There’s an entire list that us as Bearded dragon owners should avoid exposing our dragons to. It can lead to injury, sickness, death or Fireflies / Lightening Bugs – These bugs are positively fatal to a whiskered dragon.

Inside mins of eating one the Bearded dragon will usually start shaking its head violently, gaping as if to try to regurgitate  barf the firefly back up, exhibiting dreadful respiring issues. Basically it is simply not a great thing to look at. Finally the dragon will die. There is not any saving it. Fireflies have a steroid type substance called lucibufagin. It acts like a stimulant to the heart.

Fireflies use this substance as a shield against predators. Fundamentally it is like giving a major overdose of heart medicine to a pogona vitticeps. A hairy dragon will typically die between thirty mins – two hours after eating one. PLEASE don’t feed them and please watch what’s near them should they be outside.

Heat Rocks – These devices should totally be drew off the market. They’re commercially sold in pet stores. While the idea sounds like a good idea….as hairy dragons need warm rocks in their enclosure to rest on after eating to help aid digestion… These rocks get TOO HOT, leading to thermal burns. Please just employ a regular Ole rock and put it near your luxuriating sector for your dragon. Don’t put the rock without delay under the heat as that too can get too hot for them. Ever seen your dragon go on his rock and curl his toes up slightly? Thats an indication that the rock is too hot for them.

Lettuces – Has virtually no nutritive price and has too much water in it. If your dragon eats iceberg lettuce or any other kind of lettuce he will be able to get butt rot so causing dehydration.

Avocados – Toxic to a Bearded Dragon

Rhubarb – Toxic to a Bearded Dragon

deadly to a Bearded Dragon Prey caught outside – You are outside and you see a cool bug, or crickets and you wish to feed them to your dragon… NOT a great idea. Bugs aren’t contained to your own back yard – they travel and who knows where they’ve been or what they have eating or walked on. Many of us use herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals on their grass, trees, gardens, and terraces.

What if that bug walked thru a garden that had ant killer? Or was on a tree that was being treated, or on grass which has a herbicide on it? That chemical would also be ingested by your dragon when he eats that bug that was caught outside. Could be dangerous ; is it worth the risk? Large food Greens, vegatables, worms & bugs should be size acceptable for your dragon. Please ensure they’re no larger than the space between their eyes or the width of their mouth. Failure to try this can lead to a complete host an issues caused by terminal Digestion . They’ll swallow things that are too big for them particularly tiny dragons. Whatever they swallowed can become lodged in their abdominal tract causing serious discomfort.

Signs this has occurred is they’ll extend their limbs straight back. Terminal consumption could cause paralysis. Sadly , should this occurred it is improbable you’ll be able to save your dragon. Please make the effort to ensure their food is the perfect size. Stick-on Thermometers or analog Thermometers – These thermometers can be off by as much as twenty ! CRAZY? Your best chance is to employ a digital thermometer or temp gun. Folks hear the word digital and think “oh no its going to be expensive”, but you’d be stunned. I have got digital thermometers with probe from 2 departments stores in their out of doors thermometer section for as little as $6 us. That is less expensive than almost all of those thermometers they sell in the pet stores that do not work. Temp guns are great too.

They also are less expensive than you would think.

Too much fruit – agree with it or not Bearded Dragons can get cavities! Too much fruit is not a good thing. A bit of fruit once per week is ok. Try hard not to give fruit more frequently than that. Acute Heat – Yes, Bearded dragons are desert creatures but they can get too hot. Please use the advised temperatures as a tenet to heating your enclosures. In no fashion does it need to be precisely as recommended, some dragons like it a little hotter, some like it a little cooler.Overheating your dragon can be dangerous. Especially be aware of exiting the winter months and heading into spring as your house temperatures rise so does your enclosures!

Dragons of different sizes Mixing dragons of different sizes isn’t a smart idea in any way. If the size is TOO great i.e.

Baby & adult – the adult WILL eat the baby.

Juvie & adult – it is doubtful the adult will eat the juvie but it can heavy harm or kill the Juvie. Even baby & Juvie will eat, injure or kill the baby. Even if they’re brothers, ma & baby, pa & baby and so on. There’s no “familial bonds” in the hairy dragon world. Anything bigger is a predator and anything smaller is food. Please exercise caution when putting dragons together even for a minute.

They have to be the same size or damn close to it. You do not need to make that cock up even once as you will not shortly forget all about it. It does not actually have to be that dramatic but it can be…

But dragons together that are dissimilar size groupings can & will cause fantastic stress on the smaller one, they are going to refuse to eat much if anything whatsoever, fail to flourish and finally die from starvation. Intimidation doesn’t even always occur outwardly, clearly or during feeding time. Just being in the same enclosure can be enough to start a downward spiral for the smaller one.

If you notice a dragon isn’t eating, failing to flourish they need to be separated right away. If they do not pick up their eating in 1 or 2 days, maybe there’s another underlying issue and a vet trip should be prepared. Avoid Feeding Funny Foods   I know enticement gets the best of us… It’s man’s nature but please avoid feeding your dragon foods that way down you know you should not feed them like chocolate, fries, pizza. It is not good for them! Holding or Putting Your Dragon on His Back – Doing this depresses your Dragon’s respiration system and this action could really be quite lethal. Some have made the error of thinking their dragon likes this because they are able to appear calm and close their eyes. It cuts off their oxygen if held there long enough and it can be lethal to your dragon. Please do not do this! Calcium Sand ( Calci-Sand ), Crushed Walnut Shell and lots of other dubious substrates – These particular substrates have been seen to have probably devastating results.

These sharpened pieces of substrate can become lodged in their intestinal track causing blockages and / orhemmoraging so please do your homework before using any actual substrate. You will find recommendation in the Care Info Library under Bearded Dragon Basic Care. Too Cool At night your dragon can safely go into the mid sixty’s without concern but their day time temperatures should be way higher. They should have a pleasant hot luxuriating sector ( 95-105 for juvies & older and 105-115 for hatchlings – juvie ) and a cooler area for them to retreat to should they be too hot. Failure to have your cage & section temperatures inside correct ranges and if humidity is too high it might result in Respiration Infections. Baytril is mostly prescribed for this, but if you catch it very fast and adjust your cage temperatures – that may customarily cure the difficulty. If in 1 or 2 days your dragon doesn’t appear to be improving a visit to the vet is a total must.

We are typically asked questions on Shedding, so I have made a decision to write a little something on the subject. “Shedding is to cast off hair, feathers, skin, or other covering or parts by natural process.” in this situation we are especially talking about skin. Bearded Dragons shed off their top layer of skin exposing their “new” skin underneath.

This process typically happens due to growing. Pogona Vitticeps   Bearded Dragons  shed countless times in their first year.. And slow down their sheds after the 1st year ; often because they’re not growing as quick. There is not any “right” period of time, as it relies on the individual rate of growth and spurts that he / she may go thru. When bearded dragons are close to losing ; their skin color appears muted and lifeless.

bearded dragon shedding

It’s important to keep them hydrated during this time as it helps them to lose faster so the losing skin not upsetting them as much. You can aid this with stepping up your misting rituals and / or baths. There are some products out on the market that help in this process also. I personally do not feel it is totally obligatory. Baths and mistings typically do the job quite nicely. During your beardie’s shed period he / she may not eat as much and occasionally refusing food all together. Don’t panic it is very normal behaviour. That having been said you do not need your dragon to go without food for a lengthy period of time so misting and baths are a good and required thing – to speed it along. You’ll witness some standard behaviors as well during shedding – like rubbing their face against rocks, branches and even other dragons! They also scratch at their neck and face with their hind legs ( like a dog ) now and then. Rubbing their bodies along the base of the enclosure, eye bulging ( for new beardie folks this is going to be the 1st time you see eye prominent – don’t freak lol ) and lots of other entertaining things! – all of these things are done in efforts and wants to loosen and rub off the old skin.

Unlike snakes who shed off their skin in one neat piece, Bearded Dragon sheddings come off in patches.

Unlike Geckos, Bearded Dragons don’t eat their sheddings. Sometimes you can see one eat a tiny piece, and that is generally done by mistake. If you see him eat a piece – don’t sweat it is not going to damage him. I know enticement is great during shed times, but please PLEASE don’t attempt to peel his skin off to “help” him. You can probably damage the new skin beneath that isn’t be utterly prepared to be exposed not to mention damaging keratinous scales that won’t be absolutely formed yet. In my best Martha Stuart voice “Its NOT a good thing!” I know it’s hard particularly when you see how concerned & annoyed they’re – attempting to breech the skin and remove it, and how unpleasant they’re with skin sticking out all over the place looking like something from a horror flick! Please repeat after me “I guarantee not to skin & pick!” When you see him getting exasperated mist him down and / or give him a pleasant bath also you can try rubbing him gradually with a soft toothbrush while he’s in the bath ( see Bath Time Page ). Shortly you’ll see whatever surprise he has lurking under the old skin… A fresh new look!

Your Bearded Dragon is an omnivore, implying he requires a nutritious diet of beef and plant matter. A hatchling dragon will eat often tiny insects. As your dragon grows, he’s going to start to eat more plant matter. The diet of a juvenile dragon ( 2-4 months of age ) will be made of roughly eighty percent insects and twenty p.c. greens. Young dragons should be fed 2-3 times daily. If inadequate food is fed, young dragons may nip at the tails and toes of their cage buddies. Beef food sources for your Whiskered Dragon can include pinky mice ( for adults ) and insects like : * Crickets ; pinhead crickets for minors * Mealworms * Wax worms – high in fat, so feed carefully * King worms * Earthworms * Cockroaches Freshly molted insects are simpler for your Hairy Dragon to digest. You should coat feeder insects with a calcium supplement ( powdered calcium carbonate or calcium gluconate ) 3-5 times per week for adults ; each day for juveniles. Feeder insects also should be “gut-loaded,” implying the insects are fed delicious and vitamin-rich foods before they’re given to the dragon.

Feed your feeder insects food like : ground legumes, corn meal, carrots, sweet potatoes, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, spinach, apples, oranges, cereals, and rolled oats. Many commercial products, created to be rich in calcium and vitamins, could also be used to gut-load feeder insects. Insects may be acquired or wild-caught ( without the utilization of insecticides ).

Did You Know? Fireflies are deadly to Bearded Dragon, other reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Feed insects by placing them in a little bowl. After feeding, check that not one of the insects escaped and fouled the water supply in the cage.

You may employ a specifically designed feeder rock, which permits insects to feed, but not escape till you are prepared to feed your dragon.

To boost cleanliness, some owners wish to have another cage for feeding the meat-based portion of their dragon’s diet. Meat Food Sources be certain the scale of food you feed is proportionate to your dragon’s size. Malnourishment, fits, and abdominal blockages can happen if hatchlings and minors are fed insects too massive for them to capture or digest. Plant Food Sources Plant matter should make up roughly twenty percent of your dragon’s diet and should are generally composed of green leafy veg. You could also include other veggies. Fruit should make up the tiniest portion of the diet. Shred or tear veggies and fruits into little pieces and mix them together to urge your dragon to eat all that’s offered, and not just pick out his fave foods. Following is a catalogue of some favored plant-based dragon foods.

Greens

* escarole
* kale
* collards
* bok choy
* Swiss chard
* parsley
* clover
* alfalfa pellets
* dandelion greens
* turnip greens
* mustard greens
* beet greens-only occasionally
* spinach-only occasionally
* NEVER iceberg lettuce

Vegetables

* broccoli
* okra
* peas
* green beans
* zucchini
* squash
* grated carrots
* sweet potato
* bell pepper
* frozen mixed vegetables

Fruit
* figs
* kiwi
* papaya
* melon
* apples
* grapes
* dates
* peaches
* apricots
* strawberries
(seeds removed)
* plums
* tomatoes
* bananas (with skin)