"Did You Know?" Board Of Information Project

[Beardediggy]

not sure if this belongs here it is directly related to dragons so i guess ill just go ahead.

i want to put together a little corrugated plastic board of information, the topics will convey the most commonly asked questions

What do they eat?
Where do they live?
How big do they get?
What temperatures do they need?
What is their temperment like?
How long do they live?
What illnesses can you contract from them?
What kind of behaviour do they manifest?
How many Sub-Species are there?

if you can think of others that’s great, what i was wanting/wondering is if people would be willing to take a subject and use there Beardie as a Grounds for that question, all beardies are different i want the board to show so. I figure with other peoples Real life experiences apart from my own it will make a great little "Did You Know?" information board.

as of late i have been taking my lizard to various activities at parks and have been bombarded with interest and think that this board will help a lot with answering peoples many questions.

You can send me your topic via pm (picture included)

****EXAMPLE****
**Topic you wish to cover**
Description
Description
Description
Description
Description

Picture portraying description

***END EXAMPLE***

Anybody who wants to contribute are more then welcome to.

Thank you in advanced to all of those who are willing to help me out here.

BeardedIggy

 

[fresnowitte]

What do they eat? Variety of bugs, worms, veggies, and fruits. For a list of some foods check here; http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Where do they live? Bearded dragon are from Australia...most of what we've seen originated from Central Australia. From terrain like this...

How big do they get? On an average 18 to 22 inches long...however I believe the record is 26 inches.

What temperatures do they need? Beardies need a range of temps. Basking temps of 100* to 110* with a cool retreat provided with temp between 70* and 80* however for some during the Summer months might have cooler end temps just a bit higher. They do best with lower night-time temps of 65* to 70*.

What is their temperament like? For the most part beardies are very sociable creatures they love human contact. Like a scaly puppy!

How long do they live? On an average in captivity between 8 and 10 years...however in the wild it would be much less.

What illnesses can you contract from them? The only thing that I'm aware that you can catch from a beardie is salmonella however you'd have to have contact directly with poop to mouth in order for this to happen. Though it maybe possible for someone with a compromised immune system to be more susceptible.

What kind of behaviour do they manifest? Here are a few that are often asked about...

Arm waving
This is seen in all Dragons contrary to what you may have read. It is a sign of submission. Basically what they are saying is "please calm down, I do not want trouble" or "you are the king and I am not worth the fuss." Most people believe that if you have two dragons in the same cage the one that waves is the female. This is not 100% accurate. I have seen the males wave to the females. When two males are within sight of each other one will sometimes wave to the other.

Head bobbing
For male Dragons, this simply means I am king. If two males are within sight of each other this is a must. If both males bob aggressively then a fight may result. However, in most cases, the less aggressive male will slow bob his head, while the dominant male bobs will have lots more motion. Females do a slight nod. In new studies, some herpetologists believe they also bob to judge distance.

Gaping
In a healthy dragon, this behavior is normal. They gape their mouth open to release heat for the same reason a dog pants to cool down. Beardies do not sweat, so they do this to release heat. But, at other times it can be a sign of illness also. If you can see excess saliva then I suggest a vet visit to count out the possibility of a Respiratory Infection. Which can take your beardies life rather quickly.

Eye Bulging
There has been a lot of talk about eye bulging and why Beardies do it. Eye bulging is when the Beardie pushes his eyes out a little. It looks like their eyes are going to pop right out. It can be a sign of stress, but in most cases I think they do this to break the skin loose when shedding. It also appears that they might do this for the same reason that we rub our eyes. It feels good and we often do it when we are tired.

Push-ups
Sometimes females display what looks to be a push-up in response to male dragons' head bobs. Most of the time this is seen during breeding season.

Beard displaying
All Beardies will display this behavior but males have much larger beards. This is a sign of aggression or showing off for the females during breeding. Both male and female beards turn black when displayed (males are much darker and some times the darkness spreads down to their shoulders). I have also noticed they display their beards when shedding to help break the skin loose. Also, dragons do what we call "morning exercises." They puff up their beards in the morning as a way of stretching.

Digging
Females dig burrows to lay eggs and this is totally normal.

Circling and chasing
This is seen in fighting and breeding. Circling with the mouth open means, "I am not turning my back on you," and it could lead to biting and injuries.

Tail up in the air or tail twitching
If the tail is up or twitching it usually means the Beardie is hunting. Sometimes their tail will twitch when they are watching their prey before they give chase. And I call the curled up tail the scorpion stance they will do this when they are alert, warmed up, and happy.

Hissing
Sometimes when startled, both the male & the female will display their beards,open their mouths, and make a kind of hissing noise. This is a defense warning. Don't be alarmed, Beardies will hardly ever act on their on their threats. It's usually all show and no bite.

How many Sub-Species are there? Not sure on the answer to this one.

 

[Beardediggy]

that is a load of information care to provide pictures of your beardies? pertaining to the corresponding subjects?

thanks again

 

[sara24354]

What about proper UVB lighting? All beardies should have UVB. If I have misunderstood the thread and this is irrelevant I am sorry.

 

[fresnowitte]

Very good point Sara being that UVB is one of the upmost important items for proper care of beardies an is upmost important for their health.


Elaboration on Heating & Lighting

Beardies require a temperature gradient in their enclosures because they can not regulate their body temperatures like humans. They have to thermoregulate, which means that they have to move between areas of differing temperatures in order to regulate their internal temperature. You should have a basking spot for your Beardie that is around 95*-110* F, as they need to get their bodies around 95* to digest their food. Babies usually like the higher range where adults may perfer the lower range. Your Beardie will also need an area to cool down if he gets too warm. At the opposite end of the tank, you should try to keep the temp around 70*-85*. Night time temps shouldn't be allowed to drop below 65*, whereas 70*-75* is more comfortable for them. Don't guess on temps...you could cook or freeze your beardie. Use a good thermometer, one on the cool side and another on the basking spot. (Note: those stick on thermometers are usually not very accurate can be up to 20* off.) I personally recommend the infrared temp gun, but a digital probe will work as well.

I would not recommend using hot rocks or heat pads as they are potentially dangerous. They can overheat and cause serious burns or short out and cause electrical shocks. Also, Beardies do not have heat sensors on the underside of their bellies so they don't realize they're being burned. This can result in some pretty nasty burns not worth taking the chance.
As far as I know, there are only two types of bulbs that actually produce proper UVB for beardies - mercury vapor bulbs and the Reptisun 10.0 fluorescent tube (remember to replace your fluorescent tubes every 6 months, even if the bulb is still working). Don't be mislead by "full spectrum" bulbs. "Full spectrum" does not mean that it produces UVB. Beardies synthesize vitamin D3 when exposed to UVB, and D3 is necessary for calcium metabolization. In the wild, beardies expose themselves to the natural UVB in the sun's rays, but in captivity, especially in colder climates, they just don't get as much sunlight as they need to produce enough D3. Beardies who are deprived of UVB develop MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) where the Beardie uses calcium out of it's own bone sources to fuel bodily processes. If the MBD isn't treated early, skeletal deformities, broken bones, kidney failure, seizures, and eventually death will occur.
Natural sunlight is the best. Try to get your Dragon outside when the temperature is good and the sun is shining. Don't place your Beardie in a glass cage in direct sunlight as you will overheat him and could fry him. The glass of the aquarium acts like a magnifying glass in the sun - it will heat up the tank very quickly. Always provide a shady area for your Beardie to escape the heat of the sun if he gets too warm.
If the temperature drops below 65* in your home at night, you might want to consider a nighttime heat source for your Beardie. You can not use a bright light or any colored lights of any kind for heat at night. Imagine trying to sleep with the lights on. You wouldn't sleep very well. Your Beardie could get stressed out, stop eating, develop behavorial abnormalities, an it will compromise your beardies immune system if you keep his lights on all the time. Nocturnal reptile heat bulbs produce a dim light which is usually available in blue, purple (black light) and red. Some night lights produce more light at higher wattages. I don't recommend using these bulbs because it is believed that beardies can still detect some light that they are emitting.
The best heat source for night time is a ceramic heating element (CHE). CHE's are non-light emitting heating units. They get very hot but disperse heat over a very narrow (15" in diameter) and shallow area.

 

[Beardediggy]

thanks a lot for the information fresnowitte, now i think i can start printing it off and getting the appropiate pictures for the sections