Animal Type

Lizard

Breed

Bearded Dragon

Introduction

Bearded dragons (also known as the inland bearded dragon, central bearded dragon, or yellow-headed bearded dragon) are agamid lizards native to eastern and central Australia. They can be found in a variety of habitats, including semiarid desert, scrublands, and dry forests. They earned their name from their spiky, expandable throat pouch that can look very much like a beard, especially when it darkens to black. These lizards are diurnal, meaning that they are most active during the day. They love to bask, and are commonly found sunbathing on everything from rocks and fallen branches to fenceposts and picnic tables. Although they are technically terrestrial, bearded dragons are both excellent climbers and skilled burrowers, and naturally dig burrows for shelter from predators and the elements.

Difficulty

Beginner

Difficulty Notes

Bearded dragons are exceptionally popular as pets, with a calm, curious temperament and array of social behaviors that makes them a safe, entertaining first reptile. They have full-color vision and a keen sense of smell that helps them recognize their keepers, and some people claim that their dragons respond to their names. All bearded dragons available for sale outside of Australia are captive bred.

Basking Temp

108-113

Ambient Temp

77-85

Lowest Temp

55-75

Temp Notes

Since they are cold-blooded, bearded dragons need a temperature gradient in their enclosure in order to be able to regulate their body temperature. Although they can tolerate very high basking temperatures, they need to be able to escape to cooler areas in the enclosure to prevent overheating.

Diet

Omnivore

Diet Notes

Dragons start life as primarily insectivores and transition over time to primarily herbivores.

UVA Intensity

Intense Desert

UVB Intensity

Strong

Ferguson Zone

3

Lighting Notes

Certain morphs of bearded dragon with reduced pigmentation (hypomelanistic, albino, translucent) or thin scales (leatherback, silkback) are likely to be more sensitive to high quantities of UVB. They may need a lower-strength UVB bulb, and should be exposed to UVI of no more than 3.0 in the basking area. Bulbs for these morphs should also span only 1/2 of the length of the enclosure, instead of 2/3

Enclosure Size

Large Terrestrial

Enclosure Notes

Due to the insese lighting and difficult temp gradiant, we reccomend a screen top enclosure with a screen that doesn not block more than 40% of the light emitted. Care should be taken to ensure your basking spots can reach close enough to the UVA/UVB lighting.

Substrate

Desert Soil Mix

Substrate Notes

We only reccomend Jurassic Natural Australian Desert Dragon Habitat as it is actual Australian sand/soil harvested from Central Australia which is some of the oldest and most decomposed earth on the planet. Conversely, the sand and soil harvested from our north american continent consists of CALCIUM CARBONATE which is a natural antacid in cunjuction with microscopic sharp shards of decomposed granite making it a poor choice.

Humidity

Medium (30-70%)

Humidity Notes

Although it’s good practice to keep a shallow water dish in your bearded dragon’s enclosure, bearded dragons get most of their water from their food and from the air that they breathe.