Welcome to the World of bearded dragons! Congratulations on your new adventure with a bearded dragon as a pet and companion! In this care sheet we will go from 6 inch baby and larger care. These are some of the care that I personally use and have the success with. Housing 6 inches to 8 inches should have a 20 gallon long tank at minimum to house 8 inches to 12 inches should have a 30 gallon tank minimum. 12 inches or larger should have a 55 gallon tank average. Light and Heat You will need a light for heating and a light for UVB production. The heat from the lighting is very important for them to digest their food. The UVB is very necessary to absorb all their nutrients and grow. UVA stimulates their mood and activity levels. Light for heating can be a spot light basking light found in pet stores. The wattage of your light will depend on your size enclosure. There are other forms of using heating lights also. Examples are household halogen lights and household light bulbs. There is also heating elements that you can buy to produce heat only. Dealing with bearded dragons you want their day times to be nice and bright. Light affects their mood and helps with their appetite. UVB lighting is a very important part of your reptiles home. We need to supply this. It is the best thing we can do next to getting the straight sunlight from outdoors. I personally use the Reptisun 8.0 or 10.0 florescent tube lights. There are many different types and brands of these lights out there. Just because they say they produce UVB doesn't necessarily mean that it is enough for your dragon. This brand has been proven to provide adequate rays for the health of your reptile. You do need to provide an area of basking with 6-8 inches from the bulb in most cases for optimal benefits. This can be a peice of drift wood, ladder, basking platform, or a stable rock. Temperatures The temperature for you reptile is very important to measure it accurately. For thermometer it is best to use a probe type. You can use indoor/outdoor thermometers found at Home Depot and Lowe's stores in the outdoor department. They are reasonable in cost and are accurate. Temperatures for your dragon should be 105 F in the hot spot. This is measuring it in the area where your spot bulb or basking spot is. The other side of the cage should be a cooler gradient of 80 F range. Night time Night time heating is not necessary or needed. Think about them in the wild. Do they have night lights to keep them warm? The answer is no. Their natural climate does go down cooler at night and that is natural for them. As long as your house does not go down below 65 F your dragon will be just fine. In the event that you do have a very chilly house at night or need the extra heat contained in the tank there are some things you can do. Take some towels or cardboard and cover the top of the cage at night to hold in more of the heat when they sleep. Heating pads are another option. Preferably human heating pads. Reptile heating pads can seriously sometimes get way too hot for your dragons and cause burns. I suggest using a heating pad with a substrate of Play sand. The sand then is a buffer and can warm up nicely. You can also use heating elements. Heating elements do not have light. Bearded dragons are light sensitive and are affected by light. That is why it is best to have no light used at night time. Day light amount of hours. Babies - 12-14 hours of lights on during the day in winter. Summer times can be extended. Adults - 10-12 hours of light during winter and sleeping a lot. Summer lights are on for 12-16 or more hours. Get yourself a light or utility timer for your lights. Schedules are best for the optimal health of your dragon. I personally use our daylight schedules to adjust my dragons lights. The shorter the days the shorter the lights stay on. The longer the daylight the longer the lights stay on. Adjust your lights to your ability to spend time with your dragon. Substrates Substrate is another word for what you put on the bottom of the tank for your dragon. 6-8 inch dragons are sometimes all right on sand. I usually keep them on paper towels till they get at least 8 inches or bigger. There are several options here: Play sand Play sand from Home Depot or Lowe's - this is sanitized and natural. It needs to be checked over for any stones that maybe in the bag. You don't want your dragon eating one. A stone can cause compaction issues and is dangerous. Sand is easy to be spot cleaned and a small kitchen strainer or a reptile scoop found in pet stores can be used. Just scoop and dump daily. Sand should be replaced completely every other month or so. (NO calci-sand products or colored sands from pet stores) ( these are proven to cause many problems with reptiles,compaction issues with digestion, color staining etc) Paper towels - easy to clean daily and just throw a way. Shelf liner: Non-adhesive types. Plastic types are washable. Reptile Carpet: The type that is a woven carpet is preferred. Any type that is easily frayed and can be eaten is NOT a reasonable choice. Newspaper - I personally do not use this. You can use it providing you know that your paper is made of soy inks. I find a problem with this due to newspaper print always comes off onto everything. Butcher paper - The kind the butcher uses to wrap his meats or any plain paper. (No colored) Tiles - Flooring tiles that are washable and non-adhesive. Many people use multiple or split substrates in combination. Try what you feel is easiest etc. Supplements Your dragons will need a vitamin and Calcium Supplement. The preferred brand is Rep-Cal Calcium and Rep-Cal Herptivite Vitamins. Both are needed supplements to your dragon's diet. Calcium Small dragons under 6 months old once every other day. 6 months to a year old once or twice a week. The calcium is put on one item that is fed to your dragon. I use it on the prey items or bugs. I get a plastic bag put the bugs in it and calcium and shake. Female dragons in breeding season do need more calcium for their egg production. Otherwise they can have egg binding problems. This is a serious concern. Remember all females will lay eggs with or with out a male. Just like a chicken. Vitamins They are an additional source of nutrition for your dragon. Once a week is sufficient on one item of food. A small sprinkle will be enough. The vitamins are potent and be careful not to overdose on them. That can cause health problems if given too much. It is my professional opinion that if you are feeding your dragons a good variety of heatlhy greens and they are eating them the vitamin supplements are not needed as often. Bugs Bearded Dragons love variety! Farm raised or bred bugs are always the way that is best. Anything you find outdoor will contain parasites or pesticides in them. Those cans do some harm to the life of your reptile and even kill them. It is best to use purchased bugs or farm raised. Your bugs can be bought in large amounts for cheaper prices. Most common places to purchase them are online or some petstores. Housing your bugs can be kept in a medium to large plastic container or spare fish tank with lid and air holes. Crickets You can buy crickets in every pet store. They best that I prefer are from online sources. I purchase in the count of 1,000 crickets in a box. They are fresher, cheaper and last a lot longer. They are easy to care for. You will need to gut load your crickets. This means that you will need to feed your crickets healthy nutrition that is good for your bearded dragons. I personally use all the left over stems and leafy greens from making my salads daily. I also use bearded dragon pellets, tortoise pellets, fish food, etc. If it is healthy for your dragon you can use it for your crickets. Crickets will eat anything. Crickets should be removed from cages at night. Crickets can bite your dragon and leave nasty marks and infections. Leaving the greens in over night can help a stray cricket from biting your dragon. It is still wise to remove crickets or any prey item from the dragon's cage at night. Roaches These are tropical roaches and are not the ones you find in homes etc. They are raised for feeding reptiles and some people even consider them pets also. I personally use Lobster roaches for my dragons. They have a soft body and are easy for them to eat. Roaches should be gut loaded with all the vegetables and greens that are good for your dragons. There are other types of roaches available on the market. I find the Lobsters to be the best with bearded dragons. Roaches are kept in containers with a 2 inch line of patrolieum jelly around the edge of the glass to keep them from escaping. Super worms This is a large type of mealworm. They are known for their large size and are another good feeder item. I personally keep them on oatmeal and feed them greens. I suggest when feeding these keep an eye on your dragon's Poo to make sure they are digested properly. Meal worms They are a smaller worm. I keep them for a variety item and treat occasionally. I keep them on oatmeal and fed greens. I suggest when feeding these keep an eye on your dragon's Poo to make sure they are digested properly. Wax Worms Wax worms are a very fatty content of protein for your dragon. They are like chocolate for your dragon. They should be used as an occasional treat. The main reason is that they will starve themselves and only want to eat them. A diet of only chocolate is no good health wise. I personally use them as a get to know your dragon treat. The key here is OCCAISIONALLY. Silk Worms These are one of the most nutritional worms for your dragon. They are considerably easy to raise. Purchasing them is almost always found online. They are not the cheapest and you will have to purchase food for them to eat. They like to be kept warm and clean. I suggest if you want to try some go for a small amount first. If your dragon consumes too many they will make the dragon's Poo very watery. Green Horn Worms These are a great treat for your dragons. They must be farm raised or purchased. They are green in color and the dragons just go nuts to eat them. (wild ones are NOT acceptable!) (tomato plant leaves are poisonous to your dragon) Pinky Mice Many ask about pinky mice. Your dragon is not a wild dragon. It is a captive bred dragon. The is no necessity for your dragon to be eating Pinkies. They are hard to digest and are very fatty. They are a personal preference by owners. Some breeders use them to help add weight on to a female dragon after she lays her eggs. Pinky or live mammals do also contain parasites. Size and Amounts of food The general rule is no wider than the space between their eyes. Amount: Under a year old as much as they can consume in 10-15 minutes 2 times a day. A year or older 2-3 times a week with treats occasionally. Over a year old they should be consuming more of the salad items. This is where you can supply them with more variety in salad items. Too much protein (bugs) will cause your dragon to be obese and will lead to fatty liver disease. This will lead to a shorter life span, not to mention other problems. Greens I use a group of basic good greens with my baby dragons and on up. The main ingredients usually are: Turnip Greens Mustard Greens Collard Greens Escarole Chicory Once they reach 8 inches I start introducing more variety to their salads. A few examples are squash grated, cilantro, peas, etc. On top of their salad. The following site is one of my favorites to look up eatable greens for our dragons. www.beautifuldragons.com Look under nutrition The key thing to remember is every dragon has it's own personality and likes. They all are going to be individuals even if they are raised together. Dragons love variety. Change it up for them. When feeding greens size of them should be chopped finely. I personally chop them no wider than the space between their eyes. Dragons do have teeth and can chew off pieces. Greens should be made available all day starting with babies. As dragons get older they will consume more greens. A year and older will mostly consume salads with alternating days etc of proteins (bugs). Hydration Hydrating your reptile in their desert like environment is very important. Baby dragons need to be misted 2 times a day at least. I provide every cage with a shallow bowl to swim in and I mist them. The misting and droplets on them and in the water bowl encourage them to take a swim. Don't stop misting until they stop lapping water. 10 - 12 inches misting once a day with available water bowl and greens daily. Bathe once a week. 12 inches or larger. Once a week bath and constant available greens*. Occaisional mistings. * Greens or salad items do provide them with some moisture in their diets. Baths in Luke warm water. In a bowl, sink, or a tub. Once a week is recommended. They drink and enjoy the bath. This also facilitates the shedding process. Shedding is always a healthy sign and is needed for growth. Bowls of shallow water can be kept in their cages for them to drink from or soak. Fresh and clean water should be changed daily. Dragons do like to Poo in their water bowls. Make sure you clean them as soon as you see them dirty the water bowl. Dirty water bowls cause disease and sickness. Before lights out at night. Check to make sure your dragon is not sleeping in the water bowl. I do not recommend leaving them in the water bowls in fear of them drowning or getting too cold to be sick. You can take the dragon out of the water bowl or remove the water bowl at night. Dragons don't walk in their sleep and rarely move much at all when sleeping. Additional Information That is Helpful Each dragon is an individual. That means even if they are raised together they are going to have their own personalities. At a young age they can be a little jumpy when being held. The little ones can scare easily and run very fast. You should be sitting when holding your dragon. Falls can hurt and even kill a baby dragon. With time they get to know you and are calmer. The older a dragon gets the calmer they become. Dragons have a great eyesight and can see from far away. They are very quick to spot a bug that they want to eat. Dragons are known to react to different colors and that includes the colors you are wearing. Red, Orange and Yellows are excited colors for them. Large birds are a natural pedator and will frighten them. Planes do the same effect when they see them. Dragons love to hang out with you and are docile creatures. They rarely if ever bite. They can act scared and give you a threat. But rarely ever do bite. If they are excited by something let them calm down and relax before you do any quick movements. Hand feeding treats are a great way for your dragon to get to know you. Soon they realize that you are providing them with food and run to you. They can even learn to know their names. Bathing is another activity that is not only healthy for them but fun. Luke warm water is used to fill a bowl, sink or bathtub. One example is fill only till their shoulder level or just under their belly. Once they get used to the bathing container etc then you can try a little deeper water. Some dragons will get upset and try to escape. I keep my hand in with them for starting and security. You can also place an object they can climb onto to get out of the water also. Dragons should never be left unattended in a bath. Dragons can swim and are very cute and funny when they do. Exercise and play time in a room is fun to see them run. Be sure to keep them away from getting stuck in corners and under objects. I always vacuum before letting them explore. Dust and foreign objects can be picked up and swallowed fast. These things can cause obstructions in the digestive system and serious problems. Summer time and warm weather is great to take them out side and get some real natural sun's rays. Make sure you have a lizard leash or a screen cage for them. You don't want your beloved pet getting away and being lost. A wild animal can grab your dragon and run away. Supervision is a must for when your dragon is outside on a leash. Outside Plants in your yard can have pesticides on them and should not be fed unless you know for sure. Bugs outside can carry pesticides and parasites. Some bugs are poisonous and can cause death. FIREFLY'S AND LIGHTENING BUGS Lady bug types are poisonous. To avoid problems do not feed any type. An occasional fly, spider, or bee is no problem. Your dragon's acid in their stomach can take care of that. The problem would be feeding them these on a regular basis. Due to the pesticides and parasites. It is still advised to not feed wild bugs to your dragon. The key is to keep your dragon Clean, Healthy and Happy. A long healthy life ensures happiness for both of you. Any signs of Abnormal behaviors. Sunken in skin eyes. Swollen limbs or eyes. Lethargy. bleeding or injuries. Skin changes like unusual color etc. You should seek professional help to a qualified vetinarian. Seek out a qualified Reptile or Exotic vetinarian incase of emergency and regular checkups. Reptile Vet connection - http://www.herpvetconnection.com/ Exams and Fecals Regular check ups are a great way to ensure we are doing the right things for our pets. Catching problems early is always best for a fast recovery. A fecal is the process of bringing a stool sample of your dragons poo to the vet for analysis. Parasites and problems are usually found in the stool samples. I personally recommend at least twice a year doing a check up on stool samples. If you notice anything out of the ordinary take a sample in to a vet. Very strong smelling or unusual looking. Even sometimes you can see paracites with the naked eye. It is important to make sure that you make sure that your dragon's meals are being digested properly. Even if you have had one clear fecal test you still need to continue testing. Dragons can catch things from many items. Prey items are some of the most common ways. Any further information or questions please contact us. We welcome all and give you the personal attention and caring you deserve. ** The preceeding guidlines are my personal experience and work for me with great success. New studies and eductional information and facts maybe added additional at a later time *** Property of Star's Dragons The preceeding may not be published with out written concent.