INLAND BEARDED DRAGONS

Inland bearded dragons are rapidly becoming one of the most popular pets in the country. The inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) is one of Pogona species native to Australia. They can grow to be around 2' STL. The color of their bodies range from browns and grays to brilliant reddish orange or gold. Bearded dragons are quite docile animals and make great pets. They can live a very long time when a person takes time to consider a few easy requirements. These requirements are housing, heating, lighting, and food and water. Bearded dragons require a lot of space as adults but as a baby they can start out in a 10 gallon tank. The substrate for babies that works best is newspaper without print. Another acceptable substrate for a baby bearded dragon is astroturf. As the dragon gets older it will need a much bigger enclosure. A full grown bearded dragon should have at least a 55 gallon tank or a cage measuring 4' x 2' x 2'. When the dragon is an adult the substrate can be either of the 2 previously mentioned substrates or it can be sand. This should be a sand that is specialized for reptiles such as calci-sand or desert blend sand because they are very fine grade and reduce the risk of impaction. The tank or cage should also have a number of logs for basking as well as hiding areas. Heating is a very important aspect of bearded dragon care. If temperatures are too low the dragon will not be able to digest its food properly. The temperature gradient during the day should range from 76-86 degrees with a basking zone ranging from 95-110 degrees. At night the temperature should drop, but never below 75 degrees. To provide heat, use a basking light in combination with a sub-tank heating pad. The bulb for the day should be 75-100 watts depending on the height of the cage. The heating pad should provide enough heat at night, but if you find that the temperatures are dropping too low you may want to use a night bulb of a smaller wattage than the day bulb. This night bulb should be red, blue or green, but not white. Bearded dragons, like all other diurnal lizards, require at least 12 hours a day under a full-spectrum/UV light. Natural unfiltered sunlight is the best source. If that is not practical, then the bearded dragon will need a UV light to provide UV rays. UV rays are essential to help break down calcium and for vitamin D3 conversion. Bearded dragons are omnivorous lizards, so they require a varied diet of prey and plant foods. Plants should make up about 60% of the adult dragon's diet while the other 40% should be made up of prey. In younger dragons the diet is mostly prey and smaller amounts of plants. Plants for bearded dragons are the same types that make up the green iguana's diet. This includes collard greens, bok choy, escarole, and other dark leafy greens. Spinach should be avoided. Other good vegetables include squash and carrots. If your dragon goes after the prey and ignores the plant food, feed the salad an hour before you offer it prey. Be sure to use a both vitamin and calcium/vitamin D3 supplement with your dragons. Be careful not to overuse the vitamin supplement. Bearded dragons are very susceptible to vitamin A toxicity. Use the calcium supplement/D3 about 1-2 times a week and the vitamin supplement 1-2 times a month. To provide the dragon with water, always have a bowl filled with fresh water. Babies may not drink from a bowl so you may also want to mist the sides of the enclosure. They will see the water dripping down and lap it off of the sides of the tank.

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