The Reptile Rooms

Caring for Babies

Bearded Dragon Care Sheet (babies up to age 4 months)

Of course you will want to read up as much as you can on your new friend. Local libraries, bookstore and the online search engines are a great source of information about these remarkable creatures. We recommend you read several sources and discuss with you Vet. Below is some information to get you started on the right path with your baby.

Hatchlings can use a 10-20 gallon glass tanks for starters, they are easy to care and clean, not to large that the beardy feels overwhelmed and you can make a nice habitat with little expense. Young beardies should have larger enclosures so they can have a heat gradient and choose where they wish to bask or relax. They will need a rock, cave or platform of some kind for basking (avoid cement) and they also love to climb so a stick, wood or rock arrangement for that suitable.
You will also need a heat source and a UVB source. This is a must for their digestion and proper absorption of calcium and vitamins. You can use a plain household bulb for heat or ceramic heat emitters and a UVB strip light with ceramic fixture or you can use the two in one UVB/Heat lamps in ceramic fixtures. Many experts agree they need less supplements with this type of bulb, you can find info online or discuss with a qualified Vet. Unless your home temperature get below 60 a night, you should not need a night heat source. Ideal surface temperatures are 90-110 in the basking area, 70-85 in the cooler end. If you need night heat, make sure your use something the will not interfere with his sleep, proper rest is vital to his well being. Get a good temperature gauge and check this so the lights are proper distance, but not close enough that the beardies may be able to reach them.
ALWAYS quarantine a new pet from others for a minimum of 30 days, we use 90 days to be sure, this allows the baby a chance to adjust without the stress of other animals in a new environment, gives you time to see if he has any problems that might not have been noticeable when purchased and avoids passing any problems (like coccidia, etc) that other animals may have be harboring that was not visible yet. A young dragon is more susceptible to many common parasites that older ones rarely have problems with.
Paper towels or newspapers are a good substrate to start or reptile carpet, baby beardies are not the most accurate eaters and you want to avoid impaction from sand and other edible items that will not pass through their systems. The towels you can change as needed or the reptile carpet can be washed when needed or spot wiped with baby wipes. When older they can move to washed play sand or a combo of two. We use reptile carpet, a folded paper towel and when they are 9 months old they get a sand box to play in.

If moving in with other bearded dragons, make sure they are of similar size, you don't want to confuse a larger more aggressive beardy that this is a snack. Never mix species together.
Mist them 2-3 times a day, it is unusual for young beardies to drink from a water bowl, but they will drink moving water from misting or drink when soaked in a small tub or sink, if they baby is not drinking or seems to be dehydrating, you can soak them for 10-15 minutes in water close to your body temperature, not warmer, and move the water with your fingertips or drop a few drops on their nose. As they grow older and eat more salads, they will get their fluids from there and need less water. For bathing tips please see

Bathing and Making it Fun!

You will need to supplement hatchlings every day with calcium with Vitamin 3D and every 3-4 days with vitamins, this can taper off as they grow older, like at 4 months you can change to calcium 2-3 times a week and Vitamins very other week.. This can be done by "dusting" the crickets or salads if your baby is eating them already. We find that on the crickets is best as the beardies are great little hunters and you'll be assured they are taking in the nutrients they need. Several brands are available through shows, pet stores and dealers. Again, depending on the lights you have them under or if in natural sunlight, discuss this with your Vet or read recommendations on the knowledge base section
Make ribbon sliced greens and finely chopped vegetables available to them in the mornings and all day in their enclosures, then gut loaded crickets 1-2 times later in the day. Mixing collard, mustard greens, romaine, small amounts of kale and small amounts of baby spinach are a good source of greens to start with and carrots, green beans, snow peas and squashes. When feeding crickets to them, allow them to eat all they want in 15 minutes of crickets that are not bigger than the space between their eyes. Larger prey can cause them to choke and also it can put pressure on the spinal cord that can result in rear leg paralysis. It is recommended to feed them crickets in a separate tub, if the babies are not stressed by this and will eat well. A 13 gallon Rubbermaid or sterlite plastic tub works well with a grip pad in the bottom. This reduces the possibility of escaped crickets wanting to snack on your beardie's tail, toes and eyes when he is resting or sleeping and also avoid the possible reingesting of coccidia oocysts. Pellets such as Rep-Cal brand are also a good source pf commercial food, but not recommended as the sole source.

For a recommended salad see "A Bearded Dragon Salad"

Minimal coccidia in bearded dragons appears to be a normal part of their stomach fauna, but reingesting them and stress can cause these to overload a young beardie's digestive system, which can lead to smelly feces, lack of appetite and illness. We recommend that you establish yourself with a knowledgeable Vet early and take have a fecal check on your beardies when you first get him. If you suspect your beardie may be ill later on, we advise you take a fecal sample to your Vet and have it checked for this. This is a fairly common problem that young beardies who change environment may suffer from stress and easy to cure when caught early. This does not mean you're a bad keeper or the breeder did not care for them properly. Moving to a new owner and housing can stress some young animals and this is the cause of it.
Try not to handle the baby too much the first few days, give him time to adjust, this is very new and different to him. Talk to him periodically, until he adjust to you and realizes you are a source of warmth and good things, not scary. Always pick him up from the front, sliding your fingers under him. There will come a time when he will leap into your hand and not want to be put back.

Bearded dragons are a hearty breed of reptile and if cared for properly you should have little problems with them. Should your baby show any signs of twitching, shaking, walking funny, lethargic, constant gazing up or difficulty with eating, first check that temperatures are correct, they are hydrated, supplemented regularly (if not, begin NOW) and proper lights are working. If all those factors are correct, call your Vet and make an appointment to have him checked.

This article comes from The Reptile Rooms
http://www.reptilerooms.com/