1.
2.
than the distance between the eyes’
is handy for determining prey size,
however these animals are quite
capable of overwhelming and
consuming larger food items.
Heating and Lighting:
Small dragons’ heating and lighting
requirements are simple as long as
some basic guidelines are followed.
As a general comment, most
species are thermoregulators that
have preferred body temperatures
in the range of 33-
39 o C. Lophosaurus are
an exception, as they
are recognised as
thermoconformers
with lower preferred
body temperatures
and as a result generally don’t
require external heat sources.
keepers that understand their set
up and how to prevent overheating
and UV burns on animals. Under-
tank heating should never be used
as a primary method of heating
agamids as they are heliotherms
that naturally use radiant heat
sources to thermoregulate.
dietary D 3 in the absence of proper
lighting, as there is evidence that
this can contribute to the death of
captive reptiles.
Provision of supplementary night
time heating can be considered for
certain species in accordance with
age, location and natural range.
Lighting is often thought of only in Whilst potentially not necessary,
terms of providing animals with a
this may offer a little comfort to
source of UV, however UVA and the keepers through the cooler months
all too often neglected visible light – especially for younger animals.
During winter, I
keep my young
Crested Dragons
with heated hides,
whilst at the same
time adults receive
no heat whatso-
is important for small dragon spe- ever. Ceramic heat emitters, heat
cies, as well as high output UVB.
panels, heat mats or other forms of
For this reason I recommend good non-light-emitting heat sources are
quality compact spiral tubes, linear recommended for night time heat-
T5 tubes and mercury vapour
ing, as visible light can disrupt the
bulbs. As a minimum you should
dragons’ natural sleep cycle.
consider a 10.0 UVB light source
(with wattage appropriate for the
Compatibility.
size of the tank; bigger tank, higher
Most small dragons are compatible
wattage) and ideally a source of
in groups composed of one male
UVA to promote natural behav-
iours. I use mercury vapour lamps and 2-3 females. More females can
be kept together in the cohort,
with most of my animals due to
however the more animals per cage
their high UVB and UVA output. For
the more potential there is for
enclosures not suited to mercury
direct and indirect dominance
vapour bulbs, I use quality compact
issues. It is recommended not to
tubes.
house multiple males together due
When supplying UV to animals it is to the likelihood of combat or
stress. Care must be taken to recog-
important to offer some form of
nise when combat does occur, and
exposure gradient, this being easily
adequate space must be available
created through the use of hides,
to move individuals when required.
plants and cage décor. Regular
Mixed species cohabitation can
exposure to unfiltered natural
work with similar-sized animals
sunlight will assist to keep small
and compatible personalities, but
dragons healthy. Finally, keepers
this is not recommended either, as
should not attempt to cut corners
by providing excessive amounts of predation or severe maiming can
‘Although potentially not necessary,
supplementary night time heating can
offer a little comfort to keepers.’
In the captive setting, keepers need
to be able to provide thermoregu-
lating animals with a thermal
gradient that allows their reptiles
to reach the 33-39 o C temperature
range, as well as in some circum-
stances exceed it. I suggest that for
most small dragon species, keepers
attempt to maintain an air tem-
perature of 35-38 o C in the warm
end of their tank, a basking spot
surface temperature of 45-55 o C
and a cool end temperature of 25-
28 o C. Thermostats are a great way
to control these finer temperature
elements, however depending on
your keeping level, tank set-up and
ambient environmental conditions,
are not always necessary. Incan-
descent bulbs, halogen spotlights,
mercury vapour bulbs and metal
halide bulbs are all effective
sources of heat. Metal halide globes
should only be used by experienced