I have adopted a bearded dragon from a bad situation and dont know much about his kind! Any one Help?

Question

Iam alandlord 4 an apartment building.We had atenant that abandend her appartment.When there wasno answer either byphone or bydoor @ rent collecting day and 4 a few weeks prier,We entered the home with the police.We discovered that shehad abunch ofpets thathad been abondend.Amungthem abearded dragon.Iam areptile person soI toldthe cops thatI would foster theanimal until theowner returned.They saidall the pets mustbe fostered 4 30 days and ifthe ownerdoesn't return inthat time tofind homes 4 theanimals.So ayear later Istill have thedragon and havegrown fond ofhim.I prevously owned 4 geckos,3 different spieces.Ihad 1 pass away,1 myson has@ his fathershouse and Igave the 2 leopard gecko sisters toa close friend.Ihad all these 4 about 6 years.And beforethat Ihad a babyiguana.He lived 4 a year before a trageic exadent accured.My point is that the dragon is not at all like the other critters. What can I do for him to make him the most comfortable?Can I take him outside?Do they like to swim?

Answer 1

they like peas carrots, crickets, meal worm, and squash...they drink watrer trough their vent..(under the tail) they need a "bath" (warm water up to their elbow) about every other day or you can spary them with squirt bottle 3 times a day..they shoul have a black light at night between 65 and 80 degrees day time 75 to 110 degree but give him cool spot in tank.... birds are the dragon biggest fear so unless he is used to going outsde keep him indoors..you can e-mail me for more info [e-mail]

Answer 2

Common Name:Bearded Dragon

Latin name: Pogona vitticeps


Native to: Australia

Size: 6 - 24 inches

Life span: 5 - 15 years

General appearance: Medium sized lizard with a large triangular shaped bead, flattened body and a tail measuring half the length of the animal. Gray, brown or reddish brown color with small spiny scales covering the body with longer scales from the back of the head. When threatened a bearded dragon will puff out its throat resembling a spiky beard. There are many different designer phases of bearded dragons available that can produce different coloration

Housing requirements:

Enclosure: Hatchling bearded dragons can be kept in a 20-gallon aquarium for a few months. Adult bearded dragons will need a 50-gallon aquarium or larger sized cage if more than one bearded dragon is housed. Branches and rocks are needed for climbing and basking. A screen top is needed for ventilation. Do not house two adult male bearded dragons together. You can also use a screened enclosure or custom built enclosure.

Temperature: Day: 80° - 85° F.
Night: 68° - 75° F
Basking: 95° - 105° F.

A heat lamp should be positioned over one end of the tank to produce the basking spot. Use thermometers or temperature gun to measure temperature.

Heat/Light: Incandescent bulbs, ceramic emitter, or heat panels can be used for the basking spot. Full spectrum lighting should be provided using one of the fluorescent bulbs made for reptiles that produce both UVA and UVB wavelengths. A mercury vapor bulb which provides heat and light may also be used. Twelve hours of daylight can be provided through the use of timers.

Substrate: Caribbean play sand is cheap, fairly easy to clean and creates a desert looking environment. However, use caution with hatchlings as some people feel it may cause impaction. Newspaper, Astroturf, paper towels, alfalfa pellets, and vitamin sand can also be used.

Environment: Desert habitat

Diet: Bearded dragons are omnivores. They need both animal and plant material in their diet. Crickets, locusts, cockroaches, mealworms, waxworms, silkworms, butterworms, red worms, earthworms, superworms with an occasional pinky will all be relished by your bearded dragon. You should use caution NOT to feed fireflys as they are toxic to Bearded Dragons. Vegetables that you can offer included greens (turnip, kale, romaine, dandelion, endive, escarole, mustard, and collard), green beans, squash, peas, sweet potato, chicory, watercress, red bell pepper, and cilantro. Fruits can be offered about 1-2 time a week (too much can cause diarrhea) such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, mango, kiwi, and grapes. Commercially made food is also available for your bearded dragon. Fresh water should always be provided. Some bearded dragons like to be misted and lap up the water that way. Powdered vitamin/mineral supplement may be offered 1-2 times a week.

Maintenance: Fresh water should be offered daily. If using newsprint then clean as needed. Wood shavings should be spot cleaned as needed. Periodically, the enclosure should be disinfected. A 5% bleach solution makes an excellent disinfectant. Be sure to rinse the enclosure thoroughly after disinfecting. As always, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your bearded dragon or any cage accessories.

Answer 3

Bearded Dragons
BEARDED DRAGON - CARE SHEET


Pogona Vitticeps


Bearded dragons originate from Australia;
they are known to live in sub - tropical forests and also deserts. Bearded Dragons aren't either the smallest or the largest of the lizard family and are known to grow on average 16-24 inches from nose to tail.
Bearded dragons are among the tamest of all lizards, and their outgoing personalities, activity level, appetites and interesting social behaviours make them a very captivating lizard to observe. They have a very rapid growth rate, so the 4" hatchlings can grow to their adult size within a year.
Most bearded dragons adapt easily to handling and are calm enough to perch on their owner's shoulder, or be placed on a countertop, or enjoy the view from a windowsill.





Housing

The minimum size cage for up to 2 adult dragons should be 48" x 24" x 24". Several basking sites should be provided under the hot spot and the UV lighting. Bearded Dragons need to bask and they need high temperatures to help with the digestive process. Basking area should be about 100 degrees Fahrenheit with an ambient temperature of 75F and then dropping to about 65F at nighttime.

Bearded Dragons need to have UV running along the top of the tank. In the wild they bask in the sun to absorb the vitamins from their food. Obviously in a tank they won't receive much sun so a UV will act as the sun. Bearded Dragons need to tell the difference between night and day, to do this you need to have your UV bulb on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours. The UV must be within 12" of the bearded Dragon to enable the dragon to get the full benefit of the UV bulb. Your UV bulb will need to be changed once a year as it loses its efficiency. You will need a ceramic heating bulb and a pulse thermostat to control the temperature of the tank. You will also need a thermometer inside the tank so that you can check they are being kept at the right temperature. Some people use 2 thermometers, one at the cooler end and one at the hotter end to monitor the temperature range. If you use only one thermometer then place it in the middle of the tank towards the bottom.
A substrate is known as the material to line the bottom of the tank and these can range from newspaper, bark, and sand for reptiles.
Never use hot rocks, as they are widely known to cause belly burns.

Feeding

Bearded Dragons like fruit and vegetables as well as meat. They like a large variety of live insects, which include black and brown crickets, locusts, mealworms and wax worms. A good measure of the size of live insects to feed is that they must not be bigger than the size of the dragon's head. Do not feed mealworms to baby dragons as they contain chitilin which is hard to digest. Do not feed them insects from your garden, as you do not know if they have been sprayed with anything that can be harmful to your dragon. Fresh fruit and vegetables must be offered daily and remember that they like variety. They like to eat Chicory, Watercress, Broccoli, Courgettes, Carrot, Peas, Apple, Banana, Kiwi and grapes. Try to avoid spinach and kale as they are calcium binders and affect the dragon's bones. Another thing to avoid is iceberg lettuce, as this has no nutritional value to the dragon. Make sure to chop the food into small bite size pieces to avoid choking.

Bearded dragons grow very fast and this means that they require extra calcium for their bones to remain strong and to develop at the normal rates. Bearded Dragons also need extra Vitamin D3; this vitamin is needed just as much as calcium. This vitamin is needed for your Bearded Dragon's body to absorb the calcium.
All you need to do to maintain your Bearded Dragon is to dust your live food every other day with a vitamin and mineral supplement like Nutrobal. Water can be offered in a shallow dish but it is advisable to spray the cage once a day, as in the wild the dragons would drink the dew from the plants.

General Information

Natural sunlight is very beneficial and should be provided if possible. Bearded dragons should never be placed outside in a glass enclosure. The animal could easily overheat and die.

Bearded Dragons live for an average of 4-10 years depending on their quality of lives, if they have had good lighting and temperatures maintained as well as a good balanced diet then you could expect your dragon to live longer than a dragon that hasn't. But if you have a female that has been repeatedly bred then her life span can be expected to be quite short.

Beardies will keep you amused for a long time. Just observing and interacting with them is fascinating.There are 2 things that the Beardie does; one is to nod its head (which is a sign of dominance) and the other is the arm waving (this is a sign of submissive behaviour). When they sit with open mouths this is their way of cooling down their body temperature

It is not advisable to keep two males together as they will probably fight; more so if a female is present. If you would like to keep more than one Beardie then make sure that there is only one male in the cage.

Do not mix other reptiles with Bearded Dragons, as it is an accident/fatality waiting to happen.