Bearded Dragon Care Guide

The bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) is a day-active lizard from the dry scrub and woodland of Australia, about 18 in (45 cm) long including the tail. It is popular because it tolerates handling well, but it needs the hottest basking spot and the strongest UVB of the common pet lizards, plus daily fresh greens and live insects for 10 to 15 years or more. It suits a keeper willing to buy, measure and replace lighting properly.

Care requirements

Need	What to provide
Enclosure	Minimum 48 × 24 × 24 in (120 × 60 × 60 cm) for one adult. VCA’s rule: length at least 3× the dragon’s total length, width at least 16 in (41 cm) (RSPCA; VCA)
Temperature	Basking zone 100–108°F (38–42°C), cool end 72–79°F (22–26°C), night no lower than 68–72°F (20–22°C). Thermostat on every heater (RSPCA)
Humidity	Low: 30–40% at the cool end. More ventilation if it runs higher (RSPCA)
Lighting	High-output 10–12% UVB tube up to half the vivarium length. UVI 3.0–5.0 at the basking spot down to 0 in shade, 12 hours on, 12 off (RSPCA)
Diet	Juveniles about 65% live insects and 35% greens; adults over 12 in (30 cm) about 40% insects and 60% greens (RSPCA)
Lifespan	Usually 10–15 years or more (RSPCA)
Social needs	Alone. Dragons kept together compete for basking spots and food and may fight, even after appearing to get along (RSPCA; VCA)
Legal notes	No common restrictions; check local rules.

Juvenile vs adult dragons

	Juvenile	Adult
Insects vs greens	About 65% insects, 35% greens (RSPCA)	About 40% insects, 60% greens (RSPCA)
Feeding frequency	Babies twice a day, greens chopped small (RSPCA); VCA says once or twice daily	Once a day (RSPCA); VCA says every 24–72 hours is enough once growth stops
Enclosure	VCA allows a 20-gallon tank to start	48 × 24 × 24 in minimum (RSPCA); VCA suggests 60–100 gallons or larger
Substrate	Paper or reptile carpet (VCA)	RSPCA allows clean play sand or a sand/soil mix for healthy adults
Calcium need	Highest, because bones are growing (VCA)	Still higher calcium than phosphorus (VCA)

The switch is gradual: keep raising the share of greens as the dragon grows. Of the plant portion, VCA says 80–90% should be leafy greens such as collard, mustard, turnip and dandelion greens, watercress and bok choy. The RSPCA adds rocket, chicory, cress, clover, plantain leaves and grated butternut squash. Offer insects no bigger than the dragon’s mouth.

Getting the UVB right

UVB lets a dragon make vitamin D3, which it needs to absorb calcium. Without it, dragons develop metabolic bone disease (MBD): twitching muscles, swollen legs, fragile bones and eventually permanently deformed limbs, jaw, spine or tail (RSPCA). The MSD Veterinary Manual lists bearded dragons among the species that need broad-spectrum lighting, unlike most pet snakes.

Practical points from the RSPCA and VCA:

• Fit the tube inside the vivarium, as close to the hot end as possible, with a reflector. Glass and plastic block UVB, and mesh reduces it.
• VCA puts the effective lamp-to-dragon distance at about 6–18 in (15–46 cm), depending on the lamp’s output. The dragon’s back should not get closer than 10–12 in (25–30 cm) to the basking lamp (RSPCA).
• Measure with a UV Index meter at the dragon’s level. Albino morphs need a lower maximum of UVI 3.0.
• Replace the lamp when the manufacturer says to, about every six months according to VCA. Lamps lose UVB output long before they stop producing visible light.

Building the heat gradient

Put a flat natural stone under a guarded 60–100 W basking bulb at one end, and leave the other end cool and shaded so the dragon can choose its temperature (RSPCA). VCA’s cooler figures (90–100°F, or 32–38°C, warm end; 75–80°F, or 24–27°C, cool end) overlap with the RSPCA’s. Measure the basking surface with an infrared thermometer and the air at each end with a digital thermometer every day, because thermostats drift. If the room falls below the night minimum, add a ceramic heater on its own thermostat, which gives heat without light.

Give it hides at both ends, low branches for climbing and, at the cool end, a tub of sand and soil to dig in. Females need that dig box to lay eggs.

Gotchas

• Too many insects for too long. An adult left on a juvenile insect ratio, or fed fatty waxworms and superworms daily, becomes overweight. VCA says to offer those worms sparingly.
• Over-supplementing. VCA calls incorrect calcium and vitamin D3 dosing a common problem. With good UVB you need little dietary D3 (RSPCA). Follow the product label and dust small portions so the dragon eats them first.
• Assuming it’s brumation. Dragons slow down in cooler months, but they should not lose weight or stop eating entirely. VCA advises calling a vet rather than assuming an inactive dragon is brumating.
• Uneaten crickets. Crickets left in the vivarium can bite a resting dragon. Remove leftovers after feeding (RSPCA).
• Stuck shed on toes. Retained skin can cut off blood supply and cost the dragon toes. Bathe it in shallow, tepid water for about five minutes rather than pulling the skin off (RSPCA).

Avoid

• Heat lamps, mats or ceramic heaters without a thermostat
• “Hot rocks” or “sizzle rocks”, which can burn (VCA)
• Calci-sand, walnut shell, corn cob, bark or wood chips, which can cause impaction (RSPCA; VCA)
• Cedar shavings, whose oils harm reptiles (VCA)
• Spinach, which blocks calcium absorption. Feed beet greens and Swiss chard sparingly, and limit cabbage and kale, which contain goitrogens (RSPCA; VCA)
• Fireflies and any insects collected outdoors (VCA)
• A UVB lamp behind glass or plastic, or one past its replacement date

Signs to see a vet

See a reptile vet about muscle twitching, swollen limbs or a soft jaw (possible MBD), weight loss during a cool-season slowdown, diarrhoea or constipation with weight loss, or a swollen female who has not laid (RSPCA; VCA).