Housing

Bearded dragons do best when housed alone. DO NOT house baby beardies in less than 20gal tanks. The small size tank won’t provide a proper temperature gradient.  Your beardie will benefit from some cage decors (branches, hides, rocks, etc..) Housing two male bearded dragons together will likely result in serious injuries. Avoid letting a smaller bearded dragon see a bigger one.  Most people house their bearded dragons in glass vivariums. Remember that you may need a higher wattage of the heat bulb to achieve a proper basking temperature (100-110 basking surface temperature). Or go for a higher wattage bulb and use a dimmer.

Place slates/bricks/stones/big branches under the heat bulb as a basking platform. This will provide belly heat for the beardie to aid digestion. 

Newsprint and kraft paper are easier to change out and maintain; therefore suitable for a simple set-up. Children’s play sand or sand/dirt mix makes suitable basic loose substrates. The bio-active enclosure can be beneficial for all reptile species- you will need some experience to explore this option. You can also do a naturalistic enclosure without it being bio-active.    

 

Lighting 

T5 tube type 10.0 UVB (Zoomed or Acadia) is recommended. Some also use T8 10.0. Place the UVB and heat bulb on the same side. UVB may need to be changed 6-12 months, depending on type and usage.

 

Supplement and Feeding

Dust at least one feeding daily for young beardies. Multivitamin 2-3 times a week. 

Avoid feeding young bearded dragons oversize food to avoid regurgitation. Feeders should not be wider than the lizard’s mouth. Start with a few, then offer more. Watch your animal. If their belly appears full, stop even if you think they did not eat a certain amount of feeders. They have different metabolism rates, just like us humans. More is not better, and keep in mind that many pet bearded dragons are overweight. Young beardies may eat up to 30 small feeders a day(three feedings). Be prepared and have the feeders in hand before your new pet arrives!

Starting the first feeding with greens will help the bearded dragon to maintain a proper diet. Collards and spring mix are good staple greens.  

Remove loose feeders daily. Spot clean or change papers daily or as soon as you see the fecal matter.  Disinfect the enclosure routinely.  

 

Make sure the set-up is ready and tested before your animal arrives. If you have questions regarding the husbandry, email sherryzreptiles@gmail.com for more specific answers.

 

Enjoy your new beardie!

Sherry Z