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.
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