The popularity of Bearded Dragons continues to grow worldwide. Often referred to as the Lizard of Oz or beardies, these endearing little characters bring great fun and amusement to pet owners.
Bearded dragons are known for being very easy to care for in relation to other lizards, mixed with their ability to adapt and unique traits they are hard to resist. These docile lounge lizards have lots of character. Growing anywhere in between 16-26 inches (40-65 cm) depending on age, gender, care provided and species; they remain a manageable size.
The bearded dragon is diurnal meaning it is active during the day, same as its pet owners. They will sit on top of their branches and rocks intently watching anything that moves, especially at feeding time! Starting life as insectivores they become omnivores as they grow until the majority of their diet becomes vegetation as an adult.
Although perhaps they may look a little ferocious with their spikes, these are set in soft skin and act as part of the bearded dragons bluff against predators. In fact for predators they have quite an awesome display puffing out their beard and even hissing. It’s not really a beard but a flap of skin which they can thrust forward when threatened.
Of course keeping reptiles is not for everyone, even the easy ones do require special care to live a long and healthy life and pet owners husbandry practices heavily influence the health and life span of bearded dragons.
If you would like more information or you would like to interact with other bearded dragon enthusiasts, check out Bearded Dragons World.