Truely Amazing Head-Bobbing, Arm-Waving Australians! (Bearded Dragons)

Member Name: CokaCola

Product:	Bearded Dragons
Date:	12/02/09 (527 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Low Maintenance, Very Handleable

Disadvantages: You need to bring Live Crickets into your house?

The Inland Bearded Dragon (Pogona Vitticeps) is one of the most popular lizard species currently kept by people as a pet, and for good reason. They are exceptionally well mannered, have a character which some would even describe as "dog-like", and are relatively low maintenance and affordable to keep as a pet. They are incredibly interesting to observe and some of their behaviours are really quite hilarious! In this review, I will attempt to provide information on the basics of keeping one of these Lizards as a pet, and also provide some tips from my own experience with them.

BIOLOGY AND GENERAL INFORMATION

There are several different species of Bearded Dragon, ranging from the large Eastern Bearded Dragon to the small black-soil dragon, commonly referred to as the "Rankin's Dragon". It is the Inland Bearded Dragon which is most commonly available in the Pet Trade in Britain, Europe, and the USA. All Bearded Dragons are native to the Australian Sub Continent, and the inland subspecies as its name implies comes from the red deserts of Australia's great sandy expanse. The Rankin's Dragon is also becoming increasingly popular as a captive reptile, generally attaining a smaller length than the Inland Beardie.

All Bearded Dragons in the Pet Trade will be captive born and bred. This is as a result of Australia's incredibly tight laws on the import and export of wildlife, with no reptiles at all entering or leaving Australia since probably the mid 90s.

CAPTIVE CARE AND HUSBANDARY

This care information is based around the Inland Bearded Dragon.
Beardies can live on their own, but if provided with enough space, can also live in pairs and trios. What is definitely certain is that only one male should be housed per enclosure, as multiple sexually mature males will fight quite viciously. For a single bearded dragon, a 36" vivarium is the size I'd recommend and a larger enclosure would be better if possible. For a pair, a 48" vivarium would be adequate in my opinion. Keepers will often debate about what to use as a substrate, this debate being based around the theory that substrates like sand can be accidentally ingested by the lizard during feeding time and cause internal "impactions" or blockages within the gut. I love sand as a substrate, either in the form of real desert / beach sand, or even children's play sand. I have personally never had any problems with it, and in reptile keeping, you have to do what works for you.

They do come from an area of intense heat and therefore they require artificial heating in captivity. This is provided best by a 100 watt basking lamp on a dimming thermostat, which will control the temperature using a "sensor probe". The heat lamp should be placed at one end of the vivarium, so that a "thermal gradient" is achieved, with a hot end and a cool end. You want the top basking temperature to be around 100 degrees F.

Bearded Dragons also synthesise Vitamin D3 from the UV from sunlight. Without this, they get problems like metabolic bone disease, which often proves fatal. Therefore in captivity, a UV light needs to be provided to supply the required UV light. I would recommend Zoo med's Reptisun 10% tube.

The lizards are fed on crickets with occasional locusts and also green leafy vegetables like kale and dark lettuce (not iceberg lettuce!) with some fruit like chopped apple. The insects are not really too much of a nuisance, with "silent crickets" being available, which are generally pretty quiet. You do not especially have to touch the insects; just place some in daily until your beardie begins to lose interest. Food should be dusted with a calcium supplement such as nutrobal at the manufacturers recommended "dosage".

I do not provide my dragons with a water bowl; they simply do not use them. I use a plant sprayer to spray the fake plants in the vivarium every few days, and the lizards will lick the droplets from the leaves.

COLOUR AND PATTERN MUTATIONS

Beardies are now being bred in a range of colours, and some of them are really quite breathtaking. Obviously the nicer looking morphs have a much higher price tag, but you can still pick up a nice high yellow bearded dragon for an affordable price. The Sand fire Morph which based on oranges and reds is quite often available, as is the sunburst which is basically a deep yellow. Leucistic and Snow beardies are a very pale white colour, but are generally quite expensive. Blood red beardies are a deep intense red and are absolutely stunning, but in the UK are quite hard to source and are very expensive. One to watch out for is the "German Giant" which has been selectively bred to attain a great size and have a ravenous appetite. The colour of these however is no different to normal dragon colour.

BEARDED DRAGONS AS PETS

They make superb pets! They will come out and run around the room exploring and tasting things with their tongue, a little bit similar to how snakes use their tongue to sense, but not as sophisticated. They will entertain you with their "head bobbing" and "arm waving" and also with their exciting feeding response. As long as you properly do you research beforehand, and are prepared to pay for the extra electricity, veg and weekly insects, I can confidentially say that a bearded dragon makes an absolutely fantastic pet, no long walks, allergies or feeding three times a day attached!


*Note* - If you seriously decide to invest in one of these lizards as a pet, it is essential you do further research. I would recommend the AVS Bearded Dragon Manual for this, which can be purchased from all good book stores.

Summary: Great Pets, just do your homework beforehand!