Opinions on tank size for baby beardie?

[SaschaDragon]

So I came across a beautiful 55 gallon tank on craigslist that I will be setting up for the next month or two. At first I was thinking that it would be great for a baby dragon with all that room to explore. He may feel a little more inclined to wander around in his tank. I am a little concerned however that it might be to big? He's gonna have to really hunt for his crickets and it will be a little bit of a journey from his basking are to his salads. Am I overly concerned? At the same time I'm thinking these challenges will make him smarter if not a little more adventurous maybe. I dunno, what are your opinions? :study: :?: :help: :dontknow: :book:

 

[FishboneNC]

You could divide it until he/she grows into it.
But it might like the space to explore!

I get mine to hunt for his food too...sprinkle a couple on one side of the tank then a couple on the other side. Sometimes he stalks them other times he just runs full speed right at them!
If I just drop them in, he'll stand under the cup and catch them before they hit ground!

Aquariums are usually narrow...email or ask for the dimensions.
When your beardie is larger it needs to be able to turn around without rubbing it's tail on the sides
A 40 gallon breeder tank is what most people use, it's around 16" wide.

Personally, if i was to do it over again, I would build a custom viv.
But in my circumstances, I was getting a rescue, I needed something fast, so I went to Petsmart, they had a large, Zilla 40 gallon bearded dragon tank kit on sale for $159. I got the right 24" Repti Sun 10.0 bulb and fixture on line.
If you wait for a "$1 per gallon" sale you could get the same tank, just the 40 gallon Breeder Tank for $40!

Another thing to consider, you might want to consider feeding him/her in a separate 10 gallon tank or something other than their living quarters, either a small tank or when it's bigger, a tote.
I have been feeding mine in his tank, I cleaned it out today and found 4 crickets hiding under the reptile carpet. The last time I fed him crickets was 4 days ago when I ran out of Dubai roaches.

Today, I cut a large piece of tile that fit half his tank and when I fed him, I saw some small roaches crawl under the tile! I have it so it's removable!
I am either going to try and cut up some reptile carpet or felt to put in the tiny cracks between the tile and the glass, or start feeding him in a small tank I have.

 

[ju5t1n]

My 4 month old beardie is in a 4'x2'x2' he seems happy. No stress marks and he found his basking spot pretty quick. I try to feed him in a different tank or one at a time since the Crickets/Dubias hide in the rockwall.
I built all my vivariums but here's a chart I found when I was looking to set up a fish tank.
http://alysta.com/books/fishtank.htm
It's not 100%, some aquariums are different sizes but it's a nice rule of thumb.

 

[SammieLee]

I have a baby in a 40 gallon breeder. Yes the hunting food was a problem. After trying many thing to get him to eat crickets I gave up and bought Phoenix worms. I really think I have an odd baby that doesn't care for crickets. If you only put in one or two at a time I dont think it would be too bad. Keep in mind that if catching crickets is a problem there are ways around that. I broke the jumping legs off and put them in a dish for awhile. That way my baby could eat them that way. Also you can put the crickets in the fridge to slow them down. Can also use a feeder that you can put in a dish like roaches or worms. I would not start with a smaller tank. I liked not have to buy a bigger tank down the road. Also if you dont want to go to small because you need the temp difference and that is hard in the smaller tanks. However I do not think a 55 gallon is great for an adult.....But know as I say this I have an adult in a 55 gallon. He was a rescue off craigslist and it's all I had at the moment. He came with a 30 gallon so the 55 is way better. In a few months I am going to build stacking enclosures for the beardies. They will be 4' x 2' x 2'. If you can building is really the best way to go and keep in mind yes some have trouble catching crickets but not all do. My case was just a spoiled beardie or weird since he didnt want crickets (however you want to look at it)