How do you care for a bearded dragon?

To care for a bearded dragon, house the lizard in a tank of 40 gallons or more, and maintain a basking temperature between 100 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit and an ambient temperature between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Feed your pet a balanced omnivorous diet that is sufficient in calcium.

1. Place the terrarium in an appropriate area

   Set up a glass tank in an area that does not receive direct sunlight.

2. Set up the lighting element

   Install a long daytime UVA/UVB fluorescent bulb into an aquarium lighting fixture, and place the fixture on top of the tank screen. Allow the light to illuminate for no longer than 12 hours a day.

3. Set up heat lamps

   Attach a basking bulb for daytime use and a ceramic heat emitter for use at night to dome lamps. Place the basking bulb on the end of the tank screen and the heat emitter on the other end.

4. Monitor the environment

   Install temperature gauges on either side of the habitat and a humidity gauge in the center. Keep the humidity level between 20 and 30 percent.

5. Set up habitat accessories

   Line the tank with newspaper, and switch over to calcium sand when the lizard reaches 6 inches in length. Place a basking rock or log underneath the basking bulb and a hide underneath the heat emitter.

6. Balance the reptile's diet

   Feed the animal a diet that consists of 50 percent insects and 50 percent vegetables. Feed it food items such as crickets, mealworms, collard greens and kale, and sprinkle the food with a specially formulated calcium powder twice a week.