Vivariums;reptiles;Bearded dragon Care 3

5- Your New Bearded Dragon

Inside scoop from Aqualand Pets on Pogona vitticeps

courtesy to : aqualandpetsplus.com/Lizard,%20Bearded%20Dragon.htm

Bearded Dragon Factoids :

Original Origin : Australia and Disney movies

Maximum Size :Males up to 20, females slightly smaller

Sexual Differences :Males have black beard and femoral pores

Day Temperature : 76 F to 86 F , 90o F 100 F for basking

Night Temperature : 75 F

Winter Temperature : 10 F cooler during winter (for breeding)

Climber : Needs branches and/or rocks

Attitude : Alert, inquisitive, territorial as they mature

Substrate : No shavings, corn cobs, or kitty litter

Security : Needs a hide box or cave in their cooler area

Humidity : Not a problem

Foods : Insects, Pinkies, Greens, Fruit

Supplements : Calcium and Vitamins

Lighting : Full-spectrum or limited sunlight

Breeding Age :One to two years

Breeding Comments :Clutches approach 30

Three breeder-size bearded dragons at 16 inches.

Very close to newborn bearded dragon -- about two inches.

Just little bearded dragons about two months old -- three inches including tail

Different bearded dragon color morphs look very similar at these smaller sizes.

Almost pink bearded dragon.

Origins: Bearded dragons originally came from Australia (which has cut off all animal exports). The Europeans bred them and supplied the U.S. All the dragons you find these days are bred in the U.S. (including Des Moines). Several different color morphs exist.

Natural Environment: In Australia, bearded dragons live in semi-desert and open woodland areas. They are great climbers and love to bask on rocks in the mornings and evenings. They spend the hottest part of the day in their burrows.

Sexing is pretty obvious when males are "in the mood."

He picked this up from the Godfather movie. She is not impressed.

Males get much darker under their chins.

Male bearded dragons get darker than the females.

Temperament: In the wild, bearded dragons flare their “beards” and open their mouths to scare off predators and competitors. Their flared beards make them look bigger and more threatening. Tame dragons show this behavior less often. They like people. Dragons also get along with other lizards (that are too big to eat). However, the adults need a lot of room if you house them together. Overcrowding will cause stress, aggression, and can result in death.

Mature male bearded dragons turn black under their throats when ready to breed.

Theoretically a young hypomelanistic, a yellow, and a sand fire bearded dragon on moss-covered wood. They all look a lot alike at this young age.

Colors: Bearded dragons come in several different colors these days. The rarer colors cost more. They pretty much all look alike when young.

Bearded dragons seem to like people.

Or at least they don't fear people.

As soon as they learned Beardies were movie stars, they wanted to hold them.

Size: Adult bearded dragons attain 20 inches in length, but most specimens we’ve seen are smaller. The most popular and most sellable sizes are nearly always babies. Babies cost less and are easier to house together. Adults tend to fight in confinement. Really tiny babies are hard to keep.

...and salads -- hold the dressing.

Larger bearded dragons like grated carrots.

Different batch trying some snack-pak peaches.

Sometimes you need to cut them to size.

Bearded dragons like fruits ...

Foods: Bearded dragons love crickets. However, bearded dragons also eat plant material – greens and fruits. Slice and dice it at first. In later meals you need not “chew” it for them. They will eat nearly any insect – even ants. Do not house them with smaller lizards. We had one that ate geckos only two inches smaller than him. Feed (gut load) your crickets and mealworms before feeding them to your dragons.

Inquisitive: Bearded dragons like to explore their surroundings. Give them branches and rocks to climb on and caves to explore. If you provide them a box of sand, they will probably burrow into it for fun. They like variety. Very few lizards interact with humans as well as the bearded dragon.

Plenty of canned foods to choose from as well as pelleted foods.

Supplements: Because the bones of the babies grow so much, bearded dragons also need calcium supplements dusted on their insects. If you give them a pinkie (baby rodent) a week, you will meet many of their mineral and vitamin needs.

Several companies make bearded dragon foods. Feed a variety.

Early morning yoga exercises.

Medium male bearded dragon doing biting exercises.

Lighting: Like most reptiles, bearded dragons need full-spectrum, fluorescent lighting or daily sessions in real sunlight. The closer they can climb to your bulbs, the better your bulbs work.

Heat: An under-cage heater plus a basking heat source make a good combination. Heat rocks also provide a good basking site. Many lizard keepers advise against heat rocks. Lizards have poor toilet manners. Clean your heat rock often. Use well-spaced thermometers to make sure you provide a range of temperatures for them to choose from.

Water: Bearded dragons drink little water compared to some lizards. Still, they need a low, easy-to-get-into water dish. Bearded dragons also enjoy occasional mistings – the small Dragons especially. Change their water often. Like we said, lizards have poor toilet manners

Handling: Scoop them up from below rather than grabbing them from above. Handle them carefully, and they quickly learn to sit calmly on your hand.

He'll keep an eye on you.

Female just getting started at bottom of eight-inch pit. She drew a nice crowd.

She'll crank out quite a few. You can see the eggs lumps in her belly before she gets started.

Two weeks later we exhume them to incubate them in damp sand.

We put the container in a larger container with water in it to maintain a high humidity. 03-22-04

Then we put a new female in the sand pit.

Breeding: One male and several females makes a good combo. Females dig a good size hole to deposit their eggs in. Breeders usually pull their eggs and incubate them. We put them in a small plastic container inside another with water in the bottom. We put a tight cover on it and store it on an out-of-the-way 13-foot high shelf where it always stays warm. We’ll take a look at the results in 60 to 80 days.