Housing

Enclosure Specifications 

• Minimum Size: 48in x 24in x 18-24in (122cm x 61cm x 46-61cm). 
• Enclosure Type: Stackable Phaiolozoo enclosures (available in multiple colors) are recommended for their modularity and ease of maintenance. Purchase here

Lighting and Heating

• UVB Lighting: 
  • Bulb Type: T5 HO 10.0 UVA/UVB bulb. Purchase here
  • Replacement: Replace every 12 months to ensure optimal UVB output. 
  • Placement: Position the UVB bulb over the basking area to mimic natural sunlight. For specifics for your enclosure height, click here
• Heat Sources
  • Day Heat: 150-watt incandescent bulb to create a basking spot. Purchase here 
  • Night Heat: 150-watt ceramic heat emitter (safer than incandescent bulbs at night). Purchase here
  • Temperature Gradient: 
    • Basking Surface: 108–113°F (42–45°C). 
    • Cool Side Surface: 77–85°F (25–29°C). 
    • Air Temperature Gradient: 72–99°F (22–37°C). 
    • Monitoring: Use digital thermometers (preferably ones that connect to your phone) to track temperatures on both sides of the enclosure. This ensures you’re alerted if a heat lamp burns out. Purchase here
• Humidity: Maintain a low humidity level (30–40%) to prevent respiratory issues.

Basking and Enrichment 

• Basking Surfaces: Use a mix of sandblasted grapevine and basking rocks (which can also serve as hides). Purchase grapevine here and hides here
• Enrichment:
  • Provide at least three hides (e.g., caves, cork bark logs, or commercial hides). 
  • Include climbing surfaces (e.g., cork bark, branches, or rocks). 
  • Offer digging opportunities (e.g., loose substrate or sand dishes). 
  • Use cork bark logs, cork backgrounds, large caves, and substrate to create a dynamic environment.

Substrate Guidelines 

Substrate choice depends on the age of your bearded dragon: 

• Baby: Use paper towels (easy to clean and safe for accidental ingestion). 
• Juveniles: Use paper towels (easy to clean and safe for accidental ingestion). 
• Adults: Sand (playsand, NOT calcium sand). 
• Seniors: Sand OR paper towels with a sand dish for digging. 
  • Sterilization: If using sand, bake it at 250°F (121°C) for 30 minutes to sterilize before adding it to the enclosure. Allow it to cool completely before use.

Diet

Babies (0–4 months) 

• Insects (70-80% of diet)
  • Feed as many as they can eat in a 10-minute session. 
  • Frequency: 3–5 times daily.
• Greens (20-30% of diet)
  • Offer once daily. 
  • Cut into pieces no wider than the space between their eyes.

Juveniles (5–12 months) 

• Insects (70% of diet)
  • Feed as many as they can eat in a 10-minute session. 
  • Frequency: 3 times daily, gradually reducing to 1–2 times daily as they mature. 
• Greens (30% of diet)
  • Offer once daily. 
  • Cut into pieces no wider than the space between their eyes.

Adults (12+ months) 

• Insects (20-30% of diet)
  • Feed as many as they can eat in a 10-minute session. 
  • Frequency: Every other day. 
  • For larger insects (e.g., roaches), limit to about 5 bugs.
• Greens (70-80% of diet)
  • Offer once daily. 
  • Cut into pieces no larger than the space between their eyes.

Seniors (7+ years) 

• Insects (10% of diet)
  • Feed as many as they can eat in a 5-minute session. 
  • Frequency: Once weekly (or twice weekly if needed). 
  • For larger insects (e.g., roaches), limit to about 5 bugs. 
• Greens (90% of diet)
  • Offer once daily. 
  • Cut into very small pieces for easy digestion.

List of Foods 

• Daily Greens:
  • Collard greens
  • Dandelion greens
  • Mustard greens
  • Turnip greens
• Staple Insects:
  • Dubia or discoid roaches
  • Crickets
  • Black soldier fly larvae

Supplementation

• Calcium D3: Dust feeder insects or greens around 2-3 times weekly. 
• Seniors: Critical care supplement mixed with water should be put on their greens daily. Purchase here

Hydration

• Electrolyte soak (10-20 minutes in warm water once weekly). Purchase here
• Offer filtered running water. If you don’t have a faucet with filtered water to offer your dragon once daily, you can purchase a fountain for their enclosure here
• Misted greens