Bearded Dragon Overview

Scientific Name: Pogona vitticeps

Bearded dragons are medium-sized, terrestrial lizards native to the arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. They are active during the day and spend much of their time basking, exploring, and searching for food.

The are classified as dirunal, which means active during the day.

Bearded dragons are known for the expandable throat area that resembles a “beard,” which they may darken or puff out when displaying, communicating, or feeling threatened.

They are omnivores, eating a combination of live insects, leafy greens, vegetables, and occasional fruit. With proper care, nutrition, lighting, and temperature, bearded dragons can thrive in captivity and live up to 15-20 years!

Health

Keep a close eye on your bearded dragon for any changes in behavior, appetite, weight, activity, appearance, and droppings. Regular observation can help identify potential health concerns early.

Signs of a Healthy Bearded Dragon

• Clear, alert eyes

• Good appetite

• Healthy body weight and muscle tone

• A full, healthy-looking tail

• Normal movement and activity

• Regular, solid droppings with white urate

• Clean skin and complete sheds

• Bright and alert behavior

Signs to Watch For

Watch for:

• Sudden weight loss

• Loss of appetite

• Unusual lethargy or weakness

• Difficulty walking or moving

• Tremors or abnormal movements

• Swelling or unusual lumps

• Discharge from the eyes, nose, or mouth

• Difficulty shedding or retained shed

• Abnormally runny or unusual droppings

• Changes in behavior that are unusual for your individual dragon

If you notice persistent or concerning symptoms, contact a qualified reptile veterinarian for proper evaluation.

Regular weight checks are also a good way to monitor your bearded dragon's overall health and catch changes that may not be immediately noticeable.

PROBLEMATIC MORPHS

• Silk backs- Silkbacks lack normal scales entirely due to a homozygous recessive mutation, leaving them with thin, hyper-sensitive skin. This causes them to have issues shedding, high risk to heat/uvb and need constant help and supervision.

• Translucent morphs- You will notice these usually have more of a blue belly when young. The issue? Due to the constant inbreeding needed to obtain this morph they struggle with motor skills and have head wobbles.

• Red monster- These are also heavily inbred and are VERY prone to cancer, weekend immune system and early deaths.

Humidity

Humidity should not exceed 30%. with spikes occasionally being okay

Spray your enclosure in the morning to give it a morning dew feel. Sometimes, bearded dragons will drink droplets from the leaves.

Bearded dragons are hydrophobic!!

Lighting & Temperature

Lighting can get difficult, so bear with me. Most reptiles are on a 12/12 schedule, which means 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night.

What is UVB and why is a necessity for most species of reptiles?

UVB triggers a natural response within reptiles to synthesize D3, which also helps absorb calcium, having a good balance of D3 prevents against MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) which is incredibly painful and lethal.

The ideal UVI range for a bearded dragon is 4.0-6.0 , with the max being 6.0. A basking spot should be about 5.0 UVI. The most popular brands are Zoomed, reptile systems, exo terra, and arcadia. Before you buy UVB consider your enclsoures mesh top and how much uvb will be blocked, this can range between 15%-70%

Most commonly used

• arcadia 12%/14%

• Reptisun T5ho 10.0

Basking & Heating

Basking bulbs are great for providing IR-A to lizards, helping mimic the sun and providing great vitamins. Hooking a basking bulb to a thermostat is a great idea, but you don't want it constantly dim, any dimming can cause the provided nutrients to simply not exist.

Halogen OR incandescent bulbs are the primary heat source, start with a 75w and if the enclosures temperatures are not sufficient increase accordingly.

Anywhere from a 100–125 watt HALOGEN bulb is sufficient for providing a basking spot and ambient temperature, depending on distance and size of enclsoure.

WHERE TO PLACE 

Place the uvb and heat lamp is the same area overlapping to mimic the sun

Temperature

Temperatures should stay approximately:

• Cool side: 80°F

• Hot side: 90°F

• Basking spot: 100–110°F

Bearded dragons are belly lizards, which means they take heat through the stomach. Hanging a bulb from the top to heat a rock is great.

WHAT TO AVOID

Avoid:

• Any bulb that states it has added UVB or other unnecessary features

• Red light — red light is incredibly harmful to reptiles

• Reptile heat mats without a thermostat

• Heat rocks (electrical rocks from Petco)

These heating elements will burn your lizard, and these burns are horribly painful.

Bioactive Enclosures

If you are attempting a bioactive enclosure, you will also need UVB grow lights. You can find inexpensive options on Amazon.

Temperature guages

please avoid using dial temperature guages as they are unreliable, instead stick to using digital thermometers/hdryometers.

AVOID HEAT MATS AND HEAT ROCKS, THESE ARE DANGEROUS AND WILL BURN YOUR

Building Trust

When bringing your new beardie home, give it time to become comfortable with its new surroundings. Do not immediately try to grab or handle it. Start by simply placing your hand inside the enclosure for a few minutes at a time. 

Continue this process consistently over the course of 1–2 weeks, allowing your beardie to gradually become familiar with your presence and scent. Some geckos may become comfortable sooner, while others may need more time.

Beginning Handling

Once your bearded dragon

Once they seem comfortable with your hand being in the enclosure, you can begin gently attempting to pick it up OR for choice based handling let it choose to climb onto your hand

•  Move slowly and calmly.

•  Approach from the side or underneath rather than reaching quickly from above.

•  If your beardie runs away, do not chase it or attempt to grab it. Let it move away and try again another time.

•  Never pull or grab a bearded dragon by its tail.

• Allow the bearded dragon to walk onto your hand whenever possible.

• Keep initial handling sessions short and gradually increase the time until they become more comfortable.

• To pick up a dragon gently grab the underneath of their belly and provide support.

It is completely normal for a new beardie to be nervous, jumpy, or avoid your hand at first. The goal is to build trust rather than force interaction. 

During Handling

If your bearded dragon becomes extremely stressed (black beard, stress marks, biting), repeatedly tries to flee, or shows signs that it wants to be left alone, return it to its enclosure and try again later.

Every bearded dragon has its own personality. Some will become very comfortable with handling, while others may prefer shorter and less frequent interactions. Respecting their comfort level is an important part of responsible care. Some may never want to be held and you should prepare yourself for that.

BIOACTIVE ENCLOSURE SETUP

A bioactive enclosure is very similar to a standard non-bioactive enclosure. The main differences are the addition of a drainage layer, live plants, and a clean-up crew.

SUBSTRATE

The substrate setup is very similar to a non bioactive enclosure.

1. Drainage Layer

Add a 1–2 inch layer of clay balls to the bottom of the enclosure.

2. Mesh Barrier

Add a piece of mesh over the clay balls. This will separate the soil from the drainage layer and prevent the two from mixing.

3. Soil

Add a ReptiSoil and sand mix of either 50/50 or 70/30, adding patches of sheet moss or spagnum moss is also great for humidity holding and a place for the clean up crew to sit

PLANTS

We recommend purchasing plants from your local nursery. Local nurseries can often provide a larger selection of plants for less money.

Before adding nursery plants to your enclosure, they should be properly sanitized.

Important: Moving plants from one environment to another can cause plant shock. Plants may lose leaves, wilt, or even die after being moved into an enclosure. This is normal and should not discourage you. Give the plants time to adjust to their new environment.

Preparing Plants for the Enclosure

1. Remove Excess Soil

When you get home, shake the excess soil from the potted plant into the yard. Once you have removed as much of the original soil as possible, set the plants aside and prepare a bucket or container.

2. Prepare the Solution

Fill a 5-gallon bucket or container with water. Add a small amount of bleach to create a very diluted solution.

3. Soak the Plants

Place the plants into the solution and allow them to sit for 15–30 minutes.

Once the time is complete, thoroughly rinse the plants with cold water.

4. Plant the Plants

You can either:

• Plant them directly into the enclosure soil, or

• Place them into pots and cover the pots with enclosure soil.

5. Provide Proper Lighting

Make sure you have appropriate grow lights ready before adding live plants. Plants require adequate light to receive the nutrients they need to grow and remain healthy.

CLEAN-UP CREW

A clean-up crew is a group of beneficial organisms that helps break down mold, waste, and decaying organic matter within the enclosure.

1. Choose Your Clean-Up Crew

Find a reputable breeder and purchase:

• Dairy Cow Isopods or Powdered Isopods

• Springtails

Both are beneficial because they perform different jobs within the enclosure.

Springtails help manage things that may not be easily visible, including mold and decaying plant matter.

Isopods help break down decaying organic matter and waste.

2. Add Leaf Litter

Add leaf litter around the plants and throughout the enclosure. This provides the clean-up crew with food and places to hide.

You can also add pieces of moss to provide additional hiding areas and help create areas of higher humidity. I personally use sheet moss.

3. Add the Clean-Up Crew

Once the enclosure is prepared, add the springtails and isopods.

They do not need to be fed immediately. They can begin by feeding on the leaf litter and establishing themselves within the enclosure.

THAT'S IT

A bioactive enclosure is not significantly different from a standard enclosure.

Lighting and temperatures remain the same.

The primary differences are:

• Adding a drainage layer

• Adding live plants

• Adding a clean-up crew

• Properly sanitizing plants before introducing them

Remember: Some plants may lose leaves, wilt, or die after being moved into the enclosure due to plant shock. This is normal. Give your plants time to adjust, provide them with proper lighting, and do not give up on them.