Bearded Dragon General Information Bearded Dragon Diet It is NOT recommended to house more than one Bearded Dragon in any enclosure once they reach puberty beginning at 4 months of age. No matter the size of the enclosure and no matter the gender mix, no matter how well they seem to be getting along. | Required Supplies: |
| Very Highly Recommended Supplies:
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| Enclosure - New Home (55gal or 2'x2'x3') | Food (appropriate veggies & insects) | *Timer-Controlled Power Strip (example: ESU Power Center, digital also available)
| Insect Gutload | | Hood/Dome Lamp Fixtures | Dish for veggie salad | *Electronic Thermostat (example: Alife 1000w Temperature Controller, or Helix Thermostats)
| Water Spray Bottle
| UVA/UVB light source (ReptiSun 10.0 or Mercury Vapor Bulbs depending on enclosure size) | Calcium Supplement w/ D3 (no phosphorus) | Substrate - Bedding (Organic Millet or contact paper/shelf liner is recommended to reduce impaction risks)
| ReptiSafe Water Conditioner | Heat lamp/basking bulb (wattage depends on size of enclosure)
| Thermometer - Digital (Stick-on and analog are not reliable) | Vitamin/Mineral Supplements (T-Rex makes some good ones)
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Housing Requirements:
As the Bearded Dragon grows, their enclosure size also needs to increase. A baby bearded dragon can be housed in a 10-20 gallon enclosure for only a couple of months. Juvenile and Adult Bearded Dragons should be provided with no less than 2x2x3 ft (50-60 gallon) for one dragon. It is NOT recommended to house more than one Bearded Dragon in any enclosure once they reach puberty beginning at 4 months of age. No matter the size of the enclosure and no matter the gender mix, no matter how well they seem to be getting along. Temperature and UVA/UVB Requirements Bearded Dragon's native habitat is Australian desert scrub lands where temperatures are very hot in the daytime and cool in the night hours. Therefore, Bearded Dragon's bodies require high heat and lots of UVA/UVB to properly metabolize and for digestive purposes. NOTE: If reptiles are not provided with appropriate heat and UVA/UVB, then they WILL suffer from Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), which is a soft bone disease, much like osteoporosis in humans, as well as various digestive disorders, they will not live a healthy life and it is likely that they will not survive for long in captivity. - Basking area temperatures MUST be 105-110*F, and ambient temperatures must be 80-85*F.
Heat is provided by using basking lamps. A temperature gradient within the enclosure must be created. (Please visit the Dragon FAQ's Section for more information regarding this topic.)
Too much or too little heat can cause health issues like: dehydration, lethargy, decreased food intake, impactions, stress, respiratory infections, potential death, etc.
NOTE: Too low of temperatures is one of the largest causes of health issues in captive Bearded Dragons. If your dragon is lethargic, lazy, barely moves around the enclosure, doesn't eat properly, doesn't poop every 1-2 days, it is very likely that your temperatures are too low and the Dragons body systems are having a hard time coping with it. Get a digital temperature gun and monitor your temps! Kricket's Kritters recommends going to Radio Shack or your local hardware/department store, or visiting www.tempgun.com for digital thermometers and temperature guns. Put your heat sources on a reliable thermostat/temperature controller and let technology do the work for you. Kricket's Kritters recommends going to radio shack or your local hardware/department store, or buying the Alife 1000w temperature controller (it can control 3 devices per enclosure). (Please visit the Dragon FAQ's Section for more information regarding this topic.)
- Simulated sun rays (UVA/UVB) are required by most animals and plants, and each of the three types of UV light are used for different purposes by reptiles and amphibians:
UVA is in the visible range, and is responsible for normal behaviors such as feeding, diurnal movement, mating and others. UVB is a non-visible wavelength, and allows the synthesis of vitamin D3, which helps to process calcium and prevent metabolic bone disease. Most snakes DO NOT have high UVB requirements, as they get the vitamin D3 from the liver of their prey. Amphibians also do not seem to require UVB lighting. Diamond pythons, Lizards and turtles REQUIRE UVB lighting, otherwise they will develop metabolic bone disease and turtles can also have soft shell problems. UVC is also a non-visible wavelength, and does not seem to be required by reptiles, although little is know about it at this stage. UVC is often used as the light source for UV sterilization for killing bacteria, and at high levels of exposure can be harmful to most animals.
Heat and UV should be provided for an absolute minimum of 8 hours a day, every day. Although 10-14 hours is recommended.
- Remember reptile bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months to 1 year of use to ensure sufficient UV output.
- Check the lamp box for replacement information.
- NOTE: Reptile bulbs contain mercury, they must be disposed of properly in order to not pollute the envirionment and ground water.
- Please contact your local waste disposal company to find out how to dispose of your mercury bulbs properly. They should be treated as hazardous waste.
- Do not break them, breathing in mercury vapor can be extremely harmful to your health!
Kricket's Kritters provides UV and heat for 14 hours per day during summer months and 10 hours during winter months to simulate seasonal temperature changes and daylight patterns. Night time temperatures should be allowed to drop (not less than 55*F), to simulate a nighttime cool down period. In the evenings, all Bearded Dragon enclosure lights and heat devices should be turned off. In the wild, Bearded Dragons experience hot days and cold dark nights in the desert. They should experience the same thing in captivity, otherwise their bodies don't metabolize properly.
 Kricket's Kritters pet enclosures and incubators are handbuilt and constructed using reclaimed, recycled, and re-used materials to the fullest extent possible. NOTE: Kricket's Kritters is NOT currently accepting enclosure/incubator construction requests. Below are a few images of incubators and enclosures built by Kricket's Kritters from reclaimed materials! All enclosures pictured on this website were also built by Kricket's Kritters. Example Incubator Images:
  
Example Enclosure Images:     
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