guide to keeping bearded dragons a south african context

8/4/2019 Guide to Keeping Bearded Dragons a South African Context

1/15

Guide to Keeping

Bearded DragonsA South African Context

written by:

Timothy Zedi

The Author owns all the rights to this work.No one may resell this book for a profit.The book may not be modified or changed in anyway. This book may be shared between peers whoshare an interest in the subject matter of this book.This book may be used and shared at educationalinstitutions as long as a mention is made of theauthor. This book may be shared on non commercialwebsites on condition that the website provides alink to the authors website.

copyright2008 Your Name

http://www.timsreptiles.co.za/
http://www.timsreptiles.co.za/http://www.timsreptiles.co.za/http://www.timsreptiles.co.za/


2/15

Table of Contents

Get to Know your BeardieA Brief look at Biology and Natural History

Here Be DragonsWhere to Purchase your Bearded Dragon and how to choose a

healthy pet

The Land Down Under In Your

BedroomCreating the perfect home for your Bearded Dragon

Chow TimeWhat to feed your Bearded Dragon and some misconceptions

about food that can harm your Dragon

Health and HappinessA list of common health problems

The Next GenerationBaby Bearded Dragons and the future of Bearded Dragons as

pets in South Africa

Final Thought




3/15

Chapter 1

Get to Know your Beardie

'Bearded Dragon' is the common name for lizards of the

genus Pogona, in the family Agamidae. All beardeddragons are indigenous to Australia, and are furtherclassified by their native habitat. The only BeardedDragons in the pet trade are the Inland Bearded Dragonwhich is the species we have for sale in South Africa, theEastern Bearded Dragon and the Rankins Dragon. The lasttwo species are not available in South Africa. These twospecies are sometimes available in Europe and the USA.These different species can interbreed so it may be

possible that some of the Bearded Dragons on the marketmay be hybrids. There is a breed of Bearded Dragoncalled German Giants these are a cross between theInland Bearded Dragon and the larger Eastern BeardedDragon. Hybrids between Inland Bearded Dragons andRankins Dragons are called Vittikins. I hope one daythat these two species will become available in SouthAfrica. The hybrids would be a nice addition to any SouthAfrican reptile keepers collection. All other BeardedDragon species are not available in the pet trade as it isillegal to import them from Australia.




4/15

The Inland Bearded Dragon is a medium sized lizard whichgrows to around 60cm in length most of which consists ofits tail. The Bearded Dragon is named after the spikypouch under its neck. The beard will turn black when themales are displaying. These lizards are somewhat socialand have evolved movements and behaviors tocommunicate with one another. These included headbobbing and leg waving. Males are most likely to headbob as it is a dominance display used during breeding

and to mark territory. Bearded Dragons can be found onfence posts, logs and rocks in the deserts of centralAustralia where they spend a vast majority of their timebasking. Your Beared Dragon will do the same in his or hercage. Basking is a biological necessity as Beared Dragonsare exothermic ( Cold Blooded) and therefor cannotmaintain there own body temperature. A Bearded Dragonsday would consist mostly of basking in the sun to warm upand lying in the shade to cool down. The rest of the time

would be taken up by feeding, mating, laying eggs anddefending territory and fighting over females. In captivitythe range of behaviors is more limited, consisting ofeating and basking and possibly breeding once or twice ayear. Natural prey would include: Insects, smallmammals, smaller lizards and some plant material.Natural predators would include: Birds of prey, snakes,monitor lizards and dingos. Introduced species such asfoxes and feral cats would prey on Bearded Dragons as

well. Beared Dragons have a threat display which consistsof flattening themselves out, Puffing out their beardswhich blackens during a threat display, the Dragon willgape and hiss at its attacker to make their point. Youshould not see a threat display from your pet Dragon asthey are extremely tame in captivity. This makes themperfect reptile pets.




5/15

Chapter 2

Here Be Dragons

Bearded Dragons are readily available in South Africa.Bearded Dragons are one of the only reptiles you will find

in a pet shop that does not specialize in reptiles. Thesepet shops also sell tarantulas but never snakes or otherlizards of any kind. This may be a good thing as these petshops have sold puppies, kittens, goldfish and varioussmall furry mammals for most of their existence and areoften not aware of how to care for reptiles correctly. Forexample these pet shops sell Bearded Dragons which aremissing tails. A Beardie which has no tail has been in aserious fight. Hatchling bearded dragons often bite the

tails off each other when left in an overcrowded cage tocompete for inadequate amounts of food and baskingspace. If you want to get a Bearded Dragon go to a petshop that specializes in reptiles. Reptile pet shops are agood place to buy your dragon. Reptile shows are a greatplace to get your dragon, this is where I got mine. Youcan also acquire your beardie from a breeder. Breedersrange in size from private individuals content in making abit of cash every year by breeding one or two pairs ofBearded Dragons to large scale breeding operations whichincreasingly concentrate their efforts on creatingdesigner colour morphs. You will be able to find privatebreeders on classified sections of reptile forums.Professional breeders have websites. Professionalbreeders often sell there animals at reptile shows, or youcan go to them personally. Do not buy any live animalsonline.




6/15

Once you have found a Bearded Dragon in any one of theplaces I have suggested above, you will have to make sureit is healthy. I would recommend that you buy a BeardedDragon that is between three to six months of age. Anolder dragon will be more expensive but on the otherhand will be hardier and easier to care for. Buying aslightly older dragon will benefit in the long run. Ahealthy dragon should have a full tail, have no missingfingers or toes and have no bite marks or scratches thatcould indicate fighting. Check for kinks in the dragonsspine or tail and a deformed jaw, these are sure signs of acondition called Metabolic Bone Disease or MBD. Do notpurchase a dragon showing these problems as MBD is aserious condition that shows lack of proper UVB lighting,

supplements and a bad diet. MBD will be explainedfurther under in the health chapter of this book. Thedragon should not be emaciated nor should it be obese. Ahealthy dragon should not have any faeces surroundingthe vent. Check for mites, these appear as silver speckson the dragons body. Ask the seller to chuck some cricketsor a giant mealworm in the dragons cage. A healthydragon should grab the food almost immediately. You cantake your dragon for a post purchase health check to a

reptile vet. Now That you have chosen a healthy BeardedDragon that will become your future pet you will have tocreate the perfect environment for him/her to live out along happy life.




7/15

Chapter 3

The Land Down Under In Your

BedroomBearded Dragons require a cage measuring 90cm-1m inlength and 60cm in width and 60 cm in height for a single

adults. Juveniles and babies can obviously be kept insmaller cages. The most common type of cage availablein South Africa is a chip board or oak finished chipboardcage with sliding glass doors. I use this type of cage butmine has glass windows on each side for better viewingand the top can open. You can buy these cages fromreptile pet shops or reptile shows, alternatively you canbuild one yourself if you have decent carpentry skills. Donot over crowd your dragons as they will fight over food

and basking space. Adult males will fight if kept together.I would recommend that one male and two females bethe maximum amount of bearded dragons kept together.Bearded Dragons require a dry environment, use asubstrate of corn cob or fine sand. Provide a basking logabove which a daylight incandescent light bulb is placed,the temperature under the basking lamp should reachbetween 35-40 Celsius .Alternatively an infrared baskinglamp can be used or a ceramic heat emitter, these will

not disturb the dragon at night while it sleeps. A veryimportant aspect is to provide UVB lighting,a UVB bulbwith a 10.0 rating should be used for 12-14 hours a day.Turn all UVB lamps and daylight bulbs off at night to giveyour dragon a chance to sleep. Infrared lamps can bekept on at night as reptiles cannot see that spectrum oflight and thus will not disturb your dragon.




8/15

The list below is a step to step guide on setting up yourBearded Dragons enclosure.

Purchase the cage

Purchase the correct size cage. Decide whetherto purchase a second hand cage or new cage.Decide on the type of cage such as glass orwooden display cage. Shop around for goodprices but do not skimp on quality.

Purchase the supplies

Purchase the heating, lighting, substrate andheating accessories.

Install your heaters and lights

Fix a porcelain lamp socket to one side of thecage for your infrared light bulb, daylight

basking lamp or ceramic heat emitter. Fix aporcelain lamp socket to the cage for the UVBbulb. Do all the electric wiring for the lightsand heaters. Get someone who is good with DIYto do this for you, unless you are good at DIYyourself.

Add substrate and decorations

Add the correct type and amount of substrate. Add cagedecorations such as rocks and pieces of wood. Make sureany logs etc are sterile and free of parasites.




9/15

Chapter 4Chow Time

Supply appropriate size insects for your dragon to eat.Babies will eat small crickets, very small mealworms andsmall cockroaches. The size of the food will increase asyour dragon grows. Adult bearded dragons will eat

crickets, superworms and larger cockroaches. BeardedDragons will also eat green leafy vegetables. BeardedDragons are more than likely completely insectivorous inthe wild due to the fact that suitable plant materialwould be scarce, due to the erratic rain fall patterns thatAustralia experiences. I therefore put more emphasis onfeeding suitable insects to my dragon while still feedingsome vegetables occasionally. This view is against mostpeople who feed their dragons up to 80% vegetables.

Plant material would never make up such a large part of awild bearded dragons diet. There are pellets on themarket specially formulated for bearded dragons. Thesepellets are made for both juvenile and adult beardeddragons. There are dead insects which come in tins andhave to be put in the fridge once opened. Tinned insectsare expensive and messy but can make up a part of yourdragons diet. Feed babies every day. Juveniles should befed every 3-4 days and adults twice a weekBearded Dragons have high calcium requirements and thefood they receive in captivity can be low in calcium andthus a good calcium supplement is required. Thissupplement usually comes in powder form. Dust insectsand vegetables with this supplement once a day forjuveniles and gravid females, and two to three times aweek for adults.




10/15

Bearded Dragons and all other diurnal lizard speciesrequire a source of UVB in order for them to absorb thecalcium, this can be provided by a UVB bulb or access tonatural sunlight. I personally prefer feeding mealwormsto my dragon. I have had success using mealworms as thesole diet for frogs, salamanders, leopard geckos andbearded dragons. This is not recommended by most but ithas work for me for and the animals in my care havenever had any of the problems. You should feedmealworms sparingly as they can be fattening. Giantmealworms are very high in fat and I have stoppedfeeding them to my dragon. Crickets make a good dietbut I am inclined to believe that they are not the superfood they are made out to be. Silkworms are a good food

item as are certain species of cockroaches. There areother great feeder insects such as: wax worms, tebos,horn worms and soldier fly larvae. None of these insectsare available in South Africa. Flying ants can be fed whenavailable as long as you do not live in an area which usespesticides. Bearded Dragons will eat newborn mice theseare called pinkies in reptile keeper slang. Pinkies are anunnecessary food item. Your bearded dragon can live itswhole life without being fed pinkies. Your Dragon will not

develop any health problems from being denied this fooditem. In fact the reason a lot of people choose beardeddragons over snakes is because they do not want to dealwith feeding their reptile rodents. Do not feed yourdragon food meant for humans such as chicken breasts,mince and cubed beef.




11/15

Chapter 5Health and Happiness

In this chapter I will briefly list some of the healthproblems that can effect your Bearded Dragon. Please

note that I am not a vet and am simply outlining themedical conditions so that you may be aware of them.Your reptile vets advice should always override mine orany other writer or keeper who is not a vet. Take areptile vets advice over a vet who does not specialize inreptiles. Should your bearded dragon experience anyhealth problems please take it to a qualified reptile vet.Some problems you can sort out yourself such as externalparasites and shedding problems.

Gut Impactions

Gut impactions usually occur when your bearded dragoningests an excessive amount of substrate. The dragon willaccidentally consume the substrate when catching feederinsects. Substrates such as fine sand can pass throughyour dragon in small quantities. A good idea is to handfeed your dragon with feeding forceps. If you are notsqueamish or scared of being accidentally bitten just useyour fingers. A dragon with a gut impaction will stopeating ,become very lethargic and you will be able to feelthe impaction as a hard lump in its belly. Take yourdragon to the vet who will either give oral laxatives orremove the impaction surgically.




12/15

Wounds and Injuries from Fights

Treat minor scratches or bites with an anti bacterialcream. For more serious injuries take you dragon to thevet for stitches. Some very bad fighting injuries mayrequire a limb or tail to be amputated. Anti biotics maybe needed to stop secondary infection.

Shedding Problems

If your bearded dragon has shed skin which will not comeoff. Soak him/her in Luke warm water to soften the skinand then peel it off. There are products that help yourbearded dragon shed, they come in liquid form and youspray your dragon before, during or after the shed to aidin the shedding process.

External Parasites

The only external parasite you will encounter whilekeeping bearded dragons are mites. Prevention is betterthan cure, make sure all new dragons that you buy arefree of mites. Make sure any natural cage decorations arefrom sterile sources and do not contain mites. The mosteffective cure is to use an anti mite spray. Spray your

dragon and its cage with the spray.




13/15

Metabolic Bone Disease

This is severe calcium deficiency caused by improper UVBlighting, insufficient calcium supplementation and anincorrect diet. This disease cause decalcification of thebones and leads to bone deformities and sometimes

death. This illness is preventable if you give proper accessto UVB lighting via UVB bulbs or natural sunlight, feedingyour dragon with the correct diet and providing calciumand vitamin D3 supplements.

Internal Parasites

Feeder insects can harbour internal parasites such as pinworms. Take your dragon to the vet once a year to be

dewormed.

Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease is caused by overfeeding. As yourbearded dragon gains excessive weight he/she will startlaying fat deposits on its liver. This condition is fatal ifnot treated. Fatty liver is treated with force feeding( bearded dragons with fatty liver will not eat) and

weight loss. Liver tonic may be prescribed by a vet. Fattyliver disease must be treated by a vet who will show youhow to force feed your dragon and monitor your dragonsprogress.




14/15

Chapter 5The Next Generation

Bearded Dragons are here to stay. They are tame, reach amanageable size are easy to keep and are affordable.Other lizards are on the market but are either expensivesuch as frilled lizards, grow to large size like greeniguanas or aggressive an example being tokay geckos.Other lizards which are more suitable such as waterdragons of basilisks are not very popular, this could bedue to the price of these lizards. Chameleons are popularbut require far more care than beardies and do nottolerate handling well. Various gecko species like crestedgeckos, fat tailed geckos and the ever popular leopardgeckos make good pets but due to their nocturnal naturehide most of the day, unlike bearded dragons which areactive when their owners are. Monitor lizards areexpensive to maintain and can be aggressive and difficultto handle. Bearded dragons are easy to breed and havedropped in price rapidly over the years and small scalebreeding is not a huge money maker. I think that colour

mutations will enter the market in the near future asbreeders and pet shops can charge more for them.Bearded dragons will remain with us for many years tocome.




15/15

Final Thought

Keeping reptiles of any kind gives you an insight intoaspects of nature and animal behavior that you will neverreceive from a dog or cat. A true reptile lover will soonfind that the appeal of keeping a bearded dragon is thatyou can observe its behavior on a daily basis. Day to day

interaction with your bearded dragon is a positiveexperience. Bearded dragons have proven that reptilesare not stupid, I have found they have the ability to learnthrough association. Keeping a bearded dragon is a trulysatisfying experience.

Enjoy keeping your new reptilian pet

The End



guide to keeping bearded dragons a south african context

Documents