Bearded Dragons as Pets

Posted by on September 16, 2011 1 comment

Hey guys,

There are many reasons why bearded dragons make such great pets and in this post I’m going to be discussing some of them.

Friendly

The bearded dragon is a good-natured, docile and friendly lizard that enjoys to be touched, held and stroked. Many bearded dragons will happily sit on your shoulder and provide you with company whilst you go about your household tasks.

Size

Bearded dragons are not too large (between 12 and 24cm long), which means, compared to other reptiles, they do not take up a lot of space. You will need a vivarium or tank for your bearded dragons, which can be quite long (4 or 5 feet) but this makes an interesting and aesthetic focus point for the room they are in.

Diet

Bearded dragons are omnivorous and enjoy a wide range of different foods that are readily available from your local supermarket or pet store. Because they don’t have any specific or unusual dietary requirements, their diet can easily be catered for. You can find out more about what to feed your bearded dragon here.

Fun

You can’t play with a bearded dragon like you can with a dog, but they can provide lots of viewing entertainment as they scuttle around your home. They also love to be held and stroked under the chin.

Easy To Care For

Compared to other lizards and reptiles, Bearded Dragons are one of the easiest species to care for. Of course, you do have to cater for their environmental requirements by providing a vivarium for them to live in and you do have to make sure their dietary needs are met but once you’ve set it up and got into a routine, it takes very little time out of your schedule.

Same Sleeping Patterns

Like humans, bearded dragons are diurnal, which means they are awake during the day and sleep at night. This means that unless you work the night-shift, your bearded dragon will be awake and able to interact at the same times as you.

Not Too Rare

Finally, although bearded dragons make an interesting and unusual pet, they are not so rare that you will have difficulty finding a breeder to get one from. In addition, because of their popularity as a household pet, there is lots of information, both online and offline, about caring for these wonderful creatures.


Bearded Dragon Facts: What’s in a name?

Posted by on September 15, 2011 No comments

Hey guys,

For my first post, I’d like to tell you about the naming conventions used for bearded dragons.

NOTE: If you’re looking for a list of ideas for bearded dragon names, click here.

Although the term ‘Bearded Dragon’ is, by far, the most common name for these creatures, occasionally you may hear other terms used. Some of these terms are the scientific names used for classification, whilst others are simply different words that mean the same thing.

Below is a list of names that may be used to described the bearded dragon to help you understand their context when used in different situation.

Lizard

The Bearded Dragon belongs to a class of animals called reptiles (that also includes snakes), that is further divided into a sub-order called lizards (or lacerilia). Lizards typically have limbs and ears and range in size from tiny geckos to large komodo dragons. Bearded Dragons are somewhere in the middle.

Note: See below for more info on the scientific classification of bearded dragons.

Agamid (or Agaminae or Agamidae)

Lizards are divide again into a number of families, one of which is the Agamidae. These lizards are referred to as Agamids and again they they can be divided into sub-families, one of which is the Agaminae subfamily. Bearded dragons are from the Agamidae family and subfamily Agaminae.

Note: See below for more info on the scientific classification of bearded dragons.

Pogona

Below the family and subfamily classification groups, there are a number of genera. The bearded dragon belongs to the Pogona genus, which contains seven species and all seven are what we refer to as bearded dragons.

Note: See below for more info on the scientific classification of bearded dragons.

Pogona vitticeps

Pogona vitticeps is one of the seven species of pogona and refers to the most common species of bearded dragon to have as a pet. If you have a bearded dragon at home, it is very likely to be pogona vitticeps.

Note: See below for more info on the scientific classification of bearded dragons.

Central Bearded Dragon & Inland Bearded Dragon

The terms Central Bearded Dragon and Inland Bearded Dragon usually refer to the Pogona vitticeps species because they originate from the arid semi-desert regions of central Australia.

Scientific Classification of Bearded Dragons

Now you know why different names may be used to described bearded dragons, however it can seem a little overwhelming at first sight, so below I have provided the scientific classification details for them.

  • Kingdom – Animalia (Animal)
  • Phylum – Chordata
  • Class – Reptilia (Reptile)
  • Order – Squamata (Scaled)
  • Sub-Order – Lacertilia (Lizard)
  • Family – Agamidae (Agamid)
  • Sub-Family – Agaminae
  • Genus – Pogona (Bearded Dragon)
  • Species – Pogona vitticeps (the most common domesticated species of bearded dragon)

You can get more information about bearded dragon terminology in my Bearded Dragon Dictionary.


Hello world!

Posted by on September 14, 2011 1 comment

Hello World!

I’d like to thank you for visiting my new website all about looking after and caring for bearded dragons – one of the most awesome animals on the planet (along with the Honey Badger).

The bearded dragon (also known as the Pogona) is a genus of seven species of lizard that come from Australia.

The most common species to kept as a domestic pet is the Pogona vitticeps and this is what I will be focussing on in my blog.

I’ll be covering topics such as health, diet, cages/tanks and how to give your bearded dragon the best quality of life possible.

I hope you enjoy reading and if you want to contact me for further advice, drop me and email at dragon@gesweb.co.uk or leave a comment below.

Danny