How long do captive bearded dragons live

The better you can provide your beardie with a balanced diet that fits their nutritional needs, the healthier and longer life they are likely to live. Baby and juvenile bearded dragons need more protein compared to greens in order to support the speed that they are growing in the early period of their lives. Variety is key to providing a well balanced and rounded diet for your bearded dragon.

Even though this is true, calcium always remains a priority and bearded dragons need calcium for muscle function and bone growth and maintenance. As well as providing high-quality and calcium-rich greens and veggies, you should also add a calcium supplement to your beardies diet. You can see the exact calcium supplement we recommend and the best place to get it from over at our bearded dragon food and supplement guide here…. The size of the tank you provide for your bearded dragon can also affect both the quality of their life as well as how long they will potentially live too.

Beardies should really be housed in a tank that is as large as you can provide. We actually think that this is a bare minimum and you should be looking to house an adult in a tank anywhere from gallons. Housing your dragon in a large tank provides many benefits such as allowing your beardie a larger space to roam, providing more mental stimulation, allowing them to grow larger and ultimately making them happier over the course of their life. We have also taken time to research and handpick the 3 best tanks that we recommend you house your bearded dragon in.

The guide shares our top tanks for baby, juvenile and adult bearded dragons and you can access it right here…. The conditions inside the tank are extremely important and can certainly impact how long your bearded dragon will live. This can be anything from using the wrong substrate, poor UVB lighting and incorrect basking temperatures and even not providing adequate hides. If you are unsure about how to set up your bearded dragons tank correctly then head over to this guide that explains how to set up a beardies tank and the equipment to use….

The number of times a female breeds in her lifetime can impact how long she lives. This is due to the constant laying of eggs and also the stress involved too. Breeding can also be a huge strain on a female bearded dragon nutritionally and it can leave them depleted of vital nutrients such as calcium. Over the course of their life, this is likely to have an impact and it will cause the female to live a slightly shorter life than a male on average.

Something that is totally out of your control when it comes to how long your bearded dragon will live is the genetics of your beardie. Just like in humans, or any other animals, bearded dragons will get passed down genetics from their parents. Although these genetics may be subtle, they can have a small impact on how long they live.

One of the biggest factors that can determine how long a captive bearded dragon life is the owner themselves. As an owner, you are basically in control of everything and you have the ability to provide your beardie with the very best care possible. Most owners are great and deserve a huge pat on the back for caring for these amazing reptiles and allowing them to live long and happy lives.

Veterinary care is another huge benefit that captive bearded dragons have and one that can significantly improve the quality and length of their life. Having good quality veterinary care for your beardie is highly recommended as it can save your bearded dragons life as well as improve the quality of their life too. While there is no accurate way to tell how old a bearded dragon is without official papers, confirmation from the breeder or breeding the beardie yourself, there are a couple of ways that can help you to approximate their age.

The first way to do this is to measure your bearded dragon. Another way to see how old a bearded dragon is can be to check when they become sexually mature. Beardies usually become sexually mature around months old. While this method is less accurate than measuring your beardie, it can help to support and back up what the measurements are suggesting. Total Bearded Dragon is a website that is dedicated to helping Bearded Dragon owners to care for and understand their Dragons with detailed, straight forward and actionable advice.

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There are things both within our control and outside our control that will impact how long your beardie may live. Here is a rundown of the most common. On the whole but not always , male bearded dragons live longer than females. Males tend to be a little larger and more resilient. Part of this average is impacted by breeding. A female that has babies will not live as long as one that does not. Kids are often blamed for taking years off of the lives of their parents!

Reproduction is taxing on the body. Both for people and for beardies. This stress will almost assuredly shorten the life of most female beardies. The most common species of bearded dragons in captivity is the Pogona Vitticeps. One of the characteristics of this breed is size. The Pogona Vitticeps has the largest size potential of all 8 types of bearded dragon.

How big will your beardie get? Check out our full article here! Larger bearded dragons tend to live longer than smaller. Larger beardies just seem to be more resilient. We wrote an entire bearded dragon nutrition guide that you can see here — article coming soon.

Following that guide and ensuring that your beardie gets consistently proper nutrition will go a long way towards adding to the length of life your beardie enjoys. Early on they need daily protein. Later in life, they need more greens and veggies. Providing what they need based on their age is important to proper growth, development, and age.

Another key part of nutrition is supplementation. There are a few critical supplements that bearded dragons need to be healthy. Calcium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin E are just a few of the important ones. See our supplementation guide for specifics on what it takes to keep your beardie healthy and living as long as possible! There are several key environmental factors that we, as bearded dragon owners, should provide to keep our beardies healthy and living as long as possible.

Proper space is where it all starts. Make sure your beardie has ample room to move around and is not cramped in a small, stressful space. Stress is a sure way to shorten their life. Next comes lighting. Having the right temperatures to bask in see our full instructions here — guide coming soon! And you probably guessed it, but we have a really nice and thorough guide to lighting for you that you can see here!

Substrate is another important factor. Some types can be dangerous. Atadenovirus is highly contagious , so keepers must avoid bringing infected animals into their collection at all costs. Like with any animal, bearded dragons need a routine veterinary checkup once per year. Ensure that you have a reptile veterinarian in your area. They should also check a stool sample for parasites and perform blood tests to assess the overall health of your beardie.

Your beardie may experience some short-term stress resulting from the experience but will ultimately be better for it! When purchasing reptiles, you must do your best to source and select the healthiest animals. Though they are convenient and offer competitive prices , pet stores have a couple of significant downsides. Firstly, most large pet retailers obtain their beardies in large quantities from breeders but do not breed reptiles themselves.

Pet store staff are usually less knowledgeable about reptile husbandry than breeders and notorious for providing incorrect or misleading advice. Second, large pet stores tend to keep or transport animals in large groups.

These conditions increase the likelihood of disease spread. Reputable breeders are far more likely to understand the specific needs of bearded dragons. They may also be willing to remain in contact and answer any questions that you might have in the future. Breeders are likely to be able to put you in touch with a local reptile veterinarian. This connection will undoubtedly be helpful later on! Ask around — consulting local Facebook groups or online forums are an excellent way to find out more about breeders in your region.

Reptile fairs or expos are another way to meet potential breeders. These events also offer the chance to find rare or unusual morphs. Take the time to find a reputable seller and checking lizards for common diseases.

These simple steps will significantly increase the likelihood of your dragon surviving to a ripe old age. A healthy, mature adult bearded dragon can survive for up to two months without food before succumbing to starvation.

Your bearded dragon may lose its appetite when under stress or suffering from a severe health condition. Brumating dragons also go long periods weeks or even months without food. Ordinarily, your beardie will resume eating when it is ready, and the stressor, disease, or period of brumation has ended.

To learn more, check out our article on how long bearded dragons can go without food. These hatchlings can weigh as little as four grams! Juveniles aged three to eleven months can reach as much as 23 inches by their eleventh month of life! This change usually occurs around the age of 18 months.