Bearded Dragon Pogona Vitticeps Buddy Angry Bearded! Sunshine Map of Beareded home turf. Our Favorite Aussie! The Inland Bearded Dragon or Pogona vitticeps, is one of the most popular pets in the reptile trade today. It originates from various parts of Australia, frequenting the warm sandy deserts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Dragons are very docile, but will sometimes be seen flaring out their beard or bobbing their head to show dominance and interest in breeding. Although they can be costly, beardeds are a wonderful choice for everyone from beginners to long time collectors alike. They are easy to maintain in captivity as long as their basic needs are met. Bearded Dragons are a medium sized lizard obtaining a length of 18" to 24". We think they are as close to a dog as you are going to get, running up to the glass to greet you whenever you enter to room, and seeming to almost enjoy being held. Bearded Dragon-Pogona Vitticeps Origin-Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and the Northern Territory. (All in Central Australia) Size-Up to 24" Temperment/Handling-Usually very docile.  My choice for the most cuddly and personable of all cold blooded pets. Hardiness-Fairly easy to breed and maintain in captivity as long as needs are met.  Beginners should avoid buying beardeds smaller than 6" because they are a lot more difficult to maintain. Life Span-Usually 5-8 years, but some live up to 10 under excellent housing conditions. Housing-Baby bearded dragons should be kept in smaller enclosures about the size of a 15 or 20 gallon aquarium.  Young beardeds have been known to nip each others tail and limbs if enough food is not provided.  A 45gal aquarium or larger is adequate for one adult, but we keep ours in custom cages I built.  They measure 4'long X 2'deep X 2'high, with a sliding glass front.  I choose to use melamine because it is water resistant, fairly cheap, and nice looking. 50gal Rubbermaid tubs work well for temporary housing.  Substrate-Layers of newspaper, sand, or a sand/soil mix can be used as substrate. We prefer to use washed play sand. At night or when temperatures are a little cooler the beardeds will dig a bed in the corner of their cage.  Sand does look nice but baby beardeds should always be kept on newspaper to avoid sand impaction.  Impaction is when the lizard eats the substrate causing it to get lodged inside the animals body. This can cause health problems or even death.  Decoration-Secure branches should be added for the beardeds to climb, preferably under the basking light and within 12" of the UVA and UVB strip. Also add a few pieces of drift wood, cork bark, chollawood, and well secured rocks to help keep them occupied. Many plastic and fiber glass rocks and caves are available and are much easier to clean and sterilize. The larger the enclosure, the more entertaining your new pet will be. Who In a Cage- Always house lizards of equal size together.  Smaller animals may not compete as well for food and basking spots.  Never house males together because they will harm and possibly kill each other.  Housing one male and two females is a good combination. Enclosure maintenance-Bearded Dragons are known to make quit a smelly mess.  Papers should be changed as often as possible, removing fecal matter daily.  Sand substrates can be changed once a month making sure to remove fecal (poop) matter daily.  Water should always be fresh.  All cage items should be thoroughly cleaned with a dilution of 1part bleach to 30parts water once a month making sure to thoroughly rinse.  Check all electrical devices as often as possible to help prevent fire hazards.  Lighting- Bearded Dragons are diurnal, day lovers, that enjoy basking much of the day. Lights should be left on 14hrs a day in the summer months and 10hrs a day in the winter. A good basking light is essential to the health and well being of this species. Keep in mind the lizard should never be allowed to touch the bulb. This may cause severe burns and possibly death. Many brands are available, research for yourself to find out which one is best for you. Natural sunlight is best for beardeds, but outdoor enclosures are not practical in most parts of the U.S.  Beardies kept indoors should have full spectrum lighting such as the ReptiSun5.0 or ESU7%.  Both put off the best levels of UVA and UVB trying to mimic natural sunlight.  UVB produces vitiman/D3 which is important in the metabolizing of calcium and phosporous. It is also believed to help reverse the effects of Metabolic Bone Disease, a condition in which bones become weak and brittle making it difficult for the animal to eat and perform normal functions.  UVA helps Beardeds to act natural as in eating habits and mating. The bulb should be within 12" of the basking spot for the lizard to get the full effect.  Remember glass filters out the beneficial beams of the bulb. These bulbs loose effectiveness after about 6 months and should be replaced. Light is still produced, but the beneficial rays are reduced if not non-existant.  All lights should be on a timer so the beardeds get the same day/night cycle every day. Heat/Temp-The basking temp should be 100-115F. Daytime temps should be about 90-95F and 75-80F on the opposite end of the enclosure.  Nighttime temps can drop to about 70F. Temps should slightly cooler in the wintertime if breeding is desired. Beardeds can withstand an occasional drop to the mid 60's. Some keepers use under tank heaters covering about 1/2 to 1/3 the length of the tank; others only use the over head lighting. Do not use hot rocks. The lizards will lay on them for long periods of time causing severe burns and even death. Humidity/Water-Bearded Dragons are a species that prefer a dry environment. Mist once or twice a week to help facilitate with shedding. A water dish should be offered at least three times a week. Beardeds get most of there liquids from the veggies they eat. Diet/Food-Beardeds accept and require a wide range of food. Staple food items include, insects, vegetables, bearded pellets, and an occasional pink mouse for adults.  Younger beardeds desire a lot more insects than veggies. With time they will prefer mostly veggies and very few insects. We keep fresh vegetables, pellets, and a small water dish in the enclosure as often as possible, and offer insects according to individual appetites.  Veggies-Many veggies are suitable for Beardeds.  Some of the best include dandelions (probably the best), collard, mustard, and turnip greens, kale, and other dark greens.  Many different types of veggies should be offered to help maintain a balanced diet.  All vegetables should be thoroughly washed.  Bugs and Pinkies-As a general rule, insects should be no larger than the width of the head. Commonly used food items include crickets, meal worms, and wax worms.  Some beardeds may enjoy an occasional pink mouse.  Wild insects are readily accepted, but make sure they haven't come in contact with any pesticides.  Food items should be gut loaded (fed a rich and varied diet of greens, fruits, potatoes, and commercially bought gut load products) for at least 24hrs prior to feeding. Supplements-Bugs should be supplemented or lightly coated (the easiest way is in a plastic bag) with vitamins and minerals.  The proper use of supplements will lead to a happier, healthier dragon, and can reduce the risk of metabolic bone disease. I use Rep-cal Calcium/vitD3, Herptivite, and  Miner-All.  All can be found at any pet store.  Babies-should be fed insects 2-3 times daily with greens and pellets available at all times.  This is the age to start introducing a variety of new items as baby dragons are very curious.  Baby dragons should also be lightly sprayed with water daily to assure against dehydration.  Baby dragons should be monitored at feeding time to make sure everyone gets their fair share.  Juveniles-should be fed insects 1-2 times daily, with greens and pellets available at all times.   Adults-should be fed insects daily or every other day, with greens and pellets available at all times. Adults eat a lot fewer insects so more veggies should be offered to accommodate the change in appetite.    Some beardeds will enjoy an occasional pink mouse.  Remove all free roaming food items if not eaten within 15-20min.  Insects will foul water and stress the beardeds.                      Sexing-Sexing baby bearded dragons is difficult if not impossible for the few months.  To sex look on the underside of the bearded. Males have a V-shaped row of enlarged pre-anal pores (small holes) and hemipenal bulges (little bumps) at the base of the tail. Females have pre-anal pores that are less obvious and are lacking the hemipenal bulges. Breeding-Bearded dragons are known to be one of the easiest lizards to breed in captivity, often times breeding without any extra effort on your part. Most breeders give the dragons a cooling period and greatly reduce the food intake to help mimic winter and help with the onset of breeding. (I feel, I'm not qualified to go more in depth about this until I breed my beardies. Behaviors-Males often engage in head bobbing and often inflate the skin under their head to look bigger, trying to show dominance over other beardeds and to get mating responses from females. Females, babies, and sub-dominate males will often be seen engaging in arm waving. Standing on three legs waving one of the fore arms in a circular motion. It is believed to be an appeasement to the dominate male.  Beardeds often stand with their tails raised off the ground while standing still. This is a sign of being alert, often preformed by adults during the day.  Dragons run around licking everything to get a good taste of what's to eat in their surroundings. Diseases/Ailments-The best treatment is prevention but not even the best keepers can protect against the occasional illness.  Signs of illness include long periods of inactivity, reduced or no feeding, diarrhea, runny nose, etc.  Other-Our favorite.  You can't stop with just one, you miss so much of the fun. Phases/Morphs-Red/Gold, Yellow, Sandfire, Gold Phase, Red phase, Tiger, Snow, etc. Last Updated-03/13/03 Aaron Downing            ReptileAaron@aol.com  https://www.angelfire.com/me4/pets Disclaimer-Everything on this page is a matter of my personal opinion.  This care sheet is merely meant to help get you started.  Always do lots of other research and do what is in the best interest of you and your pet. Suggested Reading *The Bearded Dragon Manual De Vosjoli, Mailloux, Donoghue, Klingenberg, Cole2001 Advance Vivarium Systems *Success With a Reptile Pet -Bearded Dragon Mazorlig T.F.H. (RD-104) *Agamid Lizards Manthey, Schuster 1996 T.F.H. (LR-103)