The non-aggressive demeanor, great personality, and relatively easy to meet needs make bearded dragons one of the preferred lizards in the herp trade today.  All bearded dragons originate from Australia, but because animals are no longer allowed to be exported from Australia, all the beardies circulating in the pet trade are from other places in the world, such as Africa, areas of Asia, and even the United States.  There are three main species of bearded dragons, the Island (Pogona vitticeps), Eastern (Pogona barbata), and the Lawsons bearded dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni).  There is also a species that is a breed between the Island and the Lawsons called the Vittikin bearded dragon.  The Island bearded dragon is the most popular and easiest to obtain, in fact, you won't see any Eastern or Lawsons beardies in an ordinary pet store.  The Eastern is a bigger breed of dragon.  They include the German Giant, which is the largest species.  The Lawsons is a much smaller breed. The Lawsons dragon grows only half as large as the more common Island.  Sadly, both the Lawsons and Eastern dragons are harder to breed in captivity, which make them not so readily available. 
               
Because the Island bearded dragon is the most common, I am going to focus this information on this species.  Bearded dragons naturally live in desert climates; keep this in mind when setting up their enclosure.  Allowing your dragon to free roam a house is not a responsible way to take care of your beardy.  There are many problems with letting a bearded dragon roam a household.  For one, they are exothermic, which means they cannot self regulate their body temperature, such as mammals.  When they are left free roaming a house, they cannot properly regulate their body temperature.  There are many other risks, such as having something drop on them, being electrocuted, getting trapped some where, or becoming lunch for one of your other household pets.  Bearded dragons need to be kept in an enclosure.  It is best to keep a smaller bearded dragon in an enclosure with a length measurement of 30 to 36.  They will be able to live in this for about six months.  It is not best to go straight to a 48 to 72, which comfortably houses one adult, because then the young dragon may have problems finding its food as well as its basking spot.  The most common enclosure sold today for larger beardies is the 55 gallon aquariums.  This would be the smallest enclosure you would want for one adult dragon.  If you were going to go with an aquarium I would suggest the 75 gallon.  It is the same length as a 55, just wider.  You are not limited to a glass tank.  There are large plastic enclosures on the herp market, but not very often do you see them in a pet store.  The substrates you use depend on the age of the beardy.  I use plain plastic tubs with no substrate for my hatchlings.  This allows me to monitor them better and it takes away any hiding place for their food to get away from them.  If you put sand in with babies, you risk impaction, which can be fatal. Not having substrate for an older dragon is not a good idea.  If there is no substrate as they get older, it will cause their nail to grow very long and will bend their toe.  The preferred substrate for older beardies is sand.  A different substrate that is suitable is a sand/soil mix.  Bearded dragons are semi-arboreal.  In the wild they love climbing on rocks and fences.  They need a place to climb in their enclosure.  I allow one big rock in every one of my cages because this helps the bearded dragon to keep their nails down.  Fecal matter must be removed from the enclosure as it is seen.  

Bearded dragons come from the deserts of Australia, needless to say, they like it hot.  This means proper heating requirements must be met for the longevity of your lizard.  Temperatures in the cage should remain between 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit with a basking spot, during the day only, of 90 to100 degrees Fahrenheit.  When your beardy gets to a mature age of one year, it will naturally go through a chilling process during winter months called winter shut down.  Temperature for this time of the year should be dropped to much lower temperatures, 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit with a basking temperature of 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  Winter shutdown can last one to five months.  If your dragon is healthy when it goes through this phase, it will loss little to no weight.  During this time the beardy will eat little if at all.  Even if my animals are not eating I still provide food for them in moderation.  The main source of heat for your dragon should be a incandescent white basking bulb.  I prefer the tight beam.  They allow more heat to be directed into the cage.  Two other forms of heating are under tank heaters and, for bigger lizards, heating rocks.  Heat plays a very important role in the life of your bearded dragon.  The health of your bearded dragon will be affected greatly if not heated properly.  
                 
UVB light is also very important in maintaining good health for your dragon.  Bearded dragons manufacture vitamin D-3 when exposed to UVB rays.  Vitamin D-3 allows for the absorption of calcium in their body.  Without calcium they can encounter health problems such as metabolic bone disease.  If no UVB is provided, the calcium you are giving your beardy is not being used.  It is just going straight through their body.  Bearded dragons grow healthier and are more active, as well as colorful, when provided with the proper lighting.  Keep in mind that you do not want your basking or your UVB on during the night.  It stresses out the beardy.  Just imagine how you would feel if the sun never went down.  In the wild, some days it is clear skies and warm, other days it is overcast and cloudy.  It is not going to hurt your bearded dragon if the UVB and/or the basking bulb don't get turned on for a day.  
               
Beardies need a variety of things to eat.  They are omnivorous, meaning they eat both meat and plants.  The diet of younger dragons consists of more protein to help them grow.  About 60% to 75% of their diet is protein.  Vegetation takes up any where from 65% to 90% of an adult dragons diet.  Bearded dragons benefit highly from live invertebrate food such as crickets, hissing cockroaches, mealworms, wax worms, giant worms, silk worms, and even butterflies.  Uneaten crickets and other live invertebrate foods should not be allowed to stay in the cage, because they have a tendency to feast on other animals. They should be allowed to eat as much live invertebrate food as they can in a ten-minute period of time every day. Larger specimens also enjoy live food such as other species of lizards and small mice.  It is possible for them to become overweight and malnourished.  For this reason you must not over feed youre beardy.  Babies should be fed three times a day.  Adults should be fed once some time in the morning.  Greens and veggies should be provided daily.  Greens such as mustard green, collard greens, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and kale are excellent sources of vitamins and water.  At no time should any kind of head lettuce be fed to a bearded dragon.  There are many vegetables that make great food for these animals.  When picking out vegetables to feed your lizard, check the phosphorus levels in the vegetables.  Phosphorus is a calcium blocker.  The calcium:phorphorus ratio in a beardie's diet should be 2:1.  Old plant matter should be removed from the enclosure daily.  There are commercial bearded dragon pellets available.  These pellets can be a base food but should not make up their entire diet. Vitamin and calcium supplements should be added to their food on a regular basis.  Calcium is very important in the growth and bone development.  Hatchlings and young dragons should be given vitamins and calcium every day.   Adults should be given a vitamin supplement twice a week and calcium every other day.  Calcium and vitamin supplement come in powder form.  This powder can be sprinkled on their greens or mixed with their crickets or other invertebrate foods.   Water should be provided at least every other day.  Beardies will defecate in their water dish on occasion.  The water dish should be cleaned out every day to prevent health problems.  With hatchlings it is better to give them water manually.  To do this use a small animal water bottle and drip a little bit of water on the snout of the hatchling three time a day.  
               
With the proper enclosure, adequate light and heating, and balanced diet, your bearded dragon can live a long, full life.  With their great personality and non aggressive behavior, The island bearded dragon makes for one of the best pet lizards in the herp trade today.