Myth Busters
1. Superworms can chew through a bearded dragon’s stomach.
This is one of the more ridiculous myths I’ve heard. This myth says to crush or cut off the head of a superworm before feeding it. To get rid of this myth, think of it this way: You are chewed up by teeth as sharp as knives, stabbed and torn apart multiple times. Then you are thrown into a giant vat slicked with thick mucous that you can’t climb and filled with acid. Imagine all that acid seeping into your chopped up, stabbed up body. That’s what’s happening inside of your bearded dragon’s stomach.
2. Bearded dragons absorb water through their vents.
I’m not exactly sure where or when this came about, but it’s not true- at least I’ve never seen any scientific articles backing this claim. If you’ve ever seen a dragon drink from the bath, you know how much they drink. Now imagine your dragon having to open its cloaca and physically draw this water into their body. Even if water does enter their butt while pooping, it isn’t nearly enough to hydrate your dragon. Their primary source of hydration is through greens and directly drinking water.
3. Bearded dragons need heat mats.
Generic heat pads and heat rocks from big pet stores are generally seen as trash to most experienced keepers because they have the ability to overheat and catch fire in extreme cases. Without a thermostat to regulate the heat, they can be dangerous. Bearded dragons don’t need belly heat in any sort of way. While they can feel heat on their bellies, it doesn’t trigger that thermoregulation response that overhead heat does. This can cause minor to extreme burns both externally and internally. They aren’t for bearded dragon use.
4. Bearded dragons need friends.
Cohabitation is a pretty big debate in the reptile community. In most cases reptiles are solitary creatures that don’t yearn for or need socialization. Bearded dragons only get together in the wild to mate and fight. While cohabitation can be successfully done (ONLY by an experienced keeper), it isn’t recommended for everyone. Bearded dragons don’t have the capability to love or make deep connections, and that ‘depression’ many claim they go to is just their animal adjusting to a new way of living. Bearded dragons are extremely habitual and don’t like change. This can cause those ‘depression’ symptoms such as lack of appetite, lethargy, etc..
5. Bearded dragons need colored night bulbs at night.
Many new dragon owners are told that they need a red colored bulb for their dragon at night so their dragon doesn’t get cold. Bearded dragons, and multiple other reptiles, have even better color than vision than humans due to a fourth cone (used to see color), some even having five. This means they can see more colors than we humans. That is one reason why they shouldn’t have colored night bulbs, or any color other than white at all. Bearded dragons also have a parietal eye. This ‘eye’ on top of their head registers light or the lack thereof. Any type of visible light can trigger that eye to thinking it is day time, and that can cause a not so great sleep. If it drops below 55 degrees in your house at night, a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) is your best bet. They give heat with no light.
This is one of the more ridiculous myths I’ve heard. This myth says to crush or cut off the head of a superworm before feeding it. To get rid of this myth, think of it this way: You are chewed up by teeth as sharp as knives, stabbed and torn apart multiple times. Then you are thrown into a giant vat slicked with thick mucous that you can’t climb and filled with acid. Imagine all that acid seeping into your chopped up, stabbed up body. That’s what’s happening inside of your bearded dragon’s stomach.
2. Bearded dragons absorb water through their vents.
I’m not exactly sure where or when this came about, but it’s not true- at least I’ve never seen any scientific articles backing this claim. If you’ve ever seen a dragon drink from the bath, you know how much they drink. Now imagine your dragon having to open its cloaca and physically draw this water into their body. Even if water does enter their butt while pooping, it isn’t nearly enough to hydrate your dragon. Their primary source of hydration is through greens and directly drinking water.
3. Bearded dragons need heat mats.
Generic heat pads and heat rocks from big pet stores are generally seen as trash to most experienced keepers because they have the ability to overheat and catch fire in extreme cases. Without a thermostat to regulate the heat, they can be dangerous. Bearded dragons don’t need belly heat in any sort of way. While they can feel heat on their bellies, it doesn’t trigger that thermoregulation response that overhead heat does. This can cause minor to extreme burns both externally and internally. They aren’t for bearded dragon use.
4. Bearded dragons need friends.
Cohabitation is a pretty big debate in the reptile community. In most cases reptiles are solitary creatures that don’t yearn for or need socialization. Bearded dragons only get together in the wild to mate and fight. While cohabitation can be successfully done (ONLY by an experienced keeper), it isn’t recommended for everyone. Bearded dragons don’t have the capability to love or make deep connections, and that ‘depression’ many claim they go to is just their animal adjusting to a new way of living. Bearded dragons are extremely habitual and don’t like change. This can cause those ‘depression’ symptoms such as lack of appetite, lethargy, etc..
5. Bearded dragons need colored night bulbs at night.
Many new dragon owners are told that they need a red colored bulb for their dragon at night so their dragon doesn’t get cold. Bearded dragons, and multiple other reptiles, have even better color than vision than humans due to a fourth cone (used to see color), some even having five. This means they can see more colors than we humans. That is one reason why they shouldn’t have colored night bulbs, or any color other than white at all. Bearded dragons also have a parietal eye. This ‘eye’ on top of their head registers light or the lack thereof. Any type of visible light can trigger that eye to thinking it is day time, and that can cause a not so great sleep. If it drops below 55 degrees in your house at night, a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) is your best bet. They give heat with no light.