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Tank
Set Up:
Your hatchling dragon will do best in a 20
gallon tank or tub. This is small enough
that he will be able to easily find his
food. Once your dragon is 12" long, he can
be moved to a 40 gallon tank or custom built
cage. Your cage must have a screen top to
prevent accidental escapes.
You must choose a substrate to line the
bottom of the cage. Suitable substrates
include paper towels, newspapers, reptile
carpet, ceramic tiles, or washed and sifted
play sand. If you choose to use play sand,
it is VERY important that you sift the sand
through a window screen to remove any small
pebbles. Failure to do so can result in
impaction and death of your bearded dragon.
*We don't recommend sand for people who are
new to caring for reptiles due to the
increased risk of impaction.
Your dragon will enjoy "cage furniture",
which can consist of driftwood, rocks,
reptile hammocks, plastic plants, caves,
etc. Be sure to sanitize anything brought in
from the outdoors in a 10% bleach solution,
and rinse and dry well before using in your
dragon's cage. Be sure than there are no
loose pieces on any of the plastic plants
that you may use, and take care when
stacking rocks to prevent your dragon from
being injured.
Your dragon will need a good, heavy food and
water bowl - one that cannot be tipped over
easily. Be sure that the water bowl is very
shallow for a hatchling, or place a rock in
the middle of the bowl for him to climb onto
should he fall in. Some baby dragons take
time to learn to drink from water dishes, so
it will be important to mist your baby
dragon or bathe him every other day until
you see him regularly drinking from his
dish.
Your dragon will need a basking lamp. You
can purchase a reflector clamp light in the
lighting and automotive section of most
stores for under $10, and fit it with a
regular household light bulb or a special
UVA reptile bulb. If you have a sturdy metal
screen top on your cage, the lamp can simply
be laid directly on top of the cage.
Otherwise, it must be clamped or hung above
the cage. The basking lamp should be over
one side of the cage, with a rock or stick
directly underneath. The basking spot should
heat up to 110*F - 115*F for a baby dragon,
or around 105*F for an adult. You may have
to experiment with different watt light
bulbs to reach the desired temperature. A
digital thermometer with a probe or a temp
gun are necessary tools for determining the
temperature in your dragon's cage. The other
side of your dragon's cage - the "cool" side
- should be between around 80*F.
Your dragon will need a light that provides
UVB. UVB allows your dragon to produce
vitamin D in his body, which helps in the
absorption of calcium. UVB lighting is very
important for a fast-growing baby dragon! I
use and recommend Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0
fluorescent bulbs. Make sure that you
install this light no more than 12" above
the floor of the cage, or it will not be
effective. Replace the bulb after 6-12
months of use.
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Bathing/ Grooming:
Your dragon should be bathed at least once
per week, and more often if you have not yet
observed him drinking from his water bowl.
The purpose of the bath is to encourage the
dragon to drink, and also to keep your
dragon clean and help him during shedding.
The bath should be warm (not hot), and
should last for 5-10 minutes. A soft
toothbrush can be used to clean off any
fecal matter or stuck sheds. Some dragons
will relish bath time, while others will
take a little time to get used to it. Never
leave your dragon unattended during bath
time!
Your dragon's nails should be trimmed if
they become too long. A human nail clipper
will work fine - just clip the curved tip of
the nail. Keep a little cornstarch handy to
stop bleeds if you cut too far. If you are
squeamish about trimming your dragon's
nails, then ask your vet to do it for you. |
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Diet:
Dragons of every age should be fed a daily
salad consisting of 80% greens (collards,
turnip, and mustard greens are a few good
ones), and 15% shredded squash (acorn,
yellow, crook-neck, summer, winter are all
good choices). The remaining 5% should be
made up of a vegetable(s) of your choice
(green beans, peas, green peppers, carrot,
etc.). Once or twice per week you can give
your dragon a fruit treat (grapes, raisins,
strawberries, etc.). For a complete list of
safe foods, please visit the website
www.beautifuldragons.com. Be sure
that all foods are chopped very small for
young dragons to prevent choking. Salad
should make up about 10% of a hatchling
dragon's diet. you should gradually decrease
the amount of bugs that your dragons is
eating, and slowly increase the amount of
salad that your dragon is eating after he is
6-8 months old. By the time your dragon is
18 months old (a full-grown adult), salad
should make up 85% of his diet.
There are many commercial bearded dragon
diets on the market today. These make great
supplements to your dragon's regular diet.
It is a good idea to train your dragon to
take a commercial diet. It would be very
handy to use in an emergency.
A tolerance for bugs is a must if you intend
to keep a bearded dragon as a pet. Crickets,
roaches, and silkworms all make great staple
bugs to feed to your dragon. You can also
supplement their diet with superworms,
mealworms, butterworms, earthworms raised to
be used as feeders (not from a bait shop),
hornworms, wax worms, phoenix worms, and
most everything else raised to feed
reptiles. Caution must be used when feeding
superworms and mealworms. Make sure they are
small, and only give a few at a time.
Freshly molted (white) is best. Because of
their high amounts of chitin (shell), they
can cause impaction if not used sparingly.
Feeder bugs MUST, MUST be no larger or
longer than the space between your dragon's
eyes. Yes, your dragon can eat larger prey -
they would try to eat a basketball if it had
legs! Feeding your dragon prey that is too
large will lead to impaction and possible
death. So please exercise caution when
feeding your pet! Feeder bugs should make up
about 90% of your hatchling dragon's diet,
and 15% of your adult dragon's diet. *Gravid
adult females need a much higher protein
intake. Give her as much as she cares to eat
during egg production.
Feeder bugs can be bought online and from
many pet shops. You can even buy a starter
colony and raise your own feeder bugs! This
is the best, most economical way to go. You
can use wild-caught crickets and locusts
ONLY if you have access to pesticide-free
fields. Keep in mind, your dragon may need
to be treated for parasites more often if
you are using wild-caught bugs. Avoid using
caterpillars, any brightly-colored insect,
or highly venomous spiders as a food source
for your dragon. Never feed your dragon
fireflies! These will cause death within
hours!
It is important to use supplements to round
out the diet of your bearded dragon. A good
calcium powder, such as RepCal, should be
used to dust your feeder bugs. Simply place
the powder in a cup or baggie, add some
bugs, and shake to coat the bugs in calcium.
A good vitamin supplement, such as
Herptivite, should be given as well. Calcium
and vitamins should be given as follows:
0-12 months calcium 7 days per week/vitamins
2 days per week
1-2 years calcium 5-6 days per week/vitamins
1 day per week
2+ years calcium 2-3 days per week/vitamins
1 day per week
gravid female calcium 5-6 days per
week/vitamins 2 days per week |
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Illness:
Even with the best intentions, sometimes
things can go wrong. It is a very good idea
to find a vet in your area that has
experience with reptiles. You can also call
us for advice. Here are some warning signs
of common problems, and their probable cause
and treatment:
• twitching and/or tremors: This usually
caused by a combination of insufficient UVB
light exposure and/or calcium supplements. A
vet can give your dragon an injection of
calcium to speed recovery. Calcium must be
religiously given at every feeding, and
exposure to direct sunlight for several
minutes every day is advised until the
twitching stops.
• Convulsions, paralysis, lethargy, failure
to poop: This is most likely caused from an
impaction in the digestive system. The
blockage can press on the spinal cord – this
is what causes the neurological symptoms. I
highly recommend that you contact a vet to
deal with this situation. A vet may
prescribe laxatives and/or enemas. In
extreme cases surgery may be needed. In mild
cases, warm baths, abdominal massage, and
gentle exercise may help to move the
blockage.
• Lethargy, sunken eyes, bloody poop, loss
of appetite: These can all be signs of
internal parasites. Your vet can give your
dragon medications to eliminate the worms or
whatever happens to be lurking within your
dragon. Use of a product such as ParaZap is
recommended to help prevent infestation. A
dragon can contract parasites from just
about any food source. Be sure to keep your
dragon well hydrated during this time. You
can give him Pedialyte with a medicine
dropper to help balance his electrolytes.
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Emergency
Preparedness:
It
is an excellent idea to keep an emergency
kit ready for your bearded dragon in case of
a hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster.
The kit should consist of:
1. a carrying cage (small pet taxis or even
sterilite tubs work well for adult dragons,
or a small plastic cage or shoe box size tub
works well for a baby dragon),
2. a dry commercial dragon food, such as
RepCal,
3. bottled water (for drinking and adding to
dry food),
4. 40-hour heat packs to keep your dragon
warm. These can be wrapped in a washcloth
and your dragon can lay directly on them.
Throw in an extra towel to wrap your dragon
in if it is cold.
5. a travel-size package of baby wipes for
cleaning up poop from the carrying cage. |
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JAMIE HOUGH |
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