Bosch is a female bearded dragon, she came to live at my sanctuary in April 2021. Her owner had other obligations and could not keep her anymore. I believe she was about 2 years old when she joined us. She has some moderately severe bony anomalies of her chest and her tail. Not sure if metabolic bone disease or a congenital problem. However she walks and runs with no difficulty and has no jaw abnormalities. Bosch was somewhat overweight when I got her from too many superworms she ate but I put her on a diet and she lost some weight. She currently weighs about 570 grams.
Bearded dragons are native to Australia but most in this country came from breeders. They would have a difficult time surviving in the wild in the US. She is a very friendly girl and likes to be held for short periods. They live about 10 years in this country but I have friends in Australia who said theirs live up to 20 years. They are omnivores and need to have fresh greens like collard greens, they like grapes and will eat most mealworms or soldier fly larvae or other insects. I also give her a few bites of cooked chicken several times a week. They need a good source of calcium and vitamin D3 in their diet, unless they get direct sunlight, and ultraviolet lighting sources and a basking lamp. They should always have fresh water available. I would not recommended keeping them on any small particle substrate because they can eat that with their food and get obstructed. Sand is not good when they are young. The best seems to be newspaper or reptile carpet. They like a cave or box in which to hide. They need a warm to hot side of their cage and a cool part.
They are quite social-able animals and can be kept by a younger child with supervision. Bosch really likes pellets specially made for bearded dragons. She enjoys soaking in the tub in shallow water almost daily. They come in a variety of colors and prices from breeders.
They can get a number of parasitic infections like coccidia, pinworms, tapeworms and other parasites. Calcium deficiency will eventually kill them and may present as tremors, lethargy, and metabolic bone disease., constipation, bloating, and muscle weakness.
