Bearded Dragon (Citrus)

Pogona vitticeps "Citrus"

The Citrus morph of the bearded dragon is a splendid color variant resulting from careful polygenic selection, aimed at enhancing the yellow and golden pigments of the skin. Citrus specimens show a background coloration ranging from bright lemon yellow to deep gold, often enriched by light orange shades on the flanks and around the eyes. As hatchlings, they show only slight hints or yellowish bands, but with successive sheds the yellow pigmentation intensifies significantly until it covers almost the entire body in adulthood. This genetic line is highly appreciated by both hobbyists and breeders, who often cross it with recessive traits like Hypomelanistic (Hypo) to reduce black pigment and obtain specimens with an extraordinarily clean and pastel yellow, or with the Translucent trait to obtain solid black eyes and waxy-looking skin. As with all bearded dragons, care in captivity requires a spacious desert terrarium, a warm basking spot at high temperatures to promote correct digestion, and constant integration of calcium and vitamins associated with high-quality UVB exposure.