Is the bearded dragon a protected animal? Figure it out before you keep one
The bearded dragon is a lizard of the family Agamidae and the genus Pogona, mainly distributed across the eastern half of Australia. In China, some people also keep bearded dragons as pets, so is the bearded dragon a protected animal?
1. Is the bearded dragon a protected animal?
The bearded dragon's conservation level is a non-CITES species under the Washington Convention, and it is not a protected animal in China. It is one of the common domestic lizards, along with other common domestic lizards such as the green iguana and the blue-tongued skink.
The bearded dragon's diet consists mainly of insects and plants, and it often inhabits various places from forests to even deserts. When threatened, this lizard displays by opening its mouth and puffing up its spiky throat.
2. How do you keep a bearded dragon?
1. Use an enclosure of an appropriate size for keeping them; an enclosure that is too small may cause the bearded dragon to overheat and even die;
2. Bearded dragons show dominance suppression, so it is best to keep only one per enclosure;
3. The wattage of the enclosure's lamp depends on the size of the enclosure, the distance between the lamp and the basking spot, and the room temperature;
4. For newborns, use paper towels such as newspaper as substrate; do not use crushed walnut shells, as this substrate is very sharp and may be accidentally swallowed and injure the inside of the bearded dragon's digestive tract, causing harmful effects;
5. The most important point when feeding juvenile bearded dragons is to make sure their food is not too large. This is for two reasons; one is possible choking, as bearded dragons can easily have their throats blocked by prey that is too large and choke to death;
6. Juveniles need frequent feeding. Newborns can be fed crickets and green vegetables 3 times a day. Juveniles should be fed crickets and green vegetables twice a day;
7. For supplemental food for bearded dragons, it is recommended to use calcium powder with vitamin D3 for reptiles suited to indoor keeping, or calcium powder without vitamin D3 for reptiles suited to outdoor keeping.