-Care Sheet

🦎 Baby Bearded Dragon Care Sheet
Welcome to the Dapper Dragonz family! This care guide will help you give your new baby dragon a great new start. If you ever have questions, we’re here to help.

📏Adult Size

• Length: 18–24 inches from nose to tail tip

• Weight: 350–600 grams on average (some very healthy males can reach 700+ grams)

• Males tend to be slightly larger and bulkier than females, with broader heads and thicker tails.

⏳ Lifespan

• Average Lifespan in Captivity: 8–12 years with good husbandry

• Exceptional Care: Some live 12–15 years (rare, but possible)

• Wild Lifespan: Much shorter (about 5–8 years) due to predators, lack of medical care, and food scarcity.

🐉 Handling Tips

• It's best not to handle them much the first few days to allow them to de-stress and get to know their new environment.

• Be gentle and calm when handling. Let them get used to you.

• Start with short handling sessions

• Support their body fully, especially the tail and belly

• Eventually, handle daily to build trust and reduce stress

✅ Recommended Enclosure Setup

• Size: Start with a 40-gallon breeder tank (minimum). Your dragon will grow quickly!

• Substrate: Paper towels, tile or fine reptile sand.

• Lighting:

  • UVB: Use a linear T5 10.0 or greater UVB bulb that spans 2/3 of the enclosure. Replace every 6 months.

  • Basking Light: Provide a bright white heat bulb (no colored lights).

• Temperature:

  • Basking spot: 108–110°F

  • Cool side: 75–85°F

  • Night: No heat unless the temp drops below 65°F

• Humidity: Keep between 30–40%

• Hide & Decor: Provide climbing branches, a basking platform, and a hide on the cool side.

🍽️ Feeding Guide

• · Greens: Offer daily, even if they just nibble. We prefer 30-60 minutes after their lights come on and before they're offered any insects

  · Favorites:

  o Collard greens, arugula, mustard greens, squash

  • Protein:

    • Primary: Dubia roaches, crickets, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL)

    • Feed as much as they're willing to eat in a 5-10 minute period and then remove any uneaten food

    • Occasional: Silkworms, hornworms

    • Avoid: Mealworms and Superworms (hard to digest)

  • Calcium & Vitamins:

    • Calcium with D3: 5x per week

    • Multivitamin: 1x per week

    • Dust feeders before offering

  💧 Hydration

  • Mist greens to provide moisture.

  • Mist lightly if needed in a separate receptacle (we prefer a plastic bin) to avoid soaking enclosure. However, with properly fed animals on a diet of healthy veggies and properly fed insects, watering/misting should not be necessary

  💩 Clean-Up

  • Spot clean daily (remove waste and uneaten food)

  • Deep clean weekly with reptile-safe disinfectants