Post by aussieherphunta on Nov 27, 2005 18:10:08 GMT -5
this very much does not apply to captive bred bearded dragons that grow to 2feet and only live 10years that live in america.
Western Bearded Dragon (pogona minor minor)
This species grows to a maximum of 18 inches, and has a life expectancy of 20 years. They are found in grey, black, brown and grey-white. They live on beaches and rocky cliffs along the west coast.
Enclosure and furnishings:
In captivity they need a minimum of a 75gallon tank, preferably opaque on three sides and open at the top. Washed, screend and baked white play sand, treated red desert sand or astro-turf all make good substrates and a log positioned at a 45 degree angle makes for good furnishings. A water dish is required, big enough for them to climb into is required, and a hide should be placed at the cool end of the enclosure.
Heating and lighting:
This species requires a source of heat at one end of the enclosure, with the hottest point being 32 degrees celcius, the cool end has to be a maximum of 18 degrees celcius, but can be cooler because this species is very hardy and in the wild endures night time temps of as low as zero. They require lots of UVb, aquired from full spectrum fluro lights especially designed for reptiles. You can get a heat-light combination lamp called a Mercury Vapour Bulb, a good brand of this is Oz-Bright, but should only be used in large, top ventilated enclosures due to the immense heat it produces.
Feeding:
Cockroaches, "woodies" and silkworms are the best foods for this species, they should be fed in a bathtub so they don't ingest the substrate and risk impaction. They should be fed as much as they will eat in 5-10 minutes, and can be fed daily or every other day. This species does NOT eat vegetable matter, at all, no matter how hard you try, it's not in their nature, so you should feed nutritional vegetables to your feeder animals so their nutrients can be passed on, this process is known as "gut loading". Pinkie mice can be fed when the head of the dragon is twice the size of the mouse, but these are primarily fat and have little nutritional value, but are recommended to be fed occasionally for protein so the beardie can grow sufficiently while it is still growing, but once full grown there is little point to feeding pinkie mice to your beardie.
By Conor.
Western Bearded Dragon (pogona minor minor)
This species grows to a maximum of 18 inches, and has a life expectancy of 20 years. They are found in grey, black, brown and grey-white. They live on beaches and rocky cliffs along the west coast.
Enclosure and furnishings:
In captivity they need a minimum of a 75gallon tank, preferably opaque on three sides and open at the top. Washed, screend and baked white play sand, treated red desert sand or astro-turf all make good substrates and a log positioned at a 45 degree angle makes for good furnishings. A water dish is required, big enough for them to climb into is required, and a hide should be placed at the cool end of the enclosure.
Heating and lighting:
This species requires a source of heat at one end of the enclosure, with the hottest point being 32 degrees celcius, the cool end has to be a maximum of 18 degrees celcius, but can be cooler because this species is very hardy and in the wild endures night time temps of as low as zero. They require lots of UVb, aquired from full spectrum fluro lights especially designed for reptiles. You can get a heat-light combination lamp called a Mercury Vapour Bulb, a good brand of this is Oz-Bright, but should only be used in large, top ventilated enclosures due to the immense heat it produces.
Feeding:
Cockroaches, "woodies" and silkworms are the best foods for this species, they should be fed in a bathtub so they don't ingest the substrate and risk impaction. They should be fed as much as they will eat in 5-10 minutes, and can be fed daily or every other day. This species does NOT eat vegetable matter, at all, no matter how hard you try, it's not in their nature, so you should feed nutritional vegetables to your feeder animals so their nutrients can be passed on, this process is known as "gut loading". Pinkie mice can be fed when the head of the dragon is twice the size of the mouse, but these are primarily fat and have little nutritional value, but are recommended to be fed occasionally for protein so the beardie can grow sufficiently while it is still growing, but once full grown there is little point to feeding pinkie mice to your beardie.
By Conor.
