Bearded Dragon: Your Happy Healthy Pet

by Steve Grenard

Overview

The authoritative information and advice you need, illustrated throughout with full-color photographs—now revised and redesigned to be even more reader-friendly!

Bearded dragons are increasingly popular; they may soon overtake the green iguana as the most popular reptile in the U.S. With their unique appearance, docile nature, and minimal care requirements, beardies make a great introduction to reptile keeping. With colorful photos, charts, and tables, this guide covers the basics, including:

• The beardie's background and the various breeds of bearded dragons
• Choosing your bearded dragon
• Setting up and maintaining your beardie's home, complete with a basking area and lighting
• Feeding and caring for your bearded dragon

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630260132
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/01/2007
Series:	Your Happy Healthy Pet , #97
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Steve Grenard is an avid herpetologist with more than forty years of experience with amphibians and reptiles; he published a paper on the reproduction of the Marsupial Frog in 1958. In the summer of 2000, he published a controversial and widely debated review in Natural History Magazine on the possibility of American rattlesnake venoms evolving new properties. He is the author of several Howell Book House titles, including: Your Happy Healthy Pet: Frogs and Toads, An Owner’s Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet: Lizard and Amphibians: Their Care and Keeping. He is also the author of a number of scholarly medical and herpetological books, including Medical Herpetology and Handbook of Alligators and Crocodiles, and is the author of Introduction to Respiratory Care, a best-selling text review of respiratory therapy. Steve is a board-certified respiratory therapist and polysomnographer and is the clinical coordinator of the Institute of Sleep Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, New York.

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Table of Contents

Part I: The Wonderful Lizard of Oz.

Chapter 1: What Is the Lizard of Oz?

The Types of Bearded Dragons.

Chapter 2: The Wild Life of the Bearded Dragon.

Temperature Regulation.

Predator and Prey.

Beardie Social Interactions.

Bearded Dragons as Pets.

Courtship and Mating.

Chapter 3: Beardies in and out of Oz.

Australian Wildlife Crises.

How the Bearded Dragon Left Oz.

An Australian Perspective.

Part II: Your Pet Bearded Dragon.

Chapter 4: The Biology of Beardies.

Beardie Anatomy.

Beardie Physiology.

Beardie Senses.

Chapter 5: Choosing a Pet Bearded Dragon.

Bring Home a Healthy Beardie.

Color Variations and Designer Beardies.

Where to Get Your Bearded Dragon.

Chapter 6: Setting Up Your Beardie’s Home.

Indoor Housing.

Lighting the Lizard of Oz.

Providing Heat.

Cage Cleaning and Maintenance.

Outdoor Housing.

Part III: Caring for Your Bearded Dragon.

Chapter 7: Feeding Your Bearded Dragon.

Fruits and Veggies.

Commercial Lizard Foods.

Insects.

Feeding Babies—Newborn to 4 Months Old.

Feeding Adults—4 Months to Adulthood.

Water for Your Beardies.

Chapter 8: Keeping Your Beardie Healthy.

Choosing a Veterinarian.

Hereditary Diseases.

Nutritional Disorders.

Traumatic Injuries.

Infectious Diseases.

Parasitic Infections.

Handling Do’s and Don’ts.

Dystocia.

Neurological Disorders.

Environmental Toxins.

Brumation.

Chapter 9: Breeding Bearded Dragons.

Sexing.

Conditioning and Nutrition.

Getting to Know You.

Egg Laying.

Incubating Bearded Dragon Eggs.

Hatching Eggs.

Baby Dragons.

Appendix: Learning More About Your Bearded Dragon.

Some Good Books.

Magazines.

Internet Resources.

Reptile Veterinarians.

Shows, Expos, and Swap Meets.

Shopping on the Internet.

Index.