Inland Bearded Dragon
(Pandinus imperator)
Habitat: Desert or Savannah    Diet: Omnivorous    Adult Size: 14-22 inches   
Lifespan: 4-10 years    Native To: Australia

Did You Know:

  • The Inland Bearded Dragon gets its name because the large conical scales that it puffs out when excited or threatened resemble a beard. Both sexes will display a beard, but the male's is darker.

  • Native to the desert regions of Australia, Bearded Dragons are not exported. The animals sold as pets in this country have been bred in captivity.

  • Inland Bearded Dragons often make a distinctive arm waving motion as a greeting and a way of communicating non-aggressive intentions.

 

Things You Should Know About Inland Bearded Dragons

The Basics:

Social and engaging, the Inland Bearded Dragon is relatively accepting of people. As a rule, it takes to being handled, and may even enjoy gentle petting. Its friendly nature, along with its curiosity and attractive appearance, have made it one of the most popular reptilian pets. A moderately sized thick-bodied lizard, the Bearded Dragon typically grows to 14-22 inches, roughly half of which is tail. Their thick body helps them retain heat. As hatchlings they're very small (under 4 inches) and fragile. They reach maturity within 24 months, and can live up to 10 years when cared for properly, though life spans of half that length are not uncommon. Diurnal animals, Bearded Dragons are most active during the day. By lizard standards, Bearded Dragons are very social animals. In nature, males become territorial and can engage in ritualized dominance struggles. For this reason, two males should not be kept in the same enclosure.

Enclosure:
They Need Space:

A hatchling can be housed in a 10-gallon enclosure.
However, after six months the Bearded Dragon will have to be moved to a larger tank. A single adult should be housed in an enclosure that's 60 gallons. If two or three
Bearded Dragons are housed together, the enclosure should be at least 100 gallons. This group should include no more than one male. Enclosures should provide ample vertical
space, since these lizards like to climb. It is essential to have an enclosure that's spacious enough to accommodate the Bearded Dragon's high activity level and to provide a
sufficient temperature gradient.

Substrate:
Climbing and Hiding Places Required:

Branches for climbing and basking on are essential furnishings for Bearded Dragons, since these lizards enjoy climbing. It's a good idea to place branches throughout the enclosure, positioning them in the basking area as well as in the warmer and cooler sections. Any climbing branch should be at least as wide as the lizard's body to offer adequate support. Reptile-safe artificial plants and branches are preferable, since the Bearded Dragon will eat live plants. If real plants are used, they must be non-toxic and care should be taken to remove all traces of fertilizers and other chemicals. A Bearded Dragon's enclosure should include hide boxes, or other safe places where the lizard can retreat.
Sand Works Best: Sanitized commercially available calcium based sand is the preferred substrate, but Bearded Dragons will also do well with paper as well as indoor/outdoor carpeting. (Paper and carpeting should be used if a lizard has a tendency to ingest
substrate with its food.) Large grained and silica based sands should be avoided since they can be ingested during feeding and become impacted in the digestive system. Kitty litter, corncob, potting soil, alfalfa pellets and wood shavings should never be used. Bearded dragons have a relatively high metabolic rate, so extra care must be taken to keep their substrate clean.

Temperature:
They Like It Hot:

Bearded dragons must be provided with a thermal gradient
that ranges from the upper 70s to upper 80s Fahrenheit during the day (outside the warmer basking area) to a low in the 70-75 degree range at night. The basing area should be 95-100 degrees. This will allow the animal to move around its enclosure to regulate body temperature. Heat can be provided by a combination of lamps. Temperatures should be monitored by three thermometers, one in the warmer zone, one in the cooler zone and one in the basking area.

Lighting:
UVB Lighting is Absolutely Essential:

Bearded dragons must be exposed to UVB lighting 10-12 hours a day. This exposure is critical in allowing the animal to synthesize vitamin D3 and absorb calcium. If a Bearded Dragon isn't exposed to an adequate level of UVB lighting, it will develop a metabolic bone disorder. There are a variety of fluorescent tubes available at PSP that emit UVB light. Iguana lights can be used with Bearded Dragons. Fluorescent tubes that produce UVB rays should be replaced every six months. Glass blocks out UVB light, so overhead light sources should be kept behind a wire mesh cover, not a glass or acrylic tank top. This light source should be within 12 inches of the animal.
Basking Light:
They Need A Basking Area		 A basking area, covering no more than 25- percent of the enclosure must be provided for the Bearded Dragon. Temperature in this area should be maintained at roughly 95-100 degrees F. (A thermometer should be kept in this area.) Heat can be providing by a specialized basking light or by a 30-75 watt bulb (depending on the size of the enclosure) in a ceramic base. In either case, the source of the basking heat must be screened off or positioned outside the enclosure to remove the risk of burning the Bearded Dragon's skin through contact. Care should be taken not to use a bulb that is too powerful to create a basking area, since this will elevate temperatures too high, and prove fatal for the animal. The basking area should also be lit by a UVB light source to ensure that the Bearded Dragon receives the necessary UVB
rays when basking.

Diet:
Variety Is Good:
Bearded Dragons are omnivorous so they must eat both meat and vegetables. About 50-percent of their diet should consist of plant matter and the remainder meat (insects). Plant matter should make up 20% of their diet as juveniles, increasing to at least 50% as adults. Dark leafy vegetables like collard and mustard greens, kale and red tip leaf lettuce are good for a Bearded Dragon, as are alfalfa pellets, clover, parsley, and broccoli, green beans, peas, squash, grated carrots and sweet potatoes. Spinach and iceberg lettuce should never be fed to these animals. Fruits such as figs, kiwi, apples and melons can also be fed, but should not be given too often. Gut-loaded crickets and mealworms dusted with a supplement should also be part of their diet. Wild caught insects should never be fed, since they can carry disease. All insects should be gut loaded (fed 24-hours before being offered to a Bearded Dragon).  Feed adults 2-3 times a week and juveniles twice a day. There are also commercially prepared diets for Bearded Dragons. It is necessary to provide calcium and vitamin supplements as part of the diet. Please read the supplement section below:
Supplements: Dust insects with calcium supplement and vitamin supplement. As a rule, a growing juvenile's food should be dusted more often than an adult's. Consult product labels, outside literature and a veterinarian for specific instructions on supplementing, since the optimal supplementing program may vary depending on the products used and other factors. Avoid over-supplementing.
Feeding Tips: Be careful not to feed insects that are too large for a Bearded Dragon. Juveniles should be fed pinhead crickets. A cricket fed to a Bearded Dragon should not be wider than the lizard's mouth. Another rule of thumb is that a cricket should be never being larger than the distance between the lizard's eyes, or the distance from its eyes to its nose. Make sure that worms fed to the lizard are freshly molted to reduce the amount of exoskeleton ingested. Plant matter fed to the lizard must be washed, then cut or shred to make it easier to ingest. Uneaten insects should be removed from the enclosure. Uneaten plant matter should be removed within two hours. Hatchlings under one month should be fed pinhead crickets 2-3 times a day plus occasional plant matter, juveniles should be fed larger insects twice a day plus vegetables, and adults should be given insects or other meat 2-3 times a week, plus vegetables daily.
NOTE: LIGHTNING BUGS MUST NEVER BE FED TO A BEARDED DRAGON, SINCE THEY ARE POISONOUS.
A NOTE ABOUT WATER: All water given to this pet for drinking, as well as water used for misting, soaking or bathing must be free of chlorine and heavy metals. We recommend that you use bottled drinking water or bottled natural spring water and never untreated tap water. If tap water is used, you should  treat it with a dechlorinating treatment or allow it to stand for  at least 24 hours before being introduced to the pet's enclosure to allow the chlorine to escape. Do not use distilled water, which can cause severe medical problems, since it lacks minerals that are essential to important body functions.

Water:

Clean fresh water must always be available to a Bearded Dragon. This lizard does best with a shallow water bowl. A daily misting or two seems to be appreciated especially by hatchlings and juveniles. However, care should be taken not to allow the enclosure to become damp.

How to Handle An Inland Bearded Dragon:
Wash your hands before lifting a lizard to remove the scent of any other animal. Then place your hands under the Bearded Dragon's belly and gently scoop it up towards you. Allow the Bearded Dragon to rest in your palm and curl your fingers over its back, but avoid putting too much pressure on the animal. (Bearded Dragons do not like being gripped too firmly.)
The fact that Bearded Dragons are so friendly makes them relatively accepting of being lifted. Although they're very mellow, Bearded Dragons will issue an open mouth warning when provoked or threatened, and will if necessary follow this up with a bite. A bobbing head is a sign of a Bearded Dragon asserting its dominance. As hatchlings and juveniles, Bearded Dragons are fragile and often skittish. So, care
should be taken when picking them up. At this point in their lives, handling should be kept to a minimum since it can harm their skin. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling a lizard.


Look Out For This:
Bearded dragons are susceptible to metabolic bone disorders. So, it is very important that they are always provided with adequate levels of Vitamin D3, calcium and ultra violet light
 

Recommended Inland Bearded Dragon Supplies:

  • A top-opening glass or custom enclosure that offers height and a secure lid

  • UVB emitting light

  • Heat lame for basking area

  • Three thermometers, so temperature can be monitored at both ends of the enclosure and in the basking area

  • Substrate

  • Shallow water dish

  • Cork bark or rocks for climbing and hiding

  • Silk plants and branches
 

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