02/02/2021
Pagona vitticeps (central bearded dragon)
The central bearded dragon is probably the most commonly kept dragon currently in the hobby, if you don’t personally have one you probably know someone who does (we personally have 6 as pets)
Bearded dragons are a popular beginner reptile because of how easy they are to care for and a generally laid back personality, if you have the tank temps correct and adequate food and water you generally have a happy dragon.
Central bearded dragons are predominantly a solitary reptile, there are a few risks of housing multiple dragons together, these can vary from minor bite wounds to limb and tail loss or even death, you can get away with housing these dragons together when they are hatchies, however, they should be separated into their own enclosures as soon as possible.
We have successfully cohabited two dragons without an issue but more often than not this won’t be the case.
The first step in preparing to obtain a bearded dragon is to first obtain a native animal keepers licence, you will need a basic reptile R1 licence, all the details for this are in a previous post.
Once you have your licence we can start looking at tanks, to save yourself money in the long term a 4 foot tank is sufficient - 6 foot would be even better.
Glass v wood, glass tanks look great and enable you to see your new dragon but you will have issues with temps, wooden tanks hold temperature much easier but don’t always look as pretty. We personally use homemade wooden tanks.
Tank maintenance, your new dragons tank should be cleaned at minimum once a week ideally daily to collect any f***l matter. Cleaning your tank needs special cleaning products we use F10 as our preferred cleaning disinfectant, this is available from some pet stores or readily available online.
Lighting, your new dragon has specific needs when it comes to the lighting provided, you will need a good quality UVB light, it is up to you what sort of UV light you use as long as the globe has a rating of 12% UV or better, we run Arcadia T5 14% UVB tube lights with Arcadia reflective fittings, in our opinion these produce the best quality light, however do come with a bit of a price tag. If you chose to run quality T5 tubs you will need to replace the globe every twelve months approximately, if you chose to run the UVB CFL globes these need to be changed approximately every 4-8 months. As long as the globe has at least the minimum Uv requirements for the dragon either will be sufficient.
Heat, the strength of your heat light will depend on a few factors such as tank size, substrate and the material the tank is made of, your dragon doesn’t require any specific heat light as long as the hot end of the tank is maintained it will be fine, we use the Philips heat globes from Bunnings, at $7.70 for a pack of two it is far more efficient to use these over the heat globes sold at pet shops. Red heat globes should never be used, these can be detrimental to your dragons Heath.
Unless you live in the snow heating at night is typically not required.
Lighting times, the light cycle in your new tank should replicate that if the natural timing of the sun, in summer all of our lights come on at around 6am and go off at around 7pm in winter the lights come on at around 7am and go off at around 5pm, this creates similar light that the dragon would be subject to in the wild. A simple timer from Bunnings does the trick, alternatively you can purchase a timer amd thermostat from a pet store which will control the temperature and lighting cycle of your tank.
Temperature, the temperatures in your tank will play a vital role in the health of your dragon, a central bearded dragon is a desert species and requires temperatures similar to that in the desert, they need a hot end and a cool end, the hot end should be between 38 and 42 degrees, any lower than 38 and your dragon will struggle to digest food which can cause compaction, the cool end of the tank should be in the mid 20s which gives the dragon the ability to get out of the heat when needed.
Substrate- substrate for a bearded dragon is one of the major causes of disagreement between breeders/keepers, if you have done research on the internet you will find a lot of information about sand being bad for your new dragon.
sand DOES NOT cause impaction, sand will not be detrimental to your dragons health, central bearded dragons are a desert species of dragon and naturally live in arid sandy enviroments, a lot of the misinformation you will find is from American sources and is most of the time wrong.
Sand IS beneficial to your dragons health, sand assists in the digestion process and creates a more natural habitat for your dragon. There is different types of sand that can be used, commonly washed play sand from Bunnings or red desert sand from pet stores, in our experience the red desert sand is more pain than it’s worth as it stains the underside of the dragons when wet and is quite expensive when first setting the tank up, we keep all of our dragons on washed play sand from Bunnings, it’s cheap easy to clean and inexpensive, before putting washed play sand in your tank/s ensure the sand is dry.
Some people chose to use fake grass mats, we don’t recommend these as they are incredibly hard to clean and often harbour germs that can be harmful to your dragon. Bark mulch or reptile bedding can also be used but once again we don’t recommend these.
Decorating your tank, dragons don’t need a lot in the way of decorations, we use small sandstone blocks and branches collected from the bush, before using anything from the bush ensure they are thoroughly cleaned we will do another post about the correct way to do this, alternatively you can purchase these from a pet store but will be a costly option. When arranging blocks and branches in your tank ensure there is multiple places for your dragon to bask under both the uv and heat lamps at varying ranges from the lights.
Water bowls, waterbowls should be used according to the size of your dragon, obviously a small dragon doesn’t need a huge bowl. You will need to increase the size of the bowl as your dragon grows, you can use a seperate bowl for your dragons veggies of you like, we personally use small plates.
Handling, when you get your new dragon or any new reptile for that matter it is best to allow them to settle in first, for some reptiles this can be a matter of hours for others it could be a week or two, as a rule of thumb handling should be avoided for a minimum of a week from the time you get your new reptile, offer food as normal but don’t be surprised if they arnt interested in it the first few times. After your dragon has settled in handling should be done in moderation gradually increasing the time they are handled.
Feeding, feeding is an easy one, dragons will eat just about anything, some foods are good others should be avoided, below Is a list of the foods we feed.
Staple bugs-
Crickets
Woodies
Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL)
Occasional bugs-
Meal worms (rarely)
Super worms (once a week, like maccas for dragons)
Silk worms
Staple veggies- daily
Endive
Dandelion greens (rocket)
Basil
Yellow squash
Parsnip
Sweet potato
Occasional veggies- mixed with staples
Parsley
Carrot
Bock choy
Zucchini
Butternut pumpkin
Fruits - occasional - mixed with staple veggies
Blueberries
Strawberries (no seeds)
Mango
Papaya (flesh only)
Skinless apples
Rockmelon.
Staple foods should be fed daily, you can gauge how much your new dragon should be eating by offering as many bugs as the dragon can consume in an 8-10 minute window, veggies are easier again, we put a plate of veggies in the tank every morning and afternoon we leave the plate there for around an hour then remove the food.
Bearded dragons are omnivores and eat both bugs and veggies, as a hatchie or juvenile they will eat predominantly bugs roughly 80-20 as adults the swap and eat predominantly veggies again roughly 80-20. Dragons get most of their water intake from the veggies they consume, we have found our dragons will eat veggies more readily if they can see calcium powder over when we use liquid calcium. Feeding does not need to be done in a seperate tank or tub. When feeding ensure there is suffice to time between feeding and lights out for the dragon to digest the food.
Supplements, dragons in captivity need more care than those in the wild, we gut load all of our bugs before being fed and dust all veggies with calcium and superfood, supplement packs are readily available at most pet store, we use the Pisces supplement pack which last us around a month.
Bathing, your dragon is not like a human they don’t need daily or even weekly bathing, we generally only bathe our dragons when they have manage to get their own f***l matter on themselves or are shedding other wise we bathe them once a month, your dragon much like a new born should not be left unattended in a body of water.
Shedding, as a hatchie or even juvenile your dragon will shed quite frequently, this is evident by your dragon losing its colour and looking pale or turning white, don’t fret this won’t last long and once the dragon has gotten rid of the old skin they will look better than before, your dragon shedding is a good sign as it is evident of your dragons progress and shows you they are growing. Whilst shedding your dragon will probably go off food this is common, after they have shed they will go back to eating as normal.
Behaviour, bearded dragons are incredibly easy to look after once you create a routine, however, there are a few signs to look out for with your dragon, some are normal some can be cause for concern.
Often you will see your dragon sitting with their head in the air and mouth open, in this case they are thermoregulating, this is how they control their internal body temperature, if you find them doing this frequently it may pay to check the temperatures to ensure the tank isn’t too hot.
Dragons “waving” you will find your new dragon “waving” their arms frequently, this is completely natural, what the dragon is doing is stretching their skin, they are probably going into shed or the muscle/skin is feeling abit tight, can also be a sign of submission if dragons are kept together this would be an ideal time to seperate, “waving is also done by adult females when they are ready to mate.
Rubbing the their head on stick, before a dragon sheds their head plate they need to break the skin up abit, dragon arnt able to effectively reach their heads so they use rough surfaces to loosen up the skin before a shed.
Puffing up their beard, this is done for multiple reasons. dragons often puff out their beard after a feed to help push food down their throat, they also do this to help brake skin up when they are shedding.
it can also be a sign of dominance of houses together or by a male when he is ready to mate.
Head bobbing, head bobbing is a sign of dominance, if multiple dragons are housed together this is a sign that there will be a fight soon, it is also done by males as a sign they are ready to mate.
Black beards, this is probably the worst sign you can see, a dragon with a black beard is more than likely stressed about something, if your dragons beard stays black for more than a day or so you need to take them to the vet ASAP, common causes of stress are incorrect food, incorrect heat, incorrect uv, cohabitation, not enough places to hide (commonly in juveniles) and over handling, a black beard for a prolonged time can also be a sign of an underlying issue. If ever in doubt a trip to the vet is your best bet.
This guide is intended to be exactly that and should not be used in preference to professional advice, we hold no formal certification or qualification in reptiles.
All information compiled here is the product of trial and error, advice received from professionals or information found through personal research.
If at any point you are in doubt regarding the health of your dragon you should seek professional advice from a reptile specialist vet
