Caresheet

*You will find many caresheets through out the internet that seem to contradict themselves. Some will suggest things that you may not agree with, however, that does not mean that it is wrong. Many people have different views and outlooks on things, and through trial and error, I hope you will draw up your own conclusions on the various information provided.*

All of our dragons are housed in 4’x2’x2’ melamine cages with reptisun 10.0 fluorescent bulbs or megaray bulbs. A temperature gradient is a must, with the basking spot topping out at 110 degrees and the cool side a steady 80-84 degrees. Our lights are kept on a schedule, 14 hours on and 10 hours off(lighting times change when our dragons are brumating). Our substrate of choice is newspaper, paper towels and slate tile. We tend to switch it up every couple of months. Our bearded dragons are held daily and fed 2-3 times a day , a variety of bugs and veggies.

HOUSING:
Bearded dragons tend to grow fast if housed in the appropriate sized cage with the appropriate temps, UVB and fed a healthy diet. A hatchling or baby bearded dragon can be housed in a 20g tank, but will soon grow out of it. The minimum sized tank an adult bearded dragon should be housed in is a 40g Breeder tank. I would suggest building your own crossfire type enclosure that measures 4’x’2’x2’ when your dragon reaches a few months old. This size tank can be used for the length of your bearded dragons’ life and will never grow out of it.

  • - If using an aquarium type cage to house your bearded dragon, I suggest using a screen top. If you have cats, this is a MUST.
  • - Do not use glass, plexiglass or wood to cover your cages. This will not allow enough air circulation and will also trap humidity in the cage. Screen tops allow air flow, allow your lighting and heat sources to work correctly and also allow humidity to escape.


    • Substrate is probably one of the biggest discussions in the bearded dragon community. Lots of talk surround the topic of using SAND. Some people use sand and others do not. Some say sand will cause an impaction in your dragons and ultimately cause death. There are people that have used sand forever and never had an issue with it, while others have had bad experiences. Again, I encourage you to take in all information and make your own decisions based on what you know. But if you do decide to use sand, Sifted Childrens Play Sand is what you want to use. Our substrate of choice is newspaper, paper towels and slate tile. They are all pretty cheap and easy to clean up and replace. You can also use repti-carpet, which is also safe to use.

    HEATING and LIGHTING:
    Bearded dragons require full spectrum lighting 12-14 hours a day. It is best to get them on a schedule from the time they are babies. Some people use a 12-12 lighting schedule (12 hours on 12 hours off) while others will choose 14-10 lighting schedule (14 hours on 12 hours off). Bearded dragons are used to a very bright warm environment. So it is best to keep your enclosure as bright as possible. It is also smart to put your lights on a timer so that your lighting schedule will be exact every day. All you will have to do is set it one time and they will come on and go off the same time every day.

    A UVB light is probably the most important aspect of a bearded dragon's enclosure. Here we will talk a little about exactly why a UVB Light is essential and why if you do not have one your bearded dragon may get sick. UVB lights come in all different sizes, watts, and brands. Some brands are better than others, same goes for the wattage of a bulb and the size.

  • - Fluorescent bulbs (the long tube bulbs)
  • - Incandescent bulbs (look like household light bulbs)
  • - Mercury Vapor Bulb (looks almost like a spot light that goes on your garage, but is the best type of UVB source)


    • Based on my experience and talking to other people that have tried these type of bulbs, the general consensus is to use either a Fluorescent bulb or a MVB. Once again there are certain brands that you want to get when it comes to these types of bulbs.

    For fluorescent bulbs the best is either Reptisun 10.0 or Reptisun 5.0, not to be confused with ReptiGlo. If using a fluorescent bulb it should stretch the length of the enclosure or as much as possible. If you cannot for some reason get one that stretches the length of your enclosure, make sure that it is over his basking spot so that when he basks he can soak in some UV rays.

  • - If using a fluorescent bulb for UVB source, make sure your bearded dragon can get within 6-8 inches of the bulb for optimal UV output.


  • - You can find Reptisun 10.0 bulbs all over the internet for a decent price. I must warn you though, if buying at a petstore you will most likely pay double the price.


    • For Mercury Vapor Bulbs there are a few good brands, but I personally would recommend buying a MegaRay. They can be found on www.ReptileUV.com these lights are the closest to the amount of UV output as the sun on the market. Of course there are other brands such as PowerSun, SunGlo, and my second favorite T-Rex Active UV heat.

  • - These bulbs will cost more than other UVB most of the time, but when using a Mercury Vapor Bulb they will only need to be changed once a year as opposed to every 6 months with a fluorescent bulb.
  • - Mercury vapor Bulbs should only be used in specific enclosures, most people will tell you not to use one on anything smaller than a 40g Breeder tank.
  • - There are two types of MVB, a Self ballasted and External Ballasted. Self ballasted Bulbs put off heat as well as UV which makes this bulb great because it can be used as your UVB and Basking Light. External Ballasted bulbs do not put off nearly as much heat and will last longer from what I understand. (I would suggest going to www.reptileuv.com and reading about the differences between the two bulbs, I myself have only ever bought the Self ballasted bulbs)


    • Heating a bearded dragons enclosure is just as important as the bulb you may choose to use. Bearded dragons are used to being in the heat, so finding the correct bulbs and having the correct temperatures are a must. Baby dragons like temperatures a little higher than juvi/adult bearded dragons. Baby dragons basking spot can be as high as 115F while juvi/adult dragons can be between 95-110. Again, lots of dragons like different things, its all about trial and error.

  • - Digital thermometers with probes will help you with fluctuating temperatures. Do not use the thermometers that stick to the side of the glass or anything like that. Digital thermometers with a probe measure SURFACE temps, which is what your looking for.
  • - Buying a temp gun is the most accurate way of finding surface temperatures.
  • - Temperatures can really make a difference between a happy dragon and a lethargic, lazy dragon. If temps are too low or too high, you will know it.
  • - Whatever you do, do NOT use a heating rock as it can burn the underside of your bearded dragon.


    • Bearded dragons do not require lights to be on 24 hours a day. Going back to how important it is to get your dragons on a lighting schedule. Us humans do not like lights on when we sleep, so why would you think your bearded dragon would?

  • - If the temperature in your house does not drop below 65F then you are fine turning the lights off. If your house temps DROP BELOW 65F, I would recommend a ceramic heat emitter to produce just enough heat but does not put off any bright lights.


    • FEEDING:

    Bearded dragons require a variety of feeders and veggies. You will find that younger dragons eat more insects than greens, but will be the opposite as an adult. Baby and juvi’s diet should consist of 80% insects and 20% greens, while adult dragons diet should consist of 80% greens and 20% insects.

    Hatchlings/Babies: Fed 2-3 times daily and kept hydrated is key to a healthy baby. When feeding hatchlings you will want to keep an eye on them so they do not mistake one of their siblings toes or tails for feed and nip it off.

  • - Crickets should be the size of the space between the babies eyes. Anything bigger might cause injury to the baby.
  • - If too big of feeder insect is fed you introduce the opportunity for your dragon to become impacted. This is a very big emergency which could cause paralysis of your dragons back legs or even cause death.


    • Sub-Adults/Adults: Should be fed 2-3 times daily, a variety of insects and greens. Again the rule of feeding them insects no larger than the space between their eyes applies here as well. As they grow older and get bigger their food options will differ. When they about 4 months old or about 12' in length I will introduce superworms to my bearded dragon as a once in a while treat. However, I cut their heads off before feeding because the head of a superworm is very hard.

    I also use Rep-Cal-calcium with vitamin D and also a multi vitamin supplement. For newly hatched dragons to sub-adults, I will dust, one meal a day with the calcium with Vitamin D. The multi vitamin is dusted on one meal every other day. When dragons become adults, we dust with calcium 3 times a week and also dust with the multi vitamin once a week.

    Bearded dragons will grow quite fast if taken care of correctly. They are full grown most of the time by the age of 18 months to 2 years old. So keeping close eye on what they eat can really prove difference in a healthy happy dragon and a mean sick dragon.

    There are plenty more things to feed your bearded dragon and I encourage you to take a look at www.BeautifulDragons.com for a complete list of which greens to feed and which ones not to. Also please remember to take out all uneaten insects. The crickets or worms that your bearded dragon does not eat can stress them out or even harm them.