Inland Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
The inland bearded dragon is generally considered one of the all-time best lizard pets. It is known for being alert, hardy and tame, and bearded dragon owners love watching their lizards, whether during a feeding frenzy while chasing crickets or simply interacting with each other. Bearded dragons exhibit interesting behaviors, too, such as “arm waving,” in which a female (and occasionally males) may lift a front leg in the air and “wave” it as a submissive gesture. The spiny “beard” from which the lizard gets its common name may also be extended, though it’s uncommon for tame captives to do so; dragons typically do this when alarmed.
Inland Bearded Dragon Availability
Bearded dragons are commonly available at stores, reptile expos and breeders’ websites. Captive-bred specimens are highly recommended because they are usually healthier and more acclimated to captivity than wild-caught animals. Various color morphs are available, too (though they’re more costly than “normal-colored” animals).
Inland Bearded Dragon Size
Hatchlings measure about 4 inches; large adults can be nearly 2 feet in length.
Bearded Dragon Lifespan
Average captive lifespan is between six and 10 years, though there are reports of specimens living twice that long.
Inland Bearded Dragon Caging Tips
While a hatchling dragon could live in a 20-gallon aquarium for a short time, it will quickly need a larger enclosure. A 75-gallon aquarium or equal-sized enclosure is OK for one or two adult dragons. Screening should be used for proper ventilation, whether as a top on an aquarium enclosure or in the construction of a custom enclosure. During warm weather bearded dragons can be kept in outdoor cages. Be sure the outdoor enclosure provides both sunny basking areas and shady retreats, as well as shelter from rain. Having access to the sun outdoors provides healthy UV. Bearded dragons like to climb, so some sturdy branches are welcome in their enclosures.
Inland Bearded Dragon Lighting and Temperature
Bearded dragons like it hot. A basking site of about 100 degrees Fahrenheit works well for them. The basking site can be provided by a spotlight (such as a mercury vapor bulb) positioned over a rock, branch, etc. at one end of the enclosure. Keeping the spotlight at one end of the cage will allow your dragon to thermoregulate (move between a cooler end of the enclosure and the hotter end with the basking area). The cooler end of the enclosure can be kept at about 80 degrees.
In addition to the basking spotlight, provide full-spectrum UVB (ultraviolet) lighting over the rest of the enclosure. This lighting is critically important for dragons that are kept indoors, as it assists them in synthesizing vitamin D3, which aids in calcium absorption. There are many types of lights available; consult with store employees and read the packaging to determine the best for your setup.
Heat can also be provided using heat tape, heat emitters and other devices available in pet stores. Keep a thermometer in the enclosure to track the cage temperature. At night, it can go down to about 65 degrees.
Inland Bearded Dragon Substrate
Sand is commonly used with bearded dragons, though there is concern, especially when keeping young lizards, that intestinal impaction could result if they accidentally eat some. It is not recommended that you keep young bearded dragons on sand, or any kind of loose substrate. Newspaper, paper toweling or reptile carpet (though watch for loose threads or areas that can snag dragon toenails) would be better choices.
Adult bearded dragons can be kept on these same substrates. If you must use sand, playground sand (available at hardware and do-it-yourself stores) is a decent choice due to the fact that it's not as dusty as other types of sand. You can also purchase digestible “reptile sand” at reptile and pet stores, though opinions on the safety of these are varied. If you try some, be sure to follow manufacturer directions. Sand mixed with clean soil that has not been treated with any fertilizers, pesticides, etc., can also be used with adult bearded dragons.
If you keep your bearded dragons on sand, reduce the risk of impaction by offering food on a shallow dish rather than placing it directly on the substrate.
Inland Bearded Dragon Food
Bearded dragons are omnivorous, meaning they eat both animal and plant matter. They are not usually picky and eat with gusto. Insects, such as crickets and mealworms, should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement and calcium. Dusting can be achieved by placing the insects in a plastic bag with some of the powder, and shaking the bag to lightly coat the insects prior to offering them to your lizards.
Also offer bearded dragons finely chopped veggies (such as romaine lettuce, zucchini, carrots, etc.), greens (collard, mustard, dandelion, etc.) and fruit (kiwi, banana, mango, etc.). Use healthy, vitamin-rich items; sprinkle the appropriate amount of powdered supplements on these foods, too. Avoid iceberg lettuce because it is not nutritious.
Bearded dragons will also eat pinky mice, and a wide variety of nutritionally balanced manufactured diets are available at pet stores, too. Again, if you keep your dragons on sand, offer food on a shallow dish rather than placing it directly on the substrate.
Water For Your Inland Bearded Dragon
Mist bearded dragons using a water spray bottle; they’ll lick water droplets off cage walls, rocks, etc., as well as themselves. Don’t overdo it; you don’t want their enclosure to get too wet and become humid. Offer water in a dish that is large enough for them to soak. Be sure to keep this dish and the water in it clean.
Inland Bearded Dragon Handling and Temperament
Bearded dragons are generally quite docile and will tolerate handling better than other lizard species. This is especially true of adults that have spent their entire lives in captivity (of course, there may be exceptions). It’s not unusual to visit a reptile expo and see fat and happy bearded dragons lounging amid merchandise at vendor tables, or perched on their owners’ shoulders.
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enclosures are currently more popular than ever. If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase ‘bioactive’ in terms of reptile keeping, it basically means keeping your reptiles in a living ecosystem cohabiting with other organisms that form part of a natural environment. This may include live plants, as well as ‘clean-up crew‘ critters that clean up and recycle waste in the enclosure. A balance between display animals, plants and clean-up crew with be achieved and the enclosure becomes almost self-maintaining.
Bioactive enclosures are fascinating and the interest gained by an increase in biodiversity makes it worthwhile for the keeper as well as the pets!
Jungle habitats are very easy to setup are very common now, but we’re often asked by leopard gecko and bearded dragon keepers about going bioactive in arid vivariums. This can also be done fairly easily if you follow a few simple rules, so here’s our step-by-step guide showing how we set up an arid bioactive vivarium for some leopard geckos.
1. The Vivarium
Choose a good quality vivarium with decent lamination that will protect the boards. In an arid setup, the substrate will not be too wet, so no extra lining inside is required. It is important the inside joins of the vivarium are sealed with a silicone sealant to prevent leakage and to protect the vivarium from moisture damage. We’re using a Signature Series vivarium (only available in-store) but we can also recommend the Vivexotic Viva+ range as their large front ventilation system makes them ideal.
2. Fit a Natural Background
Fitting a natural background inside the vivarium not only makes the setup look better, it will also contribute to the ecosystem within the vivarium. We’re using a Lucky Reptile Desert Cork Background. This background had a 3-dimensional surface which allows certain reptiles and insects to climb. As it is real cork, the background will also absorb and release moisture inside the vivarium depending upon the temperature and humidity inside. Important: make sure you run any electrical wires over the background before you push it into it’s final position. Also, do not block any ventilation, we drilled core holes into the background to ensure ventilation was maintained.
3. Install the Electricals
The electrical equipment you use inside your vivarium will mostly depend upon the species of reptile you are looking to keep. We can advise you on this, so contact us if you would like some help. We’re going to use this vivarium for leopard geckos so have installed a basking lamp and a 6% UVB tube. Because the Northampton Reptile Centre store is always relatively warm, we have not needed to add any additional night-time heating. No matter which species of reptile you are keeping, you will require a lamp for plant growth and we’re using an Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED secured to the vivarium roof with a Jungle Dawn bracket.
4. Position Hard Landscaping
You need to create a solid foundation for your landscape. Because we are keeping leopard geckos, we needed to give them hiding places throughout the vivarium. Using natural wooden log hides we managed to provide these hides whilst still maintaining a natural habitat. The gap between the two tubes was bridged with other natural wood products which help create a platform for planting as well as a structure for animals to bury under. Once in place, we built a bank of Zoo Med Excavator Clay around it all. This will help keep the large pieces of wood stable and secure. The clay also provides a substrate that animals and clean-up crew can dig into if they desire.
5. Fill With Substrate
The right type of substrate is very important for your arid bioactive vivarium. Because this is a relatively dry setup, we do not need to use a drainage layer. The substrate needs to be a soily/ sandy mix which will allow plants to root into it but also ensure drainage from the top. In a hot setup, the substrate will form a crust on the surface which will trap moisture below which is essential for live plants and clean up crew. We’re using Arcadia Earth Mix Arid, but there are other brands available such as ProRep BioLife Desert. Ideally, the depth of substrate should be around 5cms to enable a correct moisture gradient.
6. Plant It Up
This is the fun bit! You’ll need to use plants that are suited to arid environments such as cacti, aloes and other succulents. When choosing your plants, consider their final size and how that will impact the overall effect of your display. Plants often look more natural when planted in clumps of their own kind, this will become more apparent as they grow and spread. These are the plants we used; ebony wax agave (Echeveria ebony), Harworthia enon, living stones (Lithops sp.), socotra aloe (Aloe squarrosa), burrito sedum (Sedum burrito), warty gasteria (Gasteria “little warty”), short-leaved aloe (Aloe brevifolia) and snake plant (Sansevieria mikado). Give them a good initial watering to help the roots establish into the fresh substrate.
7. Add the Clean-up Crew
Your clean-up crew are the animals that will be sharing their home with your reptiles. These small critters take care of any waste generated by animals in the vivarium which takes your maintenance time down to a minimum! But that’s not all, the clean-up crew also keep your substrate alive! If you’re a gardener you’ll understand the importance of earthworms to your garden plants, the principles inside your arid bioactive vivarium are the same. Your clean-up crew work within the substrate, recycling nutrients, preventing it from becoming stagnant and making it a great media for your plants to grow in. We’ve chosen bugs that can tolerate warmer drier environments, including morio worms, woodlice and springtails. These invertebrates working away can be just as fascinating as the reptiles!
8. Introduce Your Animals
The final step. Introducing your animals. We’ve put 3 leopard geckos into our arid bioactive vivarium. They spent some time exploring their new surrounding before retreating into their natural tunnels. We think they like it so far and should only benefit further as the biological life matures and finds a balance in the vivarium. What’s great is that the geckos definitely appear to be more active and stimulated by a more natural environment. They’re also climbing and using the additional layers in their home.
Like to Do This Yourself?
We hope this guide has simplified the process for you and you might like to try it yourself! This style of arid bioactive vivarium could be used for many species of reptile including leopard geckos, bearded dragons, corn snakes and kingsnakes.
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