HOUSING and FURNISHINGS
BABIES :
Young dragons need a fairly small simple environment. A 20 gallon tank is close to perfect for a hatchling but will need to be replaced within a few short months. A larger tank or cage can be sectioned off for a hatchling and opened up as the baby grows.
All that a young dragon really needs in the enclosure is a basking area and a food dish. Many young ones are intimidated by too many furnishings.
ADULTS :
Adult dragons should have a minimum of 6 square feet of floor space. A 4 foot long by 2 foot wide enclosure works well.
Juvenile and adult dragons enjoy places to climb, jump, and hide. A hammock, tall branch, etc are great additions to any dragon cage after the hatchling stage of developement.
Most keepers and breeders agree that it is best to keep dragons separated. One dragon per enclosure will thrive with the proper care. More than one in the enclosure will most often result in intimidation, injury, or even death of one or more of the dragons.
Mesh screen cages do not hold heat well, and are not recommended as bearded dragon cages.
Water dishes in the enclosure are a matter of personal choice, but a few things should be known in making that decision. A very young dragon can drown in very little water. Still water allows bacteria to breed so the dish must be kept very clean if used. Too high of humidity can cause respiratory illnesses, so if you live in a humid area a water dish could cause serious health problems. In a dry climate, the water dish can help to keep humidity in a healthy range (around 40% is perfect). In most cases, gently misting the dragon outside of the cage daily, and allowing a warm soak once or twice a week is plenty of water. When soaking the dragon, the water should be luke warm (neither warm nor cold) and the depth should be to the dragons shoulders. Allow them to soak for 10 or 15 minutes, or until the water turns cool. Dry them completely before returning to the enclosure.
There is a lot of controversy concerning substrate (cage liner) for bearded dragons. Non adhesive shelf liner, paper towels, newspaper, and reptile carpet are the safest substrates available and pose no risks to your dragon if kept clean. Washed and screened childrens playsand is the ONLY particle substrate recommended for a dragon over 10 inches in length. However, even that has risks of impaction (intestinal blockage). Calcium based sands are deadly to dragons. There are no regulations or laws concerning reptile products, and the makers and sellers are free to claim anything they want. These sands are not digestable, do not disolve, and will eventually build up in the dragons digestive system causing blockages and eventual paralysis and death.
HEAT AND LIGHTING
Dragons need to be warm! They need a basking surface between 100 and 110 degrees F. This needs to be measured with a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temp gun, for accuracy. Dial and stick on thermometers have been tested to be up to 20 degrees off in either direction so should never be used. Measure the temp directly under the heat light, where the dragon will bask.
Standard household light bulbs can be used to create the correct temp. The needed wattage will vary depending on your enclosure and the temps of the room the dragon is kept in. Just experiment until you get it right.
Dragons absolutely MUST have UVB in order to thrive and be healthy! Reptisun 5.0, Reptisun 10.0, and Reptiglo 8.0 are the only recommended tube UVB lights. Your dragon will need to be able to get close to the tube light. After 12 inches, the absorbtion of UVB is almost none. Closer than 8 inches is recommended. The light should span the length of the dragons enclosure. Without UVB, your dragon will develope Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). This is a crippling disease that causes seizures, paralysis, spontaneously breaking bones, and eventual death. UVB also stimulates appetite and activity.
A cycle of 12 or 14 hours of lights on is recommended. Night time heat is not recommended unless the enclosure is likely to drop below 65 degrees F. Dragons sleep better with lower temps and no light source. If night time heat is needed, a ceramic heat emitter with a thermostat is recommended.
Heat rocks and under tank heat pads are not good choices for bearded dragons. Dragons sense heat with the "third eye" on top of their head, but not with their belly. They can not tell when they're too hot if the heat comes from below. They have been known to stay on heat rocks or pads until they are actually injured from the heat. Some have even died from this. These items can also malfunction and have spots that get way too hot! It's best to just avoid them all together, and provide all heat sources from above.
FEEDING AND SUPPLEMENTS
Acceptable safe live prey includes feeder roaches, silkworms, and crickets. Roaches and crickets should never be longer than the space between a dragons eyes, to avoid impaction. In other words, if there is half an inch between the dragons eyes, his crickets or roaches should be no longer than half an inch.
Many dragons will accept being fed live prey in a separate enclosure instead of their home. This is by far the safest option if feeding crickets, since crickets left with the dragon can eat through the dragons scales and cause injury.
When feeding live prey, the "15 minute rule" is the most recommended. Allow the dragon as much as he wants to eat in 15 minutes. With many dragons this can be up to or even over 50 crickets daily, reaching up to 100 during growth spurts.
Mealworms are very hard to digest due to their hard outer shells (chitin), have very low nutritional value, and very high fat levels. Feeding mealworms as a staple insect can cause impaction and fatty liver disease, as well as malnourishment.
Superworms have a higher meat to shell ratio than mealworms, making them a safer option for a juvie or adult dragon. They should only be used to add variety to the diet, not as a main feeding insect. Supers should never be fed to a baby dragon under about 12 inches in length.
Waxworms make good treats and rewards, but not staple insects. They are very high in fat, which again can cause fatty liver disease. They also seem to have an addictive element. Many dragons have stopped eating other foods, holding out for their waxworms. If you choose to feed these, a dragon should get no more than 3 to 5 of them weekly, and not all at the same time.
Salads should contain greens with or without other vegetables and occasional fruits. Fruits should be fed no more than once or twice a week, to avoid giving the dragon too much sugar. All greens, vegetables, and fruits should be cut into small, dragon bite sized pieces.
Salads should contain one or more of the following :
Mustard greens
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Alfalfa plant (not sprouts)
Turnip greens
Endive
Escarole
Squash
Cactus pad
Dragons need supplements to stay healthy. Calcium with D3 and no phosphorous and a good multivitamin. Repcal brand is recommended for both. The calcium (Repcal pink label) should be used 5 feedings per week, and the multivitamin (Repcal blue label) should be used twice per week. This can be used on live prey or on salads, with live prey being the most prefered method.
HATCHLING TO 4 MONTHS :
Babies need protein and lots of it! Up to about 4 months of age, a dragon should be fed live prey 3 times a day. They should also be given fresh salads daily, whether they show an interest in it or not. They will eventually eat it. Salads at this age should be simple, with one or two staple greens listed above.
4 to 8 MONTHS :
These guys still need their protein! Feeding should be twice a day every day with live prey, and still offer a healthy salad every day. Now is the time to add more variety to the salad. You can start mixing up the staples and giving 3 or 4 different foods. You can also throw in some fruit once or twice a week. Mango, papaya, and berries tend to be favorites. Dragons may or may not be eating their salad at this point. It's important to keep offering it daily, even if they're still not eating it.
8 to 12 MONTHS :
Now's the time to start pushing salads. Offer the salad first thing in the morning, and no live prey until afternoon. This will allow the dragon to eat the salad without the distraction of live prey, and they'll be hungry. Offer one feeding of live prey, as much as they want, in the afternoon. Be sure to allow for 2 hours of basking and digestion before lights out.
ADULTS :
Adults should be given a fresh salad every day. Live prey should be cut down to about 50 insects per week. At this time you can add some superworms into the diet for variety, but they still should not be the staple insect.
This sheet is simply the basic care for your pet. There is a whole wealth of information and help out there. I recommend http://www.crazyreptileworld.com/forum/index.php discussion forums for further learning.