Baby bearded dragon feeding guide

The Complete Bearded Dragon Diet Guide (2020)

Welcome to Part 6 of the Bearded Dragon Care Sheet: Bearded Dragon Diet and Nutrition!

One of the most important things you must provide your bearded dragon is a nutritious, varied diet for best health results. Although providing an ample diet is not very difficult there are many things you should do and many you shouldn’t.

Bearded dragons should be offered fresh food and water a minimum of twice per day, but generally are fed as many as four to five times a day. Feeding frequency can vary depending on age and time of year. We will get to that in just a bit.

Learning Points

Learn about providing a bearded dragon with a wholesome, nutritious diet
Discover the different insects, vegetables, and insects that make up a good dietary plan for a bearded dragon
Learn how the dietary needs of a bearded dragon changes with age
Determine what insects and plants are recommended for a good diet and which ones are not
Learn the diet requirements of a bearded dragon during the baby, juvenile and adult stages of life
Discover different ways to feed a bearded dragon
Learn the importance of vitamin and mineral supplements
Learn how to provide fresh water for a bearded dragon and the importance of bathing

Some feeder insects tend to be better choices than others, while some should be avoided altogether. Some plant matter is highly recommended to offer, while some should be avoided.

Also, how much insect food or plant matter food you offer can vary greatly depending on the age and overall health of the bearded dragon.

So, let’s jump in and talk about these subjects, along with others, pertaining to diet and nutrition requirements of bearded dragons.

Keys To Success

Proper diet and nutrition is vital to the overall health of your bearded dragon and can be one of the most challenging aspect of ownership
Staple insects, greens, vegetables and fruit should make up the largest part of a bearded dragon’s diet
Mix in occasional greens, vegetables, and fruit to give the diet balance
Always avoid rhubarb and avocado as these are toxic to bearded dragons
Avoid feeding baby bearded dragons mealworms due to their hard chitin
Avoid feeding bearded dragons fireflies, boxelder bugs, and any wild-caught insects
Baby bearded dragons (hatchling to 5 months old) should be fed approximately 60% – 80% insects and 20% – 40% plant matter
Juvenile bearded dragons (5 months old to 18 months old) should be fed approximately 50% insect prey and 50% plant matter
Adult bearded dragons (over 18 months in age) require about 25% – 30% insect prey and about 70% – 75% plant matter in their diet
Always dust food items with a calcium supplement, and use a multi-vitamin supplement at least once per week
Always provide a bearded dragon with fresh, dechlorinated water daily

Diet Requirements of Bearded Dragons

Bearded dragons are omnivorous, which means they eat both meat (primarily insects) and plant matter. In the wild, bearded dragons consume insects, plants, and the occasional small lizard found in their native environment. They consume a wide variety of food items in the wild, and this should be replicated as much as possible in captivity.

The most widely available insect food items for pet bearded dragons are:

Staple Insect Prey

Crickets
Dubia Roaches
Horn Worms (sometimes called Goliath Worms)

Occasional Treat Insects

Mealworms
Wax Worms
Butter Worms
Silkworms
Earthworms (rinsed)
Phoenix Worms
Super Worms (large Mealworms)

Crickets, dubia roaches, and horn worms should make up the largest portion of the bearded dragon’s protein diet. The insects listed under “Occasional Treats” should only be offered intermittently and should not be the base of the protein portion of the diet.

Mealworms have a hard chitin (outer exoskeleton) that can be difficult to digest, especially in babies. Mealworms should be avoided with babies unless the mealworms have recently molted and have a soft chitin.

Wax worms should be offered as occasional treats due to their high fat content, which can cause issues with obesity as the bearded dragon matures.

The insect prey items outlined above can usually be found in most pet stores or from breeders found online. Adult bearded dragons can be offered small pinkie mice, but it’s recommended to stick with insects for protein needs.

Avoid offering any wild-caught insects unless you know they are free of pesticides or chemicals, and you know what they are. Never feed your bearded dragon a strange insect from outdoors. It is recommended to only feed insects that are bred as reptile food from reputable breeders and pet stores.

Staple Insects For Bearded Dragons

Dubia RochesCricketsHornworms

Insects to Absolutely Avoid as Food

Fireflies (lightning bugs)
Boxedler Bugs
Wild-caught Insects

Fireflies and Boxedler bugs are considered very toxic to bearded dragons and should never be offered.

Plant matter such as fruits and vegetables can be easily found in most grocery stores. The vegetables offered should consist of a large variety, including:

Staple Greens

Collards
Dandelion Greens
Endive
Escarole
Mustard Greens
Turnip Greens
Watercress

Staple Vegetables

Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash
Green Beans
Parsnips
Okra
Snap Peas
Sweet Potato
Yellow Squash

The vegetables listed above should make up the largest portion of the plant matter mixture in the diet of your bearded dragon. All vegetables and fruit offered should be finely shopped to make it easier for the bearded dragon to eat. Never offer any food item that is too large.

Occasional Greens

Basil
Bok Choy
Carrot Tops
Celery Leaves
Cilantro
Kale
Kohlrabi Leaves
Parsley
Swiss Chard

The greens listed above should be offered occasionally and in smaller portions than the staple greens. These can be mixed in with the staple greens and vegetables. Some of these greens are high in oxalates and should be offered no more than once or twice per week in small amounts.

Occasional Vegetables

Asparagus
Beets
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery Stalks
Green Peas
Pumpkin
Zucchini

As with the occasional greens, the vegetables mentioned above should only be offered once or twice a week and mixed with staple greens and vegetables.

There are some vegetables that should be offered rarely or avoided all together.

Vegetables Fed Rarely

Beet Greens
Lettuce
Spinach
Tomatoes

Beet greens and spinach contain high amounts of oxalates, which can be fatal in bearded dragons in high doses. It also is a calcium binding agent which can prevent the absorption of calcium. This can lead to issues such as Metabolic Bone Disease over time. Spinach and beet greens can be feed to your bearded dragon, but it should be only very seldom.

Lettuce contains very little nutritional value and should be avoided. The only time lettuce should be fed is if the bearded dragon becomes extremely dehydrated. A little lettuce can help with hydration issues, but too much can lead to diarrhea, further complicating dehydration. Chopped and peeled cucumber is a better option for hydration.

Bearded dragons can eat tomatoes, but in a very limited capacity. Tomatoes are very acidic and can cause issues if fed frequently. A little tomato every now and then is okay.

Vegetables Fed NEVER

Avocados
Rhubarb

Avocados and Rhubarb are very toxic to bearded dragons and should be avoided completely.

Staple Fruits

Mango
Papaya
Prickly Pear

Occasional Fruits

Apples
Banana
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Grapes
Honeydew Melon
Kiwi
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon

The plant matter portion of the diet should contain a finely chopped mixture of about 75% staple greens, 15% staple vegetables and staple fruits, with the other 10% consisting of occasional greens, vegetables, and fruits.

You do not need to use every vegetable, fruit, and insect mentioned in every feeding, but the staple and occasional foods should be rotated as much as possible to offer a varied diet. Varying the insect and plant matter items is very important for good, long-term health of your bearded dragon.

Excellent Insect Treats For Bearded Dragons

Wax WormsMeal WormsButter Worms

Diet Requirements of Baby Bearded Dragons

Baby Bearded Dragons require a higher amount of proteins in order to build muscle, body mass, and develop fat reserves. This requirement means that babies need a larger percentage of insects than plant matter. Babies will also need to be fed more frequently than older bearded dragons. It can be very common to feed a baby four or five times per day, and consume up to 70 – 80 pinhead crickets per day.

Baby bearded dragons (hatchling to 5 months old) should be fed approximately 60% – 80% insects and 20% – 40% plant matter.

So, if you feed your baby bearded dragon five times per day, make three feedings insect prey and two feedings half insects and half varied plant matter. During the plant matter feeding offer the vegetable/fruit mix before offering the insects. Most bearded dragons will go after insects first and totally ignore the vegetables. You want to train your bearded dragon to like and eat plant matter at an early age.

Results will vary depending on the particular bearded dragon. Some take to vegetables very easily, some tend to deter from consuming them.

Diet Requirements of Juvenile Bearded Dragons

Once your bearded dragon reaches the juvenile stage their diet needs change a bit.

They should be developing good body mass and developing those fat reserves so the amount of insect prey can drop while the amount of plant matter should be increased.

Juvenile bearded dragons (5 months old to 18 months old) should be fed approximately 50% insect prey and 50% plant matter.

The frequency of feedings may also decrease, but it can depend greatly from one bearded dragon to the next. Typically, a juvenile should be fed around three times per day.

If you feed your juvenile three times per day, offer half insects and half plant matter at each feeding.

An alternative is to feed only plant matter in the morning, only insects in the afternoon, and a mix of both in the evening. These are just examples that can be altered to fit your schedule and needs.

Diet Requirements of an Adult Bearded Dragon

As your bearded dragon reaches maturity its diet requirements will change quite a bit from that of a baby – the opposite in fact. Now the adult needs far less insects and mostly varied plant matter.

Adult bearded dragons (over 18 months in age) require about 25% – 30% insect prey and about 70% – 75% plant matter in their diet.

The large amount of fruits and vegetables needed in an adults diet is why it’s so important to train them to like plant matter at an early age. If you wait until they are juveniles or adults to offer them vegetables and fruits it might be very difficult to break them of their insect addiction.

At this stage fruits and vegetables should be the most abundant offering in their diet. Insect prey should be offered much less. The frequency in needed offering will lessen as well. Many adult bearded dragons will only eat once or twice a day.

If you feed an adult twice per day (once in the morning then once in the evening) offer chopped vegetables and fruit in the morning, then another portion of plant matter with a few insects in the evening.

Feeding Insects

Feeding insects to a bearded dragon is not very difficult, as it will usually readily go after this food item. There are some tips and tricks you can use while feeding crickets and other insects.

Feeder insects should be gut loaded for at least 24 hours before feeding them to your bearded dragon. Gut loading is the process of feeding the feeder insects a highly nutritious meal before feeding them to your bearded dragon. This is an optimal method for ensuring your bearded dragon receives the most nutritious foods possible.

Firstly, never feed your bearded dragon an insect that is too large. Keep in mind that the feeder insect should not be larger than the space between the bearded dragon’s eyes. For babies that’s usually 1/4 of an inch or less.

Hand Feeding

Since bearded dragons are typically very docile and friendly it is very easy to feed them by hand. Simply grab a cricket, roach, or horn worm and hold it in front of the bearded dragon. Once the beardie notices the wiggly insect he will swipe at it with his tongue and munch away.

Grasp the insect firmly enough to keep hold of it, but not so tight as to kill it or keep the bearded dragon from being able to snatch it away. It may take you guys some practice to get the hang of it, but once the bearded dragon realizes you are feeding it will not take long.

For very small insects you can use bamboo feeding tongs to hold the food. Make sure the tongs are bamboo or plastic. Use plastic covers over the tips of metal tongs to prevent possible injury to the bearded dragon.

You can simply hold out a small piece of fruit or vegetables for them to take from you. For baby bearded dragons you can hold a piece of fruit in the palm of your hand and watch as they climb into your hand to take it.

Hand feeding is a great way to bond with your bearded dragon and to tech him you are a friend.

Bowl Feeding

If you are pinched for time and can’t hand feed, then placing the insect food into a suitable bowl is another option. You need to select a food bowl that adequately holds the insect prey while being shallow enough for the bearded dragon to be able to see the food and reach it.

There are specially made bowls just for feeding reptiles found at most pet stores. These bowls are super for offering different worms, such as mealworms and wax worms. You can use a store-bought feeder bowl that is very attractive, or use a simple plastic bowl that is suitable.

When feeding crickets, we prefer to use the Cricket Rock made by Exo Terra. The Cricket Rock is just as it sounds – a bowl with a lid, shaped like a rock used to offer crickets to the reptile. Add how many ever crickets you plan to feed your bearded dragon in this particular feeding, close the lid, then set the Cricket Rock into the terrarium. Pull out the special plug in the front of the Cricket Rock, and the crickets will begin coming out of the rock one at a time – ready to be snatched up by your bearded dragon.

Once your bearded dragon learns this Cricket Rock means it is dinner time, he will sit in front of it and wait for you to pull the plug. It’s great fun to watch!

Be sure to place any food bowls away from the direct heat of basking lamps. It’s best to place them on the opposite side of the basking area away from the high heat as much as possible. This will help keep the food from spoiling quickly.

Feeding Plant Matter

Feeding your bearded dragon plant matter is pretty straight-forward. Make sure the fruits and vegetables are finely chopped and in small enough pieces so the bearded dragon can easily eat them. A small electric food chopper, or processor, works well.

Simply load the chopped plant matter into the bowl, sprinkle some calcium and vitamin supplement on top, and place into the terrarium. Again, you want to use a shallow bowl so the bearded dragon can see the food, and be able to reach it.

Also, be sure to vary the staple and occasional fruits and vegetables as much as possible to provide the most complete diet possible.

You want to offer at least a half-cup of chopped veggie mix to a baby bearded dragon each day, 3/4 cup each to day a juvenile, and a cup to a cup and a half to an adult each day.

Feeding Your Bearded Dragon

Feeding DishCricket Feeding RockExo Terra Bamboo Feeding Tongs

Vitamin & Mineral Supplements

Even with a varied and complete diet, bearded dragons will still lack some nutrients in captivity that they normally get in the wild. That’s why it is very important to provide vitamin and mineral supplements when feeding your bearded dragon.

The most important supplements to provide are calcium with vitamin D3, and an general multivitamin. These supplements come in a powdered form engineered to stick to food items.

We recommend Repashy Calcium Plus as an all-in-one calcium and vitamin supplement powder. Repashy SuperVite is an excellent macro and micro multivitamin supplement to offer the bearded dragon .

Insect feeders should be dusted and coated with Repashy Calcium Plus supplement at each feeding. Veggie mixes should also be sprinkled at each feeding as well.

Repashy SuperVite should be added to insect prey or veggie mixes at least one feeding per week.

Dusting Insects For Feeding

Dusting insects, especially crickets, can be a challenge at times. Fortunately, there are some fantastic products available to make it a snap. There is the Cricket Shaker Cup available where you place a little supplement powder into the bottom, then add the insects. Screw the lid on firmly, then give the cup a shake. This throughly coats each insects with supplement powder and they’re ready to feed.

The Cricket Rock can also be used to dust insects. Simply sprinkle a little supplement powder in the bottom of the rock, add insects, replace lid, and give the rock a couple good shakes.

Viola! Your insects are thoroughly coated and ready for feeding.

Providing Your Bearded Dragon Fresh Water

Although many bearded dragons will not drink directly from a bowl of water, you should provide a shallow bowl of water at all times. Bearded dragons cannot see standing water in a bowl and usually will not drink from it.

Clean, fresh water should still be offered because they can accidentally stumble in, and perhaps take a drink. You never want to leave any pet without water, even if they very seldom drink any.

The water offered should be fresh and, most important, dechlorinated. You can use bottled spring water, or tap water that has been treated with a dechlorinator.

An excellent dechlorinator made for reptiles is Zoo Med’s ReptiSafe Water Conditioner. This will remove any chlorine, ammonia, and other substances that could harm your bearded dragon.

Misting Your Bearded Dragon

Bearded dragons typically intake water in the wild by licking droplets of rain, or dew that roll off the end of their nose. To mimic this action you can fill a small misting bottle with fresh, dechlorinated water and gently mist your bearded dragon. He may not like it at first, but after a couple seconds you will see him begin lapping up the droplets of water off the end of his nose.

You will want to mist your bearded dragon for a few minutes at least two to three times per day.

Bathing Your Bearded Dragon

Bearded dragons love getting baths, and you should give yours a bath at least once a week. Let the bearded dragon soak in warm water for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Use a small cup to scoop water and slowly pour over his body. Avoid getting any water in their eyes, mouth, or nose.

Make sure the water is not so deep that the bearded dragon could drown. A sink works well for a baby or juvenile, while a tub will with about an inch and a half of warm water works well for adults (depending on its size). The bearded dragon will typically splash and play around in the water taking care of most of the bathing himself.

Frequent bathing will help provide good hygiene and keep your bearded dragon well hydrated. Be sure to monitor your bearded dragon the entire time to prevent any accidental drownings.

We have covered a lot on the diet and nutrition aspects of keeping bearded dragons, now let’s go over some example feeding schedules for your bearded dragon.

Previous: Part 5

Feeding Bearded Dragons: How Much, & How Often? (Bearded Dragon Feeding Chart by Age)(with Chart & Guide)

Introduction

When you first get a new pet of any type, excitement is the only emotion you feel. However, this first phase lasts a very short time as the sudden realization sets in that you don’t really know how to properly care for this new pet! Your first bearded dragon is a stepping-stone into a lifetime of herpetological love, but you must figure out how to properly feed your dragon, which is exactly what you’ll learn in this article.

What Do Bearded Dragons Eat?

Once you understand how bearded dragons eat, feeding them is a very simple process. They don’t have terribly diverse diets. In fact, their entire nutritional intake boils down to just two types of foods: plant matter and insects. Aside from this, you’ll also dust food items with a calcium supplement and provide a multi-vitamin supplement once each week.

Your bearded dragon will eat the same foods throughout its entire life. However, the percentage of plant-based foods versus live foods that your dragon needs will change as they age. Younger dragons require more protein, which they get from live insects. Adult dragons will eat fewer insects; the difference will be made up with fruits and vegetables.

Image Credit: yophoto90, Shutterstock

Insects

Dubia roaches
Phoenix worms
Crickets
Super worms
Butter worms
Mealworms
Hornworms
Silkworms
Waxworms

Plants

Collard greens
Alfalfa
Squash
Mustard greens
Dandelion greens
Carrots
Turnip greens
Bell peppers
Okra
Pumpkin
Kale
Cucumber
Snap peas
Sweet potato
Green beans

Feeding a bearded dragon isn’t just about the foods they can eat. Equally important to consider are the foods that your bearded dragon should never eat. Some of these might seem like they’re perfectly fine to feed your dragon, but they’re not.

Image Credit: Sergphotocool, Shutterstock

For instance, you never want to feed your bearded dragon any insects that you found in the wild, even if they’re part of your dragon’s normal diet. These insects can have parasites and diseases that could hurt or kill your dragon.

Other foods your dragon should never eat include

Avocado
Dairy products
Seafood
Poultry
Red meat
Wild insects
Lettuce
Spinach
Onion
Rhubarb

Bearded Dragon Feeding Chart By Age

Age of Bearded Dragon	Quantity & Types of Food	Number of Meals per Day
1-3 months	As many crickets as they’ll eat in 5-10 minutes + 20% veggies	5
3-6 months	50% veggies, 50% insects	4
6-12 months	50% veggies, 50% insects	3
12-18 months	50% veggies, 50% insects	2
Adult (18+ months)	75% veggies, 25% insects	2

Image Credit: Milchdrink, Pixabay

How Much Food to Give Your Adult Bearded Dragon

Bearded dragons reach adulthood around 18 months of age when they become sexually mature. At this time, they’ll be down to just two feedings each day, comprised of 75% veggies and only 25% live insects.

Determining how much to feed your dragon is pretty simple. In fact, you’ll let your dragon determine how much to eat by only allowing a certain amount of time at each feeding. When feeding insects, you should allow just 10 minutes for your dragon to eat the insects, removing uneaten insects at the end of the time.

Vegetables and fruits work similarly. Once you put them in your dragon’s enclosure for feeding, only leave them in for 30 minutes. This gives your dragon time to eat its fill while preventing overfeeding and ensuring that leftover food doesn’t cause mold problems.

Feeding Baby and Juvenile Bearded Dragons

Baby bearded dragons, those that are less than three months old, need a diet that’s the exact opposite of an adult dragon. These baby dragons need 75% of their nutrition to come from live insects and just 25% to come from plants. You can split their feeding into five meals. During insect feedings, allow them 10 minutes to eat as many as they can. This could be as many as 50 crickets each day.

Once a dragon reaches three months, it’s considered to be a juvenile. Juvenile dragons need a diet that’s about 50/50 plants and live insects. Young juveniles will eat four times daily, but this number decreases to twice daily feedings as the dragon approaches adulthood.

Monitoring Your Bearded Dragon’s Feedings

Image Credit: Neil Bailey, Shutterstock

You can tell a lot about your dragon’s needs by monitoring their feedings. Some dragons can be very picky eaters. Watching your dragon eat will make it easier for you to tell what foods they like and which ones they have no interest in.

You can also tell if you’re offering them the correct amount of food. If your dragon is eating every bit of the food you provide within the feeding window, then you might need to offer more food. On the other hand, if there’s always a lot of food leftover when the feeding window closes, then you should start reducing the amount of food you’re offering.

See Also: Australian Water Dragon: Facts, Info & Care Guide (with Pictures)

What’s the Best Live Food for Bearded Dragons?

There are many live insects you can feed to your bearded dragon. Dubia roaches are widely considered to be the absolute best live food for bearded dragons due to their incredibly high protein content. Furthermore, they’re very clean insects and tend to be much safer than crickets, which have been known to carry parasites.

Phoenix worms are also a great choice. They’re full of calcium, so they don’t require you to dust them in a calcium supplement. The downside with Phoenix worms is that they’re quite pricey.

Crickets tend to be the go-to choice for feeding bearded dragons. While they’re not necessarily the most nutritious choice of all, they’re highly accessible and dirt-cheap. They still offer plenty of nutrition to keep your dragon in great health.

Remember, dragons need a varied diet, so cycle through the insects you feed them. You can also offer other insects like wax worms, silkworms, and more; just make sure not to overfeed these as some of them can be quite fatty.

Also, it’s important to gut-load any insects before offering them to your dragon. This will ensure your dragon is getting as much out of each meal as possible. Gut loading is when you stuff the insects full of nutritious food before feeding them to your dragon. You’ll need to gut load these insects for at least 24 hours before you give them to your dragon. You can gut load with special gut loading products or using various other foods like tropical fish food, puppy food, baby food, and more.

Image Credit: Dudley Simpson, Shutterstock

What to Do if Your Bearded Dragon Isn’t Eating

There are many reasons that dragons could refuse to eat. Stress is a big one. If you’ve recently changed your dragon’s environment, lighting, or diet, then they could be refusing to eat as a reaction to this, which will take a short time to sort out.

Dragons might also refuse to eat when they’re shedding. You can tell they’re shedding when scales become dull-looking and the tip of the tail turns gray.

Sick dragons may also refuse to eat. This could require a trip to the vet.

Temperature can also have a major effect on a dragon’s appetite. If it’s too cold, hot, or humid, it could stop your dragon from feeding, so check on all these basics if you notice your dragon isn’t eating like normal.

Related Read: How Often Should a Bearded Dragon Poop?

Conclusion

Feeding a bearded dragon is a pretty simple process, but you’ll have to keep lots of insects, fruits, and vegetables on hand. Remember that the ratio of plants to insects your dragon needs will change throughout their life, even though the actual foods they eat remain the same. Baby dragons need more protein, adults need more plant matter. Juvenile dragons eat a diet that’s half insects and half plants. Keep these basic rules in mind and you’ll have no problem keeping your dragons healthy and happy for a long life.

Next on your reading list: Fancy Bearded Dragon

Featured Image: Vic Rincon, Shutterstock

Bearded agama - description, care, feeding, keeping and breeding at home

Contents of the article:

Natural habitat
Containment equipment
Temperature
Substrate and shelters
Lighting
Humidity and ventilation
Feeding
Reproduction and longevity
Shared content
Diseases
Communication with a person
Video

The Bearded Dragon is an obedient and easy to care for pet. These lizards have been kept at home for over 30 years. The natural color is dominated by yellowish, gray or brown tones. The color may change depending on the temperature and condition of the animal. Now you can buy a variety of bred morphs, which makes this species attractive for both beginners and advanced amateurs.

The size of an adult can reach 40-60 cm. The body has a flattened ellipsoidal shape. On the body, mainly on the sides, there are scales in the form of prickly spikes. The head has a triangular shape and is framed by spines.

The lizard lives in arid deserts and semi-deserts of Australia. Leads an active daily life on the ground, sometimes climbing onto stones and branches of low trees. He uses burrows of other animals, piles of stones, crevices at the roots of trees and bushes as shelters.

For adults, a 90x45x45 cm terrarium is suitable, for young dragons you can use a smaller 60x45x30 cm terrarium. when the animal reaches 1 year.

Temperature is the most important parameter for keeping a bearded dragon at home. Only with the right temperature regime the animal will be able to fully digest food, develop and grow normally. The lizard's metabolism depends entirely on the correct temperature gradient, which is created by special lamps.

During the day the temperature should be 25-30 °C in the "cool zone" and 38-50 °C in the warm zone "under the sun".
For heating, a powerful directional heat and light lamp is installed, which is recommended for use in a luminaire with a bracket. You can raise and lower the lamp depending on what temperature is required in the terrarium.

Night temperatures can drop to 22°C.
Supplementary heating - eg heat cable, terrarium thermomat, ceramic heater, infrared lamps - may be required if the temperature falls below the recommended range.

Use Desert Sand or Stone Desert as a substrate. It is necessary to install strong snags, stones on which it is convenient for animals to climb, shelters and a small drinking bowl with water in the terrarium.

Several daylight lamps (Natural Light and Reptile Vision) and lamps with strong UV radiation (UVB150-200) are installed in the terrarium for lighting.

The daylight hours for the bearded dragon are 12-14 hours.

Terrarium humidity not supported. Caring for a bearded dragon consists of bathing. A lizard under the age of 3 months should be bathed once a week in a basin with water at 30 ° C, 2-3 cm deep. From 3-6 months, you can bathe once every 2 weeks. From 6-12 months, 1 time per month is enough.

Only use the terrarium with a proven ventilation system that promotes good air circulation and prevents the windows from fogging up.

Bearded dragons have a diet of insects, greens, vegetables and fruits. The diet of an animal up to a year old should consist of 70% insects and 30% plant foods. As the lizards get older, the ratio should change to about 70% plant foods and 30% insects.

Approximate feeding schedule
1-6 months - ~10 crickets every day.
6-12 months - every other day ~10 crickets or 1-3 locusts.
12 months and older - 2-3 times a week for ~10 crickets or 5-8 locusts.

The numbers of insects given are approximate and may not correspond to the needs of a particular animal. Focus on your pet's appetite. You can also use frozen insects or Repashy special food as food.

Before feeding insects, pollinate with calcium and vitamins. Plant foods can be offered every day. You can feed all kinds of salads, various vegetables and fruits.

Eliminate all types of cabbage, tomatoes, citrus fruits and other acidic vegetables, fruits and berries.

In summer you can give dandelions, clover, knotweed and other weeds. Feed the animal in the morning and afternoon hours, but not at night. Animals under one year old should not be limited in feeding.

The Bearded Dragon should always have access to fresh drinking water.

Bearded dragons become sexually mature, ready for breeding by the age of two. This is an oviparous species. After mating, after 45-65 days, females lay eggs. To do this, they need to dig a hole with a depth of at least 40 cm. The number of eggs in a clutch is from 9up to 25 pieces. After 55-90 days, babies hatch from the eggs.

With proper maintenance and care in your home, the bearded dragon will live up to 12-14 years.

Bearded dragons are very territorial, so males should never be placed together. These lizards should be kept singly or in groups where there is a male and several females.

Like any other animal, the bearded dragon can get sick. Of course, if all the rules are followed, the risk of disease is minimized. If you suspect any disease, call our store and we will advise you.

Signs of illness:

lethargy,
lack of appetite for a long time,
problematic molt.

Bearded dragons get used to human contact very quickly. When the animal understands that there is no danger, it ceases to be afraid and will come out on its own. For the purpose of taming, it is necessary to feed the agama from your hands, take it out of the terrarium for some time and hold it in your hands, stroke it on the back. If she does not experience stress outside the terrarium, you can let her walk around the room, after closing the windows and locking other pets in separate rooms. The lizard should be outside the terrarium only under supervision.

On our site there are many photos of bearded dragons, as well as a video, after watching which you will get acquainted with the habits of a reptile.

Panteric only supplies healthy animals. Our consultants help with the choice of everything you need for terrarium equipment, answer all your questions, and give important tips on care and breeding. For the time of departure, you can leave your pet in our hotel, which will be monitored by experienced veterinarians.

Keeping and Feeding Bearded Dragons

Keeping Bearded Dragons
Feeding Bearded Dragons

The Bearded Dragon is a stunningly beautiful reptile that is great for keeping in a city apartment, good contact with people and can become a real pet.

In the wild, these lizards live in the deserts of Australia. Almost all agamas that can now be bought are bred in captivity. The average life span of bearded dragons in captivity is 10-15 years.

Keeping a bearded dragon

Before you bring your dragon home, prepare a place for it. Of course, like any reptile, dragons are cold-blooded animals, so they should be kept in a terrarium. For agamas, it is better to purchase a horizontal glass terrarium, the optimal size is 180 cm wide, 50 deep and 50 high. The terrarium must be closed with a lid so that the lizard does not escape.

Since bearded dragons are hermits, they need a humidity level of 30-40%. The temperature in the terrarium should be at the level of 26-29gr. C, temperature under the heating lamp 36-38gr. C. For this, you can use incandescent lamps or ceramic lamps, you need to hang them at a distance of 45 cm from the place of heating, so that the agama cannot get burned. To monitor the temperature, you need to attach a thermometer to the wall of the terrarium, and you can also use a thermostat.

An ultraviolet lamp must be lit along with the heating lamp during the whole daylight hours. Reptiles require UV A and B spectrum lamps. These lamps are available from terrarium and aquarium stores. Day mode: 14 hours - daylight hours, 10 hours - night time.

Sand and pebbles at least 10 mm in diameter are most often used as soil. Sand is poured in a layer of 10 cm, so that, if desired, the lizard can burrow into the ground. There are also ready-made terrarium mats that are sold in pet stores (not rubber mats).

The terrarium should be equipped with branches (without bark), rocks (from the pet store) and a shelter where the dragon can hide if desired. It is better not to put artificial and live plants in the terrarium, as the agama will eat them.

To improve life processes (prevention of diseases, help with molting), the agama can be bathed in a small bath, so that the head is always at the top, with a water temperature of 29-32 gr. C. This procedure should be done 1-2 times a week.

General cleaning in the terrarium is enough to carry out once a month (wash the entire terrarium, equipment, change or clean the soil). Food and faeces should be removed as soon as they appear.

Bearded dragon feeding

In the terrarium, you can put a container with water to maintain an optimal level of humidity, a drinker, but not all lizards drink from it. You can spray the agama once a day, and she will lick the droplets from her body, or give moistened greens.

Bearded dragons are omnivorous lizards. In nature, they eat everything from leaves and stems to small mice and chicks. Therefore, at home, it is quite easy for them to choose the right diet.

For plant food, leafy vegetables (Chinese cabbage, lettuce, spinach), vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant), fruits (pitted apples, bananas, grapes in small quantities) are suitable for them. , juicy green food (dandelion, clover, wheat leaves, germinated oats).

Animal feed suitable for mealworm, zoophobus, crickets, cockroaches and newborn mice. All these "products" can be bought at the pet store. For feeding worms, you need a bowl with high edges so that they cannot crawl out and burrow into the ground. It is better to feed crickets and cockroaches in a separate small terrarium or a plastic jig, a basin is not suitable for this, as crickets can jump out. You can also feed insects with tweezers. You just need to do it carefully so that the agama does not bite on the tweezers themselves, otherwise it can break its face.

Ready-made food for lizards and vitamin-mineral complexes for reptiles can be added to these feeds as top dressing. In Russia, such drugs as Reptilife (Agrovetzashchita), Reptolife (Tetra), Wordley (Calcium and Multivitamin) are common.

Young bearded dragons (up to 5 months old) should be fed 3 times a day so that animal food makes up more than half, and vegetable food less. "Teenagers" can be fed once a day, adult agamas (after 18 months) should be fed every other day so that they have less than half of animal food, and more vegetable food.