About BeardedDragon101.com

Why This Site Exists

Bearded dragons are one of the most popular pet reptiles in the world, and for good reason. They are curious, surprisingly expressive, and tame down beautifully with gentle handling. But they are also exacting animals to keep, and the flood of new owners runs into the same wall of confusing, contradictory advice. How big does the enclosure really need to be? Which UVB bulb, and how often do you replace it? What basking temperature, and how does it change with age? Why is my dragon's beard turning black? Is loose substrate really that dangerous?

We built BeardedDragon101.com because those questions deserve warm, specific, trustworthy answers. We spent hours reading guidance from reptile and exotic veterinarians, comparing enclosures, UVB fixtures, thermostats, and feeders, and separating genuinely useful gear from clever marketing. For an animal whose health depends so completely on getting husbandry right, we could not find a single friendly, accurate place built around the everyday realities of keeping a bearded dragon.

So we made one.

What We Do

BeardedDragon101.com is a decision-support resource for bearded dragon keepers of every experience level, from your first hatchling to a seasoned keeper dialing in a bioactive build. We research products, explain husbandry in plain language, and lay out your options so you can make confident choices. Every guide is written with one goal: give you accurate, practical knowledge without the overwhelm.

We cover the topics that matter most across a dragon's whole life:

• Getting started: choosing a healthy dragon, where to buy, a complete supply checklist, and what to know before you commit to 10 to 15 years
• Habitat and setup: tank size by age, glass versus PVC, substrate, hides, basking platforms, and full enclosure builds
• Lighting and heat: the T5 HO 10.0 UVB standard, basking and ambient temperatures, bulb distance and replacement, and thermostats
• Diet: feeder insects, greens and vegetables, the 80/20 ratio by life stage, gut loading, and calcium with and without D3
• Health: metabolic bone disease, impaction, parasites, brumation versus illness, and the early signs of a sick dragon
• Behavior, morphs, and care: arm waving, head bobbing, black beards, shedding, brumation, taming, and the full range of bearded dragon morphs

How We Make Money

We are transparent about this. BeardedDragon101.com earns money through the Amazon Associates program. When we recommend a product and you buy it through our link, we earn a small commission. This costs you nothing extra.

This model lets us keep the site free and ad-light while still investing time in thorough research. We only recommend products we believe are genuinely good for a bearded dragon. We will never recommend something just because it pays a higher commission, and you will not catch us pushing the undersized starter kits or weak coil UVB bulbs that set new keepers up to fail.

What We Are Not

We are not veterinarians. We do not diagnose conditions, and we do not prescribe treatments or medication doses. Nothing on this site should be taken as medical advice for your dragon.

Bearded dragons are stoic animals that hide illness until it is advanced, which is exactly why a reptile or exotic vet matters so much. If your dragon stops eating, loses weight, struggles to walk, strains without passing waste, or shows any change that worries you, the right next step is professional help, because conditions like impaction and metabolic bone disease get harder to treat the longer they go. We are here for the everyday care decisions and product choices that happen alongside that professional care.

Our Approach

We believe in being warm, practical, accurate, and honest. A bearded dragon is not a low-effort pet, but it is a deeply rewarding one, full of personality and the quiet pleasure of a dragon that recognizes you and climbs onto your hand. Our job is to help you give your dragon a healthy, comfortable life, so you can spend more time enjoying it and less time second-guessing yourself.