Why Bearded Dragons are Ideal as Pets
Bearded Dragon (Pogona)
Bearded dragon lizards (a.k.a Pogonas) are a local of Australia. These kind of expert-climbing lizards dwell the rugged and dry parts of the country. Dragons (as the lazy tongue had made popular) have big triangular heads and flat bodies with pointed ridges along its sides. They're omnivorous, which means they could change and mix diet options of insects and vegetation.
Bearded dragons as pets
Because of their success in captivity, bearded dragons became popular among hobbyists and experts. What set the bearded lizards apart from other reptiles is their extremely friendly character toward people. They
are calm when hitting their adult years. Younger dragons are extremely energetic but are friendly, and they make excellent pet selection for young children. Pogonas live about ten to twenty years (there has been known to live longer and join their kid captor to their adult years).
Pogonas are preferred by people having difficulties with noise, stress, and hefty maintenance (cats, dogs, donkeys, etc). Lizards poop are also easy to handle as compared with cat or dog poo. Furthermore, Pogonas don't require much attention; you can just play with them when you are in the mood, and the lizard will be in the mood. No barking or meowing intended for attention on your tired-and-i-wanna-be-alone times.
Male Pogonas possess a distinct set of pre-anal pores on the back legs and possess bulges at the vent area. Females don't have any bulge past the vent or only one, and opposite the beliefs, they do have pores but they are less apparent when compared with male bearded dragons. There are instances when a female can have a larger head and a longer tail than her male equal. Grown males turn their throat pouches black during courtship to signal dominance (and also to defend against rivals). Females have also been known to do the same.
Housing pogonas properly
Sunlight is an energy source for these lizards. Pogonas laze their time the whole day where they store as much warmth they needed to break down their food. For the lizard's home, it's essential to have at least one or two good basking areas. Rocks, being able to absorb and store heat much better, are preferable than using logs (logs could be an essential addition, for it provide stimulation to the animal; climbing and running).
To get rid of contaminants, all item used from the outside ought to be boiled or baked to make certain the dragon's physical state. As they lead to the lizards stomach burns when malfunctioned, electric or battery powered heating devices is really a huge NO. In addition, the lizard's habitat ought to also house something where they are able to hide under.
You will find specially-lizard-made fluorescent bulbs sold at pet shops. These types of bulbs will run the length of the tank, but make sure the illumination overlap the basking area. The Pogona pet should get within 6-8 inches of these lights to benefit from the UV emission (Note: the amount of UV created by these bulbs diminishes over time, and needed to be replaced as advised by the manufacturer).
Thinking of getting one?
Bearded dragons available in America are captive bred (Australia has strict polices against exportation of its wildlife to other territories). In their natural home, bearded dragons consumes a mixture of invertebrate and vertebrate prey (e.g. insects and little animals), and also vegetation. When in captivity, the pet owner ought to feed pogonas a combination of insects (mostly crickets, with a variety of other cultured insect prey) and vegetables.