Bearded Dragon 

Care Guide

Enclosure:

Your adult bearded dragon will need a minimum of a 75-gallon tank.  A healthy and well taken care of bearded dragon will grow larger than what they normally would in the wild and will need an even bigger tank. A 120-gallon tank would be ideal for a healthy adult. Babies can be housed in smaller enclosures, but they will outgrow it fast and you would need to update their tank within the first few months.

The general 20 –gallon starter kits you will find in stores are good starting point for a baby, but they won’t last for long. It’s often more cost efficient to plan for the long term.

A bearded dragon will enjoy exploring and running around, if you have the option to let them out of their enclosure and allow them to run and exercise they would appreciate it, if that is not an option for you, go for the largest enclosure you can afford/have room for.

Lighting and Heating:

It’s essential to give your bearded dragon a UVB light source in addition to the standard heating and light. Bulbs like the Exo Terra Solar-Glo are good all in one solutions, although the UVB elements will burn out just like any other UVB light and must be changed every 6 months or so. You can always get a UVB meter to ensure your lizard always has optimum UVB exposure. These can be pricey, but worth it in the long term, especially if you keep more than one reptile.

It’s also very important to have a day/night cycle. Turning on and off the lights works fine, but getting a timer will make it easier for you and create a systematic cycle for your animal. Please do not leave the “red” or “night” bulbs on overnight, it’s a common myth that reptiles don’t see that light and it’s simply not true. These lights will interrupt their sleep cycle and can even cause serious eye and irritation issues if consistently left on during the night.

If you need to provide a heat source for your bearded dragon during the night, you can use a ceramic bulb or a heat pad/rock.

*WARNING* - Never use a heated pad or rock without a thermostat.  It might sound like a strange point to emphasize, but serious burns, injuries and deaths have happened from heat pad/rock malfunctions and you don’t want to be the person who’s bearded dragon is injured or dies because you didn’t get a $30 thermostat.

Bearded dragons are native to the Australian deserts and their environment should simulate that as close as possible.

Here is a quick temperature chart:

• On the warm end of your dragons tank the temperature should be around 90° to 95° F (32° to 35° C).
• On the cooler side you’ll want a temperature around 75° to 85° F (24° C).
• You’ll also want a basking spot that will reach a temperature of at least 110° F (41° C).
• At night tank temperatures can drop to mid-60°’s without any problems. Letting the temperature cool down in the enclosure at night is a good idea.

Diet and feeding

Bearded dragons are omnivores, which means they will eat both bugs and plants. As a general rule of thumb, a baby bearded dragon’s diet will be 80% bugs and 20% plants and slowly reverse for an adult where 80% plants and 20% bugs is the norm.

Some bearded dragons won’t like plants as much as they enjoy their bugs, that is fine as long as you mix in some fruits and veggies they should be a happy and healthy lizard!

It’s recommended that you offer a variety of insects and plants to your bearded dragon if you want to keep them at peak health.