| Bearded Dragon Common Name(s): |
Bearded dragon, Central Bearded dragon,
Common Bearded dragon, Inland Bearded dragon or
Yellow-headed Bearded dragon. The terms Beardie,
Bearded, “Tata dragon” & “Lizard of Oz” are also used by
hobbyist.
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| Bearded Dragon Scientific Name: |
Pogona vitticeps |
| Bearded Dragon Description: |
Spiny,
robust, heavy-bodied, horizontally flattened lizards. The
natural ground colour varies from tan to grey to brick red.
The head is wedge shaped and is well distinguished from the
body. A row of soft small conical spines line the back of
the head and the sides of the body (also called the lateral
fringe). Both male and female Bearded dragons have highly
distendable throats, also called the gular pouch. This
so-called beard consists can enlarge significantly while
turning into a typical gun metal black. The tail is
approximately as long as the body. |
Bearded Dragon
Birth Size: |
8 – 10 cm / 3 – 4 " (incl. tail) |
| Bearded Dragon Mature Size: |
30 – 60 cm / 12 – 24 " (incl. tail) |
| Pet Bearded Dragon Colour Morphs: |
Black tiger, Blood, Cawley orange,
Cawley red, Crimson red, Coral, Desert red, Fire-tiger,
Flaming red, Ghost, Gold, Golden headed, Hypo
translucent, Hypo melanistic, Hypo pastel, Lavender,
Lemon fire, Lime, Orange fire, Orange phase, Pastel, Red
desert, Red flame, Red headed, Red hypo, Salmon hypo,
Sandfire orange, Sandfire orange-gold, Sandfire red,
Sandfire red-gold, Sandfire yellow, Sunburst, Sunburst
red, Snow, Snow pastel, Yellow phase and probably many
more.
|
| Pet Bearded Dragon Pattern Morphs: |
Tiger morphs & Patternless morphs. Colour and pattern
morph mixtures include the Orange and Red tiger.
|
|
Bearded
Dragon Temperature: |
24 – 34 ºC / 75 – 93 ºF temperature
gradient & a 35 – 40 ºC / 95 – 104 ºF hot spot. Night
temperatures can drop to as low as 17 ºC / 63 ºF. |
| Brumation (hibernation): |
None, but some become more inactive during
colder months (winter slumber). A period of at least two
months, where the temperatures are adequately dropped, are
recommended for adequate rest before a new breeding season. |
| Danger To Man: |
These animals have extremely strong jaws and
males & females might show
biting behavior when hungry. Males might be
aggressive (but will usually not bite) during the
breeding season.
|
Bearded Dragon
Life Span: |
Up to twelve years (avg. 5 – 8). |
|
Bearded Dragon
Housing: |
A floor space of
at least (90 x 35) cm / (35 x 14) " for a single Bearded dragon,
and at least (130 x 42) cm / (50 x 17) " for an adult pair. A 40
gal / 150 ℓ / (91 x 46 x 43) cm / (36 x 18 x 17) "
tank /
aquarium,
should be large enough for a single adult Bearded dragon & a
55 gal / 200 ℓ / (122 x 33 x 53) cm / (48 x 13 x 21) " tank
should be adequate for an adult pair. The floor space should
increase by at least 25% for every Bearded dragon added
after that. Other commonly used Bearded dragon housing
enclosures include large
cabinets
and large plastic
cages.
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|
Bearded Dragon Captive Care Food: |
Vertebrates & invertebrates: Bulk
foods include crickets,
cockroaches,
silkworms,
Phoenix worms & fly ants. Less desirable foods include
mealworms,
waxworms,
superworms,
Trevo
worms,
grasshoppers & nestling mice. Vegetables: baby marrows,
beetroot, bell pepper, bok choy, carrots, corn / maize,
cucumber, green beans, kale, patty pans peas, pumpkin,
squash, sweet potato, yams, zucchini. Fruit: apple,
apricots, bananas, blueberries, dates, figs, grapes,
kiwis, mango, melon, orange-fleshed squash, papayas,
peaches, pear, plums, raspberries, strawberries. Leaves
/ herbs: alfalfa / lucerne, basil, carrots, celery,
collard greens, dandelion, escarole, mustard greens,
nasturtium, oregano, parsley, radish leaves, rocket,
romaine lettuce, rosemary, swiss chard. Flowers:
nasturtium, lucerne / alfalfa, hibiscus, dandelion,
pansies, carnations & rose pedals. A mixture of these
groups must be supplied.
|
Bearded Dragon
UV Requirements: |
A combination of full-spectrum UV (UVA & UVB)
required (5% or stronger) with additional non-filtered
sunlight.
|
|
Bearded Dragon Photoperiod |
All lights (including heat lights) should be on for about 14
hours per day. Commercially available
electric timers can be
used to automate the light cycle. |
|
Bearded Dragon Supplementation: |
Calcium & a suitable reptile mineral /
vitamin combination. |
| Bearded Dragon
Behavior: |
Usually docile, males might become
extremely aggressive towards females & even the keeper
during breeding season. Although it occurs from time to
time, aggressive behavior is scarce. Males & females
might bite when hungry.
|
| Bearded Dragon Species: |
Other species commonly found in
captivity includes the Eastern or Coastal Bearded dragon
(P. barbata - sometimes referred to as the Common
Bearded dragon or “Jew Lizard”) & the two "beardless"
bearded dragons, the Dwarf Bearded dragon (P. minor
minor) & the Rankin’s Bearded dragon (P.
henrylawsoni). The rest of the species are the
Western Bearded dragon (P. minor minima),
Mitchell’s Northwest Bearded dragon (P. minor
mitchelli), Nullabor Bearded dragon (P. nullarbor)
& the Small-scaled Bearded dragon (P. microlepitoda).
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