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Bearded dragon

The central bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps, comes from the arid interior of eastern Australia and is the most widely kept pet lizard in the world.

The name is for the spiny throat pouch, which the animal flares and darkens when threatened or displaying.

It reaches 40 to 60 centimetres including the tail and lives eight to twelve years. Bearded dragons are diurnal, sit out in the open, tolerate handling better than almost any other lizard, and communicate visibly — arm-waving, head-bobbing and beard-darkening are all readable. That combination is why they are recommended so often, and the recommendation is fair, provided the lighting is right.

Origin
Arid interior of eastern Australia
Adult size
40–60 cm including tail
Lifespan
8–12 years
Basking temperature
38–42°C surface, with a cool end near 24°C
UVB
Essential — a strong linear tube, replaced every 6–12 months
Diet
Insects and greens; the ratio shifts towards greens with age

3 bearded dragon photos, newest first

Bearded dragon feed
  • Spike, a bearded dragon

    Spike

    Spike waves at everyone from that rock. We have stopped trying to explain it to visitors.

    FrostyOtter · 6 days ago

  • Winston, a bearded dragon

    Winston

    Winston came to the board, considered it for a long time, and has yet to move a single piece. The book was open at the openings.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Winston, a bearded dragon

    Winston

    Winston heard the treat bag from two rooms away.

    SunnyHeron · 2 weeks ago

Living with a bearded dragon

UVB is the thing that decides whether a bearded dragon is healthy. Without it they cannot make vitamin D3, cannot use dietary calcium, and develop metabolic bone disease — bent limbs, a rubbery jaw, tremors, eventually fractures. Use a strong linear tube across a third of the enclosure, not a coil, and replace it every six to twelve months even though it still emits visible light.

Run a thermal gradient: a basking surface at 38–42°C at one end and around 24°C at the other, so the animal chooses.

Juveniles eat mostly insects; adults should be mostly greens, because obesity and fatty liver disease are the common adult problems. Dust insects with calcium.

House alone. Adults are territorial and will fight.

An adult needs a 120 × 60 cm enclosure at minimum — most kits sold with juveniles are outgrown within a year.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual reptiles vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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