7 of 10

Write now Article Tools

Sadly I don't currently own any Dragons but I have owned 3 and have enjoyed the nature and good feeling that comes with owning and caring for an exotic pet.

My last Dragons was hatched by me so gladly I got to raise them from birth until adult. I recently had to pass them on as I have been traveling and moving around but I ensured that they were given to good homes.

After caring for the eggs for what seemed like forever it was quite a shock when they actually hatched. I was faced with caring for these tiny little helpless looking creatures and I suddenly realized that I knew hardly anything about caring or juveniles so some Internet reading was in order.

When these little critters hatch they are so tiny and delicate looking that you feel like it will be impossible to look after them but luckily care for dragons is very simple.

There are contrasting views on what you should do with hatchlings and feeding so I decided to go with my gut feeling and after very careful getting the exhausted fellows into their new home I left them alone for 5 or 6 hours but did leave some very very finely chopped dandelions for them to get liquid and a small amount of nutrition if needed.

At this stage their vivarium was set up as simple as possible. I had the floor lined with newspaper as this is the safest substrate according to many people and I had two pieces of bark to climb one at either end of the tank. Above one climbing bark I had the heat lamp and the fluorescent tube ran along the length of the tank at the back.

For the first few weeks things were simple. I let the babies eat as many pinhead crickets as possible and always keep fresh salad available. I also introduced a shallow filled water dish so they could learn how to drink but I also sprayed them with a fine mist. Bearded Dragon calcium supplement was also given every other day.

They grew really fast and at this young age were very active running around head bobbing and arm waving which really are charming attributes.

As they get bigger the rules for water and salad stay the same but you can adjust the size of the salad according to their size. I tended to feed dandelions, carrots, apple sometimes a little bit of red pepper and greens. I have been told spinach isn't too good for them and lettuce has no nutrition so steered away from them. In regard to crickets I became less giving with them and feed the lizards about a box between them per day. A good rule for the correct sized cricket is to make sure that it is no wider than the width of the dragons head. I also occasionally introduced grass hoppers and meal worms as treats into their diets.

Care for these animals is pretty simple after this and the rules about food and water and salad pretty much stayed the same for me throughout. During the winter they slow down and in the summer they tend to eat a little more. Always keep them clean by bathing them in shallow water and make sure that if you notice any out of character behavior search the net for tips and if needed take to a lizard specialist for a check up.

Both of my Dragons grew up healthy with no problems.

One problem that did occur though was the fact that one turned out t be male and one turned out to be female. At an age where the male became sexually aware he started harassing the female and being very aggressive. Stupidly I let this go on for a while but eventually did the correct thing and found somebody local to take her. She has now successfully laid 2 batches of healthy eggs.

Common sense is a big thing with these animals. Treat them respectfully and give them plenty of attention if you want them to be friendly and good fun pets.

Learn more about this author, Ian Parks.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Bearded dragon care?
We want to hear your view. Write now!