Care sheet
Bearded Dragon
Pogona vitticeps
Also known as: Central Bearded Dragon, Inland Bearded Dragon
Agamidae ยท Squamata
- Activity
- โ๏ธ Diurnal
- Temperament
- Docile
- Adult length
- 18โ24 in
- Adult weight
- 350โ600 g
- Lifespan (captivity)
- 10โ15 yrs
- Native range
- Central and eastern Australia โ arid woodland, rocky desert, scrub
Care guide
Overview
Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) โ Popular pet lizard rightly considered intermediate, not beginner, because the husbandry requirements are strict: high basking temperature (100โ110ยฐF on the surface), mandatory quality T5 HO UVB with correct distance and annual bulb replacement, a large enclosure (minimum 4'ร2'ร2' for an adult), and a seasonally-shifting diet. Get these right and you have a personable, long-lived lizard that tolerates handling well. Get them wrong โ especially UVB โ and metabolic bone disease sets in quickly. Beardies should NEVER be kept on calcium sand.
Environment
Climate
Environment
UVB lighting
Housing
Enclosure
- Hatchling20 gallon long (temporarily)
- Juvenile40 gallon breeder / 36"L x 18"W x 18"H
- Adult4"ร2"ร2" (120 gallon) minimum; 6"ร2"ร2" preferred
Housing
Substrate
Nutrition
Diet & feeding
- HatchlingPinhead to 1/4" crickets, small dubia; 80% insect / 20% greens
- Juvenile1/2" crickets, medium dubia, hornworms; 60% insect / 40% greens
- AdultAdult dubia, hornworms, occasional pinky; 20% insect / 80% greens
- Hatchling2โ3ร daily; as many insects as they'll eat in 10โ15 min, plus greens
- JuvenileDaily; insects in measured amount, greens always available
- AdultGreens daily; insects 2โ3ร per week
- Hatchlingup to 50 g5โ10%1 day
- Juvenile51โ150 g3โ6%1 day
- Subadult151โ350 g2โ4%2โ3 days
- Adult351 g+1โ3%2โ4 days
Feed prey roughly the listed percentage of the snake's current weight, at the listed interval. Use it as a starting point โ adjust based on body condition, not the calendar.
**Diet composition shifts with age:** hatchlings are 70โ80% insect / 20โ30% plant, shifting to 20โ30% insect / 70โ80% plant as adults. Daily salad of collard/turnip/mustard greens, dandelion, squash; avoid spinach and kale as staples (oxalate/goitrogen concerns). Dust insects with calcium (no D3 if UVB is correct) at most feedings; reptile multivitamin 1ร per week. **UVB is non-negotiable** โ MBD is the single most common welfare failure in this species. Obesity in adults is almost as common; cap the insect portion.
Care
Water & behavior
Shallow bowl. Many individuals rarely drink from a bowl and get hydration from greens and the occasional bath/mist.
Brumation is common and natural in captive adults during autumn/winter (~6โ12 weeks). Healthy brumating animals eat little to nothing and are lethargic. Monitor weight โ drop of >10% warrants a vet check. Not required for pet animals; some never brumate.
Legal & ecology
Conservation
Australia prohibits export of native wildlife; all bearded dragons in the international pet trade are descended from pre-ban animals and are captive-bred.
Genetics
Morphs
Citations
Sources
Every husbandry parameter on this page is backed by the references below. Click through to read the originals.
- Bearded Dragon Care Sheetbreeder community
ReptiFiles
Comprehensive keeper reference for Pogona vitticeps with extensive veterinary and peer-reviewed sources.
Published: 2023-01-01
- Bearded Dragon Careveterinary
Tree of Life Exotic Pet Medical Center
Veterinary husbandry reference for Pogona vitticeps.
Published: 2023-01-01
- veterinary
Animal-welfare-charity care sheet with husbandry minimums for Pogona vitticeps.
Published: 2020-01-01