Bearded Dragon Care Guidelines
Caring for bearded dragon lizards is fairly simple in comparison to various other reptiles. They're infamous for possessing a gentle personality, a fondness of real human intercommunication, robust bodies, and very minimal upkeep. Additionally, it is a rather reasonable price to buy all you need, having a whole setup along with the beardie included amounting somewhere in the ballpark of $250. All these details have made the Pogona vitticeps one of the more sought after reptiles available on the market these days.
All beardies originated from the outback of Australia, therefore needing a warm, arid environment in order to prosper while in captivity. As a whole, you can find 8 types of Pogona presently identified, as well as acknowledged, although just 3 or 4 of these species are available in the pet business. This can be in part due to Australia's strict regulations opposed to the collecting and transferring of any kind of fauna, as well as the fact not every type is capable of flourishing while in captivity.
These lizards start off rather tiny, yet will be able to develop up to a couple ft. long as adults. Therefore, they must be given a habitat with a minimum of 2'x2'x4' to provide sufficient space for mobility. A baby will be able to live inside of a more compact enclosure initially, but just for a few months.
Regarding babies and juveniles I prefer using newspaper for the bottom of the tank as it is normally safer, inexpensive, plus effortless to clean up. With juveniles and adults you'll be able to stick with your newspapers or perhaps opt for reptile carpeting or non adhesive floor tile. I would recommend to keep clear of loose substrates. You will find there's a chance that the animal may eat it and become impacted. This is an illness which could easily turn into a substantial problem if left untreated.
As far as "furnishings" you will need a food bowl, h2o bowl(optional), rocks/branches in order to climb up, plus a big enough hide/cave for the lizard to seek refuge from the lighting. You can find various aesthetic possibilities to include, but you must remember that you've got to clean up every piece frequently. Insects may hide out as well as kick the bucket in any nook or cranny, plus your animal could get crowded. Less is more when designing your enclosure.
After that, you will be needing a couple thermometers. I prefer an indoor/outdoor unit that included a probe as well as hygrometer function integrated into the device. I actually put the probe exactly where the basking spot is going to be, then put the main device around the cool side in the enclosure to obtain a precise reading of each end simultaneously.
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You'll need a temperature gradient between 70 - 80 Fahrenheit around the cool side, and 80F - 90F on the warm end. You'll also have to provide a basking spot able to reach temps of up to 115 Fahrenheit.
With babies you will want your basking spot close to 105F, 100F for juveniles, and close to 95F - 100F for full-grown lizards. To create warmth you should have some sort of bulb along with the appropriate fixture. Exactly what light bulb you will require is dependent upon your particular situation. I prefer a normal house bulbs, yet occasionally have to change to the "basking bulb" near the colder calendar months. Just experiment along with various positionings as well as wattage until you uncover exactly what is effective for your needs.
Next up, you are going to need a fluorescent UV bulb. I would recommend getting a reptisun 10.0 fluorescent tube light, as it happens to be among the best on the market. You will want this bulb to cover the length of your enclosure and be placed approximately 12" away from the animal. These lights will not generate a lot of warmth, however they are crucial in producing nutrients in the bearded dragons body.
At this time you're prepared to locate and purchase your bearded dragon. Make sure you take a look at a number of different suppliers as well as breeders prior to making your ultimate decision. Observe the cleanness of said establishments, and the beardie enclosure itself. Check out your beardie carefully for any wounds, parasites and it's overall general state of health. Ask lots of questions of the vendor such as age, eating habits, temperatures and so forth.
Once you choose the right beardie, you are going to need a lot of food. Dark greens such as collards, turnip as well as kale ought to be available to all age groups at all times. Cut all vegetables to be more compact than the space between the eyes of your dragon, as well as misting all of them to promote extra hydration.
Purchase insects which are tiny enough for the lizard. You will need to gut-load your crickets by giving all of them vegetables or perhaps cricket feed 1-2 days prior to giving them to the bearded dragon lizard. Offer as much as they'll eat in 10-15 minutes. Get rid of any kind of uneaten bugs because they will be able to nibble your beardie and will contaminate your enclosure by defecating upon every little thing.
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You must also keep calcium dust as well as multivitamin supplements on hand to apply to food items. Calcium supplement ought to be dusted upon bugs or perhaps sprinkled upon vegetables no less than 5x weekly. Use your multivitamin on the days that you aren't giving the calcium. Don't try them simultaneously, because specific items in your multivitamin will bind with the calcium. This makes it impossible to be absorbed into your pets bones and will lead to health problems later in life.
Lastly, obtain a feces sample to be examined by your veterinarian no less than 2 times annually, as well as some sort of actual physical check up once a year at minimum. Clean up every object inside your enclosure using a bleach/h2o solution every other week to keep stuff sanitary. That's about everything as far as basic info on caring for bearded dragons. After you have the primary housing setup, the day to day maintenance is really quite minimal. Making extra time for you to get your pet out of his cage for some one-on-one time.