livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Please add to this or change it if necessary then we can make a care sheet for beardies Bearded Dragon Pogona vitticeps and Pagona barbata. Bearded dragons make a great pet lizard. They don’t get too large, eat a wide variety of foods, are active during the day, and are gentle animals. Bearded dragons in New Zealand are captive bred, have limited care requirements, readily available, and now fairly inexpensive. DESCRIPTION – Pogona vitticeps: Central (or Inland) Bearded Dragon, Males are larger than females, up to 22" a stocky lizard with prominent spines along its sides and a large, triangle-shaped head. Around the snout is a spiny jaw pouch which, when swollen, looks like a beard, mature males have dark "beards". The general colour can range from shades of brown, gray, and reddish-brown to bright orange. RANGE AND HABITAT: Central Australia, semi-arid to arid woodland, on the ground and in trees. DESCRIPTION: Pogona barbata - Eastern bearded dragon, closely resembles the vitticeps but is slightly larger. Usually a grey-black colour but can be found in brown or dark brown colouration The adult males grow to about 24 inches (60 cm), and females up to 20 inches (50 cm). The adult males display a dark grey or black beard also. RANGE AND HABITAT: most common in eastern Australia around the Cape York area but has been found further inland, semi-arid to arid woodland, on the ground and in trees. HOUSING: A large aquarium or terrarium with a ventilated lid. Minimum of 1.2 metres x 50cm wide for 1 bearded dragon, though bigger is better. Floor space is more important than height for indoor setups, though Pogona barbata are more arboreal, than vitticeps. A UVB fluorescent bulb or tube a maximum 30cm away from lizard, an under floor heat pad and or a ceramic heat emitter. A good Temperature range is 30 - 40c at the basking spot and the low 20 - 25c at the cool end, night time temps best not to drop below 15C. Barbata’s prefer a slightly lower temperature range. Substrate for the bottom of the tank, grass carpet, tiling (for young Dragons), bark or fine sand can be used for adults. A cave or hiding area for your bearded dragon and a branch, log, driftwood or rocks for a basking or vantage spot. Food bowl, a smooth insect bowl, and a water dish. Aggression issues can arise when housing 2 males together as they mature, housing a pair can also present problems with the male hassling the female too much when wanting to breed. If housing indoors, during summer you can have an enclosure outside for your lizard to have access to natural sunlight. A Rabbit hutch or similar will suffice so long as it is cat or dog proof, just make sure they can get out of the direct sun if need be, and provide a water dish as per normal. DIET: They are omnivorous and in the wild eat many types of insects, small vertebrates, vegetation, fruits and flowers. In captivity they can be fed Crickets, mealworms, Locusts, Slaters, Grasshoppers Etc, Frozen mixed vegetables: beans, carrots, peas, fresh vegetables: carrots, Grated pumpkin, dandelion greens, rock melon, Pawpaw, strawberries, Kitten cat food (rabbit or chicken) once or twice a week and Calcium & vitamin D3 supplement powder can be lightly sprinkled once or twice a week on food. Salad tip; make enough for 3-4days, store in ziplock bag in fridge. Feed out as needed, Its good practice to take the salad out at night. Good site for greens http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html Also the balance between phosphate and calcium intake is important http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html Care must be taken to provide your reptile with a well balanced diet, over feeding or feeding too much of one type or rich food can lead to obesity and possibly metabolic bone disease. Feeding baby dragons Young dragons need a lot of live food, but in smaller frequent meals, basically what they will eat within 15 minutes. Put in a bug or 2, if they eat them add more, if not offer some more later in the day. It is best not to leave live food roaming with your pet, Crickets at night especially, as they can nibble the toes/tails/eyes of your dragon, having a water source for the crickets, i.e. salad or even just the BDs water bowl will help minimise this. No live food bigger than the space between their eyes. Good food will be small crickets, small mealworms, and wax worms. The insects can be gut loaded and dusted with vitamin, calcium and mineral powder every second day. Chopped up vegetables should be offered every day, the vegetables should be finely chopped and in small quantities. You will have to be careful not to overfeed the baby bearded dragons. Large mealworms are capable of biting young beardies and too many can cause constipation as they are harder to digest and full of phosphates. As they get older Juvenile bearded dragons can eat more vegetables and fewer insects. They should be offered vegetables every day. Once they are around nine months old insects can be fed only 2 – 3 times per week and calcium supplements can be reduced to every other day and vitamin supplements to once a week. Supplements Calcium – 5 days a week for young, 3 days a week for adults, 5 days for laying females Multi vitamins once a week, less if feeding a good varied diet? Supplements can be dusted onto salads and or live food. Try not to feed anything 2 hours prior to lights out, this just gives them time to digest what’s in their stomach prior to lights out/temps cool off. General care and handling: Please remember that your Reptile has the potential to carry Salmonella. WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING YOUR REPTILE, Or when cleaning the enclosure or feed dishes. Keeping your dragons skin healthy is important for when they shed, which should be approximately every six weeks for a healthy animal, misting with a spray bottle of water can help this, mist every day for young, mist every few days for adults, A bath once a month (not essential), warm water about 25-30C an inch or 2 deep is enough for young, increase with age. ALWAYS supervise when they are in the water. Bathing also helps stimulate number 2's and is a good way to hydrate a lizard. Brumation. This is a state of Hibernation some reptiles go into when food supplies dwindle in the wild, at the onset of autumn or winter your lizard may refuse to eat for long periods of time, or become increasingly inactive and lethargic. If your temps and lighting are right then this instinctual behaviour maybe what is happening to your Beardie. http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/?page=1 BREEDING: Sexual maturity is reached at 1 – 2 years of age. Clutch size 7-16 long leathery eggs, the eggs are laid in sandy soil, incubation 3 months. Handling: Getting your Lizard used to being handled is important for visits to the vet or examination etc. but always be aware too much interaction can be stressful for some reptiles. . Illness and health problems Calcium & Vitamin D3 Deficiencies can cause seizures, stunted growth, deformities, poor bone growth, and brittle bones. Vitamin D3 and calcium problems can be solved by making sure your bearded dragon receives proper lighting and dietary supplements. Overfeeding baby and juvenile bearded dragons can cause paralysis in the hind quarters and is usually fatal. It results from the pressure of the food ball on the spinal nerves. Bearded dragons have no discs in their spinal column and prolonged pressure can cause a break or bend in the joints. Therefore, do not overfeed the young lizards and do not give them insects that are too large. Respiratory Infection Signs of respiratory infection are gaping, noisy breathing, and mucus discharge from the nose and mouth. It is usually caused by low temperatures, high humidity, or both. You should keep your bearded dragon warm and at a relatively low humidity. See a veterinarian. Gastrointestinal Infections Signs of gastrointestinal infection are weight loss, lack of appetite, and foul smelling diarrhoea. See a veterinarian. Constipation can some times be dealt with by a good feed of greens or a nice warm bath. Fungal Infections Fungal infections are caused by a warm, damp environment. The infection occurs in a cut or scrape on your bearded dragon Use an anti-fungal ointment. Impaction Impaction is caused by a blockage in the dragons’ digestive tract, this can be caused by various things. Hard or too large food items, too low an enclosure temperature slowing down digestion, a warm bath can help get things going again. Seek Veterinary help. http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/impaction/ http://pets-lovers.com/blog/2010/04/bea ... -avoid-it/ Egg Binding Can be caused by calcium deficiency, being under or overweight, or the bearded dragon can’t find a suitable egg site. Have a deep, soil substrate for your lizard to dig a nest. If egg binding is caused by a different reason, you will need to take the animal to the veterinarian. If your female stops eating for days and keeps running around the enclosure it maybe looking for a place to lay its eggs. Metabolic bone disease – there are a number of conditions that fall under this name but usually caused by imbalances of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D3 leading to bone problems that can be reversed in mild cases once the animal is treated. This is mostly caused by an inadequate or unbalanced diet and incorrect lighting, A website on the subject - http://www.anapsid.org/mbd.html Vets recommended by forum members for treating reptiles Auckland - Lynfield vets Palmerston North - Brett Gartrell at Massey University Wellington - Seaton Butler at Kelburn Vet Practise Christchurch - Shirley Vets in Marshlands Road, Hornby Vets specialise in Turtles and do other reps as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Once you experienced reptile owners are in agreement as to the information given on Livingart's fact sheets, copy and paste the finished 'sheets' into a new message then sticky them please Livingart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 will do :bounce: was looking for more feed back and changes from other keepers to make this a collective caresheet then we can do the blue slugs and jesus lizards next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 added a couple of points from insects direct from other thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hang in there for a few days before you go sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 no we will wait are you writing slowly as you know i can't read very fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 maybe a list of vets who treat them somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 looks very good. good site for greens http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.c ... ition.html salad tip; make enough for 3-4days, store in ziplock bag in fridge. feed out as needed. its good practice to take the salad out at night. floor space more important to height for indoor setups. especially vitticeps, barbata more aboreal. temps id say 40-45C basking spot, cool end 20-25C. night time temps best not to drop below 15C mist every day for young, mist every few days for adults if that? bath once a month (not essential), warm water about 25-30C an inch or 2 deep is enough for young, incraese with age. ALWAYS supervise when in water. bathing also helps stimulate number 2's and is a good way to hyrdate a lizard. Live food for young, what they will eat within 15 mins. Put in a bug or 2, if they eat add more. if not bad luck (for the bd) offer some more later in the day. best not to leave live food roaming with your pet. Crickets at night especially as they can nibble the toes/tails/eyes of your dragon, having a water source for the crickets...ie salad or even just the bds water bowl will help minimalise this. Try not to feed anything 2 hours prior to lights out, this just gives them time to digest whats in there stomach prior to lights out/temps cool off. Supplements Calcium 5days a week for young, 3 days a week for adults? 5days for laying females multi vitamin once a week, less if feeding a good vaired diet? Supplements can be applied to salads and or live food. I prefer dusting the livefood . im by no means an expert, still learning everyday but the above seems to work for me. feel free to re-word chop up or delete any of the above the things ive put ?'s beside i would especially like to here what others think about. but yea i appreciate we all have our ways so would be nice to have anyones input this. if ive repeated anything uve already said sorry...tired :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 thanks matt, i needed help it was hard enough writing what i did i will add those bits to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 no worries, ive been meaning to put a sheet together for a long time. so if we can all chip in that would be ultimate maybe we can add/adjust as see fit in future? seems to be a hobby thats thriving and so much yet to learn and or changing all the time.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 i have some basic care sheets i made up a while ago but just basic is what they are :oops: will be good to compile some stuff on exotic reps in nz with everyones input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 for sure. sometimes basic is best to though vets would be handy. vets at Massey Palmerston North are apparintly really good. I would like to know what people's thoughts are in regards to worming bds, reptiles in general? fenbendazole is apparintly ok to use on bds but this is something ive only just recently started looking into. Mainly because a couple of my dragons seem to eat well but not fatten up............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 input on how much live food people find works would be handy to i feed hatchlings 2-3times a day with small crickets and or cockroaches, doesnt take long before they eat a good 10 crickets each in a sitting. 6-12weeks - 2 times a day. small to mediums crickets/roaches, locusts are also good. 3-6months - 2 feeds a day (one feed may do) -medium crickets, roaches, locusts. Waxworms, slaters (woodlice), blow flies and moths as a treat (maybe once or twice a week). 6-9months - 1 feed per day medium to large crickets 9months+ 4-5days a week or every other day. large/winged crickets, locust roaches every sitting i normally just feed out what they will eat comfortably withing about 5mins. My bds know to eat up or bask on :lol: salads served daily choped to size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I understand that crickets are better food value than locusts but I have heard of people having trouble feeding crickets. Their first instinct is to hide and then they can come out at night and bite your pet. Locusts don't bite to my knowledge. For that reason I would only feed crickets one at a time and watch them being eaten. Locusts can be placed in the cage and eaten when convenient so this would be better for animals that may feed at different times to when you are able to give them food. Mealworms are high in phosphorus and wax moth larvae are also and are pretty fat. Pinky mice are also pretty rich and should be fed sparingly. Foods high in oxalates are calcium blockers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 i have updated the first post, still need to add more points you have outlined alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 ....especially vitticeps, though Pogona barbata are more aboreal. (arboreal) ...also the balance between phosphate and calcium inake (intake) is important http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.c ... ition.html Feeding baby dragons ....minimalise this. (minimise, lol.. minimise) ...lack of appetite, and foul smelling diarrhea. (Diarrhoea) I is fixed your spellings (*Insert lolcat here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I find if leaving live food in with them they go off it all together? hence why only add what they eat...next time round if they havent seen anything for a while theyre more likely to be keen..... Crickets can be tricky but are nutritionally superior to locusts so well worth it. each live food has its good and bad Crickets, can bite, males chirp but great for gutloading as they have a large abdomen. Cockroaches, can climb really well but are a great food. Gut load reasonably well. Locusts pretty harmless but can climb well and not so good as the 2 above on the nutritional front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 And they can all be dusted with calcium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I generally spray the veg with vitamins and dust the insects with calcium (when required) Mine are a bit moody about eating and will eat what they want when they want it. Some days eat no salad, other days eat no insects. I try to get them to eat dead locusts while still fresh and sometimes they do or don't. The problem is they will always go for live insects hence, I think, the tendancy to overfeed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 live is best and im yet to see many if any overfed dragons.....more so the opposite is what i see more of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I is fixed your spellings (*Insert lolcat here). lot of writing and you could only find those mistakes another less than perfect score :oops: i wanted an excellent can i get a remark on that paper sir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 There are easier ways to spell diarrhoea but you could get a sore wrist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 pointy stick material Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hornby Vet in Chch have special interest in Reptiles. Ross is the expert on turtles, but I believe Pauline is pretty up on the Beardie, Leopard geko side of things... They also have loads of vet reptile books and links to overseas vets to look up things they don't know as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted November 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 hi donna would you like to start a turtle care sheet off, pwetty pwease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.