Archive for March, 2010

One of the main causes of illness with a lizard is found in a poorly maintained Bearded Dragon diet. Sometimes the diet trouble stems from not feeding the lizard enough or feeding him too much. Other times, it’s a matter of feeding him the wrong items or not feeding him the foods he has to have in order to stay healthy.

Just like the food pyramid suggests types of foods for humans to eat to stay healthy, the Bearded Dragon diet contains foods specifically targeted to giving your pet an optimal life full of bright eyed energy. Your pet needs to eat insects as a daily part of his diet. You can find insects through a store that sells them for that purpose or like some Beardie owners, you can use your own supply of insects. Just remember that it’s not okay to catch any kind of bug and drop it in the cage. Some aren’t good for him. You’ll want to make sure you avoid giving him any kind of bug that has a hard shelled body and you’ll want to avoid giving him toxic insects like spiders as well.

A Bearded Dragon diet must also consist of vegetables. Some parts of the vegetable are dangerous for a Beardie so make sure you know whether or not he can have all parts of the vegetable. For example, seeds aren’t good for Beardies. Your lizard needs fruit in his diet and you can satisfy that need with fruits like strawberries or grapes.

Bearded Dragon breeders are one of the best options you have when you want to bring a Beardie into your home. You’ll be able to tell exactly where your lizard originated because breeders will often have the parents of the Beardie on the premises. Plus, you’ll be able to see what kind of environment your new pet is coming from.

There are many legitimate Bearded Dragon breeders who are people that love Beardies, but just like with any other business, you’ll find a few that aren’t reputable and are only in it for the money. But by going through a breeder with a good reputation for breeding Beardies, you can be assured your pet is a healthy one. Not only that, when dealing with someone with plenty of experience raising exotic lizards, they can show you what’s best for pet in areas of housing and feed selection. Many breeders are only too happy to answer questions both during the purchase and in the weeks after in case you have any questions.

You can find Bearded Dragon Breeders through online sites, in your local area by word of mouth and some through advertisements in the newspaper or yellow pages. When you do choose a breeder to do business with, be sure you ask what type of health guarantee is offered in case you do run into a health problem with your Beardie. Also don’t be afraid to ask for a recommendation from other people who have purchased from the breeder in the past.

Getting an adult Bearded Dragon has both pros and cons. If you choose to take an older Beardie, whatever treatment-good or bad-he’s received from his previous owner has helped to develop his temperament. Even the most docile of lizards will display the same kind of attitude he’s been subjected to. So if you have a Beardie who’s been treated like a pet and loved and cared for, he’ll make a wonderful pet for you. But if you find a Beardie that’s been mistreated, he may be more apt to bite, he won’t like it if you reach for him and he may even see you as an enemy. You may never develop a bond with a Beardie that’s been mistreated.

This doesn’t mean that you should avoid getting an adult Bearded Dragon, just that you should use caution. You should know the kind of life he’s lived before you came along. One of the ways you can tell if the Beardie has been well treated is to check out his health before you take him home. Is he thinner than he should be? Is he active or does he simply lie around the cage?

An adult Bearded Dragon that’s been cared for and is healthy would make not only a great pet for yourself but also as a gift for someone you love. Older Beardies are stronger than the younger ones. Plus, when you select an older Beardie, the sex of the lizard can easily be determined which you cannot do when getting a young juvenile Beardie.

If you’ve ever seen a Bearded Dragon eat, then you know for such a small guy he can certainly pack away the food. When it’s time to dine, Beardies are just like their human owners. None of them want a diet of the same old, same old. But since they don’t have the option of phoning out for a pizza when the food routine gets dull, it’s up to you, the loving owner to give him a variety of food to feed his appetite.

While it’s tempting to watch your Bearded Dragon eat, he doesn’t like to be stared at any more than you do. Even though you might find it fascinating to watch him devour the bugs or greens, give him a little space so he can have his meal in peace. An occasional glance is okay but just don’t make his mealtime the center of attention.

Are you not sure what your Beardie will want to munch on? Though they’re not terribly picky eaters, there are some foods that hit the spot with them. You can find tutorials and videos that show a Bearded Dragon eat just about anything which is why you have to be careful what you put in his tank. For starters, you can try him out on the kind of insects he thinks are delicious-insects like crickets or mealworms-be sure and gut load the insects first. Give him fruits and vegetables in his diet too. Beardies love vegetables like squash, green beans and collard greens.

The Bearded Dragon food you need to give your pet ranges from insects, to fruits, to live animals to vegetables. They have decent appetites and aren’t very picky eaters but there are some foods you should never give your Beardie because even one meal of that type can cause a fatal reaction. While it’s okay to give your pet certain insects, you should not give him a firefly (also known as a lightning bug) for any reason whatsoever. The firefly has a chemical-the luminescence-in the body that will kill a Beardie.

Other Bearded Dragon food while not immediately toxic like the firefly can lead to a chain of events that will kill your pet. Foods like insects with hard shells don’t move through the Beardie’s digestive system and end up causing an impaction to develop. An impaction occurs when the food gets stuck.

Never give your Bearded Dragon food that could have contact contamination with any type of pesticide. That means don’t go picking up food for your Beardie from the yard. While Beardies love to devour insects and they’re considered a staple in the diet, not all insects are safe for them. Some spiders are deadly for the Beardie and some are not, so better to avoid them than to risk it. Also, avoid iceberg lettuce because it can upset their tummy and cause diarrhea which can lead to dehydration and death. Avoid any food that’s too large for the pet as well as furry rodents since the fur is hard on their digestive system.