Bearded dragons originally came from the hot, dry scrubland, woodland, and rocky deserts of central Australia. They require a temperature-controlled vivarium to live in. Bearded dragons need quite large vivarium's, and these can take up a lot of room. The vivarium should be at least 120cm long for one adult dragon.  

Bearded dragons need UVB light for physiological processes, this should be provided through a specialist reptile UVB-producing lamps. They also require a hot basking spot, and this can be provided either through a combined UVB and heat basking lamp, or by other reptile safe heat sources (e.g. ceramic lamp, deep heat projector, or incandescent lamps). Most heat sources must always be connected to an appropriate thermostat to ensure the heat level is within a safe range. A night-time heat source may be required if your vivarium is in a very cold room. Your vivarium’s lighting should allow for 10 to 12 hours of light a day. 

Creating an appropriate a heat gradient within the vivarium allows your bearded dragon to properly regulate its own body temperature as it would do in nature.  

Required vivarium temperatures - Hot end: around 35-40°C   

                                                      Cool end: around 20°C to 25°C  

Take care that your bearded dragon doesn’t come into direct contact with any of the heating equipment as it can get extremely hot. 

Required nighttime temperatures – Temperatures should not drop below around 15⁰C at night. 

Required humidity levels – 30 - 60%. Bearded dragons like their environment dry and warm. 

Substrate within your vivarium should be sand, grass-based pellets or specialist reptile soil. Some keepers use artificial substrates for enhanced hygiene, such as tiles. Dragons do like to dig so if using these sorts of substrates, it is a good idea to provide a digging box or area. Bioactive set-ups are possible but should be researched before using these. Suitably sized rocks make nice spots for your bearded dragon to climb on or bask in the heated end of your vivarium. We recommend using artificial plants for decoration as these are easy to keep clean. Bearded dragons also appreciate sturdy branches and hidey-holes to climb on and explore. 

Bearded dragons can live for around ten years  

Bearded dragons reach their adult length of around 60cm (nose to tail) in their first year. 

Bearded dragons have a varied diet and eat plant material as well as insects. Adult bearded dragons should be given leafy greens such as dandelions, watercress and rocket every day. Grated apple or grapes can be given as an occasional treat.  

Every other day adult bearded dragons should be fed a few insects. Juveniles should be fed insects every day as they require more protein for growth. Bearded dragons eat live whole insects (such as crickets, cockroaches and locusts). It is important to feed a good variety of different types of live food. These should be dusted with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements following the manufacturer’s instructions carefully to prevent overdose. The live food should also be well-fed before feeding them to your bearded dragon. This is called gut loading and ensures they are as nutritious as possible. A good tip to choose the right size insect is to choose ones that are roughly the same length as the distance between your dragon’s eyes.  

Bearded dragons don’t need company. They may start to fight with each other.  

A clean home is vital for health. Always take away any uneaten food or leftover live insects. Bearded dragon faeces can be easily spot-cleaned, they look like large bird droppings. 

Remove and replace the vivarium substrate at least once a month (spot clean in between) and use a reptile-safe disinfectant to clean and dry every area and accessory before you replace fresh substrate. If using a bioactive substrate, the cleaning regime will be different depending on how you are managing this. 

They may be suitable as pets for children, but they should never be the sole care giver. All pets should always be under the care of a suitable adult. Children can then assist with this care as appropriate. 

Bearded dragons are curious, friendly, highly social, and animated. They are docile, and gentle which makes them easy to handle. Although they are often very responsive to their owners they should not be cuddled as although they may appear robust, they are as delicate as any small animal. 

Like all reptiles, bearded dragons can carry Salmonella in their digestive system. It is important to teach children not to not to put them or anything from their vivarium near their mouths. Salmonella is found in reptiles’ droppings, so always wash your hands thoroughly after feeding, handling, or cleaning, and disinfect surfaces well. Do not clean their equipment with your normal washing-up. Children under five years old, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems should pay extra attention to hygiene.  

 Once used to you, bearded dragons will quite happily sit on your knee or shoulder and seem to enjoy being handled.  

Bearded dragons do not play with humans in the traditional sense. In the wild, dragons will ‘head bob’ to each other and sometimes wave their front legs, as a way of communicating. This behaviour can be seen in bearded dragons kept in captivity and they may even do it to you as an owner.  

Bearded dragons don’t tend to bite and rarely scratch.  

A healthy bearded dragon will have: 

• Bright eyes 
• Strong legs 
• Plenty of movement within the vivarium 
• A good appetite 

Bearded dragons shed their skin, with baby dragons doing it once a month. Unlike snakes, this will come off in small pieces, and may look a bit tatty, but is nothing to worry about.  

If some of the skin gets stuck on the toes or tip of tail it could lead to problems as the dragon grows. If this happens and you notice some retained skin, giving the dragon a more humid area of the vivarium can help to loosen the skin. Create a more humid area by lightly spraying a corner of the vivarium away from the basking area, adding in some moisture-retaining substrate, moss or even a dampened digging box. If the skin does not come off, bathing in very shallow water once a day for a few minutes in water just warm to the touch may also help to loosen the skin. If the skin still doesn’t not loosen veterinary attention should be sought. 

Before you get your bearded dragon, you should ensure their vivarium is set up, all equipment is working and that the temperatures are stable and within the correct ranges for both day and nighttime.  

Whether you are buying your bearded dragon from a breeder or a pet shop they will ask you some questions to make sure that you have a suitable environment for them, such as: 

• How big is the vivarium? 
• How are you providing the daytime hot spot and what are the high and low temperatures? 
• What temperature is the vivarium getting to at night? 
• How are you providing UVB light and for how long? 
• What substrate are you using and what other décor do you have? 

Pet shops and breeders will also go through all the relevant care information with you about feeding, supplements, cleaning, and check that you understand these. Reputable suppliers want to be sure you have the knowledge to care for your new pet correctly. 

Pets at Home sell reptiles only in selected stores, so check with the store before you go. There are a few things to bear in mind that we will check and do, in addition to the questions above. 

• We will only sell pets to over 18’s. 
• We will only sell pets if you are going straight home. 
• We will only sell pets to the homeowner, or someone with the homeowner's permission to have pets. 
• We will ask for contact details in case we need to contact you about the pet you have bought in the future, but we do not use this for marketing purposes. 
• We will ask you if you would like a call in a few days to see how your pet has settled in. 
• We will go through the care information with you and record this as part of the sale. 
• We will make sure that you go home with a caresheet for the pet 

Our store teams are always happy to discuss the care aspects of all of the pets we sell, to make sure that you have the information to help make sure which pet may be right for you.