Bearded Dragon Care: Lighting, Diet and Handling
Bearded dragon care explained: vivarium size, basking temperature, UVB, the right mix of insects and greens at each age, safe handling and health warning signs.
Quick answer
A bearded dragon needs a large vivarium (at least 120 × 60 × 60 cm / 4 × 2 × 2 ft for an adult), a hot basking spot of about 38–42°C (100–108°F), a cool end around 22–26°C (72–79°F), and a strong UVB tube for about 12 hours a day. Young dragons eat mostly insects; adults eat mostly leafy greens with insects as a smaller part. Handle gently, support all four legs and keep sessions short.
Before you buy
Bearded dragons are active, curious lizards that are out and about during the day, which makes them more interactive than many reptiles. They grow to around 45 cm (18 in) or more including the tail and can live 10 to 15 years, sometimes longer. Pet bearded dragons are almost always captive-bred.
They are not cheap to set up. The lighting alone, a quality UVB tube and a basking lamp on a thermostat, often costs more than the dragon. Budget for replacement lamps each year and for a reptile vet. Run the whole setup for about a week before your dragon arrives, so you can check and adjust the temperatures.
The vivarium
Bigger is better. For one adult, 120 cm long × 60 cm deep × 60 cm high (about 4 × 2 × 2 ft) is a widely used minimum. A front-opening wooden or PVC vivarium holds heat well and lets you reach in from the side rather than from above.
Inside, include:
- A basking platform: a flat rock or slate under the basking lamp, high enough to bring the dragon close to the heat and UVB.
- Hides at the warm and cool ends.
- Branches and rocks for climbing, fixed securely.
- A shallow water dish at the cool end, changed daily.
For substrate, options include a reptile-safe sand and soil mix, slate tiles, or paper for young dragons and during illness. Avoid calcium sand, wood chips, walnut shell and corn cob, which can cause gut blockages if swallowed.
Heat and lighting
Getting the lights right matters more than anything else in bearded dragon care. Most health problems in these lizards trace back to cold vivariums or weak UVB.
Heat. Use a basking lamp at one end, controlled by a thermostat. The basking surface should reach about 38–42°C (100–108°F). The cool end should sit around 22–26°C (72–79°F), and the temperature should fall steadily in between. At night, turn the lights off. If the room drops below about 20°C (68°F), add a heat source that gives no light, such as a ceramic heater on a thermostat. Check both ends every day with a digital or infrared thermometer.
UVB. Dragons need UVB to make vitamin D3, which lets them absorb calcium. Without it they develop metabolic bone disease. Use a high-output linear UVB tube (T5 types are popular) in a reflector, covering about half the length of the vivarium, so the dragon can move in and out of it. A UV index of roughly 3–5 at the basking spot, falling towards zero in the shade, is a common target.
UVB doesn't pass through glass or most plastics, and fine mesh cuts a lot of it. Mount the lamp inside the vivarium or over open mesh, at the distance the manufacturer recommends. Replace tubes on schedule, often every 6 to 12 months depending on the brand. Our guide to UVB and heat lighting for reptiles covers lamp types in more depth.
Run lights for about 12 hours on and 12 off, using a timer.
Diet at each age
Bearded dragons are omnivores, and what they eat changes as they grow.
| Age | Rough balance | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Hatchlings and young juveniles | Mostly insects, some finely chopped greens | Insects 2 or more times a day |
| Older juveniles | Insects and greens roughly balanced | Daily |
| Adults | Mostly greens, insects as a smaller part | Greens daily, insects a few times a week |
Exact proportions vary between vets and care sheets, so use these as a starting point and adjust to keep your dragon in good shape.
Good greens: collard greens, dandelion leaves and flowers, mustard greens, turnip greens, rocket (arugula) and watercress. Add small amounts of squash, bell pepper or green beans. Fruit should be a rare treat. Avoid spinach, which binds calcium, and limit cabbage and kale.
Good insects: crickets, dubia roaches (where available), black soldier fly larvae and locusts. Mealworms and waxworms are fatty, so keep them occasional. Offer insects that fit easily in the dragon's mouth (no bigger than the gap between its eyes is a common rule), and remove leftovers.
Supplements: feed the insects well for a day or two before offering them, and dust them with calcium powder. Add a reptile multivitamin as the product label directs. More is not better here, because vitamins can be overdosed.
Never feed wild-caught insects, which may carry pesticides or parasites, and never feed fireflies, which are toxic to bearded dragons.
Handling
Leave a new dragon alone for the first week or so while it settles. After that, short regular handling usually makes them calm and easy to manage.
- Scoop from underneath rather than grabbing from above.
- Support the chest and all four legs, with the tail resting along your arm.
- Keep sessions to around 10–15 minutes, since they cool down quickly out of the vivarium.
- Put it back if it puffs its beard, gapes, darkens or tries hard to get away.
Wash your hands afterwards, because reptiles commonly carry Salmonella. Keep dragons away from kitchen surfaces.
House bearded dragons alone. They are territorial and can injure each other.
Shedding and brumation
Young dragons shed in patches often. If skin is stuck, a short lukewarm bath of about five minutes can loosen it; never pull it off.
Many adults slow down in winter and eat little for weeks, a natural rest called brumation. Book a vet check before assuming it's brumation, and weigh your dragon regularly. It should not lose noticeable weight.
Signs your dragon needs a vet
See a reptile vet if you notice weight loss or a thin tail base, a soft or swollen jaw, shaky or twitching limbs, difficulty walking, runny droppings for more than a few days, swelling anywhere, stuck shed around toes or tail, or open-mouth breathing with bubbles or discharge.
If you're looking for a captive-bred dragon from a responsible seller, you can browse reptile listings on Paalo.
Frequently asked questions
How hot should a bearded dragon basking spot be?
Aim for a basking surface of about 38–42°C (100–108°F) for adults, with the cool end around 22–26°C (72–79°F). Measure the actual surface with a digital or infrared thermometer.
Can bearded dragons live together?
House them alone. They are territorial, and even when they seem to get along, one dragon often dominates the basking spot and food while the other quietly loses condition.
Why has my bearded dragon stopped eating in winter?
Many adults slow down in cooler months, a natural rest called brumation. Get a vet check first to rule out illness, and contact the vet if your dragon loses weight during this time.
How often should I replace the UVB lamp?
Follow the lamp manufacturer's guidance, often around every 6 to 12 months. UVB output falls well before the tube stops giving visible light.
