BEarded Dragon care

Bearded dragons want to give love and need love too! These guys love affection and interaction with people and other beardies! Some take them on walks, shows, to hang out while watching TV, etc. Peer into those beardie eyes and see there is a loving pet that needs affection just as most others do!

Watch for this display of dominance to show who is the boss. This is typically a behavior you would want to see in your male breeder! Generally will be seen with head bobbing. This is a behavior to watch for if you have two males together or are looking to breed! You would need to separate males at this point if raising dragons together.

This particular behavior is always a favorite to observe. This is an act of submission or a friendly gesture. You may see this during breeding or just simply as a dragon says hello to another dragon. If you are lucky, you may even catch a bearded dragon wave sent to you!

Sharing? What do you mean sharing? Bearded dragons may not love to share, but they sure don't seem to mind it. We enjoy watching our dragons eat, bask and sleep together. Even when given a 4 foot cage, we find our adults and juveniles still prefer to be around one another. We always find our dragons hanging with each other, enjoying the same company of each other that we do enjoy of them!

Although this is very uncommon for dragons that have been hand raised, it is not uncommon for farm raised dragons or dragons that have not been hand raised to be aggressive. This can been seen as acts of bobbing, flaring the beard,  foot stomping, opening the mouth, to even biting. A bearded dragons bite can pack a punch, so be aware! We very seldom may see signs of aggression in our dragons, but this usually correlates around breeding time.

Head bobbing is another fun behavior to observe. This is generally an act of dominance, although it can be observed in female dragons trying to antagonize a male into breeding. This is often observed in males but can be seen in females for several reasons, although the bobbing is usually less pronounced. Catch your bearded dragon in a head bob and you can get them to say yes to anything!

Do you see your dragon digging? Is in in the corner of the cage? This could be for several reasons and it is important to assess the situation immediately.

1. The dragon is in a cycle for laying eggs

2. The dragon is trying to brumate

3. ITS TOO HOT IN THERE!

If you observe this behavior, please feel free to contact us, and do so immediately as these situations require prompt attention to ensure the health and safety of your animal. 

Always under the paper, in a hide or seeming lethargic? No need to panic at this point as this behavior could be completely normal. Assess why this is happening. 

1. The dragon wants to brumate

2. Its too hot/cold in the cage

3. Dragons not feeling well

4. Your dragons sensing incoming weather events

Pretty cool these guys know when a rain storm is coming? They need this attribute to protect themselves in the wild. Be sure to figure out why your dragon is hiding if you notice this often.

Brumation is a very natural process in which a bearded dragon goes into hibernation. This occurs during the cold months of the years for several reasons. Temperatures, food sources, etc are not ideal in the winter time for a bearded dragon, so it is better for them to take a long nap. Bearded dragons prepare themselves for this slumber and when they awake, if they can find a mate, generally will engage in some breeding activity after waking up! Have questions about brumation? Contact us

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Glass tanks can be found online used(make sure to clean them very well) or brand new from a pet store usually at reasonable prices. Although it is not the recommended choice of enclosure by Dragon Fortress Reptiles, it is acceptable. We have used these in the past and we have noticed that the dragons do not seem to understand the concept of glass so well. We were encouraged to put white paper around the tanks when we used them, which seemed to improve the behaviors of our animals. For this reason, we determined using another setup was more appropriate. That being said, a glass tank setup in a similar fashion would be acceptable, although maybe not so aesthetically appealing. To make your bearded dragon cage setup all you need is a glass tank, some paper, and basking rock/log.  You will want to get yourself a lid to the tank, a heat light, and UV light.

Make sure that you do not reach over your dragon when going in and out of the cage and scare your animal. Make sure they know you are there!

These cages open from the front and from the view of Dragon Fortress Reptiles, these are the best tank setups you can get. Because how the setup is, you need smaller watt heat bulbs, and do not need to use such an intense UV light. This cuts down on electricity and these tanks look like something you could set in your living room as a display piece. Because these thanks open from the front, you have significantly decreased your chances of scaring your animal when approaching; you are coming at the animal from the front and not over top like a predator. These tank setups also allow you to hang the lights permanently from the top of the cage and keeps them out of the way, eliminating fire hazards. These tanks are setup with the bearded dragon in mind. There is venting in the back, the heat lights are close to the ground. We simply put paper in our tanks with our dragons and a stone to hold it in place. This setup is simple, easy, energy saving, and better for the animal.

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Some people love to go all out for the bearded dragons and give them enclosures others can not even imagine. Although we like to keep our setups simple for our beardies because of how curious they are and always end up hurting themselves on things they should not be doing, it is ok to build your beardie an elaborate setup. Keep these things in mind;

No heat rocks

Check temps

If feeding in cage, no place for bugs to hide

Do not use anything toxic

Dragons like horizontal

Be careful with climbs

No standing or moving water due to bacteria buildup

Fire hazard?

Proper ventilation

Among other things you want to make sure you are doing, be sure that the habitat is not just safe for your dragon, but your family as well, especially if you are putting it in your home. If you have any questions about the construction of a habitat you are making or questioning if something is safe, just ask us!