SpeciesCentral bearded dragon
Central bearded dragon
Pogona vitticeps
Diurnal, confiding and popular for that reason. Its need for strong light, UVB and a hot basking spot is regularly underestimated.
- Group
- Lizard
- Level
- Beginner
- Origin
- Australia
Where the species comes from
- World region
- Australia
- Countries
- Central and eastern Australia
- Habitat
- Dry savannah, semi-desert, scrubland and open woodland
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- Floor area before height: a ground-oriented enclosure with a large usable base.
- Temperature
- Basking spot at 40–45 °C, ambient 28–32 °C, cool corner 25 °C, 20–22 °C at night.
- Humidity
- 30–40 %, dry.
- Lighting
- Strong UV-B above the basking spot, twelve to fourteen hours. Without UV-B, bone loss develops within months.
- Substrate
- Loam-sand mix, firm enough for stable tunnels.
- Furnishings
- Flat stones under the lamp, roots, a climbing branch, several hides at different temperatures.
- Water
- Shallow dish; the need is largely met by the green food.
- Feeding
- Adults four fifths plant food, juveniles mostly insects. Calcium and vitamin D3 to a plan.
- Behaviour
- Diurnal, basks at length. Arm-waving and head-bobbing are communication between conspecifics.
- Handling
- Usually accepted calmly. Never grip by the tail.
- Cohabitation
- Alone or one male with several females given a large floor area. Two males fight until injury.
- Health
- Bone loss from a lack of UV-B and obesity from too many insects are the most common damage.
- Seasonal cycle
- Winter rest of eight to twelve weeks at 15–18 °C. It belongs to the yearly cycle.
- Safety
- No permit required. Mount the lamp so that burns are impossible.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The species does not belong to any of the groups listed in Art. 89 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
No CITES listing
Not listed in the CITES appendices: Import and transfer require no species-protection papers. Keep the proof of purchase nonetheless
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not prescribe centimetres but multiples of body length. For this species, item 20 (Bearded dragons): floor area 5 × 4 body lengths, height 4 body lengths. The floor area applies to at most two animals; each further animal requires an additional 2 × 2 body lengths.
For this group, body length means the snout-vent length, without the tail. The largest animal in the enclosure is what counts. The enclosure may not be smaller even if fewer animals live in it than the table names.
| Snout-vent length | At least |
|---|---|
| 18 cm | 90 × 72 × 72 cm |
| 20 cm | 100 × 80 × 80 cm |
| 22 cm | 110 × 88 × 88 cm |
| 25 cm | 125 × 100 × 100 cm |
Animals may temporarily be kept in smaller enclosures: for quarantine, for the treatment of illness and injury, for acclimatisation, for breeding and rearing, and for winter or cold dormancy or aestivation (preliminary remark D on reptiles).
This is the legal lower limit, not a recommendation. An enclosure that meets exactly these dimensions is permitted, but not good for that reason. The details under “Husbandry at a glance” describe how the enclosure should be furnished, not how small it may be.
What the enclosure must provide
Ensure species-appropriate heat and light zones, UV-B where applicable, suitable substrate, places to retreat, opportunities to climb or dig, water, humidity and natural rest periods. The social structure of the species must be taken into account.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and proof of origin. Use the scientific name to check CITES and import status reliably.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
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