Bearded dragons have become a very popular pet to own with many different types of bearded dragon morphs being bred
The Paradox Bearded Dragon is one of those morphs
The Paradox Bearded Dragon is one of the rarest morphs around and it can run a hefty price tag if you’re looking to pick one up
Not a whole lot is known about the paradox bearded dragon so buckle up! you’re about to learn a lot
if you’re completely new to Bearded dragons you can also check out this guide here
The Paradox Bearded Dragon
These bearded dragons get their name from the strange color markings and designs on their body
Appearance and colors
This is the thing about paradox bearded dragons!
they don’t have strict colors or patterns that you can recognize between them
That’s why they’re so rare and expensive as well
They can have big blotches of color all over the place or less color.
The idea behind rarity is that no other paradox is really going to be alike.
Some might have a couple of different combinations of colors as well which again will increase the rarity
Paradox Bearded Dragons are going to appear like any other bearded dragon in terms of the shape of the body and bone structure
Are Paradox Bearded Dragons Good Pets to Own?
Absolutely they are! in terms of their temperament but they do come with some concerns as they need special breeding in order to be bred
Because of this special breeding, they can often come with certain health concerns vs normal bearded dragons
If you do get a healthy one it will be completely fine and they can live a long life
Paradox bearded dragons are super rare but they are also like other bearded dragons in the sense that they like to be handled
They are social. They will you when they trust you.
Caring for a Paradox Bearded Dragon isn’t much different at all from a normal bearded dragon. Especially if they have no health issues
Paradox Bearded Dragon Care Guide
When caring for bearded dragons you want to make sure you mimic the wild as much as possible without the stress from predators
Bearded dragons are used to a certain climate
bearded dragons should have certain foods to enhance their growth and enrichment especially as a baby
Tank
My personal belief is that you should go straight for the 120-gallon tank
The reasoning behind this is because you won’t need to buy more tanks throughout the life of your bearded dragon
you’ll also be providing your bearded dragon with tons of space to run around and have enrichment to their life
In my bearded dragon’s tank, I provide a ton of places for them to hide as well
Bearded dragons love to hide
Good logs, rocks, branches, cut out shoe boxes are all good for bearded dragons to hide inside
Bearded dragons will also hide if they are too hot. Think of it like shade from the basking light
Every month you should clean the tank very thoroughly!
This is extremely important because of the humidity
humidity can create a great place for fungi and bacteria to thrive and grow quickly
When cleaning the tank you need to remove your bearded dragon completely and clean the substrate, decor, tank walls, tank floor, etc
Lighting
Paradox bearded dragons need a lot of lighting in order to stay healthy
This is the one downside to owning a bearded dragon
Lighting is very important to their health and they need new lights every 6 months or so
Bearded dragons need lighting for vitamin D needs
They also need lighting and heat for digesting food
UVA and UVB lighting is important for bearded dragons
Heating
Bearded Dragons need a good gradient of heat across the tank
it will look like this
one end of the tank will be hot. This area is called a basking area
They need this to be hot because they need heat for digestion and to regulate their body temperature
Reptiles will move to areas to help them get warmer and colder
The middle section is where they will hang out often
The cool side will be where they will be at night
Make sure that you keep a good gradient and watch the temperatures
If temperatures are off even by a little it can make your paradox bearded dragon upset
They will show they’re upset with a black beard
Humidity
Humidity should be between 20 – 40 percent
The humidity can be maintained by the water in the tank that you give your bearded dragon
you can also mist the tank with a spray bottle and if it’s especially dry where you live then you can mist the dragon itself
Humidity needs to be high so that bearded dragons can shed properly
Substrate
Bearded Dragon Substrates are really important
A substrate is the floor of the tank
Substrates come in many different types of material ranging from loose substrates like rocks and pebbles to hard surfaces like ceramic tile
The best substrate is the one that is safest for your bearded dragon and easiest to clean
In my opinion, the two best options are reptile carpet and ceramic tile
Bacteria will quickly build up in your beardies tank
You need to be able to clean it often and cleaning loose substrates like rocks and gravel make it much more difficult
on top of that loose substrates are not very good for your bearded dragon because they can accidentally consume some of it causing impaction
Paradox Bearded Dragon Diet
Paradox bearded dragons eat what every other bearded dragon is going to eat
now depending on what age your bearded dragon is they will need different food requirements
Baby bearded dragons need much more protein than vegetables
As a bearded dragon gets older that will completely flip and they will need more vegetables than protein
Bearded dragons can eat a wide variety of food but the main source will be insects, fruits, and vegetables
The list keeps going but this is my bearded dragon’s main diet
Now the best thing you can do is feed them slowly and see what they actually like
Sometimes beardies have an attitude and might not like certain foods
This is completely fine, just make sure they get their vegetables in
What to feed Bearded Dragons
I personally feed my bearded dragon
- waxworms
- superworms (adult)
- earthworms
- dubia roaches
- crickets
- blueberries
- blackberries
- bananas
- strawberrries
- broccoli
- spinach
- collard greens
- grape leaves
- mustard greens
- bell peppers
Paradox Bearded Dragon Health Concerns
Paradox Bearded dragons are usually born with issues
You will have more health concerns with a paradox bearded dragon than any other bearded dragon
Some issues with bearded dragons are
- Mouth rot – This is a bacterial overgrowth that can happen over time if your bearded dragons is sick or has a weak immune system. This can develop into some pretty nasty symptoms like dead tissue, redness, and pus coming from the mouth region
- Metabolic bone disease – this happens when your bearded dragon has a poor diet and ends up not getting enough calcium to keep its bones healthy. MBD is fatal if you don’t catch it early enough and this post will explain everything about it
- parasites – There are certain parasites that can make your bearded dragon sick. You can actually tell if you beardie has parasites by looking at their poop
- Impaction – This is when your bearded dragon has something stuck in his/her digestive tract. Its hard to pass and if its severe enough it could cause bleeding and might require surgury
Lifespan of a Bearded Dragon
Bearded Dragons can live a pretty long lifetime depending on how well they’re taken care of
If you take really good care of them they can live up to 15 years
my uncle has a bearded dragon that’s 13 years old now
Now paradox bearded dragons will most likely live shorter lives because of the high chance of birth defects
They can live a long life if they are born healthy though like any other bearded dragon would
Brumation
Brumation is almost the exact same thing as hibernation except some bearded dragons will still eat
They won’t eat a whole lot of food when in brumation
They also won’t move much
Certain things will trigger brumation like shorter days and colder weather
Keeping your bearded dragon away from windows will help prevent brumation from happening
Sometimes new owners will think their beardie is sick because of the lack of movement and eating
Shedding
Bearded Dragons will shed around 2 or 3 times a year depending on how old they are
Baby bearded dragons will shed like 1 or 2 times a month
Some bearded dragons will have a hard time shedding and you might have to help them out
If you need to help them just put them in a warm bath and let them rub against you
Don’t peel it off forcefully!
Breeding
Paradox bearded dragons are really expensive
The reason for this is because you have to breed two hypo translucent bearded dragons to get a paradox bearded dragon
Like I mentioned before they can come with a lot of different health issues but if you do get a healthy one it will be ok
You can expect to spend thousands of dollars on a paradox bearded dragon so be prepared!
How much do Paradox Bearded Dragons Cost?
You can expect to spend thousands of dollars on a paradox bearded dragon so be prepared!
Usually, people, who want a paradox bearded dragon want one because they might be collecting them or they might have owned bearded dragons before
If you absolutely love bearded dragons then go ahead and spend that money. Life is short!
Summary
Paradox bearded dragons have a little more awesome attached to them but it comes at a cost of health most of the time
Bearded dragons, in general, are going to be amazing pets to own
I’ve owned mine for about 5 years at the time of writing this blog post
The best advice I can give you is to make sure you spend a lot of time with them at the beginning
They will bond with you faster
Another piece of advice is don’t cheap out on the substrate
I mentioned this before but it goes a long way
Questions and Information
Are Paradox bearded dragons friendly and good for kids?
Bearded dragons are wonderful pets to have because they are very kind and like to be handled for the most part
Make sure if you get one as a baby you handle it as often as you can so it can get used to it
The more you hold them the more they will bond with you
They make great pets for kids as well but make sure they are supervised
Expert Tip
When you first bring your beardie home make sure you give it about 4 weeks or so to make sure it gets used to its new home
When you first bring your beardie home make sure you give it about 4 weeks or so to make sure it gets used to its new home
