Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons (Bearded Dragons)

Member Name: PyrettaBlaze

Product:	Bearded Dragons
Date:	05/12/07 (353 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cute, funny, reasonably easy to keep

Disadvantages: Expensive set-up, they eat insects.

The bearded dragon is one of the most commonly kept species of lizard. Bearded dragons are native to Australia, although Australia bans the export of its wildlife so almost all the bearded dragons you see will be captive bred, not trapped in the wild.

Bearded dragons are comical, cute and fun pets if you have the time for them.

Reaching a maximum of about two foot in length (including the tail) bearded dragons stay reasonable small compared to many lizards. Having said this, they can be very active and an adult dragon will need a tank a minimum of four foot long, with six foot being preferable. They also like to climb so extra height is good for them. Custom made reptile cages can be expensive, however you can make your own with glass cut to size and wood, if you're good with DIY. Always make sure the tank is secure, reptiles are great escape artists! The tank should also be well-ventilated, as dragons prefer a dry environment.

Dragons, being desert lizards, require hot temperatures. Most keepers supply this by use of a basking spotlight (a regular incandescant bulb or spotlight attached to a special fixture bought from the reptile shop will do fine, you can buy specific reptile spotlights but they are just the same thing as an ordinary bulb with a bigger price tag) attached to a thermostat (an essential...and expensive piece of kit unless you want fried dragon for dinner) with a heatmat used for back-up heat and for use at night (the heat-mat will also need a thermostat if it is located on the bottom of the tank, as reptiles sense heat from above and a lizard can literally get cooked without realising its too warm). Alongside the tank, the heating and thermostat equipment is the biggest cost for the dragon. The spotlight should be setup in one corner of the tank, pointed directly at a basking site (a rock or branch of some sort). The basking site should reach around 100 degrees F, and the other side of the tank should be left unheated. This gives the lizard a choice of how much heat it needs. At night, the tank lights can be switched off (this can be done by means of a simple plug-in timer) and the heatmat can provide a lower nighttime temperature of around 70-80 degrees F.

Aside from heat, UV light is essential for a healthy dragon...without it, they can develop serious illnesses. Choose a UV light with 5-10 UVB, as well as UVA, designed specifically for reptiles (fish and plant bulbs are not suitable for them). You will also need a starter unit for this. UV bulbs should be replaced every six months, even if they are still giving off light because the UV they produce over time reduces.

Young dragons are easiest kept on plain newspaper or kitchen towel...they poo more frequently than adults and this is easier to clean, also they are more likely to eat a sandy substrate as babies, resulting in blockages in the gut. When they get older, sand can be used. The tank furniture can be as simple or elaborate as you like. However, there should be a minimum of two hiding places in the tank, one at the hot end and one at the cool end, and at least one basking sight under the heat lamp (which should be covered to prevent the lizard getting burned by touching it). Dragons do like to climb, so adding more sterilised branches and rocks from the garden (this can be done by stripping the bark and boiling, or using a weak bleach solution and rinsing well), or special reptile ornaments from the shop, which of course cost more.

Feeding dragons is one of the biggest problems with them. Young beardies need three feeds a day until they are about six months old, then two feeds a day until they are adult. The mainstay of the dragons diet is (wait for it) bugs. So keeping a lizard means you not only to keep the lizard healthy, but you need to keep its food healthy. This involves buying in various bugs, keeping them at the temperatures best for them, and feeding them (if you feed them well you are feeding your dragon healthy food). Crickets, mealworms and waxworms make up a good diet for a dragon. Personally I prefer phoenix worms, which are more nutritious, but they usually have to be bought online (yes you can get bugs through the mail). Locusts are prettier and less creepy than the disgusting, smelly crickets, but much pricier.

When feeding a dragon, never feed food bigger than the space between the eyes, as they can end up with gut problems. Dragons often become addicted to one type of food, so be careful with fattier foods like waxworms, or when introducing expensive foods they might like to eat all the time...such as locusts. Baby dragons should have their food dusted with reptile calcium powder five times a week, and a reptile multivitamin twice a week...this is VERY important as nutritional difficulties can cause huge problems.

Dragons should also be feed greenery such as kale and swiss chard, although babies will often ignore it, adults will usually eat it. Adults can also be fed pinkie (day old) mice which can be bought frozen from the reptile shop once or twice a week.

Water can be provided to your dragon for a few hours a day. Its best not to give them too much as they are used to such a dry environment. Alternatively you can mist them once a day with a plant sprayer.

Well, thats how to care for them, so now on to how it is to actually keep them.

On the plus side, bearded dragons are much like the dogs of the lizard world. They are tame, don't bite and don't mind being handled, although they may be skittish at first. Like most lizards, they spend a lot of time sitting "doing nothing" (known to them as basking), however, they are very, very cute and have some comical behaviours, and they just love to cling to you with their little claws when you pick them up (their claws dont hurt by the way) If you are into reptiles as pets, a dragon is one of the best you can get.

As far as lizards go, they are easy to care for...this is not to say you wont have problems, but they tend to be greedy (if sometimes fussy) eaters, and as reptiles that refuse to eat are a big problem for a lot of owners, you will come to cherish this if you end up with more species of reptile.

Bearded dragons are readily available...you will be able to find them anywhere that sells reptiles. This has many advantages. Firstly, they are all captive bred babies, with none of the problems of imported wild individuals. This also means there is a wealth of information on their care, and if you have problems with your pet, anybody who has kept lizards knows how to keep a bearded dragon.

On the other side of the coin, bearded dragons are expensive to set up and babies are expensive to keep. A three foot tank will set you back about £80, heating equipment from about £50 (for the thermostats, heat mat and light) and UV lighting about £30. A young dragon can eat hundreds of insects in a week...two tubs of live insects will cost you arpimd £5.00 and probably not last long. A lot of keepers breed their own food but it may not be worth it unless you have several insectivores in your house. You will also find your power bill goes up...however this wont be significant unless you have several dragons.

The fact that dragons eat insects is disadvantage enough for most people...personally I HATE insects and feeding my dragon always makes me shudder (although the way he chases and dives after his food is hilarious). Keeping crickets in the house, you are always running the risks of them escaping, and waxworms and mealworms turn into moths and flying beetles if not kept cold!

Young dragons also demand a lot of attention. You need to be around at three intervals a few hours apart during the day to feed them, and make sure there are no problems (crickets have been known to bite back). When they are big enough, dragons will need to be allowed to run around outside their cages for a little while daily.

One of the big problems with lizards as pets is that they dont "do" much. A lot of people dont see the point of them, because for most of the day they just sit there. This is less of a problem with bearded dragons because they do have endearing personalities and they can be very funny, but its worth thinking of a pet reptile less as being like, say, a bunny rabbit and more like say, a very expensive type of fish. They will be happy to be handled and will amuse you no end, but they wont interact with you the way many pets will, if thats what your after, you want a dog.

All in all, you are either a reptile person or you aren't, and if you are a reptile person, the bearded dragon is one of the cutest, friendliest and most interesting species you can keep as a pet. If you are new to reptiles, they are about the best type you can start with!

Summary: Much like Pac-man, they are small and yellow and never stop eating!