Bearded Dragon Care Sheets
General Care Information
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Origin: AustraliaSize: up to 24" including tail
Bearded Dragons (pagona vitticeps) are very popular in the pet trade due to their tame dispositions and unique personalities. They are docile by nature making them an excellent lizard for beginners or households with children.
Bearded dragons, also known as Beardies or BDs, enjoy being held and scratched as well as exploring their environments.
Many colors are available from vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows to browns and white.
As more is learned about proper care of beardies, their lifespans are increased in captive care. With proper care they may live 6 - 10 years or more.
Head Bobbing, Arm Waving, & Other Behaviours
Bearded dragons make amusing pets. Some interesting behaviours are head bobbing (a sign of dominance) and arm waving (a sign of submission). And of course they are named for the ability to turn their "beard" black when excited or agitated. Many younger dragons will also display what is generally referred to 'glass dancing', by excitedly "dancing" along the side of the tank.While shedding, your dragon might puff up his neck repeatedly, or bulge his eyes to help remove the shed. Dragons can also puff up their bodies, or flatten out like a pancake. They generally flatten out when they are trying to warm up (more surface area).
If you take them outside on warm days, you may notice a drastic color change. As with many lizards, they will be darker when cold and lighter when warm (dark colors absorb more heat).
Bearded dragons also tend to sleep in some very odd positions, sometimes leaned up against the cage side, maybe resting on their tail rather than back legs.
Dragons are lazy! Rather than moving to the cooler end of the cage when they are too warm, many times they will just stay put and 'gape' (leave mouth hanging open) to cool down. Assuming you are measuring your temps properly, this is nothing to worry about.
Shedding
Adult bearded dragons will shed 1 - 2 times/year in sections rather than full body sheds. Baths and misting help not only with shedding, but to keep them hydrated as well. Babies in particular should be misted a few times a day as they dehydrate easily.Bathing
It is recommended to provide a bath once per week. If bathing is done in the cage, remove the tub at night, particularly for babies, as some beardies will fall asleep and possibly drown in the tub. They tend to sleep almost immediately at lights out, and are heavy sleepers.When bathing, the water level should be shallow to allow the dragon to stand up out of the water, and should feel of neutral temperature to you, if it feels hot to your hand, it is too hot for your dragon.
Dehydration & Impaction
If your bearded dragons' skin appears wrinkled, this is a sign of dehydration, and he should be given a bath.Baths are useful also if your dragon appears to be slightly impacted (hasn't been pooping regularly). In this case provide daily baths and perhaps add a few drops of vegetable oil to help move things along. If this doesn't help after a few days see a vet.
Brumation
Many BDs over 2 years of age (in some cases, even younger) will brumate, or hibernate, during the winter months, especially males.Some will sleep on and off getting up to eat or bask occassionally, and others go down hard, not waking for several months.
If your dragon seems ready to brumate in the winter, it is a good idea to make a vet visit for a fecal check, especially if you're not accustomed to this behaviour, or are unsure of your dragons' health.
Give the dragon a bath to make sure he poops so food isn't sitting in his belly during brumation. At this time, the lights can be turned to a shorter cycle (to match the outdoor lighting cycle) and ambient heat reduced slightly. I recommend leaving the basking heat optimum in case they do decide to go warm up, or eat and need to digest the food. Unless your dragon is truly down for the count, it is a good idea to continue offering salads daily.
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