Bearded Dragons are easily and quickly becoming one of the most popular lizards in the pet industry. These Australian gems are easy to handle often being called the "puppy dogs" of the lizard world. While the males sometimes tend to get sassy - they're size still makes them fairly easy to handle. This makes them easy for a household with children, as well. Many even seem to ask to come out for some "family time".

'''Moderate - Advanced.''' The only reason they are a moderate to advanced reptile is the specific care requirements needed to keep them healthy. They're not a cheap lizard to set up for. They require special lighting, temperatures and diet. The habitat is not something a child could easily afford, but with the backing of a responsible parent, this is a great first lizard as an introductory to the more care specific reptiles.  

 

They can be a little skittish if they are not handled much, but with regular handling they can be as tame as a well behaved dog. Generally, they love to be handled. However, during brumation they should be left to do so. Handling will disrupt this process causing undo stress on their system. Once out of brumation then regular handling can be resumed...and often welcomed by the beardie.

Bearded dragons will need at least a 40gal breeder type tank or larger. They can only be kept together if you have females and one male. Beards also love to climb so several branches and/or vines are needed. Having flat stones for rocky outcroppings and ledges is their favorite type of cage accessory. The only thing needed is added security by using wire to keep them secure. You could also drill holes in the rock (make sure you cool with water while drilling) and bolting them together. Make sure the rock is only secure enough so you can get the beardie out from under them again should they decide to hide, wedge, expand, and stick.

Beards should not have sand as a substrate, especially juveniles. Pet store sand, even if it says safe for beards, can cause impaction. Children's play sand is fine, cheap and safe for older animals suggesting you use a separate feed box for live prey. I have found that newspaper works the best for babies. It is safer to use reptile carpet, news paper or you can even tile the cage (thats great for keeping there nails short). The reason they say sand is not suitable from young dragon is because they tend to be sloppy eaters. Cedar oils are toxic to most reptiles.

Use a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer w/hygrometer for the best accuracy. You can get these for about $15 - $20 U.S. currency. Once you get the thermometer your goal is meeting the required temperature gradients in three different spots:

* Cool end/night time: 70 for babies under a year, 60 for adults.  

Without the correct temps, especially the high basking temps...all that good food going in will not get digested properly and organ functions will be trying to run on less than ideal capacity. Nutrients are lost and illness sets in.  Don’t use heat rocks as beards mainly absorb heat from above.

 

Humidity levels are acceptable at 40%-50%. This is fairly easy to do with a dish of water and daily mistings. A good humidity level is essential for good sheds.

Basking lights are very easy and inexpensive if you stay away from the pet stores for this one. They need a photoperiod with daylight and nighttime as they would in their natural home. Instead of using the expensive "reptile basking lights", go to your local retail store and get a regular incandescent light bulb, such as what you would use for a lamp.

 

Not all UVB lights are created equal. Some decay very quickly. You need no less than two 4' fluorescent UVB tubes. Short version - UVB helps the ig to process the calcium in their diet. Without the UVB...the calcium does not get absorbed and the result is Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) and renal failure. The brands to go with:

 

* Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0

 

Many of these can be purchased at http://www.reptiledirect.com for a more reasonable price than the pet stores. Once you provide these lights for your ig...set them in the 6" - 8" range (12" - 18" for the Mega Ray). Any farther and the UVB drops of so much that they don't do any good. A note on the compacts and spirals. These are no good for large lizards and reptiles. They do not cover nearly enough of the animal to benefit them. A UVB meter is an excellent way to keep on top of your bulbs.

 

Some EXCELLENT sources on UVB at the bottom.

Babies should be fed 70% insects no larger than the space between their eyes (crickets, supper worms as a regular and sometimes wax worms as treats once a month or so) and 30% veggies (no lettuce of any kind) and a little bit of fruits. Adults are the opposite.

Eggs boiled and mashed are also a great source of protein, especially for pregnant beardies.

 

Food should be dusted with calcium (without D3) and vitamins several times a week. If the beardie has a good and varied diet, then adding D3 to it could cause a serious vitamin overdose know as ''hypervitaminosis D3''. This can cause kidney damage, calcification of the soft tissue, and premature death. This website, [http://www.uvguide.co.uk/vitdpathway.htm UV Guide UK - Sunlight an Vitamin D], helps explain how the process works and why too much D3 can cause such issues.

The easiest way to sex beardies is simply to look at their privates. All modesty aside for these guys and gals. Usually over the age of 3 months you can get a good idea. Gently lift the tail so that the underside stretches up. If there are two bulges on either side of the tail with a concaved "v" in between then you have a male. If there is just a single "hump" right under the center of the vent then you have a girl.

So now that you have the basics of keeping the Inland bearded dragon - you can make a decision on keeping one of these amazing and friendly animals - or wait until you can be sure you can afford what they need. After the initial setup and costs are behind you, the upkeep and maintenance is relatively easy.