Bearded Dragon Care Sheet
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Bearded Dragon! Bearded Dragons are a fan favorite. Easy to care for, tons of personality and such a huge variety of colors. What's not to love?
Life Span :
Bearded Dragons in captivity typically live around 8-12 years with rare cases living to 15 or more years.
Cage Size :
Bearded Dragons require different caging options depending on age/size. Of course, the larger you can go the better.
Babies/Juveniles – 20-30 gallon tank
Adults – Minimum cage size of 36” x 18” x 18” (40 gallon Breeder Tank)
Optimum size is 48” x 24” x 24” (120 gallon tank)
Cage Substrate :
We recommend using no loose substrate in your dragons cage. We suggest using tile, linoleum, Kraft paper, or paper towels. You can do a bioactive set up and many people do, however it can be very difficult to execute properly so be sure to do your research!
Lighting and Heating :
Bearded Dragons require both UVB and heat. There are a couple of different types of lighting you can use:
- You can use a UVB bulb such as Reptisun 10.0 (linear, no coil bulbs), or Arcadia Desert 12% UVB however with these options you need to include a basking light as well.
- You can use a Mercury Vapor Bulb which provides heat and UVB in one such as Powersun, Mega-Ray or Solar Glo.
Basking Bulbs are bulbs that provide a basking area with a rise in temperature. Dragons need to bask around 100-115 degrees (babies tend to like hotter basking spots than adults). You’ll need to adjust the wattage to reach optimal temperatures based on the temperature of your house/size of the cage. We recommend using a heat gun to spot check temperatures, they are more accurate than probe thermometers.
Feeding :
Bearded Dragons have different feeding requirements depending on age. All dragons require the same variations of greens (salads) and insects, however in different percentages (babies/juveniles require a higher percentage of protein in their diet and need to be fed more per day). Please see feeding schedule below.
This is a list of appropriate list of foods that should be offered to your dragon on a regular basis. This is by no means the only items they should be eating, variety is always key. You should always do your own research to ensure that what you are wanting to feed is safe for your animals. This list is what we have been successful feeding.
You are looking for foods high in calcium,
Appropriate Greens: Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Mustard Greens, Dandelion greens, Spring Mix Lettuce, Arugula, Alfalfa, Clover Sprouts, Spineless Cactus
Salad Toppings: Butternut squash (honestly most squashes are superb, have high fiber, and great calcium and low phosphorous ratios), Summer Squash, Acorn Squash, Spaghetti Squash
Occasional Treats : Flower petals (Calendula, Hibiscus, Corn Flower, Clover, Nasturtiums, etc), Mango, Strawberries, Black Berries, Blue Berries, Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Carrots, Repashy Grub Pie, Repashy Beardie Buffet, Repashy Veggie Burger
Insects : Crickets, Black Soldier Fly Larvae, Discoid Roaches, Dubia Roaches, Mealworms, Superworms, Hornworms, Silkworms
**REMEMBER variety is Key!
FEEDING SCHEDULE :
Babies/Juveniles: Require approximately Should eat 3 times daily. We provide a salad in the morning and then bugs twice a day after that. Babies and juveniles will typically eat more protein than greens however salads should be offered daily.
Adults : Adults should be fed salad every day. We offer protein 3 or so times per week.
Salads can be refilled as needed. We always let our dragons eat as many greens as they want. Babies will receive as many insects as they will eat in a 5-10 minute period and then all extra insects are removed.
Insects and hard food items need to be in appropriate sized pieces/sizes. We use the formula of the items being no bigger than the space in between their eyes.
Water :
We do not leave water bowls inside our dragons cages. Leaving water bowls in the cages raises the humidity and they ALWAYS seem to poo in them leaving them a breeding ground for bacteria, parasites, etc. We bathe our dragons to give them their water. The bath can be either in a sink/container filled up to the elbows (you don’t want to drown them) or we will just let the water run in our industrial sink like a shower and let them play and drink at their leisure.
Baby Beardies can dehydrate very easily. They need to be provided water every 2-3 days if not every day.
Adults do not have as high of a water requirement and we typically give them “baths” once per week.
Multivitamins and Calcium:
Beardies should receive a calcium supplement with D3 (if using a linear UVB bulb) or without D3 (if using a Mercury Vapor Bulb).
Babies get calcium once per day on their insects. Multivitamin should be given 2-3 times per week.
Adults get calcium on their insects a few times per week. Multivitamin should be given 1-2 times per week.
Supplements we recommend :
Calcium: Repashy Calcium Plus (includes multivitamin), Calcium Complex (our blend made in house comes with or without D3), Liquid Calcium Glubionate
Multivitamin: Organic Multivitamin Powder (our blend made in house comes with or without D3), Liquid Multivitamin (with or without D3), Bee Pollen Powder, Repashy Super Veggie
Remember your dragon should be getting a balanced diet!
Recommended Products:
*Do you want a printable version of this care sheet? Click Here for a printable PDF!