Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Providing a good home
• Part 2 of 3: Holding your bearded dragon
• Part 3 of 3: Bonding with your dragon through care

When you own a bearded dragon, you naturally want to love your pet. Your bearded dragon may also feel affection for you when you take care of him. Learn how to hold it properly, wash it and take care of its housing. By offering your pet a good and safe home, you show your love.

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Part 1 of 3: Providing a good home

1. Buy a good quality vivarium. A vivarium is a wooden container with a glass front. It should have a tight-fitting lid and smooth sides so that the bearded dragon doesn't hurt its nose. Look for a vivarium that is easy to keep clean. Vivariums must have a watertight seal or polyurethane. You need to make sure that the joints are also waterproofed.
   • If you waterproof a vivarium yourself, make sure to let the vivarium dry for a week before putting your bearded dragon in its enclosure.
   • Make sure your bearded dragon has enough room to run around, climb, and sit on branches.
   • Regularly thoroughly clean your pet's environment with a 10: 1 mixture of water and bleach. Remove any vegetables he doesn't eat within four hours. Remove uneaten insects at the end of the day.
2. Use an aquarium. You can also buy an aquarium for your bearded dragon. Baby bearded dragons can live in a 40 to 60 liter tank, but adults need a larger space of 210 to 230 liter. Aquariums are a better short-term solution only because it is difficult to regulate the temperature in them.
3. Offer a vivarium and a heater. Wooden vivariums can encapsulate heat better than glass or metal. Focus on creating a less warm area (30 degrees Celsius) and a warmer area (45 degrees Celsius). The vivarium must not be smaller than 122 x 61 x 61 cm. Make sure your vivarium has air holes, at least one per 0.1 m2. The ventilation can be better at the top of the back wall than in the lower part. See the WikiHow article on Bearded Dragon Care for additional instructions on how to organize your pet's living space and vivarium.
   • You can buy a vivarium, or make your own with DIY kits, such as Vivexotic.
4. Place good bedding. A ground cover is the material that forms the bottom of the vivarium. Your pet will want to dig in the bedding. Focus on bedding that looks natural and makes your bearded dragon feel at home. The bedding should also be absorbent. Since your dragon may inadvertently eat parts of it, try to find a bedding that is non-toxic and can be digested safely. You can use smooth newspaper, carpet parts, brown wrapping paper or Astro Turf.
   • Do not use wood chips or sawdust, gravel, cat litter or soil with pesticides, vermiculite, fertilizers or surfactants as bedding.
5. Provide a suitable furnishing. Put branches in it to climb on. A reptile hammock is also fun for your pet and can be bought at pet stores. Provide your dragon room with a reptile hideout, which is an enclosed area in which your dragon can hide from you. Your dragon will also use this space for long periods of sleep. Also put one platform for sunbathing in the living space. This can be a stone or any other surface within 6 to 8 inches of the heat lamp. Here an dragon can warm himself.
   • Make sure to strip all bark from natural wood branches so your dragon doesn't eat the wood. Clean all branches before use.

Part 2 of 3: Holding your bearded dragon

1. Know how to do it. Agams really like to be held. Wait three to four days after the dragon arrives before starting to hold it. Wash your hands before and after contact with the pet. Start holding it for short periods, several times a day. This helps to build confidence slowly.
   • When holding your dragon, aim for a calm environment.
   • Babies, young children, women who are or may be pregnant, the elderly or people with weakened immune systems should be careful when touching the dragon or be in the vicinity of its enclosure.Salmonella infections can occur. If you or your child belongs to one of these target groups, consult with a doctor before approving contact with the reptile.
   • Read the WikiHow article on how to hold bearded dragons for clear tips.
2. Pick up the dragon. Grab your dragon from under his body with a slow but confident scooping motion. Support its entire body and its legs and tail. Do not hold or lift your dragon by its tail. It can break!
3. Calm your dragon. It is important to tame your dragon from the start. If your dragon appears aggressive (his “beard” will darken), hold him firmly (not too tightly) with both hands and pat him. If your pet seems particularly upset, let him go for a short time and then try to hold him again until he calms himself down. Training your dragon to be held and to calm down can take several months, but it is very important to build a good relationship with your dragon.

Part 3 of 3: Bonding with your dragon through care

1. Feed your dragon by hand. One way to bond with your dragon is to give him his food directly. You should do this every now and then, but not so often that your dragon becomes dependent on you. Agams instinctively hunt for their food, so you should still feed your dragon food in a bowl most of the time. Place the food on your fingertip. Your dragon will use his tongue to take the food from you.
   • Bearded dragons eat vegetables, live insects such as crickets, waxworms or mealworms, or bearded dragons food that can be purchased at pet stores. Safe vegetables include pumpkin, endive, turnip greens, and cabbage. Agams also eat apples, strawberries and cantaloupe.
   • Do not feed your pet spinach, avocado, lettuce or wild insects.
   • Establish a regular feeding schedule. Whether you feed by hand or place the food in your dragon's enclosure, your dragon will adhere to feeding times. He will then associate a positive experience with you!
   • You should feed your young dragon once a day and your adults once a day or every other day. Juvenile agams need a diet consisting largely of live food. Agams are able to transition to a vegetarian diet when they reach maturity.
   • Your dragon may think your fingers are food. Be careful when feeding it!
2. Wash your bearded dragon. Giving your lizard a bath will help it stay hydrated. Agams absorb water through their pores. This is especially important as dragons don't like to drink from a water bowl. To wash your dragon, fill a sink, bathtub, or other clean container with warm water (try to get it to 34.5 - 35.5 degrees Celsius). Your dragon can enjoy this activity and associate fun with you once again!
   • Make sure that the bath tub is thoroughly cleaned after use.
   • Spray water on your pet every other day. This will also help your lizard stay hydrated.
   • Try to bathe your pet every four to eight days, although you can also bathe it every day.
3. Focus on a stress-free environment. To keep your dragon happy, try to lower his stress level. High stress can lead to aggression. When your dragon is asleep, keep the noise level in your house low. If your dragon decides to hide under something, it could mean he wants to be alone. Try to respond appropriately to your dragon behavior and avoid disturbances unless there is an urgent need.
   • It's okay to let your dragon roam a bit outside of his enclosure. Just make sure you keep it out of the kitchen or other rooms where you eat or prepare food.
4. Take your dragon to the vet. Like any pet, bearded dragons should get an annual checkup. In addition, if you notice that your bearded dragon is behaving differently than usual, you should make an appointment with the vet. Mites are a common problem agams face - they drink the reptile's blood. But only a vet can determine, through a test, whether your pet is really sick.