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- The best places to find and adopt a bearded dragon
- The gear you need to create the best environment for your dragon
- Feeding and healthcare tips to prolong your dragon’s life
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Meet the Bearded Dragon
The bearded dragon has many of the qualities that hobbyists look for in a pet lizard: unique appearance, ease of care, gentle disposition, manageable size, and a hardy constitution.
Appearance
In the pet trade, the name bearded dragon refers primarily to the inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). This dragon frequently attains a snout-to-vent (rectal opening) length of 7–8" (18–20 cm), with a tail that composes most of the overall body length (up to 22" [56 cm]). It is wide and bulky for its size and has bordering spines on the body and the back of the head that make it look like a horned lizard of North and Central America. Though the body appears to be very rough and rugged, the lizard is actually soft and pleasant to the touch.
The most striking characteristic of the bearded dragon is the “beard” of spiky scales lining the underside of its lower jaw. During mating season, a male dragon’s beard may turn gray, black, or even a dark blue, and he will puff it out to declare his intentions or ward off rival males. (A bearded dragon will also puff out its beard when confronted by a predator or other threat.)
Pet bearded dragons are available in a variety of colors thanks to years of selective breeding procedures that have produced several color varieties. Common dragon color
varieties include sandfire (bright orange and red), gold, blood-red, and lemon-fire (a bright-yellow base with
crimson accents on the head, jaws, and flanks).
Other Species
There are eight species of bearded dragon in the Pogona genus, but only the inland bearded dragon is commonly seen in pet stores. Occasionally, Lawson’s dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni) is available. The care requirements of the two species are identical, but the Lawson’s dragon reaches only half the size of the inland bearded dragon.
The Bearded Dragon in the Wild
Bearded dragons are native to the east-central portion of Australia and thrive in the deep interior of the outback as well as on the fringes of human cities near the continent’s south-central coast. They dwell in a wide range of habitats, including arid and semi-arid flatlands, deserts, forests, and grassy or rock-strewn hillsides. In developed areas, such as neighborhoods and farms, they often perch on fence rails, cling to sheds or barn walls, bask in driveways, and sun themselves along the edges of parking lots.
As an opportunistic omnivore, the bearded dragon’s diet in the wild consists of just about any small animal or vegetation it comes across. Juveniles favor small insects such as spiders or ants, while adults feed on small vertebrates such as rodents, lizards, and some small snakes.
Bearded Dragon Behavior
Hobbyists prize bearded dragons not only for their unique physical appearance but also for the behaviors they display in captivity. The following are some of the natural behaviors you’re likely to encounter in your bearded dragon and what they mean.
- Arm waving: Hatchling and baby bearded dragons will often (and for no apparent reason) raise one of their forelimbs off the ground, hold their claws above their heads, and then slowly and jerkily lower them back to the substrate. Sometimes they will wave their arms in circles before lowering them. Juveniles and females may wave their arms as a sign of submission to nearby dragons.
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Beard inflation:
When confronted by a predator, a bearded dragon will hold its mouth agape, puff up its beard, and hiss, while at the same time raising its head and foreparts off the ground in a threatening display. The beard swells to many times its normal size and darkens quickly to a black or burnished blue color.
- Head bobbing: The opposite gesture to the wave, when a dragon rapidly bobs its head, it is sending a challenge or warning to other nearby dragons. If one dragon offers this gesture to another, territorial combat may ensue. If a male offers the gesture to a female, and the female responds by waving her arms, the pair may mate.
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Stacking: Captive dragons often perch one atop the other to bask in the warmest, brightest part of a terrarium. This behavior is common when more than one dragon shares the same enclosure. Though it’s an interesting behavior, it’s best to avoid it by providing enough basking space for each animal.
| Text & Photos Copyright © 2007 TFH Publications, Inc. | Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
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