The Bearded Dragon Manual. Philippe De Vosjoil
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can get snagged in the loops, and the dragon can do itself serious harm trying to get the entangled toe(s) free. Loss of toenails, or worse, can result.
Sandy soil: Mixes of sand and soil work well with bearded dragons in outdoor enclosures; in outdoor setups, natural soils make up the floors of most screen houses and greenhouses. As with sand-only substrates, spot cleaning is easy. Sandy soil must be replaced on a regular basis. A problem with soil is that it can make dragons’ colors appear browner and less colorful over time. Dust is also a problem.
Landscaping
Many new owners make the understandable error of not including climbing areas in their adult bearded dragons’ enclosures. This not only limits the space available for the dragons’ activity but also makes for dull displays.
Remember, in Australia, beardies are often seen on the tops of fenceposts and railings, and you can reproduce these perching sites in captivity for adult dragons. By adding large pieces of driftwood, cork bark, or imitation rocks, you’re providing your dragon with raised areas that make ideal basking sites; most hobbyists design their enclosures so that an elevated area is located under the basking light.
The down side of driftwood and cork is that feeder insects can wedge themselves into the natural cracks and lines or underneath, where the dragon cannot find them. They are also somewhat tedious to disinfect. We prefer low, flat rock-replica shelves and ledges, which are long enough for an adult dragon to stretch out on and are easy to clean.
Provide at least one raised site per enclosure, and maintain at least two-thirds of the floor surface as open space. Adult bearded dragons also enjoy shelters for sleeping at night or for brumation (shutting down) during the winter rest period. You can add suitable shelters when the time for brumation is approaching.
Plants
We have received many inquiries requesting suggestions for plants that are well suited for bearded dragon setups. Popular vivarium plants, such as pothos or Chinese evergreen, become quickly crushed, nipped, trashed, and dried out in a bearded dragon setup, and only a few plant species are tough enough to hold up to bearded dragon abuse indoors. Our top choices include ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata) and snake plants (Sansevieria spp.), particularly the tougher ones with thick or cylindrical leaves that are better adapted to arid conditions.
With indoor setups, it is better to place plants in pots buried in the substrate rather than planting them directly into the substrate. This makes watering possible without wetting the entire setup and helps reduce water loss to the surrounding substrate. It also allows easy removal and replacement of plants as needed.
In terms of design, larger plants are best placed toward the back of the vivarium and smaller ones at midlevel to provide a sense of balance. Generally, placing plants at the base of landscape structures such as rocks or wood will have an attractive natural effect. Remember, though, that plants in an enclosure may look appealing to you, but they limit the dragons’ floor space and must be placed carefully (or not included in the enclosure at all).
Once you introduce plants, monitor your dragons closely. Destructive activities such as climbing (which can break branches and topple the plants over) and attempting to eat plants (which damages or destroys the plants) tend to occur early on as the dragons explore the new items in their space. Your observations should provide you with guidelines for plant placement and selection.
An elaborate setup requires more work to maintain and can cause a dragon, especially a young dragon, stress.
Enclosure Maintenance
It is important to monitor your bearded dragon daily to evaluate its attitude, condition, and health and to make sure that the enclosure is meeting your dragon’s needs. Bearded dragons are active lizards that eat large amounts of food and consequently defecate correspondingly large amounts. In short, they tend to be messy. For this reason, regularly maintaining the enclosure is a must. With adult dragons, this means regularly scooping fecal material from the substrate or, better yet, using a substrate that can be frequently changed, such as print-free newspaper or paper towels, which should be changed every day.
In addition, if you keep water in the enclosure, you should replace it at least every day—more frequently if the dragons soil the water or the container. Wash and disinfect the water container regularly with a 1:10 bleach-to-water solution (using regular-strength bleach) to remove accumulating bacterial slime and traces of feces; rinse thoroughly after washing.
Remove dirty landscape features, such as rocks or driftwood, and disinfect them by soaking for a couple of hours in a container with a 1:10 solution of regular-strength bleach to water. Rinse them well to get rid of all traces of bleach before replacing them in the enclosure. This can rapidly become a chore, which is why we choose to keep our bearded dragon enclosures simple and easy to clean.
4: THE IMPORTANCE OF HEATING AND LIGHTING
Providing proper heating and lighting is essential to keeping caged bearded dragons healthy. The dragons’ activity and metabolic processes depend on proper light and heat gradients. Without them, your dragons will not survive.
Heating
Providing adequate heat is critical to the welfare of bearded dragons, and there should be a 20-degree gradient between the top of the basking rock and the cool side floor. The primary source of heat should be a clear (not red) incandescent bulb or spotlight in a reflector-type fixture (clamp light) capable of handling the wattage and heat output. A fixture with a ceramic base and no electrical switch in the base typically lasts longer for this kind of use. Look for a fixture with a switch on the cord or plug the fixture into a surge-protector unit and use that switch to turn it on and off. Clamp the fixture to the short side of the tank over the basking site.
For juveniles, 95–100 degrees F is a good place to start for the basking-site temperature, with the cool side floor at 75–80 degrees F. You may find that your dragons like to bask at different temperatures, and you can achieve flexibility by trying different bulbs of different wattages, such as 60 watts and 75 watts, too see which bulb results in the desired temperatures. Another option is to plug the fixture into a light dimmer, which will allow you to adjust the heat output.
To determine the correct temperature for your bearded dragon, watch its basking behavior. If the dragon is happy at a certain temperature, he will be brightly colored and standing erect on, not next to, the basking rock. If he stands near the basking site, it is likely too hot. In this case, adjust the heat to 5 degrees lower and see how your bearded dragon reacts.
Watch your dragon’s basking behavior to provide its preferred temperature.
Some adults like it hotter. If your beardie spends all day on the basking rock, it may be too cool for him. Try raising the temperature at the basking site to 105 degrees F and see what happens. If his color is brighter, he looks more alert in his stance, and he tends to move over the enclosure at various times of the day, you have it right.
Placing a heat-absorbing landscape material under the basking light can help heat up a basking site more effectively. The problem is that the site can overheat, too. Artificial rocks made from molded resin work very