enclosure/substrate mistakes have been made, also :(

I just posted about some nutritional mistakes that I believe were made with my beardie; unfortunately, I think that his enclosure may be inadequate, as well. When my son and I first got this guy, he was in a 10gal tank, which was obviously too small. He was somewhere between 3-6 months, at our best guess, and we didn't have any funds to upgrade the tank for 2-4 months.

Eventually the poverty issues got a little bit better, and we were able to upgrade his enclosure to a 20gal wide terrarium. He seemed much happier, but (especially as he's grown into adulthood) according to the information that I've found, it seems like this may be too small for him, as well. It's been about 9 months since we've gotten him, putting him right around a year to maybe a year and a quarter. I've really been concerned about this, as at least one site has alleged that too small of an enclosure can cause lasting health problems. Any opinions, or clarifications, on this? He does get out for awhile every day to roam about our apartment, at least. I know that's probably not enough exercise for him, though.

Also, I have a question about substrates. At first he had some sort of plastic or vinyl mat in his 10gal enclosure that we received along with the enclosure. We switched him to coconut fiber for awhile, and then found out that that was a bogus idea. Since then, we've been using newspaper, to try to make sure he didn't get any impaction, but I'm guessing that this isn't ideal, either (ink, etc). So, barring sand, coconut, and newspaper, any recommendations? Reptile carpet is probably a bit too expensive for our poverty situation, though I may be able to finagle it if it's the cheapest, or clearly best, solution.

Thank you muchly for anything that you can suggest.

Yeah those tanks are a bit small for a dragon his age. Your best bet in terms of affordability is to build your own if you can. There is a walkthrough of a popular enclosure here https://beardies.dreamwidth.org/2145.html

The lighting is quite important as I mentioned in your other thread. If you can save up and invest in a good UVB light it will make a big difference in the long run. For basking, you can use a PAR38 halogen flood light which will work well. They are fairly cheap at walmart or local hardware stores.

Newspaper is OK for substrate. You can also use non adhesive shelf liner which is easy to clean or cheap to replace. Both are better than coconut fiber. Reptile carpet gets dirty very easily so needs frequent washing which leads to it tattering easily. As far as soft substrate goes, I've found that fleece holds up a lot better. I use fleece squares on top of ceramic tile in my enclosure to provide some relief from the hard surface and to allow some burrowing.

Hi! Sometimes beardies can get really expensive with their husbandry, and as somebody who doesn't make much money--I really sympathize, lol :roll: But my beardie Cactus is all worth it.

Here's how I've saved money on her enclosure:
- PetCo has $1 per gallon deals every few months, and if I'm not mistaken the deal cycles through different areas of America (assuming you're in America or a different place with PetCos). I live in the southeast, and their $1/gallon deal ended in August, so it should be back in a few months. A Google search for your area and the $1 per gallon deal at PetCo should tell you when your area is due for it again. Anyways, the deal is a LIFESAVER; 40 gallon breeder tanks (which is the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM size that some beardie keepers suggest) usually cost $160+, so hop on that deal when you can!
- Also, check your local Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace for terrariums and aquariums, people are usually always selling them for pretty cheap. I've gotten a really good deal on some used reptile equipment (like a dome fixture and a CHE) there, too!
- The rolls of Duck brand non-adhesive shelf liner (that is sold at Walmart for $5 for like, a 12-foot roll) are a wonderfully cheap substrate that's also VERY easy to clean, as well as being aesthetically prettier to look at. Newspaper also works just fine; whatever you're comfortable using and looking at!

Good luck with your expensive little baby!