BEARDED DRAGONS IN THE WILD! (are we keeping them correctly?)

[@GirtheAlienGoldfish]

I like how chill they are after you caught them. Like, "Eh. You would have eaten me by now."

[@fromthecockpitwgenwilliams920]

now THAT'S funny!!

[@helema23]

It is the main reason we have them as pets/companions..... the reaction of the ones caught is like "umm you arent gonna eat me so imma just chill... wait why are you shoving me in a box/bag?"

[@ratedeigh]

Pls make sure as well that they wont make superworms available for Baby dragons :)

[@avonavians2860]

The captive-bred bearded dragons that we know and love have that same mindset. That's why they're so easy to tame.

[@draygarrett8223]

No they really know what’s goin on

[@sammibooger4784]

I love how some wild dragons are highly aggressive and others are like “Ah what a nice heated moving stick”

[@basilsphotoalbum5867]

When you make the likes go to 180 *everyone liked that*

[@OneThreeENT]

Hahaha

[@basilsphotoalbum5867]

@@jaybird5885 :,)

[@basilsphotoalbum5867]

@@jaybird5885 :D

[@notanothercreativetechnologist]

My beardy every single morning, 'The fuck is that?... Oh hi dad. The fuck is that?... Oh hi dad.... The fuck is that?... Oh hi dad.'

[@jarretdietzler7750]

I’m sending an angry letter to Australia because they’re using loose substrate

[@taeviansworldofreptiles3828]

Rofl!!!!!

[@theoddballersfamily875]

Hahahaha

[@heatherhale3862]

LMAO!

[@nuggetpower671]

*mad* I am Australian!!!!!!

[@GSiccness702]

🤦‍♂️lol

[@karanugent2201]

As an aboriginal Aussie that’s lives in the bush, I thank you. What you called “dust” is in fact called red dust or bull dust, that’s what we call it. I have been abused by mostly Americans about what we keep our captive dragons on. But no aussie keeps their dragons on carpet, paper ect. The same as most of us change our dragons captive heat and uv to match what’s going on outside (higher heat and uv in summer and lower uv and heat in winter) even if we are not breeding them, I love the colours of our wild dragons. “Bush tucker” our native foods don’t grow with the seasons like other fruit and veggies also our plants will grow from a very short shower of rain, their roots are much different to any other plants in the world, so what looks dry and dead today might get rain or mildew tomorrow and be alive again the day after.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you! I appreciate that! So many people are married to their ideas on bearded dragon care that when they see how they are living in the wild, they discount the facts to cater to what they read on a care sheet somewhere. It's a real problem but I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@JoniseLovesYouu]

Gratitude for the comment about the dust. Now I know I have options. :)

[@sixteezchild]

Sounds a lot like West Texas...it is the high mountain desert and our native plants tend to do the same thing!

[@plantingwithnat]

I would love to learn about how you keep your beardie since you are from Australia😻I am planning on getting a beardie, but I wan to set up his enclosure correctly.

[@clairemckinley691]

I live in Sydney and do lots of cycling, and I’ll often see bearded dragons basking on the bike paths during summer. Every time I stop and stare at them for a good few minutes because they’re so gorgeous. I love our reptiles here!

[@nataliepagliari]

I live in California US and have a domesticated juvenile bearded dragon my first one & I looked this up to see where they come from and how they look in the wild! And it’s awesome to imagine seeing them just out and about in the wild! ☺️ You’re very lucky 🥰

[@1daisy3]

i do the same with my fat bearded dragon at home

[@gentlemancroc3767]

Why am i reading this with an Australian accent?

[@madhatt3r93]

That does sound really cool and I'm jealous, but it seems a bit dangerous for them, isn't it? A lot of them probably gets hit by accident 😟

[@bri7014]

These wild dragons make my beardie look obese lol

[@Bitzy]

ikr my fat man looks like godzilla compared to the wild ones lol..

[@poetrywithwings]

Most are overweight.....

[@SaiyaDad9000]

Because it is

[@yesyes1299]

@@poetrywithwings thats why i only feed my beardie 7 to 8 crickets per day ( i want to switch to dubia roaches though )

[@poetrywithwings]

@@yesyes1299 how much you can feed a dragon is entirely dependent on age and what else you are feeding the dragon and the overall composition of your dragon. They should always have a varied diet with fresh greens included and a variety of feeder bugs to keep them healthy. Variety is key.

[@blueballsexotics8596]

Every bearded dragon owner needs to watch this video. It's a absolute must. Thares a lot of miss information out thare. Nothing can beat seeing how and where these awsome lizards actualy live. Very precious knowledge

[@177SCmaro]

Well, sure, if your goal is to keep your dragon alive about as long as they tend to live in the wild that makes sense.

[@sheldont9508]

Exactly, they live longer in captivity.

[@sheldont9508]

It would be lost on you so I won't waste my time.

[@sheldont9508]

It would be lost on you so I won't waste my time.

[@ashleyhenderson7787]

So what’s you doin

[@AmandaLeighS]

That beardie is just a paid actor

[@abolsley1]

lol

[@juanito7380]

What are they paying him With

[@mr.pacman941]

Aox shadow horn worms

[@mr.pacman941]

@@juanito7380 horn worms

[@omgkayy8207]

shadow money duhh

[@ClintsReptiles]

Super cool, Dāv! These are some of my favorite of your videos. I just hatched some beardies yesterday and this information will be super valuable. Rattle on!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thanks Clint! We may just have to do a bearded dragon colab one of these days....like, oh I don't know, August 8th perhaps? :)

[@thephatphox2442]

@@davkaufmansreptileadventures PLZ COLAB!! Both of you are AWESOME!

[@lisakay2810]

This would be awesome! Both of your channels are amazing 🐍💜🐢

[@Kimmaline]

Clint! My kindergartener has been binging on your channel the last couple of weeks....she even conned the teacher of the afterschool reptile program to allow her in for the last month of his sessions (she missed enrollment because she has a bad heart and was out of school for a few weeks in the hospital). He said he doesn't usually allow kids in at this time of the year, but she knew so much about reptiles and amphibians already that he was convinced. So thank you for that!!! I commented elsewhere that she keeps BEGGING for a baby Beardie - if you're selling your babies, I may be interested. She is awful cute and horribly persuasive. instagram.com/p/Bw-vl06ATVK/?igshid=1busdu1oo9dfp

[@andylydon8416]

@@davkaufmansreptileadventures You and Clint have to do this! It would break the internet! Can't wait for it!

[@lizzyliz123]

I love how calm it becomes after a short while of being held it truly shows how chill they can be even after probably never encountering a human

[@Neardarkphotography]

I actually think the wild ones look nicer. The greyer colouring makes them look more like dragons.

[@lizardodelaroux5863]

Very entertaining, however, I've had 2 bearded dragons that got impacted from walnut shells. While it's true, it is close to its natural substrate, however, we must remember that beardies live longer in captivity than in the wild. So its natural to change some of its natural habitat in order to keep them healthy for longer.

[@coola5151]

So true

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Yes, and this is why I recommended using multiple forms of substrate and feed using a feeding dish

[@tt14life90]

Very true. We don't use loose substrate with ours..

[@coola5151]

@@tt14life90 if you cant afford the risk of compaction bc thr vet bills wld be horrendous...id use the flat carpet to alleviate any risk. Thats what I do

[@aquafractalyne5527]

I keep my lizards on old towels these days. When they're dirty, I can toss the towels in the wash and just use a fresh one. It's cheap and my lizards dont get impacted :)

[@brendonwertz7257]

I love all bearded dragons. I’ve gotten so attached to my bearded dragon after having him for only two months. He’s so sweet and loves to cuddle with soft pillows and blankets

[@ras_krystafari3333]

They the dogs of the reptile world

[@MariaOrtiz-wr5cg]

Sounds like my Blue Moon, we just adopted her last week

[@joshuatoro8977]

Brendon Bluu I must say you’re definitely right on that one I’ve never had an animal cuddle so much is this one and she definitely likes to sleep with us at night when we Lennar when we let her I must say they are one of the best animals I’ve ever had and I definitely will get another one one day

[@hannahparsons5703]

What if he/she poos?

[@lunacardinal2271]

@@hannahparsons5703 then you clean it lol

[@fannymorein]

I think if I let my beardie out in a place like that she would slowly walk to the closest log, crawl under it and fall asleep. So damn lazy 😧

[@johnkennedy9078]

Mine too lol

[@kendallhohenwarter5719]

same mine would prob just go to sum rock and sleep😂

[@lordglittoris6851]

Just in here to read all the professional bearded dragon experts to tell you what they think is better 🧐

[@helema23]

Each dragon is different, mine is weird and likes her tank set up in a certain way...*hides stuffed animals and other toys* erm nothing to see here!

[@garethmarshall7724]

Literally nobody is doing that!

[@scatman9166]

@@garethmarshall7724 several people are doing that even at the top of the comments section

[@DingoDman]

haha same man was scrolling aggressively to find all the beardy karens haha, kept bearded dragons on sand for the better part of 15 years never once had a problem, the karens need to relax and learn something new for once

[@ogalbo4435]

What?! You mean their natural habitat doesn't have tiles and reptile carpet but sand, clay, rocks and dirt instead? lol

[@brendenmeyer5611]

I was going to say the exact same thing lol.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Lol. There were tiles, and we flipped them. Found bupkis under them :)

[@kwkelsey]

OG Albo Yes, but remember it’s not a loose calcium sand either lol. Better safe than sorry because store bought stuff doesn’t mimic their natural environment.

[@ogalbo4435]

@@kwkelsey He literally just showed sand and loose substrate in the video lol. I used play sand and it works great. Never had a problem with any of my desert animals. From smaller terrestrial desert gecko species to bearded dragons.

[@thedonmarlo]

@@ogalbo4435 but you will

[@alexbain3568]

I found it very interesting learning that Americans hate keeping beardies on sand but almost all the keepers here in Australia have sand as their substrate, and the concensus is that if the rest of your husbandry is correct then you will never have a problem with the sand.

[@jamesbeitia1353]

Alexbain, not all Americans hate using sand or loose substrate.

[@cynthiahicks8745]

Love that you’re showing their environment. Hate a lot of bearded dragon owners who think tiles are what they naturally live on. I wrote a 12 page essay on how loose substrate doesn’t cause impaction and health issues. My beardie loves digging in her enclosure!! Gives her enrichment

[@Narutass43]

...but it can. I get that opinionated essays need to be "for" or "against", but c'mon.

[@deanmoser8788]

@@Narutass43it can if you as the owner does something improper, as long as you have correct husbandry you're good, which means basking spot of atleast 105-115, humidty of 40% ish percent, and uvb. or if they're sick or have some kind of health condition. but a healthy beardie should have no problem m

[@pumpkin6529]

My bearded dragon is in a 300 gallon custom made bioactive terrarium. And I've never been to Australia before but after doing a ton of research o taking care of them and on how bearded dragons live in the wild I used a mixture of substances and did my best to make it look as close as I could possibly get to their natural habitat. I owned my bearded dragon for 10 years and I remember back when I first started out everyone hated me because of the loose substrate and said that I should never have a reptile because of that. Glad that bioactive is becoming a bit more common now.

[@charliepouliot8529]

"And there is a fly in my eye" best part

[@UrbanImmortalGaming]

Welcome to Australia

[@amieroberg9258]

I live in outback Australia. So to care for my beardie. I take him outside everyday. We chill. I can literally grab stuff from my front yard for his enclosure. Im pretty sure mines an eastern beardie. I rescued him from some dogs

[@WickedWildlife]

One easy way to tell is easterns have yellow inside their mouths while central’s have pink

[@VeeTaperTemplar]

Just so you know the dragons have built a shrine in your honor to remember the great battle of the canine from which you helped succeed in the final battle 🙇‍♂️

[@allisonweldon5952]

HAHA !! *gagging* *then holds beardie up to face and says * “how do you eat those things they taste terrible !” i died laughing 😂😂😂

[@ScottyHunter]

Great info, and cool shots of the location and wild Beardies. Also love how you don't edit out the parts where you end up accidentally eating a bug, lol!

[@chickensdontsurf]

The wild dragon is pretty, but I also like the morphs. I love them all, lol

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Hard to pick isn't it?

[@chickensdontsurf]

@@davkaufmansreptileadventures So true!

[@jasondlouhy5726]

I agree the wild ones are beautiful but I’m pretty fond of my hypo trans Italian leatherback he’s orange with yellowish striping

[@ottonormalverbraucher7835]

Are there any black/dark captive bearded drangon morphs? This whould be cool.

[@Power5]

That eastern one in the beginning was a beauty. I want one of those. Such dark coloring.

[@assaultflamingo2.068]

I'm a bit late to the show here, but I felt the need to share my 2 cents worth. As someone who has always kept reptiles since a kid, grew up where centrals are found, and have a veterinary background... There's always been a couple things that concerned me about the state of a lot of our centrals in the pet trade. First being that a _lot_ are overweight, that's not to say experienced bearded dragon breeders don't know what a healthy animal is, but simply as someone who's had more than my fair share of dissections I can tell you that a so-called "healthy" weight animal has an unhealthy amount of fatty tissue around their organs. The other concern, of a similar ilk, is the overall size and as a likely consequence an apparent deformation of the skull... Larger animals in of itself isn't so much of an issue, be it on an individual level or as a result of generation after generation of larger animals, if it's by genetic means, but if it's an environmental factor (such as being over fed) that's where issues come in. To quote a topic of similar context; “Purely through genetic selection, zoologists have bred strains of mice more than double normal size. In hybrid mice, accelerated growth doesn't lead to early death when it’s the result of selective breeding rather than of overfeeding or glandular disorders. We’ve speed up growth by at least twenty-five percent and some of the mice live twice as long.” -Dr. E. Butler, associate professor of genetics, University of Toronto. As Dav mentioned, centrals have a naturally shorter snout, but when you compare a lot of the large individuals in captivity to their wild counterparts they often appear to have a noticeably more blunt snout to the extent it looks stunted. Which can be caused when the skeletal structure of the body grows too fast for the skull to keep up. Anyway, just felt pointing those out, knowledge is an ever evolving journey, much faster when shared though 🙃

[@matyaskassay4346]

the same applies to dogs actually, most "healthy" dogs are actually a bit overweight.

[@craigslade7652]

Thank you 😊

[@alltaira5922]

So amazing seeing all the reptile carpet out in the wilds of Australia!

[@graphite2786]

Love this! My sister has a bunch of wild Eastern on her farm ( near Albury). Really intelligent lizards, they sneak the dog food! When breeding season is on , you see a bunch of males chasing a poor female and aggressive display fights between the fellas. I've seen heaps of Centalian when driving across the Nullarbor too. Different areas have different colours, red dragons on red dust, gold ones on yellow dunes and purplish ones in Stone country. On salt flats you get pale dragons, my mate reckoned he saw a pure white around lake Eyre but it might have been just a saltdust covered one.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

That's awesome!

[@martingreen1099]

And once again this is why you are the best reptile youtuber there is! Awesome vid man!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thanks Martin!

[@DEAexotics]

you know what i really love about your channel ? its how you really show what the habitat looks like in the wild so people know know to set up their animals awesome work ..

[@CustomReptileHabitats]

Well said!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you! I appreciate hearing that!

[@InjectorGadget]

13:18 - "How do you eat those things? They taste terrible!" - 😂🤣😅 As soon as he started coughing I bursted out laughing, then laughed even harder when he looked at the dragon and said that! Too funny!

[@sporefauna4025]

The domesticated ones are like fluffy toys compared to those wild monsters, especially the eastern ones. You can get the sense of pure australian wilderness out of them...

[@mbbetta4236]

Thanks, I love these "are we keeping them right" videos❤️

[@crystalfranklin2583]

Such an awesome video! We will probably be adjusting our beardie's setup soon to more accurately mimic their natural habitat. They are so stinking cute!

[@IzzyLoney]

My bearded dragon loves this channel he has a sleeping schedule I have for him and he will only fall asleep to your videos

[@BenjaminWilson-gk9ve]

Hello sir. I’m Australian. And I can confirm that I go to locations like these and look at bearded dragons for the fun of it and collect nice sub-straight like the type in the video from outside clean the soil and bam mate. There you go! That sub-straight is perfect for desert lizards. All my lizards love it. I wish they sent this type of sub-straight from here so that Americans bearded dragons could have the nice dirt. Once again mate, this sub-straight is perfect. It’s best whenever it is natural. ^^

[@gwaters4]

I been waiting for a video like this. I always try to find footage of the wild habitat of the animals I'm interested in keeping. Your videos are always top notch. Thank you for traveling the world for us!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thanks for coming along! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@insanity4224]

Dav I have always lived near natural Beardie habitat and noticed that ‘care sheets’ written overseas really have no clue. I agree with everything you said 100% here. The only thing you missed is that the temperature at night plummets and they do not stay warm at night. In winter they also hibernate, which is never mentioned!!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you! Funny thing is I filming all that for the next video, and the wind noise is so bad I'm not sure I can use it but glad you mentioned it here!

[@neena9202]

That's reassuring; How low do the temps get there at night? I get scared when my apartment temps go below 68 at night (mine sleep outside their tanks)

[@insanity4224]

@@neena9202 down to minus 2 degrees Celsius is pretty extreme but happens. There’s probably at least a month where most mornings get down below 4 degrees Celsius. They are a seasonally active animal that hibernates a few months of the year (winter) and re emerges in spring to be active in spring, summer and autumn. However I’m unsure how captive bred animals would deal with cold and I would not want to shock one. But see no reason to keep them above 15C at night in captivity in cooler months. In Summer in Australia their natural habitat gets down to 10-15C at night. A warm night can stay around 20C.

[@alexandramoretti9788]

I LOVE THIS VIDEO. I am super jealous, but also its cute how theyre just babies like mine but spicy

[@xelapai]

These wild guys make my baby beardie Velma look like a princess

[@benbrooks566]

Thankyou for being so respectful and knowledgeable about our wildlife, not many tourists are, love from Australia!

[@brookemayfield1962]

my bearded dragon gets pissed off and scared if I take him outside and put him on the ground in sand or grass he would freak out if he went to the outback lol he's such a inside dragon

[@kyohel3]

Mine likes to watch outside of his window and likes watching tv. It took him a while to like taking baths and now he loves baths. I place herb plants in his tank sometimes and sometimes he eats them or climbs on them. But mostly like his bed which is a ferret bed and thought he might like something soft. He sleeps on it every night and always sun bathing on it and chill...right now he's relaxing on his bed and watching the rain

[@GrizzlyDave85]

Brooke Mayfield did your dragon tell you that?

[@brookemayfield1962]

@@GrizzlyDave85 um pretty much. if you know anything about bearded dragons you know they turn dark and get a black beard when they are mad or stressed.

[@ShonnaNelsonWilliams]

Mine Hates the grass too. My old beardie loved it though. The one I have now seriously gets angry when I sit him down on the ground.

[@DragonReaver]

@@ansnfbsknanssshshbsnsndnd5438 My big boy Riku likes to puff up at me every now and then especially when he sees the females in the cage above his cage and I stop him from pouncing at them, I just give him a couple bugs and pet him till he puts away his beard, and forgets about whatever bothered him. Whenever I take them outside ill bring a cup with a few bugs to feed them with, its fun watching them dart across the lawn to come to get a bug in your hand.

[@mamashanshan2772]

My granddaughters have one, he’s the cutest!! Now I want one for sure! This is the greatest info!! I want all our creatures to be so happy!! Theirs is so content, simply, thank you!! Those beautiful creatures!!

[@WildLife_Perspective]

I learn so much from your videos Dav! Can't wait for more of these kinds of videos on new species!

[@jhurado]

My bearded dragon Steve is 18 years old, I bought him as a juvenile in 2001 and the funny thing is he is very small much like his wild counterparts... I see pet store dragons now and think wow those guys are on steroids, but probably has to do with the past two decades of creating new morph types and variations

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

And they are fed much more in herpetoculture

[@TeamParkhillIsVerySad]

wow, hes an og

[@BLACK0718BEAUTY]

👋🏾 DAV. Luv the video those BEARDIES are adorable. I wish I was on that trip-with ya As a mother to a bearded dragon 🐉 they rock thanks for the video👍🏾❤️❤️❤️

[@chrissyg1760]

Liking and saving to share for every person, mostly kids, who try to tell me how wrong I am with my biotank set up. I'm not perfect but I do research and try to provide the best natural habitat for my beardie, Hodor. He loves to dig and burrow in it, and I can keep fresh, organic plants for him to snack on while he also gets to chase crickets, roaches, and worms around his tank when not hand fed. Love the video and you have a new fan!!!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Hodor! Love it!

[@jameslouie2020]

Videos like these are more helpful than other care-sheets

[@numiretz5086]

for wild-caught, yes

[@dharkomens]

also one of the reasons why you will never find a bearded dragon in the wild with MBD. They have the pure sunshine with pure UV at all times. :)

[@chloeojeda2426]

I def do not recommend walnuts or any of the loose subs that can't be easily digested IF swallowed. I use organic top soil, SOME eco earth, and have a few sections that are rocky for some harder surfaces. It's cheaper than almost any premade mix. I have seen just as much anecdotal evidence against walnut shells as I have for pure sand. So, I still think a good mixture without either is best. But I really appreciate the fact that you provided great moving footage of their natural environment. It is QUITE the task convincing anyone that they don't live on JUST sand dunes once they hear "desert". This is evidence to quite the contrary! It's great to have things to display that these dragons have adapted to the different environments and maybe not so much that they ARE NATURALLY SUITED FOR IT even if it is naturally occurring.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thanks for your comment Chloe!

[@chloeojeda2426]

@@davkaufmansreptileadventures Thanks for actually going out there and getting footage and info we need!

[@chloeojeda2426]

@Dick Inyamouth it's not the only substrate that any of them have access to is the main point that we both were trying to get across. They also have access to scrub and Rocky areas and places to hide. Which is not necessarily commonly believed yet.

[@chloeojeda2426]

@Dick Inyamouth ok...well then what did you think I was saying? Because it seems like we agree then.

[@alexisgallagher6149]

love that you’re doing this kinda stuff dude, so many people mistreat their lizards or don’t know how to care for them so this is very helpful to those people. thank you!

[@MrPeter924]

Wow wild 😜. Nice video. Bearded Dragons 🐉 Pet’s And Wild Reptiles 🦎. 👍

[@MrPeter924]

Australia

[@davidkelly1298]

The wild ones you showed all look much darker than captives I have seen. I really love Australia and would love to visit someday. Thanks Dāv for taking us along.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

I hope you make it one day

[@feral7094]

Organic topsail or even zoomeds reptisoil mixed with clay is amazing for beardies. Just feed them bugs/veggies on a lifted platform like a flat rock

[@jackleo4435]

What about the baseball clay dirt?

[@Bitzy]

why do people feed their bearded dragons on sand and then be surprised when their dragon eats sand :p the only time I have EVER been worried about my dragons eating sand is with my current bearded dragon, who eats and tries to eat anything that his tongue can grab (dirt, debris, cobwebs, possibly sand) he’s insane! always gotta keep an eye on him so he doesn’t eat something harmful

[@Bitzy]

Dick Inyamouth yeah that too, not knowing how to get your lizard to shit no matter what is just poor husbandry :/

[@incognitomode2616]

Fun fact, Bearded Dragons actually have a Jacobson’s organ in the roof of their mouth. So when a Bearded Dragon is appearing to lick something, they’re actually tongue flicking. Once the tongue goes back inside their mouth, it will come into contact with the Jacobson’s organ. This sends signals to the Bearded Dragon’s brain about the environment and other information gathered by tongue flicking. Many Bearded Dragon owners misinterpret this behavior as their dragon attempting to eat substrate. Curious bearded dragons and babies are more likely to tongue flick. Though deliberate substrate eating (geophagy) can be triggered by nutritional deficiencies. In the wild, most reptiles naturally get their calcium via geophagy. This works because calcium carbonate is naturally found in the soil on every place on earth. So, a captive reptile who isn’t getting enough calcium or some other nutrient might try to act on that natural instinct to consume substrate to correct the deficiency.

[@TaleRavenTarot]

This is so awesome! Beardies are my favorite lizards and I would love to go see them in the wild.

[@TheMissAlira]

“And there is a fly in my eye” cracked me up. Good video, very helpful.

[@roserobles3349]

I use excavator substrate by ZooMed. I’m no spokesperson, but since I changed my substrate to excavator, my beardie is really happy. He loves burrowing in the dirt and making little holes for himself! I think it finally feels like home for him

[@richardembree1848]

for those of you that like to use sand, i use it in my 40 gal setup, an idea so ur dragon isnt on sand all the time, only do half the tank in sand and the other half I have in carpet... its nice cuz he likes to poop in the sand which makes my job easy to clean it but i keep his water and plant food dishes on the carpet side.

[@the_real_rascal]

I have a 2'x4' for my 2.5 yo girl. I just changed her to half sand and half slate tile and she seems to love it. Poops on the sand and basks on the slate. So much easier to clean up and she seems happier.

[@shanesubashe787]

Thanks for all the bugs you ate in Australia making videos. Really cool to see natural habitats. Would be nice to get UV readings as well.

[@loftyradish6972]

Watching you swallow so many bugs reinforced my belief that the Australian accent was developed from people not wanting to open their mouth too wide. My accent always gets stronger when the flies are out and about.

[@danyalhameed9764]

You should a report on Leopard Geckos in Pakistan

[@damonalisa11]

Yes asbsoulutly✌

[@franklinmichael671]

Yeah that would be great!

[@lucybond38]

We (my family and I) hold our bearded Dragon in our whole apartment. Happy(my dragon) have a little area who he can sun himself, but the rest can he decide for himself. He haven't a real terrarium for 12 years. Know he's 14 years old and fit as a fiddle. In summer we have a grid for rabbits that we use, so Happy can go outside in the summer. I hope you like how we hold our bearded Dragon :)

[@icd10cats1]

Do you find that Happy basks alot in his sun area or only spends a little time there? Our dragon has the run of the office and he seems to spend very little time basking; most of his time is on my desk and I worry he is too cold.

[@joyglocker8318]

Hi, I have seen a setup for a "inside free-range beardie " with a headlamp on the side of the desk

[@ShadySheev]

Captive bred dragons become more and more pug-faced, in my opinion. Their snouts are getting shorter and shorter and more rounded, while the entire head seems to get more bulbous. The wild ones have much more elongated, wedge-like heads and faces.

[@casandraanderson73]

Another amazing video! I have a dragon named Varys. I never knew what it looked like where she is from. So amazing! Thank you for all you do for all of us! There's a reason you're my favorite! ;)

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Love the name, but he'd eat all his "little spiders" :)

[@andreacolasanto4158]

Wild dragons are the best, nothing like what we have in captivity. No questions about that

[@RebeccaStout]

Amazing vid and info. Id like this for every reptile. I think Tegus are in great need of a vid like this because the humidity etc is very diff in the wild than what they tell us to do. I have to say this about the substrate issue. Many exotic vets would have a fit over the substrate advice! Why? They see and loose a lot of beardies from being sand impacted despite the enclosure temps. Remember domestic living is not wild living. What works in one might not work in the other because you cannot make it exact. Take for example they run in the wild. A lot. In captivity, they sit! Which makes the way their system and metab work totally different. Also what is the wild vs domestic lifespan?? Domestic beats wild, no? Thats because we are doing a damn good job with the habitats for captive living ... we minus the risks. So please.... listen to what your vets have to say not just others and what you think may be common sense!!!!

[@braydenpeyer8309]

I honestly found great success doing half and half. Half tile the other half on the basking side with a mixture of sand and rocks to climb on i kept his food and water in bowls on the tile side. He liked having the sand to dig in some and the rocks to bask on then he wouldn't be eating any sand because the food was far enough away where he wasn't getting sand mixed in.

[@dpoulos3633]

Great video! First time I’ve seen anyone do a bearded dragon natural habitat informational video, thank you

[@feathersofthefallen9186]

Crushed walnut shells? I'm sorry but I have to disagree when it comes to using it as a substrate

[@treysmith1186]

Dav lots of valuable information in this video. Here at Alysiasbeardeddragons we keep both species the eastern and the central. I would have to say the central is way more robust in body style but its hard to beat the ruggedness of the eastern beardies(pogona barbata). Thanks for taking time to make this video.

[@beagler4234]

This is awesome! That red guy might be the coolest Beardie I’ve ever seen.

[@TCraig1989]

You make great videos, very educational and keeps your attention. Keep up the great work!

[@josephmeredith2932]

Although I like alot of the morphs I've always loved the look of wild types and that goes for alot of reptiles not just beardies. There are alot of snakes where I prefer the normal types over the morphs just because they are already so beautiful/ cool the way nature intended them to be

[@thals86]

Another awesome video Dav! :) My personal favourites are the Eastern beardies, so much attitude and a joy to observe whilst out herping. I much prefer them over captive morphs like the silkbacks. Mother nature does it best imo.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

The morphs are not without their charm, but I do like the wild types as well.

[@zoron8952]

that wild went from LET GO OF ME to chill pretty quick there

[@MissNebulosity]

This is actually way more helpful than I expected.

[@andylydon8416]

Amazing video! I'm so glad you showed how beardeds are living in the wild ON SAND! Maybe now all the "experts" who have barbie furniture in their cages will shut up now. I have 8 breeder beardeds that I raised from babies on the walnut shells you mentioned and have had zero issues, even though I get crucified when I mention that on forums. These people need to STFU!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

I never once had a problem either

[@kyrah.joyyyy936]

I let my bearded dragon watch it with me and he was lookin at them like what the heck is wrong with them

[@RoseCityReptilesTX]

Love sharing this video with people even a couple years after it was posted. Thanks for the great info Dave! Rattle on!

[@beebsman4331]

Very cool video. Exactly what I was looking for after getting my first bearded dragon. I like how you pointed out the importance of not taking everything in the wild as literal replication for an enclosure, like the heat. Very good to know what the natural habitat is like but also important to understand the limitations of an enclosure.

[@LanceKirkman]

Excellent video bro I've been hearing we've bread the wild features and colors out of them. I'd love to see wild types make a comeback

[@pain002]

Well if you just mean optical wild features we bred out of them, then I'd have to disagree my beardie looks exactly like that wild one with some colour exceptions.

[@jesusbeloved3953]

I’ve got my beardie in a bio active enclosure. There are springtails, isopods and a few handfuls of superworms, mealies and dubia thrown in for hunting pleasure. No plants at the moment; I had several she managed to kill within days by just walking on them. Note to self: buy much larger succulents for such a big lizard! Thanks Dav for this, and all your videos!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Cool. Sounds like your dragons have a lot of enrichment.

[@russelmuldowney8736]

What kind of isopods did you go with

[@jesusbeloved3953]

Russel Muldowney White dwarf.

[@catherinevangass4927]

They are adorable, feisty and quite clever little guys!!💥

[@ashleyhensley4886]

This is absolutely amazing! and there is a fly in my eye! Lol

[@annam7748]

I'm a proud mama of a beardie ❤

[@lifeoftony2361]

Quick!!! Take them to a enclosure with tiles and paper towels before they die of impaction!

[@Dhdowned]

Life Of Tony nature is such a horrible owner

[@TeamParkhillIsVerySad]

THE TRYHARDYT ikr?? peta better take away natures pets smh

[@342Lia]

Awesome video! I think all morphs are beautiful 😊

[@MrSf49ers]

These videos are awesome, I always learn something new 🤘🏼 keep the vids coming lol 🐢🐍🦎🦂🕷

[@glap8694]

This is a great idea for a series, i already cant wait to watch the crested gecko one after this. You should make a second video to this where you set up a naturalistic enclosure for a bearded based on what you saw out there. Id love to see it!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Not a bad idea. I making plans to do these types of videos on every kind of popular pet reptile

[@glap8694]

@@davkaufmansreptileadventures i absolutely love it, best idea for a herp channel series ive seen in a while. If youre ever in an area for it id love to see one on either chinese or japanese cave geckos, or maybe even alligator lizards. Both are popular pets id love to see the environment of, though alligator lizards would probably be an easier task

[@dvlexotics2177]

Dav you have been all over and seen animals in their wild home you have been to the biggest best facilities. What I your take on the elaborate enclosures VS tubs/racks.and will you do a video about the subject.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Good question and there isn't one black and white answer. Some species do better in tubs and others in larger enclosures. I will do a video on the subject one of these days.

[@piguy5645]

​@@davkaufmansreptileadventures I think this is a very important and relevant question to ask before titling videos things similar to "are we keeping them the right way?". Wild conditions are a good baseline to start to understand the lizards needs with, and how they are adapted for life, but they are not necessarily optimal conditions, nor are captive conditions ever going to be natural conditions. Primitive tribes of humans do not live in the artificial conditions as people in NYC, yet the NYC people enjoy some benefits to their health, comfort and longevity that primitive tribes do not enjoy. Arguments could be made for particular points being superior to both ways of life, so how can one be considered "right"? If the animals are physically healthy, if they behave in a way that reflects a less stressful life, if they consistently outlive their wild counterparts in numbers of survivors to adulthood and years of lifespan, if they reproduce over many generations- these all can be measured. UV meters on the lighting and matching the substrate can be measured as well, but these measurements are not so critical perhaps if the captive lizards are doing better already anyway compared to the ones living in the wild. Not that these videos aren't interesting and a good start. But they should really be followed up with some trials that go on for years with different lighting situations for example and some data collected on the lizards themselves to see if it really makes any difference in health or longevity or reproductive success or something else that can be measured tangibly before making claims of the "right way"...

[@ajensenphotography]

Building out some new enclosures. This is great to see. Thanks for showing us the outback. It is very useful information.

[@BushiCollector]

Finally I found a video of Bearded Dragon in the wild 👏👏👏 I learned way more than the many videos I saw of Bearded Dragon in captivity. Thank you 🙌

[@caseycannon1038]

You should check out the areas around Alice Springs sometime! The inland bearded dragons that I saw there were huge with yellowish heads and orange bodies

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Planning that for next time!

[@shayemandy914]

Casey Cannon if it's red dirt beardies can be easily stained hahahah just a thought :P

[@thegrudge1988]

Dāv, a great video! As always... ;) Do you have any plans to visit leopardgeckos in the wild? Cheers, Dawid

[@jasonsteinfort8503]

Daw Buc I agree Dave needs to do a leopard geckos habitat video

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

I'm working on it, but they aren't found in the most friendly places so it'll take a lot of planning

[@jasonsteinfort8503]

Definitely stay safe Dave

[@serildayo]

Enjoyed the video. That is one dry habitat! I have a new beardie 3 mos old. Working on growing the greens she needs and putting them in her enclosure. I’m doing a semi-natural habitat. Tile on the bottom with trays of plants and bioactive soil. The end with my driftwood is just tile. 2 hides never used. My girl climbs on her vines a lot. 2 uvb/uva lights. She has a small fountain and good humidity. Her breeder handled the clutch a lot, so I have a very social girl.

[@rogerhunter313]

Really cool and informative. Thanks!

[@ohhowfuckingoriginal]

Seeing the car on the wrong side of the road is hard lol

[@spiralpython1989]

Captain.Toaster Now you know how we Australians feel when we watch American shows...

[@lilbit7408]

I LOVE MY BEARDED DRAGON HAD HIM 10 YEARS NOW. NAME SPIKEY🦎

[@colin1891]

Mine had the same name 🙃

[@JattAnmoli]

@@colin1891 wow same but its spikes.

[@wynonaa.980]

mine’s a baby and his name’s spike lol

[@Jake-bi8fv]

You don't deserve 57k ..you deserve 57 million.. excellent job..my goodness! Absolutely love your work Dav.

[@silentkitty318]

Nice video. I always find it funny though when people come to Australia and go out to the middle of nowhere to find beardies though, as you can find them in most suburban areas, at least in SA. 😂🤣 However i think the outback makes for a better filming location. Makes our country look rough and tough. Hahaha. 😊