Q&A for How to Care for Bearded Dragons

Yes, they make excellent pets and have a reputation for being the 'dog' of the reptile world. Good-natured, a beardie is unlikely to bite and will give you a warning by puffing up his beard if annoyed. They also have their own character, which makes owning one a lot of fun.

Young beardies do need to eat daily, but as they mature the frequency of feeding drops off. An adult beardie will do well just by eating every second or third day (live food) although you may wish to leave veggies in the vivarium for him to graze on.

A beardie may do this in order to absorb heat, either from the sun or from heating radiating up from the ground. They may also flatten out as a defensive mechanism to make themselves look bigger in a same way a cat fluffs up her fur.

Yes, but they do require a surprising amount of care. For example, you need a UVB source (changed every 6 months), a day heat lamp and an ambient heater for cold nights. You also need to switch their lights on and off to mimic daylight and night, which means being around or putting them on timers. You also need to take good care of their live food (locusts) and keep things very clean.

Different bearded dragons like different things, in the same way people have different preferences; however, a treat that is loved by most bearded dragon is a nice wriggly Morio worm.

Young bearded dragons do best on insects such as locusts, cockroaches and waxworms (as a treat). As the beardie matures, they should switch to a more vegetarian diet and enjoy grated carrots, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables, as well as the occasional locust.