Many people get a bearded dragon and don't know what to do next... or even first, sometimes. Many pet shops don't provide accurate or complete information to customers. We're here to help!

Bearded dragons are lizards indigenous to Australia, and are commonly kept as pets. These reptiles get their name because of a behavior where they can puff out and darken the skin under their throats, which looks like a beard. They are omnivorous, as they eat both greens and insects. Bearded dragons are one of the most popular of reptile pets. Please make sure to check out the wealth of information on this site to help you take the best care of your bearded dragon as possible.

Did you know? Random fact with page refresh

Bearded dragons are technically known as called Pogona Vitticeps.

Dec, 2014 The new User Image Upload Manager is not available! Check out this forum topic for more info.

Nov, 2014 The 2015 Bearded Dragon Calendars now available! More information can be found on this forum topic.

Oct, 2014 New forum notifications! Now notifications about replies to topics are formatted in a nicer looking and easier to read format!

Oct, 2014 Mobile Device support is here! A new layout to best support whichever device you're using; smart phone, tablet, etc.

Sep, 2014 The Discussion Forums have an improved look and feel and a new Similar Topics feature! More info here.

Jan, 2014 Our Visitor Photo Album has been remodelled!

Jan, 2014 New Article: A Newbies Guide on What to Buy

Posted Wednesday November 5, 2014
Yes, it's that time of year again! Thanks to all the members who submitted the beautiful pictures of their bearded dragons, we have ourselves 2 new calendars for 2015!! Nearly 100 bearded dragons from our community strutting their stuff to bring you 2015 with bearded dragon style!! We have Calendar A and Calendar B as two different options! Order one! Order both!

Profits from the calendars contribute towards the cost and management of BeardedDragon.org! Both calendars are available at the Beardie Stuff Store. To comment or discuss, check out this announcement topic.

NOTE: CafePress has done some weird things with calendars. When ordering MAKE SURE to indicate the starting month as January, unless you explicitly want a different starting month for your calendar.

Posted Sunday December 14, 2014
What happens when you take one bold bearded dragon and one gentle cat and put them together? They become best buddies! Meet Puppet and Puff! These two are an adorable pair that very much seem to appreciate the company that the other provides. They enjoy lounging in sunbeams together, and even play dress-up. Although, I'm not so sure both of them are enjoying it as much as their keeper.

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But no costume is as adorable as watching these two bond over the warmth of a sunbeam!


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Happy Holidays, you two!

One thing I did want to caution for those who have cats and bearded dragons, please please please be careful if you choose to introduce you bearded dragon and cat together. It can be just as easy for a cat to decide that your beardie is a toy or a snack and injure the dragon. So, stay safe and keep an eye on them at all times.

Be sure to check out Puppet and Puff's Facebook page.

Posted Thursday December 4, 2014
I think that most people who visit this website understand that animals should be cared for, well fed, and certainly not neglected. But not everyone in this world seems to feel the same way. Fortunately, in the case of Reptiquatics of Whitley Bay (UK), the owners should not be able to cause any more harm than they already have.

After pleading guilty to charges of animal cruelty, they've been banned from trading/selling animals for 10 years, and 200 hours of unpaid work. Some may view this as a light sentence, but at least their actions were met with just consequences.

The judge was quoted as saying, "... it's not just negligence on your behalf, there is some amount of intent. You knew what the requirements were of you in keeping these animals."

What did they do? As their exotics center was failing, they would leave the animals unattended for a week at a time. No food, no water. And based on the condition of some of the animals, I'm guessing when they did check in, that the care was probably not very good either. For example, one emaciated bearded dragon weighed in at only 192 grams and died. For those not aware, most dragons should be between 350 and 600 grams. Other failures of care.... temperatures were too low and lighting and water filtration systems were turned off.

The lesson here... if your business is failing, keep your personal integrity and make sure you still do right by the animals you were once caring for and selling! Heck, it would have been better for them to have a "giving away for free" event, than to simply let the poor animals suffer the neglect.

The same goes for any individual who finds that they can't care for their bearded dragon. Do the right thing and at least find the little one(s) a new home. On BeardedDragon.org, we have a For Free forum where people can seek a new home for their beardie (or anything else you may be looking to give away for others to use).

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/whitley-bay-exotic-pet-shop-8171301

Posted Friday November 7, 2014
Most of us who have cared for bearded dragons for any significant period of time know that they tend to be more pale in color at night, and more vivid and dark in color during the morning/day. In general, most of us have thought that it strictly had to do with the temperature. When it's cold, they slow down and color gets pale. When they warm up, their colors come out. That makes sense, right? Well, apparently, that's not all she wrote, to borrow a phrase.

While the actual temperature may still play a part, studies at the University of Melbourne showed that a bearded dragon's body color would still change, to a lesser degree, with the time of day even if they were kept in complete darkness.

"Dragons are typically dark-brown in the morning, which helps them to absorb more heat to reach their active body temperature. Then, when they need to control their body temperature during the heat of the afternoon, their skin turns a light cream or orange colour, and remains that way throughout the night."

While this information may not be as helpful to those of us who keep bearded dragons as pets, now you have a little bit of "useless information" to pull out when you next hang out with your reptile keeping friends!

You can check out the story on this study at the ABC Science website.

Posted Wednesday October 29, 2014
So, what happens when an 18" lizard finds itself in a place that doesn't allow them? You end up with freaked out Hawaiians who don't know what it is! But for those of us who know and love our bearded dragons, we would have immediately identified it as an adorable beardie.

It seems that a bearded dragon managed to find its way under the home of a Hawaiian family. They heard scratching and thought it was a rat, at first. When they discovered the 18" bearded dragon, they contacted the authorities to come get it. Hawaii definitely has its problems with invading species. They're not sure how this bearded dragon made its way to the island. Sadly this was most likely someone's escaped pet.

Hopefully this beardie will be able to find its way to a happy and safe home. And hopefully, more people in the world will learn what a bearded dragon is, and that they're generally harmless and docile reptiles.

Check out the news broadcast on KHON2's website!