Bearded Dragon Care
This article aims to explore the details of how to care for your Bearded Dragon. We will look at creating the right environment for your dragon, how and what to feed them and whether or not handling your dragon is appropriate.
The Correct Environment
It is recommended, if not essential, that you keep your bearded dragons in vivariums that allow them plenty of space. It is fine to keep females together, or males and females together (if you intend to breed from them.) It is not recommended that you keep adult males together as they can become quite territorial.
The floor of the vivariums should be covered with play sand or wood chips. There should also be rocks and logs available. You also need to keep an area aside as a basking area. Temperatures can be as high as 40 degrees centigrade at the basking end of the set up, but should reduce to 20 degrees centigrade at night.
You should ensure that the vivarium is always cleaned out thoroughly. Your dragon will thank you for the occasional mist spray or supervised bath. There should always be fresh water available in shallow dishes.
Feeding Your Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons will eat both meat and green matter. These omnivores will often overeat. You should be offering insects, dried lizard food and pink mice. Dragons also love leafy greens and dandelion flowers.
You may notice that in a vivarium with multiple dragons there will be a dominant one. After he has finished eating then he will allow the others to eat. Due to this hierarchy it is crucial that you provide enough food for all bearded dragons to eat sufficiently.
Handling Your Bearded Dragon
If you handle your bearded dragon regularly whilst he is young, they generally become quite tame, and enjoy being picked up. If it is clear that your dragon does not want to be handled then don't force him. That said however, it is highly unlikely that your bearded dragon will bite you.