The Bearded Dragon Manual. Philippe De Vosjoil
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or feeding schedule; and insufficient exposure to an ultraviolet-B (UVB) light source. Prevention is simple: follow the instructions in this book.
Two other diseases common in bearded dragons of all ages are caused by parasites. One is heavy pinworm infestation, which remains a significant cause of these lizards’ failure to gain or maintain weight. Another, more problematic, disease is coccidiosis, caused by a type of protozoan parasite. Both diseases require diagnosis and treatment by a qualified veterinarian (see Chapter 10).
Older pet dragons may suffer from gout, liver disease, kidney failure, or even cancer. The current knowledge about these disorders suggests that ensuring proper hydration, correct thermal gradients, and an appropriate balanced diet are the best potential preventive measures.
2: SELECTING YOUR DRAGON
Probably nothing is more important for successful bearded-dragon keeping than the initial selection of your animal. You must pay attention and choose, to the best of your abilities, an apparently healthy animal to start with, or you must work with a reputable online breeder who will use his or her experience to choose wisely for you. You should also evaluate what you expect from owning a bearded dragon: is the lizard meant to be a pet that should interact with you, a display animal noted for its beauty, a dragon that will be bred, or some combination of these purposes? Will this dragon interact with children? Other family pets? A caring and qualified breeder can help by selecting the right dragon for your situation.
Gender and Number of Dragons
Both sexes of bearded dragon make good pets, but males grow larger and are considered by some to exhibit more character, personality, and responsiveness. Of the color morphs, males tend to be brighter in color than females. Some females are more particular about what they want—“You are feeding me that again today?”—and may run a risk of egg binding. Of course, most people become completely hooked on these lizards, with their winning personalities and with so many colors to choose from, and rapidly wind up with a collection! After all, if you are going to get one bearded dragon, it doesn’t take much more work (and can be much more entertaining) to keep two or three.
On that note, how many bearded dragons should you get? If you a want a single pet, an individual bearded dragon will fare well enough, though males may display signs of social deprivation by bobbing their heads at you. This mainly occurs during sexual maturity, and many males calm down as they grow up and become regular coach potatoes. Females can be sweet and charming in their own right.
Females can be picky about both food and mates.
Because bearded dragons are social creatures, an adult male and female pair, matched so they are close in age and size, is an ideal combination. If you wish to breed, start with juveniles and raise them separately until they are ready to breed; this way, you will have a close bond with both dragons.
Some breeders maintain larger groups, using a ratio of one male to two females. However, in indoor enclosures, it has been our experience that a 1:1 ratio is preferable because it seems to reduce the stress of the breeding animals. In the 1:2 ratio, one female always seems to eat less and is in a more subordinate position. How this stress affects the dragon in terms of health remains to be seen. It should also be noted that females can be picky about their chosen mates. In fact, we usually allow each female a choice of two genetically compatible males so that, should she refuse one male, she will usually accept male #2.
Some females can be quite possessive of their mates. One year, we removed a paired female named Storm to a different room to attempt to breed the male, Ra, to a different female. Though female #2 showed obvious signs of breeding behavior, the male wanted nothing to do with her. He froze. Once we brought the original female, Storm, back, she ran all over the enclosure, “tasting” for the other female, and then proceeded to lie on top of the male. There was no mistaking her point!
In large walk-in enclosures, you can keep up to two males and four females together. Although adult males will get into territorial and competitive engagements during the breeding season, they are usually not aggressive enough to cause serious harm to each other. Close observation is nonetheless always necessary to evaluate the compatibility of dragons kept in a group and prevent potentially dangerous situations.
This dragon’s belly shows the dark markings associated with stress.
Baby bearded dragons raised in groups are very competitive and will form hierarchies early on in which the tougher and usually larger animals will intimidate smaller ones and eat most of the food. This causes the dominant dragons to grow faster, making them even more intimidating and dominating. It’s a vicious circle. If small specimens are not separated from larger specimens, the small ones will often hide, fare poorly, or eventually become food for their bigger brothers and sisters. It’s imperative that you closely observe the dragons to evaluate their individual growth, health, and welfare. As soon as you observe a dominance situation, you should move the submissive babies in with other submissive babies so that they will thrive. You’ll then observe the dominance display all over again. Often, babies kept in groups indoors need to be moved every day or sometimes even several times a day so that all of them get the chance to eat and grow.
At Fire and Ice Dragons, we separate all of the babies after the first week and place each baby in its own bin. This way, the babies experience no potential physical or psychological risks. Because we raise each baby in a stress-free environment, they grow normally and thrive, and we have no problems resulting from cannibalism (e.g., missing toes, missing tails, or even unnecessary death). That said, this type of setup may be too costly for those breeders raising as many babies as they can.
An ideal setup, if you have the space and ability, is to provide each baby with an individual space.
Personality and Intelligence
Bearded dragons are like any other pet, such as dogs, cats, horses, and birds, in that they vary in personality. Some are more personable and responsive than others. Some show more signs of intelligence. Some are even spunky and full of attitude from the time they are very young, readily displaying an open mouth in readiness to bite, even right out of the egg! There are very few occurrences of mean adults; the vast majority of bearded dragons are calm and friendly. Bearded dragons can become very attached to their owners, and most will rapidly become a central part of the family, much as a dog or a cat would. They have intriguing qualities and behavior that endears them to most new owners right off the bat. For example, we use a dribbler to offer water at the end of each day, and many of our dragons will lick their lips at us when they are thirsty. Additionally, for people with fur allergies, a bearded dragon is a perfect alternative.
The intelligence level of bearded dragons has been compared to that of dogs, and we believe this to be true in many cases. Our adults know and become excited by certain words and phrases, such as “pool day!” Many will scratch at the doors of the enclosures to be first. By adulthood, most bearded dragons know their names.
Adding a bearded dragon to the family means committing to its proper care.
But the most incredible sign of intelligence we have seen in our fifteen years of breeding was displayed by a very closely bonded pair. The female would accept only one male, year after year. One day, the male was near the glass door, licking his lips. I went over to offer him water from the misting bottle. He refused, but he turned his head to his mate behind him, who immediately drank. At first, I thought nothing of it until an intern we had here said, “Do you realize what just happened? He called you over to satisfy the needs of his mate.” We were stunned. Was it a coincidence? Perhaps.