Caring for Bearded Dragons: What Beardie Owners Need to Know!

When you have an exotic pet like a bearded dragon, it's crucial that you learn the best strategy for taking care of its needs. Caring for bearded dragons isn't as easy and feeding and watering. You could risk injury to yourself - or your pet if you do the wrong thing, so even handling it means you have to learn the right and wrong way.

For example, some people buy a bearded dragon not knowing a thing and think it's so cute, they want to kiss it. Big mistake! They pickit up haphazardly, not understanding that there's a specific way you have to hold them or it could hurt them. And this is especially a problem if you have children holding the animal.

You need to know grooming habits when caring for bearded dragons. A beardie's nails grow long, and they need to be trimmed by its owner since they have no natural habitat in the wild to help them maneuver this themselves.

If your bearded dragon starts exhibiting signs that all is not well, like not eating or eating too little, you'll want to call upon an experienced vet who knows how to handle reptilian animals.

Dietary needs have to be addressed whether your pet is eating too little or too much (did you know a bearded dragon can get obese?) If this happens, your pet can get stressed because it's not what would normally happen in the wold, but you can learn how to get your bearded dragon to exercise more - you need the right guide to teach you about caring for bearded dragons.

Some pet owners think it would be cute or make the beardie feel like part of the family if they let it run loose in the house. This is stressful for your pet - and dangerous, too!

You have to know how to bathe and groom your bearded dragon. What soap do you use? You can't just use dish soap or bar soap that a human would use for cleaning. All of these little things are topics you need to know before you ever invest in a bearded dragon, but if you already have one, you need to learn very quickly.

As with most animal species, the Bearded Dragon female is considered to be more gentle than the male Beardie. Her growth span doesn't reach the bulk that the males acquire and she's not as prone to protect her space but keep in mind any lizard when feeling threatened will defend itself. When it comes to the females in this exotic lizard family, don't make assumptions that what applies to one female applies to all because there are always Beardies who will defy the normal standard.

The Bearded Dragon female is desired by breeders for her egg laying ability. A female can produce eggs even if a breeding situation has not occurred. For the most part, these eggs are not fertile eggs and no new baby Beardies will show up on the scene. There are two common signs that a female is ready to lay eggs- when she exhibits digging behavior and when she may not desire to eat anything. While the not eating is a sign she's ready to lay eggs, if the Beardie is acting lethargic or has trouble going to the bathroom, there could be a problem with the eggs.

One of the issues you have to be on the alert for with a Bearded Dragon female is a condition known as egg binding. There are different reasons that cause egg binding-among them is a diet that's not the best for her and an environment that's not suitable for a Beardie. If you notice your Beardie is off her feed, is continually digging yet producing no eggs, you'll need to take her to the vet.