FAQ

Silkworms are the best feeder insect, but variety is always good. Most find crickets are the most practical feeder due to the amount young beardie consume. Other good feeders include Roaches, Locust, Phoenix worms (calci grubs), Hornworms and superworms (only for beardies over 14").

Wax worms are very high in fat and should be avoided.
The thick exoskeleton of mealworms have been know to cause impactions, they also have low nutritional value and should also be avoided.

How do I get my beardie eating greens?

Make sure you get a good variation of staples from this list along with a few other items.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Here are a list of things to try if you are having trouble getting your beardie eating greens

1. Try dangling, wiggling, or dragging the greens across the cage floor, anything to convince your beardie that its not a piece of collard green, its actually just an unusually bright oddly shaped cricket! Seriously though, the movement sometimes is enough to stimulate their hunting sense and they will attack the greens.
   
2. Feed greens first. Don’t try offering greens right after your BD has feasted on crickets, instead offer the greens first. Put them in the cage in the morning and leave them their all day. Don’t be afraid to make your beardie go for a day without food, it wont hurt her. Feed her the greens when she is hungriest.
   
3. Try throwing some super or silkworms in with a dish of greens. Mix it up real well so your beardie has no choice but to get a few mouthfuls of greens if they want the worms. 
   
4.  Make sure you are using a variety of veggies. All beardies have different tastes, and yours may not find the veggies you have been offering palatable. Also try veggies of different colors. You may have to spoil your beardie by offering her the yummier veggies instead of the plain old traditional greens for awhile if she isn’t taking to them. Try colorful ones like shredded carrots, shredded purple cabbage, all sorts of squashes, mixed berries, sweet clover, various bell peppers and edible flowers.
   
5. Sometimes it really takes dropping the veggies right into their mouths to get them to eat them. If that’s how it is, so be it. Trick your beardie into tasting as many veggies as possible, eventually she will catch on.
   
6. Try using baby food to get your dragon to eat greens. Butternut squash is often popular flavor – as is chicken. You can start by dabbing a little baby food on your dragons mouth and see if they like it. If so, smear some baby food on the leaves of the greens and try offering them that way
   
7. Try some Salad topper from cricketfood.com, it really does wonders.
   
8. The most important tip is to be persistent! Continue offering greens to your beardie no matter how many times she turns her nose up at them. That may the only way to win her over.

Well looked after Bearded should live to at least 10 years

Should I have a water bowl in my beardie tank?

Beardies rarely drink from still water. You can get them to drink from a dish if you stimulate the water, however I do not recommend leaving a water dish in a enclosure full time. Water dishes can quickly become contaminated and will harbour bacteria. They must be thoroughly washed and washed often. They may also be turned into beardie toilets. A better alternative in my opinion is regular bathing. This has the advantage of helping shed, hydration, provide a good form of exercise and help you bond with it.

Beardies push their eyes out to stretch the skin around them. This helps loosen the skin around the eyes when they are shedding, but some seem to just enjoy doing it to scare their owners.

What does waving arms and head bobbing mean?

Arm waving is a submissive gesture and is used to indicate that they are not a threat. Head bobbing is gesture so show dominance.

Can I house more than 1 bearded dragon together?

Any new addition to your collection should go through a 90days quarantine. Beardies are solitary creatures and usually do best on their own. Males together will fight for territory. Males should only be put with females when both are mature enough to cope with breeding (at least 18 months). Keeping males and females together for extended periods can stress both of them out with the male constantly trying to breed with the female. Females can occasionally live together, but there is no guarantee. If you do decide to introduce any additional beardies you always be prepared to separate them should any problems arise and you must only put beardies of a similar size together.

My dragons tail tip is darker then it's body, whats wrong?

When a beardie is distressed it's tail can darken at the tip.

The tail can also get infected from bites, trauma or retained shed. This can cause the tissue in tail to become necrotic (dead), this will make it blacken. It will spread up the tail. This must be treated by a Vet ASAP as the infection will spread and will cause pain and can be fatal.

It has also been observed that the tail tip can darken when the beardie is dehydrated. This could be linked to the stress invloved, but something that should be kept in mind.

My dragons beard is black, what does this mean?

Darkened/ black beard is a sign of stress. This is often accompanied by a flaring the throat, this is done a threat or warning

What is the white stuff that comes out when my beardie poops?

The white part is called urates. This is perfectly normal and is the waste from fluids consumed. It should be soft and formed. If it is small and hard this usually indcates dehydration.