to around 70F.
We use Spot Lights of varying wattages suspended above a basking rock to give a surface temperature of 105-115F. The surface temperature should be measured using an infra-red temperature gun. The ambient temperature around the basking spot should be around 90F. The ambient temperature on the other side of the cage should be around 80F. We measure this using a digital thermometer. All of our thermometers are bought from www.thermometers4u.co.uk. As a general rule, if your ambient temperatures are too low, you need to increase wattage of the bulb or turn up the thermostat; if the basking temperature is too low, but ambient temperature are fine, you need to move the basking spot nearer to the bulb (use a taller rock/branch). The safest way to achieve good ambient temperatures is to use a Dimming Thermostat. Place the probe in the cool end, and set it to 80F, then adjust the distance between the light and the basking surface to alter basking temperatures.
UV lighting is necessary for production of Vitamin D3, which aids in Calcium absorption. A lack of UV light can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). Allowing your Dragons to bask in natural sunlight is not a year-round option in Britain, so you must provide a high-output source of UV. There are many fluorescent tubes designed for reptiles. Ensure yours has a high output of UV. Depending on manufacturer, you should be looking for an 8%-12% rating. UV tubes should be within 12” of the basking spot, to allow your Dragon to absorbsufficient UVB. We also have non-thermostatted low-energy auxiliary lights, as well as fluorescent tubes, to increase general vivarium brightness. As Bearded Dragons are from Australia, they need very bright light to stimulate normal behaviour. For this reason, we don’t recommend using ceramic bulbs, due to there being no light output.
* * * *
Recently, Mercury Vapour Bulbs (MVBs) have been released onto the market, offering much higher UV output than UV tubes. As yet, we have not received sufficient information about their effects on the Hypomelanistic Dragons we sell. As a result, we advise people to avoid them for Hypomelanistics, until there is more information available on their effects.
Update 5/8/09
I've been trialling a couple of different types of MVB with hypomelanistics and so far have not noticed any problems. These include PowerSun MVBs (fairly low UV output) and MegaRay MVBs (near-natural UV output), for the last year.
I've only briefly tried them with translucents and they did seem to shy away from the light a lot more than with a regular spotlight, so I'd advise caution, especially with the brighter and more powerful MVBs.
I've started a leatherback trial with a MegaRay - so far there seem to be no problems, but then again their scales aren't that dramatically different to those of a regular dragon.
* * * *
Hot rocks should never be used for Dragons. They can cause serious burns if they overheat.
SUBSTRATE
Young Dragons should not be kept on loose substrate. Loose substrates, such as sand, bark chippings etc can easily be ingested – this can be fatal. Even if “petshops do it”, we recommend you do not. We keep our young dragons on plain white kitchen roll. It is inexpensive, and easy to replace. Hereis a graphic photo of a dissection of a Dragon kept on crushed walnut. It's intestines are completely blocked by it. Hereis an X-ray of a Dragon kept on Calci-sand. Wood chippings and Calci-sand are the two worst substrates for a Bearded Dragon. It may be wise to reconsider purchasing a Dragon which has been raised on either, to avoid possible complications later in life.
Adult Dragons have a much lower risk of impaction if kept on a fine, loose substrate such as sand. Bark chippings should never be used for Bearded Dragons. There is still a risk of ingestion and impaction with any loose substrate. If you are not aiming for a Naturalistic Setup, it is recommended that you keep adult Dragons on kitchen roll, rough tiles, reptile carpet, or newspaper (check ink is non-toxic first though). If using sand, check there is not a silica warning on the packaging, and sift to remove any pebbles etc.
In the wild, Bearded Dragons live on hard-packed, sun-baked clay, with a thin layer of sand/dust on top. This is hard to replicate incaptivity. Rough tiles with a sprinkling of sand over the top are probably the closest match. We recommend that Dragons should not be moved from soft, loose substrates to hard substrates as an adult. If they have grown up on soft sand, their toes and claws will be pointing downwards, due to them being able to sink in the sand. Moving them onto a hard substrate once they are fully grown will place a lot of stress on the finger joints and claws when they are walking. If raised on hard substrate from hatching, they will have “flatter” hands and feet, which are more suitable to carrying their adult weight on a hard, flat surface.
CAGE DECORATION
Rocks:
We use smooth river cobbles and sandstone as basking rocks for our Dragons. Rocks should be stable, and without gaps underneath. Crickets may hide in any gaps, and bite your Dragon after the lightsgo out. If using a loose substrate, ensure that the rocks are on the bottom of the cage before adding substrate, to stop the Dragons from tunnelling under them – rocks may collapse if tunnelled under.
Branches:
Branches can be used in addition to rocks, but not instead of. Rocks absorb heat far better than branches, and ensure your Dragon is heated from the top and from underneath. Branches must be secure, and should be as wide as your Dragon. Do not put branches too high in the cage – adult Dragons are not as good climbers as they think they are, and may fall. A large drop can cause serious injury. For our adults, we don’t let them get into any position where there is more than an 8” drop to the bottom of the cage. Babies and juveniles aregenerally more agile.
Hide Boxes:
We do not use hide boxes for our Dragons. For young Dragons, there is a danger that they will spend all day hiding, instead of basking. This will interfere with efficient digestion. Adults will only normally use a hide to sleep in, but are just as happy curled around a rock or tucked into a corner of their vivarium. Additionally, if they have the option to hide, they will not get sufficient UV. In the Australian Outback, the sun is strong enough that a few hours per day in it will suffice. In captivity, UV tubes are not strong enough, so they need to spend a lot more time under them.
FEEDING
Bearded Dragons are omnivores, meaning they will eat both insects and vegetables. Babies are growing rapidly and need a large amount of protein. Their diet should consist of around 80% insects. Adults do not need so much protein, and should be eating up to 75% vegetables. This should be a gradual transition as they grow. Too much livefood in adults can result in liver damage.
A diet for a hatchling should consist of small crickets, and possibly very small locusts. As a general guide, food items should not be longer than the space between your Dragon’s eyes. Any larger than this, and there is a risk of impaction. We believe that young Dragons should never be fed mealworms. Mealworms are very hard to digest, and pose a risk of impaction. Although many people have fed mealworms to young Dragons with no problems, a few keepers have seen their Dragons suffer impactions. Impaction can kill a Dragon, so it is just not worth the risk.
The prey offered should grow in size as the Dragon grows. Adult crickets and locusts can have spines on their back legs. It is advisable to remove these before offering them to your Dragon, to prevent any internal injuries from the spines. Adult Dragons can be fed Morio Worms (aka King Mealworms) in addition to crickets. Waxworms can be offered as an occasional treat. We recommend you do not feed pinkies (baby mice) to Dragons. Pinkies are so high in fat, that they can cause permanent damage to a Dragon’s liver, even if only fed infrequently. A pinkie does not offer anything that Morio worms and waxworms do not, so it is not worth risking the health of your Dragon.
We are currently establishing colonies of Blaptica dubia cockroaches, with the intention of making them our primary feeder, instead of crickets. More information will be posted on the website once we see how our Dragons react to cockroaches. Cockroaches have a much higher amount of protein than crickets, and have less Chitin (exoskeleton). This means they are an ideal feeder insect.
Prey should be gutloaded before feeding (see our “Feeders” Caresheet). This increases its nutritional content. Insectivorous dietsare typically deficient in Calcium, so a Calcium supplement should be used. We use pure Calcium 5 days per week, and a multi-vitamin supplement on the other 2 days.
Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed twice daily. One of these feedings should be dusted with Calcium supplement. We feed our babies 2-3 times per day, and allow them each to eat as much as they want in 10 minutes. Often, this can be a huge amount of food!
Adults should be fed once daily. We give adults greens every day, and dusted crickets every other day.
There is a good list of greens which are suitable and nutritious for Dragons Here. We feed ours on Watercress, Dandelions, Spring Greens, Kale, and the occasional bit of Carrot Shavings and Romaine Lettuce.
Although Bearded Dragons come from an arid climate, they need a regular supply of water. For babies, this should come in the form of spraying the baby’s head with water 2-3 times per day. They will then lick the water from their heads. We also give our babies a constant source of shallow standing water in a shallow water dish. Many adults will not drink from a bowl of water or from being misted. We bath them twice a week. This stimulates them to drink, as well as aiding in shedding.
Bearded Dragons should be given at least 90 minutes to warm up after the lights come on before feeding. Their last feeding should be at least two hours before the lights go out, to enable digestion. Crickets should not be left in the cage overnight, as they can attack sleeping Dragons.
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