Bearded Dragon Care Sheet

Enclosure

We house all of our bearded dragons in 36” long, 24”deep, and 18” high enclosures. Your new baby bearded dragon can live in a standard 20 gallon glass tank for the first couple months of their lifetime. However, I highly suggest starting with a 40 gallon enclosure. Bearded dragons grow quickly in their first year of life. The needed temperatures in their enclosure are also easier to maintain in a 40 gallon + size enclosure. This enclosure can be a glass tank or made out of pvc material or wood material. Once you have chosen your enclosure, now it’s time to pick your substrate. 

Substrate 

This is what is used on the floor of your enclosure. Some common and safe substrates for bearded dragons include all-natural play sand, paper towel, newspaper, shelf liner, or tile. I do not recommend using loose substrate for baby bearded dragons due to higher risks of impaction if ingested during feeding times. I use paper substrate for baby bearded dragons because I believe it is a safer option and keeps cleaning up simple. 

Decor and Feeding Dishes

Branches, basking platforms, hides, and feeding dishes are used in all of our bearded dragon enclosures. Branches are a great option to increase enrichment for your bearded dragon and can be placed anywhere of your choice. Basking platforms are placed directly under your bearded dragons heat light “basking area”. I use raised tiles as a basking platform for my bearded dragons, but any stone, rock, or brick may be used. Basking platforms provide essential belly heat for your bearded dragon and should be flat and wide enough to support the bearded dragons entire body. Do not use electric heat rocks or any sort or electric heating pads, they can easily burn the bearded dragons belly. I supply hides in all of my bearded dragon enclosures, however it is not a necessity. Your bearded dragon may feel more comfortable sleeping in their hide, it also can give them an area to rest out of direct light. However, if you notice your bearded dragon spending too much time under their hide then it should be removed. Keep in mind bearded dragons can go into brumation which is completely normal and hides can be provided at these times. For extra decor I enjoy using artificial plants. When choosing artificial plants I tend to stay away from any that could be potentially dangerous to the dragon. Your bearded dragon may accidentallly mistake the artificial plant as food so please choose your artificial plant wisely. Feeding dishes are supplied to all of my bearded dragons, this is where I serve fresh salads and feeder insects. Water dishes may be used, however not necessary. If you plan to use a water dish in your bearded dragons enclosure it must be cleaned regularly and fresh water provided daily. It is important to keep sanitary for the health of your pet. 

Keep in mind your bearded dragon needs space to walk around, so avoid over crowding your bearded dragons enclosure. 

Temperature and Placement 

It is very important to create the correct temperature gradient for your bearded dragon. Your bearded dragons enclosure needs to have a hot side on one half of their enclosure and a cool side on the other. On the hot side your bearded dragon will need 85-90F ambient temperature and 100-110F surface temperature on their basking platform. On the cool side your bearded dragon will need 75-80F ambient temperature. You will create this by your heat choice and lighting placement. Please see our example of heat and lighting placement in the diagram below. I do not offer any heat light at night, bearded dragons need a cool off time. You will keep your daytime lights on for 12 hours and shut off during the night for 12 hours. Repeat this cycle daily. If your nighttime temperature drops below mid 60’s in the bearded dragons room then at that time you can provide them with a heat emitter(no red light). For daytime lighting your bearded dragon will need two bulbs. 1- a heat bulb “basking spot light” which will be located above the basking platform on the hot side of your enclosure. This will supply heat to your bearded dragon and keep your hot side at correct temperature. 2- a UVB tube bulb which will be located along side of your heat bulb and stretch to the middle of your enclosure. UVB lighting is essential for the health of your bearded dragon. Bearded dragons absorb UVB rays to obtain essential vitamin D3 that is used to absorb calcium and other essential nutrients. Lack of proper full spectrum UVB light exposure puts your bearded dragon at high risk for serious illnesses. Metabolic Bone Disease “MBD” is an example of a common illness found in bearded dragons that have had lack of proper exposure to UVB light. 

Lighting and UVB

As mentioned above, your bearded dragon will need two bulbs. 1- a heat bulb “basking spotting light” and 2- a UVB tube bulb. The heat bulb wattage can vary from 25W- 150W. Depending on the enclosure size and material of the enclosure you may only need a 25W heat bulb to reach the correct temperature for your bearded dragon while others may take up to a 150W heat bulb to reach that same temperature. A digital thermometer placed inside the enclosure will help you determine the ambient temperatures. When choosing a digital thermometer for the inside of your enclosure I recommend purchasing one that also reads humidity levels. Humidity levels inside your bearded dragon enclosure can vary from 35%- 50%. A heat gun will help you determine the surface temperature on the basking platform. To reach correct temperatures you will have to find which wattage heat bulb is best for your enclosure. Raising your bearded dragons basking platform can help raise the surface temperature on the basking platform (may be needed in taller enclosures). I have listed below an UVB tube bulb lighting chart below to help you determine which UVB tube bulb will work best for your enclosure. UVB tube bulbs need to be replaced approximately every 6 months to ensure your bearded dragon is receiving the correct exposure of UVB rays. However, 6 months is just an approximate time frame, some may not last that long and some may last longer. A reptile UVB lamp meter is a great hand held tool to use to determine the amount of UVB your light is giving off at any time. I use the Solarmeter Model 6.5R UV Index Meter to test my UVB tube bulbs. 

Feeder Bugs and Greens

Your bearded dragon will need both bugs and greens in their diet.

Feeder Bugs

I only offer live bugs to my bearded dragons. Feeder bugs that I use consist of: crickets, black soldier fly larvae, roaches, superworms, silkworms, and hornworms. Variety is always best. It is common for bearded dragons to get tired of the same feeder if given repeatedly over time. Baby bearded dragons will need to be fed small sized feeder bugs while adult dragons will be fed large sized feeder bugs. I also gutload all of my bugs with nutrients before feeding to my bearded dragons by feeding the bugs greens and veggies over night. Baby bearded dragons will receive feeder bugs daily(up to 2-3 times per day), while my adult bearded dragons only receive feeder bugs a few days per week. Serving size consists of approximately 8 feeder bugs of appropriate size per serving. It is very important to avoid over feeding your bearded dragons. Over feeding your bearded dragon will lead to many healthy related issues. Monitor your bearded dragons weight, increase and decrease feeder bug servings as needed.

Greens

I offer fresh chopped salads to all of my bearded dragons daily. I typically use this as their very first meal of the day. After turning their lights on in the morning I will give my bearded dragons approximately a hour to two hours to warm up and at that time will provide them with a fresh salad. Greens that I use consists of: collard greens, dandelion greens, swiss chard, turnip greens, mustard greens, bok choy, arugula, and kale. I feed mainly dark leafy greens to my bearded dragons, and I avoid all fruits. Bearded dragons receive most of their hydration through their food, sometimes I will mist their salads with water. Always rinse off greens prior to feeding. 

Supplements 

All of our feeder bugs are lightly dusted in calcium +d3 powder prior to feeding. I sprinkle salads with EarthPro-A, an all natural mineral and vitamins supplement by Arcadia. To dust your feeder bugs prior to feeding simply place them in a bag or container, add calcium powder, gently toss them around allowing the powder to stick to the feeder insects, and then serve to your bearded dragon. 

Baths

Although your bearded dragon consumes a majority of their water through their food, baths can provide your bearded dragon with an extra opportunity to hydrate and may help them during times of shedding. If your bearded dragon is dehydrated you will notice their skin appears wrinkly and their eyes and fat pads can appear sunken in. Bearded dragons that have accidentally ran through their poop need to be bathed at that time. I give adult bearded dragons baths typically once a week, while baby bearded dragons are given baths more frequently, typically 2-3 times per week. You can use your sink or bath or fill a container with warm fresh water up to your bearded dragons belly. Always supervise your bearded dragon during bath time. They are very likely to poop during this time, if this happens make sure to clean out their bath water and refill with warm fresh water. Dry off your bearded dragon before returning them to their enclosure. 

Disinfectant Spray

I use F10 Veterinary Disinfectant spray in all of my bearded dragons enclosures. When cleaning time occurs, I start by removing old substrate. Once old substrate is removed I will vacuum up any loose debris followed by spraying F10 throughout the enclosure. I let the disinfectant spray sit for a little while and then wipe down with paper towels. If stains still appear I will scrub stains until they disappear. While F10 is typically safe for animals after air drying, I still prefer to wipe down with water. I allow the enclosure to fully air out and dry before replacing new substrate. I repeat this process as often as the enclosure gets dirty. 

Bonding With Your New Pet

Once you bring your new pet bearded dragon home you should allow the bearded dragon to get familiar with their new home before introducing handling. You want to gain your new pets trust and the first step is to get them to become comfortable in their new home. Your new bearded dragon will start eating and become more active once they become my comfortable in their new home. Once you notice these behaviors then at that time you can begin bonding with your new pet. Hand feeding food is a good method to use to gain your bearded dragons trust. While hand feeding your bearded dragon you can make them climb up onto your other hand before giving them their treat. Try not to be anxious or make any quick movements, the more relaxed you are will allow your bearded dragon to trust you.  Bearded dragons feel more comfortable when being picked up from their side rather than being picked up from above. Being picked up from above may feel threatening to them. The more frequently you interact and hold your bearded dragon the more friendlier it will become. Bearded dragons rarely bite, although it can happen. They have more calm behaviors making them great pets for children and adults.