Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons are a desert lizard species originating from Southwest Australia. There is no difficulties in keeping bearded dragons, as well as several other desert lizards, at home even for a beginner.
Background:
A little about Gum, by little Bearded dragon I used to have back in Moscow. I bought Gum as a 1 month old lizard for in my local pet shop when he was approximately 6-7 cm long and this was my first reptile I ever had the opportunity to keep. I have had Gum for 4 years and after that I sold him to a professional breeder, as I had to move to a different country. At that point he was about 27-28 cm long and he became my favourite animal out of my collection. I have attended several Exotic Animal Exhibitions in different museums, educational centres, have had a couple of presentations in schools and shopping centers of Moscow. And each time I would bring my Bearded dragon, as it is a very tame and easy lizard. It was the perfect animal to bring out to the children in order for them not to be afraid of reptiles later on.
Back to the topic:
Terrarium
The terrarium itself needs to be horisontal, as Bearded dragons are not a climbing species (even though many of the Agama genus lizards are known for living are feeding in the trees). The volume of the tank is not supposed to be smaller than 400 liters, or 180cm x 50cm x 40cm (WDH). You could obviously buy a smaller tank for your baby Pogona, however the offspring grows very fast and in 3-4 months of proper feeding it would require a new living place. The most suitable material for the terrarium is glass, however, it is not as an important fact as a good ventilation system, which would keep the moisture out and keep the humidity at 35-40%.Substrate
Even though, the Bearded dragons are from the desert areas of Australia, I would not recommend to have sand as a substrate as when eating, the lizard may consume some of the sand as well, which could cause severe problems with the digestive system. On the other side, big rocks or pieces of would would not work too, as when the lizard is stressed it tends to hide under the ground, which would not be possible with such massive and heavy substate components. Stress would have some kind of aftermath effect on the animal, which could be stopping to eat or drink and even fatal outcome. If you are not looking for a fancy way to decorate the living place of your pet (which, in reality, the Beardie does care much about), you would still not use newspapers for substrate, as the typographical paint includes such dangerous elements as lead and antimony. Normal paper however, or usual kitchen paper rolls would work fine for the lizard: this kind of substrate is easy to clean. Some keepers use the dried avena plant or maize in order to make their terrarium look nice.
Temperature
The temperature gradient plays a great role as well. The terrarium should have a warm corner, where a heating stone, heating pad or a heating cable should be placed above or under the substrate accordingly. In the warm corner a heating lamp should be placed as well. Heating sources should not be located in in the cold corner of the tank. The warmest point in the tank should be 35-42 ºC, while i the opposite corner not higher than 27 ºC in the daytime. In the nighttime the temperature should be lower than in the daytime, however it should not go under 20 ºC and in order to maintain the temperature when the heating lamp is off another heating course should be turned on at night.
Light
As the Bearded dragons are desert reptiles, they will require adequate amount of ultraviolet. Usually, UV lamps are used when keeping the lizard, either placed separately, or combined with the heating lamp. Ultraviolet electromagnetic waves trigger the formation of vitamin D3 in the ectodermal tissues, which in turn force a better absorption of Calcium from nutriments into the blood stream, which prevents the animal from a number of metabolic diseases.Feeding
The diet includes insects (crickets, cockroaches, meal worms, zophobas morio), fruits, salads and vegetables. Vitamins and minerals also recommended to be added to the food, especially in the periods of growth of the lizard. Fresh water should always be available as well.
Some extra information from myself
If you want to take your bearded dragon out of the terrarium, do not try to approaching from the top, as in the wild these lizards are being attacked by birds
When taking your pet-reptile outside, make sure there is plenty of sunlight, so your lizard will flatten out and will become darker on the back for a more effective way of heat absorption from the sunlight.
Do not give your Bearded dragon grapes.
Provide the lizard with some grass once in a while: it will chose itself what to eat out of it.
When placing a rock or a branch into the tank, disinfect it from diseases and dangerous bacteria from outside by placing the items in an oven at about 300 ºC for an hour.
Thank you!
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