Abe and Maggie
Abe is a Western bearded dragon (Pagona minor minor)
Current laws in Western Australia (2007) require that you obtain a category 2 license first from D.E.C. before you can purchase your own dragon. Taking reptiles or amphibians from the wild is strictly prohibitated (illegal).
Dragons live up to 5-15 years, but have been known to survive up to 25 years in captivity. They are found extensively throughout Western Australia and also south eastern Northern Territory and south western South Australia.
Our dragons are housed in a 60cm(H) x 45cm(W) x 45cm(D) Exo Terra vivarium . It is currently heated by an Exo Terra Compact top canopy, using 26 watt Repti Glo compact fluorescent bulbs 1ea Repti Glo 2.0 Full Spectrum (for plant growth) and 1ea Repti Glo 10.0 Desert bulb (for UVB). Ultra Violet B wave form (UVB) is required to help produce vitamin D3 and assist in the absorption of calcium, thus avoiding osteomalacia, or more seriously metabolic bone disease. Osteomalacia is derived from Greek: osteo refers to bone, and malacia means softness. MBD or Metabolic bone disease isn't really a disease as such but more a collective of different calcium/phosphorous deficient ailments.
We've also used the URS Oz Bright 100 watt UV Heat and Light globes but they seemed a little too warm for the size enclosure. It operated around 35c daytime temperatures, which had the dragons seeking cover under the plants. Whilst the Exoterra canopy sits around 28-31c in the daytime when its on 12 hours a day summer, 10 hours a day during autumn/spring and 9 hrs a day during winter. Day/Night timing is provided by a Kambrook KET99 electronic timer available around $15AU (Nov.2007) at Woolworths. We have used other brands and they have failed us. Currently the 6ea KET99 timers we have currently operate non stop and the oldest is now over 2 years old.
The substrate we use is red desert sand it is commercially available at most reptile supply shops in 20kg bags ranging in price from $25-$40AU (Nov.2007). We have also utilised synthetic turf carpet in the past. Both work successfully but the dragons much prefer the sand and dig quite large excavations at times. Although the astro turf is a lot easier to clean and replace weekly, the sand usually gets spot cleaned daily and entirely replaced at 6 monthly intervals.
Dragons don't require a lot of water or humidity ... but some is necessary. We use a Zoo Med large Repti Rock water dish half full daily for the dragons to bathe in. We also mist the cage daily using a Hills 1Ltr Pressure Sprayer ($4AU at Bunnings) which raises the humidity briefly and also helps with shedding.
We originally supplied the dragons a hide to sleep in but found they never used it (later removed) and felt more at home on the branches we had supplied them for a basking spot. Sometimes they have been spotted sleeping all night clinging vertically to the background polystyrene rock wall.
Feeding is easy we provide our dragons with approximately 7-10 crickets each, every second day. We collect the crickets (in a cut down 2 litre soft drink bottle) from their holding tank and lightly dust them with Aristopet's Repti Cal, next feeding just crickets, next feeding dusted with Repti Vite and next feeding just crickets ... then back to the start again. On the days we aren't feeding them crickets we supply some chopped veggies and a few mealworms. Currently the female only eats the mealworms and the male only eats the veggies. I have no idea why and this has been going on for over 12 months now.
Temperature ranges throughout the year with unheated room temperatures from 40c to 10c. The vivarium remains fairly constant throughout the year with the exception of night time temperatures (unheated) which range from 10c in winter (June-Aug) to 30c in summer (Dec-Feb). Temperatures are recorded with Digital Twin Probe Thermometer CH2 min/max and an infra red non contact thermometer.
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| Abe trying to sleep | A common resting spot | Close up |
Abe and Maggie |
Abe resting on Maggie |