Leopard Geckos serve as great household pets, for older children to adults. Leopard Geckos are among the most common lizards chosen as household pets because of their small size, they are easy to care for, they are very clean for a terrarium pet (their droppings habits are similar to that of a cat - they choose a main corner to lay their feces), they have an average lifespan of 19 - 22 years (longest recorded lifespan for a Leopard Gecko is 27 years), they have interesting wide-range of colors, and they can grow very tolerant to being handled. However, children should be monitored while handling Leopard Geckos because if they are under extreme stress or fear, their tails tend to fall off.

Bearded Dragons are extremely hardy lizards, when they are provided
with the proper temperatures and lighting in their environment.
However, they are also pets who do their best to hide their
symptoms from us when they become ill, as do most other reptiles.
This is no doubt an instinctual behavior, since a sick Beardie, in
the wild, would probably not live for very long.

Since your Beardie can’t groan or complain about where it hurts,
you must use your observation skills to determine when something is
not right. There are times when a healthy Beardie will act
differently, but these changes should be seen for what they are by
the experienced veterinarian.

Beardies require a temperature gradient in their enclosures because they can’t regulate their body temperatures like. They have to thermo regulate, which means that they have to move between areas of differing temperatures in order to regulate their internal temperature. To produce heat and a basking spot in your enclosure, you can use either a ceramic heat emitter, a reptile basking light (red, blue or white) or just a plain old household light bulb.

Bearded Dragons Substrates

The substrate (sometimes called flooring) is the material used to line your dragon’s housing. In their native environment, Beardies live in sandy desert areas. Playground sand is often used because it is relatively dust free and easy to maintain, although there have been reports of intestinal impaction. Substrates can also include wheat bran (pest free and rated for human consumption), outdoor carpeting, non-stick padded shelf liner, and paper towels. Other good substrates are newspaper, pea rock or aquarium gravel.

Bearded Dragons need a large enough habitat to allow for a variety of distances from the heat source. A glass aquarium is recommended for security, ease of maintenance, and pet viewing. To avoid the expense of multiple habitats as your pet grows to adulthood, consider using a partition that can be easily adjusted. This way, throughout the life of the pet, you can use a single large aquarium, 55-70 gallons.

The white melamine is a material that keeps the cage very bright which is important for stimulating a dragon’s appetite. The light (and the UVB) stays inside the cage rather than escaping through the glass sides of an aquarium. Glass fronts will allow the dragon to check out their world and interact with you.

Lizards from Pogona genus are commonly named as Bearded Dragon. They have broad triangular heads and flattened bodies. They reach a manageable average size of about 18-22 inches (46-56 cms). The average weight is about 10-18 ounces (283-510 gm)

The species of Bearded Dragons get their name from a distinctive series of lateral spines (specialized scales) radiating horizontally from the head and base of the tail. As juveniles, they are semi-arboreal. As adults, they are mostly terrestrial, but climb to bask and search for prey.

Feeding Bearded Dragons

The type of food you feed your dragon can vary depending on its age. At the earlier stages of life a dragon will need more protein and fewer greens, but it is advisable to introduce greens as early as you can. If you shun these, your pet may not take to them later as it matures. Bearded Dragons are omnivorous - they eat bugs and vegetation.

Your dragon will feed only if both the food you give it and its body temperature are right and will not show any appetite if the conditions are wrong and even if it would show an appetite and feeds, it cannot digest the food if the temperature is wrong.

Many times people get a beardie and just love the creature but unfortunately the animal dies in a couple of weeks or months. In fact, statistics show that more than 70% of beardies die in their first year of life, if they live together with a new owner.

So, when you want to get a Bearded Dragon, you should look it over carefully. Some things you should notice right away is how alert and active the Dragon is. Do not buy a Beardie which looks to be lethargic and is unable to lift its head.