The Inland Bearded Dragon

The most popular choice for many beginning reptile owners is the Inland Bearded Dragon from Australia because of the ease in which these reptiles adapt themselves to different environments and habitat conditions.

Also the Bearded Dragon is easy to tame and can even be handled by children, and unlike other domesticated reptiles the Bearded Dragon will not grow into an enormous, gigantic lizard even when they reach adulthood.

Before you buy a Bearded Dragon you will have to understand how they function in the wild, their behaviors and their special needs when kept in captivity.
The first thing most people ask me about when they are thinking about buying a reptile is “why do they need special heating and lighting?” It’s because unlike mammals that can regulate their body temperature, reptiles can’t.

When the environment becomes cold, they become cold. When the environment becomes hot their metabolism increases along with their body temperature, enabling them to digest their food. In captivity the Bearded Dragon doesn’t get the direct heat and light of the sun.

Bearded Dragons in captivity usually live in a habitat that doesn’t get enough direct sunlight and to solve this problem we have to introduce a separate heating and lighting system so we can keep their environment at optimum levels for this species.  The lighting system we will install provides the UVB or ultraviolet radiation for the reptile while the heating system will provide a constant temperature in the habitat.

If you can give your Bearded Dragon a consistent dose of vitamin D in his daily meals you won’t need a UVB light. If you can’t, the UVB lighting will have to be installed.

The UVB lighting alone will not produce enough heat to the entire habitat. You will have to install a ceramic heating element to ensure the whole habitat is heated and not just the basking spot.

Another concern for the new reptile keeper is food.
Bearded Dragons are omnivores; they require nutrients from both plant and animal sources. They like to eat vegetables, fruits, worms, crickets, and locusts. You should feed your Bearded Dragon a variety of foods at each meal. This sounds like a tall order, but in the wild these little creatures forage for hours to collect edible plant and animal matter from dozens of species.

In order to have a long and healthy life in captivity your Bearded Dragon will need to have a balanced diet and you will also have to give them supplements to avoid common ailments that manifest in the Bearded Dragon in captivity.

For example: Did you know that if a Bearded Dragon doesn’t get enough time outside that they are at a higher risk of Metabolic Bone Disease? To reduce this risk vitamin D supplements are given to them to ensure that they will not have a calcium deficiency, and run the risk of its bones being cannibalized by their own bodies.