Bearded Dragons are medium sized lizards from Australia. There are seven species of the genus Pagona. The most common species in the pet trade is Pagona vittaceps, the Inland Bearded Dragon. Its native environment varies from semi-desert to arid open woodlands.

Beardies are engaging, energetic and personable, which makes them a good choice as a pet. Their average adult length of 12 to 18 inches also lends itself to captivity. They do need a fairly large cage due to their activity level, but can be kept without having to dedicate an entire room to them, unlike some of the larger lizards. Beardies are adept climbers and enjoy branches and rocks to climb on. They are diurnal (awake during the day) and omnivorous (eat a variety of foods – plant and animal). Many of their scales are modified into spikes, giving them a prehistoric appearance. The name refers to the throat, which can darken to black, giving the impression of a beard. In the right environment, a dragon can live over 12 years.

The topic of substrate (what you have on the bottom of the enclosure) is widely debated. As a veterinarian, I make recommendations based on what is least likely to cause an injury or medical problem for the pet, and what is easiest to keep clean. A clean environment reduces health problems like parasites, and bacterial and fungal infections.

For baby beardies, I prefer reptile carpet or plain newspaper. As they get older, sand works well. Sterile play sand, available at home improvement stores, most closely replicates the sandy soil in which Bearded Dragons reside in nature. And it is cheap! Droppings can be scooped out daily, with total substrate changes every 2-3 months.

The drawback to sand is that reptiles will ingest some when they are catching prey. For this reason, I recommend having a separate smaller tank for feeding insects. This can be an inexpensive plastic storage box with a piece of indoor-outdoor carpet (for traction) on the bottom. There are other advantages to having a "feeding station". You can tell how much your pet eats at every meal, and if he doesn’t eat well, he can be removed and the prey items can easily be retrieved and counted. In the dragon’s enclosure, there are too many places for insects to hide. You may think that your pet is eating, but his prey may just be hiding. Leaving insects in with an anorexic reptile can cause injury to the pet, as the insects will chew on the pet.

Many pet stores advocate calcium based sand as being "digestible". GI impactions do occur from this substrate, so apparently, it isn’t really digestible! There is also a possibility of absorbing too much calcium, which can potentially be fatal. Substrates you should absolutely avoid include corncob, crushed walnut, kitty litter, wood shavings and alfalfa pellets.

As with all reptiles, Bearded Dragons require a temperature gradient so that they can adjust their body temperature as needed. During the day, the cool end should be kept at 75 -76 degrees, while the warm end should be 85-86, with a basking area of around 100. The nighttime temperature can drop to the low 70s on the cool side. The easiest way to provide these ranges is to set up the warm end with an under-tank heater that can be left on 24 hours a day. In the average home, you probably won’t need a heat source at all on the cool side.

Set up the basking area, directly above the under-tank heater, with a heat lamp on a timer. The bulb you use depends on how far the lamp is from the basking area. In most typical enclosures, a regular 60 to 100 watt incandescent bulb will do just fine. The light should be on a "12 hour on/12 hour off" cycle for proper nighttime cool down. This is most easily accomplished with a household timer. The pet should have "furniture" (a rock or limb, for instance) to climb on to get closer to the basking light. In addition, he will need a place to hide on the warm side and on the cool side.

Make sure that your dragon can’t get too close to any heating element. I recommend setting up the tank a few days prior to bringing your new pet home. This way, temperature & furniture adjustments can be made without undue stress on the reptile. Temperature readings should be taken in several areas of the enclosure to ensure adequate temperatures and safety. Home improvement and gardening stores carry "indoor-outdoor" thermometers that can measure two places at once and measure humidity as well – a great tool for reptile keepers! Never use "hot rocks" or other in-tank heating elements. These have caused serious burns and death in many reptiles.

Provide fresh drinking water in a shallow bowl placed near the cool end of the enclosure. In addition, daily light misting and a weekly soak in tepid shallow water will help to maintain hydration and encourage bowel movements.

A fluorescent UV bulb should be used over the entire tank. This should also be on a timer set for 12 on/12 off. Beardies have a high requirement for ultraviolet (UVB) light, and will suffer painful metabolic bone disease if that need is not met. Be sure to purchase a desert reptile bulb, such as Zoo Med Reptisun ™ or Iguana bulbs. UV bulbs need to be replaced every 6-12 months, even though they still produce visible light.

As mentioned, beardies are omnivorous and should be provided with a variety of foods. Young lizards require a larger percentage of insects in their diet, whereas adults should receive a greater percentage of vegetables. Before insects are fed to your pet, they need to be "gut loaded". This means that they need to be fed nutritious foods for a day or two before they can be a nutritious meal. There are commercial gut load foods available. I like using baby parrot hand feeding food (comes in a powder), plus fresh greens to gut load insects. Baby beardies should be fed very small "pinhead" crickets. If fed prey that is too large, fatal impactions can occur. Other insects can be fed, but crickets are readily available in pet stores, and therefore most commonly used. Mealworms should only be fed occasionally, if at all. Never feed your pet fireflies, as they are toxic! Just prior to being fed to the lizard, insects should be lightly dusted in calcium powder. As your pet grows, the "dusting" is reduced from being done every meal for babies, to 2-3 times weekly for adults.

Appropriate veggies for your beardie (and for the insects that they eat) include arugula, dandelion/mustard/turnip and collard greens, kale, watercress, clover shoots, coriander, carrot tops, alfalfa, and spring greens. Smaller amounts of the following can also be fed: broccoli, carrot, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, parsnips and cauliflower.

Beardies are fairly hardy if properly cared for, though young beardies can be quite fragile. I recommend against bringing home a very small beardie as your first reptilian pet, as hard as they may be to resist! Inexperienced keepers are better off with larger juveniles or adults. Look for an active lizard that is holding itself up (like a push-up) and alert to its surroundings, rather than laying flat with eyes closed most of the time. Even older beardies will usually tame down quickly with gentle, consistent handling.

Signs of illness include lack of appetite or inability to chase prey, lethargy, sleeping a lot, smaller or no bowel movements, and muscle twitches or seizures. It is best not to wait until your pet is sick before finding a veterinarian that is experienced with reptiles! As with any pet, it is recommended that your beardie have a new pet exam shortly after purchase. You should bring a fresh fecal sample with you for a parasite test. Parasites can kill young reptiles. Your veterinarian may discuss other common health hazards in beardies, such as Adenovirus, metabolic bone disease and "yellow fungus". This is also a good time to ask any questions you might have about health, housing or behavior.

If you do your homework and make a commitment to provide an appropriate environment, diet and health care, a Bearded Dragon can give you many years of companionship.