Bearded Dragon Care Sheet
Bearded dragons are diurnal (awake during daylight hours), omnivorous reptiles accustomed to high
temperatures in arid (dry) environments. They are native of the deserts and arid woodlands of Australia
and spend the majority of their day searching for food amongst bushes and trees or basking on rocks.
They live an average of 5-8 years in captivity with some living as long as 10 years. As with most reptiles,
the most common medical issues we treat is caused by inappropriate or inadequate diet and improper
husbandry.
Diet
The diet recommended for bearded dragons consists of an herbivorous part, similar to green iguanas,
with the addition of insects and pinkies. The following list of plants is appropriate when a mixture of 3 or
more types is used in each meal.
Plant Items
Beet Greens
Grape Leaves
Parsley
Dandelion
(Greens & Flowers)
Bok Choy
Kale
Spinach
Chard
Endive
Rose Petals
Hibiscus
(Flowers and Leaves)
Mulberry Leaves
Cilantro
Snow Peas
Collard Greens
Escarole
Mustard Greens
Turnip Greens
Animal Items*
Isopods (pill bugs)
Waxworms
Moths
Beetles
Grasshoppers
Grubs
Crickets & Mealworms may be fed, but require gut-loading 2
Pinky Mice
days prior to feeding.
*Never offer scorpions or lightning bugs.
A diet consisting of equal parts plant and animal items is nutritionally complete. Vitamin supplements are
unnecessary, and in fact are often harmful. When feeding live insects, only provide as many insects as
the animal can eat in a few hours. Young bearded dragons typically eat a larger percentage of insects
and the number decreases with age. Clean water should be available at all times.
Temperature and Lighting
Daytime ambient temperature (everywhere in the enclosure) should be maintained at 85-95 degrees F
(29 - 35 C). Night time ambient temperature should be maintained at 72 - 75 degrees F (29.5 - 35 C). An
Incandescent lamp for basking should also be provided. Light bulb wattage should be adequate to
provide a basking temperature around 100 degrees F (37 C). This temperature should be measured with
a thermometer placed directly at the basking site.
Bearded dragons require a good source of UVB light for at least 8 hours every day. Fluorescent lamps
with a stronger UVB output, such as the Repti-sun 8.0 (ZooMed) or ReptiGlo 8.0 (Exoterra) are
appropriate. A mercury vapor lamp, such as Power Sun by ZooMed or Mega Ray at www.reptileUV.com
provides both heat and UVB. The lamp should be within 18 inches of the animal's body, with no glass or
plastic between them.
Housing
Bearded dragons are best housed individually, as fighting with cage mates can occur between all
combinations of bearded dragons. If breeding is desired, males and females should be introduced
together only during spring or early summer.
Recommended cage substrates include desert topsoil, coarse gravel, and folded paper. The majority of
intestinal impactions occur due to sand (including Calci-Sand), crushed walnut shell, or other substrates
composed of small, equal-sized particles and therefore these are not recommended. Indoor-outdoor
carpeting is also not recommended due to the possibility of carpet threads constricting toes or being
ingested.
Gut-Loading
Gut-loading is the practice of feeding insects a diet high in calcium, protein, and other nutrients prior to
offering the insects to reptiles and amphibians. Domestic crickets and meal worms should be fed a
commercial, grain-based calcium enriched cricket diet such as those made by Flukers or ZooMed, or a
diet consisting of four parts chicken or turkey starter mash and one part calcium carbonate for two or
three days before offering the crickets to your pet. Also, offer the crickets water in a shallow dish or wet
sponge. Gut-loading beyond 2-3 days is not beneficial, and can actually decrease the life expectancy of
the insects.
© ORANGE GROVE ANIMAL HOSPITAL, SVG, PC 2014