Most families have pets. Until 2000, these were, as a rule, cats and dogs. But lately the situation has changed a lot. Many became interested in exoticism, preferring to enjoy the company of unusual creatures, taking care of them and watching their habits and activities. It is clear that rare representatives of domestic animals that can comfortably coexist with a person are more expensive in terms of maintenance and purchase in general than public pets: hamsters, rats or rabbits. In addition, they need the right organization of living space: equipment, cages or terrarium. But, as you know, the end justifies the means.
Today we would like to pay attention to graceful pets who managed to conquer thousands of families in our country with their contact, independence and beauty. We will talk about bearded agamas, who are called bearded dragons abroad. We will try to tell all the most interesting about this type of lizards, starting with their description and ending with recommendations for care and maintenance at home.
Measure seven times - one cut
Before getting a pet, not only exotic, the potential owner needs to weigh all the pros and cons regarding his stay in a human home. If we are talking about reptiles, lizards and other heat-loving representatives of the fauna, then you can not do without a terrarium equipped with professional lamps for heating and irradiating the pet with ultraviolet rays.
By the way, not every city can buy such a lizard without problems. If you can easily find them in large cities, but those who live in the hinterland and dream of a bearded agam will have to fork out for delivery or for a trip for a treasured exotic creature.
Initial costs for the agama are substantial, but it cannot be said that these lizards are too expensive to maintain.
Description of the species
A bearded agama is a lizard living in Australia. In Latin, it is called Pogona vitticeps. Throughout the entire time of observing it in its natural habitat, it was noticed that lizards are found in desert areas with a hot climate.
In nature, agamas fear birds of prey. It is believed that this lizard is quite tenacious because of the ability to adapt well to its habitat (to dig holes in the ground, to hide in stone crevices, in tree branches). The life expectancy of a bearded agama, the photo of which is presented in the article, is about 12-14 years. The reptile is active during the day, sleeps at night.
Bearded reptiles are omnivorous; they prefer to feast on plant foods (leaves, vegetables, fruits) and animals (insects and rodents of small sizes). By the way, at home, bearded agam is fed depending on age. For example, babies under 6 months old are given a source of animal protein (crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches or worms), occasionally offering fresh herbs. But older individuals are recommended to dilute the diet with green lettuce and vegetables from a ratio of 50: 50%.
External data of a bearded dragon
The length of the adult agama in the wild reaches 60 cm, half of which is the tail. She has a frightening appearance. In case of danger, spikes, outwardly similar to a beard, swell around her neck. A slightly flattened body, strong legs with sharp claws give the lizard special extravagance.
In the usual state, it is gray, peach and greenish-brown. And when the mood changes, she changes her color. For example, when the air temperature drops, it will become darker. By the way, there are a great many morphs (colors) of agamas. The bearded dragon darkens with concern. By the way, during mating season, the beard of males becomes almost black. The photos of bearded agamas taken during the courtship of the male for the female are the best confirmation of what was said.
The lizard has a large mouth and sharp teeth, and the tip of the tongue is sticky for a more confident grip of prey. The reptile is distinguished by excellent eyesight and hearing. On the sides of the body, resembling a flat coin, in two rows are sharp spikes.
Domestication of an Australian Lizard
People drew attention to the calm, funny behavior, grace and friendliness of bearded agamas and began to make attempts to domesticate the reptile. Quickly enough it became clear that the bearded descendant of dragons quite easily takes root in home terrariums. Currently, about a million people own Australian agamas.
Lizard Ownership Benefits:
- An interesting animal, unpretentious to the conditions of detention.
- Lack of aggression.
- Easily enters into a trusting relationship with the owners.
Expected difficulties for owners of exotic animals:
- It is necessary to strictly observe the necessary conditions for the maintenance of bearded agamas. Even a few days without a special UV lamp for reptiles can be detrimental to the agama.
- It is necessary to buy special food, monitor the pet’s diet.
- It will be necessary to carry out special prevention that supports a healthy lifestyle of reptiles (vitamin supplements, calcium supplements).
Terrarium Requirements for Bearded Agamas
As a dwelling for an agama, it is best to prefer a special glass aquarium-terrarium with ventilation. Minimum recommended terrarium size for one lizard: 1.8 meters in length, 0.5 meters in width, 0.4 meters in height. The minimum capacity of the terrarium is 500 liters.
The entrance to the pet's home is at the discretion of the reptile owner, but it is best if the doors are located in front or side. The door must close securely. It is necessary to artificially create a daylight hours of at least 14 hours. For this, lighting and ultraviolet lamps are used. It sets the scenery (from flat stones of medium size you can build a hill, put a large snag), where the agama will rest. All accessories must be natural; synthetics cannot be used.
Litter
The bottom of the terrarium is sprinkled with coarse sand or special cellulose filler for cat trays so that the animal has the opportunity to dig into it. In no case should you use fine gravel, as a reptile can swallow it. Agam deaths from keeping them in fine sand are not uncommon.
It is noteworthy that abroad the conditions for keeping bearded agamas in a human house are somewhat different from those established in Russia. For example, Americans keep their reptiles on tiles without laying sand or other fillers.
Temperature and UV
The temperature regime in the terrarium of the bearded agama deserves special attention. Due to the fact that the reptile is quite thermophilic, during the day the temperature under incandescent and UV lamps should not be lower than +35 ° C. In the terrarium, you must also organize a cool corner with a temperature of at least +28 ° C.
About 1-2 times a week, the reptile should be bathed in warm water or sprayed from a spray bottle, and then wiped dry with a napkin. There is constant debate about spraying among reptile owners, however, in nature every morning they run through the grass on which there is abundant dew.
It is important to remember that temperature differences and drafts of the heat-loving lizard are contraindicated.
For comfortable conditions, a bearded agama needs an ultraviolet lamp with a minimum UVB value of 8-12 units. It is placed inside the terrarium at a distance of 25-30 cm from the bottom. A shade is used that protects the lamp from damage, does not limit or distort the spectrum of the radiation flux. By the way, lamps of an elongated shape, rather than a standard one, are most suitable for such purposes, because the former are able to spread light over a large area.
Agama nutrition at home
The lizard is omnivorous. She uses plant foods (grated carrots, apples, dandelion leaves, green salad) and animal food (beetles, caterpillars, crickets, cockroaches). To protect the reptile from infection with various parasites, animal food must be purchased in specialized stores.
For a small pet under 6 months, 80% of the feed should be of animal origin.
For a balanced diet, the diet should be constantly changed. It is recommended to feed the reptile 1 time in 2 days, mixing the necessary ingredients. But as practice shows, the agama requires food daily. The reptile drinks comparatively little; professionals advise giving the bearded lizard filtered filtered water from the bottles.
Reproduction in the terrarium
The best option for keeping one male and two females. Two males cannot be kept together, as they defend their territory with tough fights and can cause significant damage to each other (bite off the tail or paw, for example).
In order to avoid conflicts, it is desirable to keep lizards separately and combine for the mating period. They reach puberty in 2 years. Subject to temperature conditions, mating occurs in March.
Pregnancy lasts 1 month, after which the females lay their eggs (about 8-20 pieces) and bury them in the sand.
The incubation period takes about 2 months. The female is capable of laying eggs 2 times per season. Young growth should be taken to special incubators in order to avoid its loss (the agama can eat its eggs).
Tips for beginners who decide to have a bearded dragon
Beginning lovers of exotic pets should not have young bearded agam up to 3 months old, as they require special care.
It will also be useful to remember that after communicating with the reptile and contact with it, you need to thoroughly wash your hands with soap, because the Australian lizard can be a carrier of worms and other bacteria.
Remember that food from the human table should in no case be in the reptile's terrarium, otherwise negative consequences cannot be avoided.
With good care, keeping a bearded agama will only be a joy. The main thing is to comply with all of the above rules, daily communication with the pet and affection. This lizard has great intelligence, gets used to the environment, remembers its name.
With sufficient communication, the bearded dragon will become a manual full-fledged member of the family, a beloved pet, with whom you can communicate and even play.