Feeding should start to be reduced as the sub adult stage is reached, and then reduced to a maintenance level as it reaches adult weight.

There is much variation in adult weight which adds to the confusion. A healthy adult bearded dragon can be anything from 400 to 700 grams, with around the 500 gram mark being average. Females, on average, weigh less than males. Their size as adults depend on a number of factors including the nutrition they've had whilst growing, and their genetic makeup. Points to Remember You should not adopt a young bearded dragon until it is at least six weeks of age. Moving to a new home causes stress, and may put them off eating for up to two weeks. If they are younger than six weeks when moved they probably won't have built up enough fat reserves to see them through any period of stress. Never feed anything which is larger than the gap between their eyes. As they grow the size of the food offered should be increased but still follow this rule. 

Bearded dragons lose interest in smaller insects as they grow so increase the size of livefood as well as the size of chopped vegetables as the latter helps develop healthy teeth. Always keep a bowl of chopped vegetables and fruit in the vivarium with a juvenile or sub adult, even if they show no sign of interest in it. When adult they will be mainly vegetarian, so should have every opportunity to try different foods. They seem to have quite individual tastes, so try a variety of vegetables and fruit to see what yours likes. Quite often they will eat little bits even if you think the food has been untouched. What You Should Feed by Age and Size From six to twelve weeks you should be feeding three feeds a day of as much livefood as he can eat in 10 minutes each time. Try not to leave any crickets in the vivarium overnight as they have been known to nip the soft parts of baby beardies quite badly, and at the very least cause them stress. 

If you leave a bowl of vegetables in overnight, any crickets you have missed should eat this, and not your pet. It's useful if you can feed your bearded dragon outside the vivarium in a plastic tub or washing up bowl - that way you can see how much he's eaten, and you cn be sure there are no crickets left in the vivarium. At twelve weeks reduce to two feeds per day, again consisting of how many can be eaten in 10 minutes. I'm often asked questions such as 'my bearded dragon eats 20 crickets a day - is this enough?' which is impossible to answer! The best and really only way to know if you are feeding your juvenile correctly is to weigh him each week, and make sure there is a steady weight gain. When your bearded dragon is around six to nine months old, and weighing between 250 to 300 grams reduce to one feed per day. He should be looking plumpish by this stage, with a good fat reserve at the base of his tail. 

Adult Bearded Dragons It is dangerous to continue feeding an adult livefood every day, as his metabolism will not be able to cope with all the protein. Adults should be fed livefood only two or three times a week, and fresh vegetables and fruit should be given daily. An adult should be on a maintenance diet which enables him to maintain his weight, he should not increase his weight once fully grown. Calcium and Vitamins As they grow so rapidly and as they are kept with artificial light, a sub adult bearded dragon cannot absorb sufficient calcium to support his rate of growth. Additional calcium must be given daily to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) which causes deformity of the limbs, and which, untreated or not caught early enough, can be fatal. One feed per day should be dusted with calcium powder, and vitamin supplements should be given twice a week. 

It's possible to buy a combined calcium/vitamin supplement that can be given daily. Once adult, calcium supplements should be given weekly. Environmental Effects on Food Digestion No matter how well you feed your bearded dragon, if you have not set up the vivarium correctly he will not be able to digest his food properly and obtain the nutrients from it. They need a basking temperature of around 105 degrees Fahrenheit together with a strong (preferably 12%) UVB light. What type of Livefood to Feed? Youngsters should be fed crickets or locusts. Crickets are recommended due simply to the copious amounts they eat as they are cheaper. If you introduce locusts too early you may end up with an expensive fussy beardie. Locusts or roaches are a good food for an adult bearded dragon. Never feed a diet of meal worms - the chitin in their skin makes them hard to digest. 

Meal worms and wax worms can be fed as an occasional treat. These reptiles do not need to eat pinkies. Until they are adult these will be to big for them, and once adult they do not need the extra protein unless they are undernorished (for example, one that has been neglected). They can be given to a female in between laying clutches of eggs as this is the time she will need extra protein. Bearded dragons are living longer in captivity as we understand more about their needs and how to look after them properly. Feeding the right foods and the right amount will help your pet have a long and happy life. Bearded dragons are great pet lizards, both for lizard beginners as well as seasoned reptile enthusiasts. This is due to their gentle nature and minimal maintenance requirements, which has made them popular family pets. 

In most cases, they are healthy, hardy animals, which normally have a lifespan of ten years or more. Nevertheless, they do get ill from time to time, thus you should regularly check your bearded dragon for illness symptoms. In order to do this, you need to know what to look for so as to determine whether your pet is sick. This article will discuss bearded dragon illnesses as well as their symptoms, so that you can deal with them in a timely manner. One of the most common bearded dragon illnesses is Metabolic Bone Disease, which results from insufficient intake of calcium or inadequate lighting. In this case, the lighting does not have sufficient UVB rays, which enable calcium to be utilized by the body.

The skin will naturally fall off when the skin underneath is ready for exposure.

If it is exposed to early it may not be formed properly so please leave nature to do it's own work. When raising baby bearded dragons there are many important aspects to consider. The baby bearded lizard must receive the proper diet, live in proper environmental conditions and be handled correctly to prevent any harm or sickness. Listed below are five tips for caring for baby bearded dragons: Tip #1: Living Conditions The baby bearded lizard should be housed separate from the adults to reduce the amount of stress, and the competition for food. Baby dragons should be housed in their own vivarium with specific temperature and size characteristics. Tip #2: Vivarium The vivarium for the baby bearded lizards should remain approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas and around 80 degree Fahrenheit in others. 

The size of the vivarium should be approximately half the size of the adult vivarium to enable the baby bearded lizards to feel secure and catch the insects placed in the vivarium for feeding. Sand should not be used as a substrate for the baby's vivarium due to the risk of impaction that sand creates. Tip #3: Meals It is recommended to feed baby bearded dragons crickets that are smaller than the distance between the dragon's eyes. The crickets should be gut loaded with vegetables and greens, such as collards, apples, carrots and anything else of that nature. It is important to remember that the crickets should be gut loaded the night before they will be fed to the bearded dragons because high levels of vitamins will kill the crickets. The crickets should also be sprinkled with vitamin and calcium powder to boost the vitamin intake of the baby bearded lizards. The baby reptiles should be fed several times a day, as the species in general has a very high metabolism. Large amounts of protein and fat are required to support the baby's fast growth rate. Tip #4: Between Meals Baby bearded dragons are known to nibble on vegetables placed in the vivarium between feedings, which is beneficial to the baby's growth. 

The vegetable and greens placed in the vivarium should be finely diced for the bearded lizard to be able to eat them, and they should be removed after a day or two to prevent any bacteria from growing in the vivarium. As with insects, the vegetables and greens provided for the baby should be no wider than the width between the eyes. Feeding any age of dragon too large of food may cause undesirable health effects. Tip #5: Handling Up until the bearded dragon reaches the juvenile stage of development, it should be handled on occasion or only when necessary. Handling the baby bearded dragons to often will cause them to endure unnecessary amounts of stress at a young age. The bearded lizard should be given time to develop and become accustomed to its surroundings. If a baby must be handled or moved for some reason it should be handled with extreme care as the younger bearded dragons are a lot more fragile than the older reptiles. Bearded Dragon Breeding Requirements In order to breed to bearded dragons there are several guidelines to be followed, and preparations to be considered for the bearded dragon baby. 

This includes finding a male and female bearded dragon, providing a nesting vivarium and proper living conditions for the fragile offspring. Mating Guide A male bearded dragon should be placed in a vivarium with only a female bearded dragon, it is recommended to place several females with one male to increase the possibility of mating occurring. When determining the sex of the bearded dragon one should look at the belly; males have two distinct lumps that are visible around the middle of the dragon's belly, while the female has one small lump located in the center. Another sign is the physical actions of the dragons, the male bobs its head and the female will generally raise one arm and wave it. When a male and female begin mating, the male dragon will bite the neck of the female to maintain a stable position; if the bites are too serious the female will need to be separated from the male to avoid potential harm to the female bearded dragon. Upon a successful mating, the female should be separated from the male to prevent the male from creating excessive stress in the female dragon. 

The female should be placed in a vivarium designed to incubate and support the eggs, as well as the babies that follow. Incubation Vivarium The vivarium for the eggs should contain substrate composed of a sand and soil mixture. The mixture must be deep enough to nest the laid eggs, which range in number from fifteen to forty eggs. It should also be easily dug by the bearded lizard to create a nest for the cluster of eggs. Once the female has laid the eggs it may be removed from the vivarium containing the eggs; females become smaller and slightly skinnier after laying eggs. The eggs should remain in the vivarium, and the vivarium should be well ventilated. A constant temperature between 82 degrees Fahrenheit and 86 degrees Fahrenheit is required for the incubation of the eggs. The eggs will hatch in roughly eight weeks, which will produce a large number of young to be cared for. Baby Lizard Care The newly hatched bearded dragons are very fragile, and should be handled less frequently until they are at least eight weeks old. 

The vivarium housing the young should ideally be the same vivarium they were hatched in, though the environment should be similar to that of the adult bearded dragons. A ten to twenty gallon aquarium will support them; new born bearded lizards require less space to feel secure, less space also increases their ability to catch and eat insects. For the babies to begin drinking water it must be sprayed on to its head, cage and substrate until they begin drinking the water. After a baby bearded dragon begins drinking water a water bowl should be provided, it is recommended to feed them water with a medicine dropper if needed. They should be fed two to three times per day and be provided adequate levels of vitamins and nutrients. Large amounts of fat and protein are important for inducing rapid growth in the young specimen, while calcium and other vitamins should be provided to promote better bone health for growth. Greens and vegetables may be shredded and placed in the cage for them to nibble on, and the shredded pieces should be a third of the size of the head for them to be able to eat it. 

There is often a lot of confusion about what a bearded dragon should eat and how much. These reptiles have very particular needs in their dietary requirements. Depending on their age and stage of development they can rightly be described a being mainly carnivorous, or mainly vegetarian which can be confusing for some people. A growing bearded dragon (that is, sub adult) needs a diet that's mainly made up of livefood so that it gets the massive amounts of protein that it needs to sustain its rapid rate of growth. Once an adult, more than 20% of livefood in its diet will overload its organs and lead to an unhealthy and shortened life. Making this more difficult, it seems each member of this species grows at a different rate, taking between a year (or sometimes even less) to 18 months to reach full adult size, so it is impossible to say at 12 months, for example, a bearded dragon should be eating this much food of this type. The main rule to follow is that from hatchling through the juvenile stage it is almost impossible to overfeed.

Beard Czar

Out of the two options, a beard trimmer would likely be the best choice, as it does a better overall job and requires less work and expertise. The use of scissors is best when dealing with trimming of a lengthy beard, the only problem is once you've reached beyond that point, it is very difficult to stay consistent, as you're always in a position where you have estimate if you've cut your hairs evenly, plus they're not the best option for defining and stylizing your beard. If you do decide to go with scissors, it is recommended you use professional scissors that were Beard Czar made with the intention of cutting hair, but tak einto consideration that they are more expensive than beard trimmers. Beard Maintenance - Step by Step: - Wait for your beard to finish growing, this will prevent your beard from looking uneven after it has been trimmed. - Decide in advance how you want your beard to look. - 

Take a shower and shampoo your beard, but remember to dry your beard fully before you start trimming it. It is well known that when the beard is wet, it tends to appear longer than it actually is and thus might cause a person to trim more than necessary. - Comb your beard in the direction of your hair growth several times using your beard comb, this makes all the hairs face the same direction, which eases the trimming process. If you're using scissors, comb the desired area you want to trim, but move the comb slightly away from your face, and then cut the hairs that pop out through the teeth of the comb (you've probably seen your barber use this technique). This isn't necessary of course if you're using a beard trimmer, since all you have to do is put on one of the protective guards that comes with it. - When using either a trimmer or a pair of scissors, it is best to start small. Remember, you can always cut more, but you can't go back after cutting way too much. If you're using a trimmer, use a low level of trimming first and always use your guard (the only exception is when we define a neck line), and either increase the power or use a shorter guard when you pass the area again, in case you want to trim more.

If you're using scissors, just don't cut too much of the length of the hairs that pop out. - Begin by trimming below your ears following the lines of your jawbone towards your chin. - Now it's time to focus on the main part of the beard. Start from your bottom neck area and trim upwards from your neck to your chin on all sides, remember to follow the hair growth in a straight upwards fashion. - Go to your cheek area and trim the area of your upper cheeks down towards the corner of your mustache, which brings us to the next stage. Trimming the Mustache:. - Avoid trimming the upper area of the mustache, this usually ends up looking very unappealing. -You need to expose your upper lip by trimming the bottom of your mustache, the correct way to do is to follow the contour of your upper lip, starting the trim on the middle area and moving away to the left, than again going for the middle area and moving to the right. -Now it's time to for us to create and define a neck line, which basically defines our whole beard. 

At this stage we take off our guard (if we're using a trimmer of course). If you're using scissors, just focus on cutting more hair length than before, another way to highlight your neck line is to use a razor, because as opposed to what we've done so far, this is actually more of a shave than a trim, with the sole intention of highlighting your neck line. To do this, you go in a downwards movement, using one inch above your adam's apple as a reference point. Shedding of the skin is common in lizards so it's only natural you want to learn as much bearded dragon shedding facts as possible. It will allow you to aid your dragon as much as possible, understand the behavior to expect and avoid doing anything that could harm your beardie in the shedding process. 1. Bearded dragon shedding occurs due to growth so it's only natural that it would occur more often when it's a baby. In it's first year, your beardie can shed several times. 

The frequency depends on it's growth rate and growth spurts. It's not the same for every dragon just like we humans grow at different rates. 2. A common sign and symptom of beginning the shedding process is that the skin of your bearded dragon will be very muted and dull. 3. During the shedding process it is beneficial to keep your dragon well hydrated. Increasing the frequency of misting and baths will ensure that the shedding process will be as quick as possible. 4. Bearded dragons usually lose interest in eating or stop eating altogether whilst skin shedding. This is nothing to worry about because the dragon is naturally programmed to use energy for shedding rather than use Beard Czar Reviews up energy in digestion. Obviously you want your dragon to start eating properly as soon as possible so the best thing you can do is misting and bathing to aid the shedding of the skin. 5. Eye bulging is a common behavior during this time and can look really freaky and worrying. They do this to stretch the skin round the eyes to loosen it. 

If the eye bulging continues for days though it could be a sign of high blood pressure so make sure you watch for this and make a vet appointment if necessary. 6. To aid the process your dragon will rub against rocks, the vivarium floor, other dragons, scratching with it's hind legs. 7. Unlike snakes, bearded dragons shed their skin in patches rather than one neat whole piece. 8. The most important point to note is that you must resist the urge to help your dragon by peeling and picking their skin for them. It's only natural that when you see your dragon frustrated and upset during the shedding stage that you think you are being kind picking it for them. Please don't do this. This can be very damaging.