Enclosure and Feeding choices

hi. Im planning to make vivarium for my future dragon. I had lots of research but some info on the internet is not correct since i can find opposite info same time ) so i have couple questions that i can be sure
1. I made vivarium with aloe vera, basil, rosemary and couple consumable other plants. Should i stay dragon away for like a year to not eat subtract and digestion problems or is it cool to put the juvenile dragon to a vivarium. I can definitely cover it with sand or reptile carpet too.

2. i heard from a youtube channel is the mealworms not harmful despite what other people says it's easy to digest and they feed all their dragons with that is it true?

Moved by moderator from ER to Enclosures.


The plants are not likely to be harmful to your dragon. You may want to put them in quarantine for a little while before adding them to the enclosure. They may wind up getting trampled by your dragon. Are you adding the plants in pots? If not, planting them as part of a bioactive substrate is probably the best idea. Just using sand won't work so well and could get messy.

Mealworms are not the best feeder in terms of nutrition but are OK to offer as part of variety in a diet. Do you have other live bugs available to offer in addition to the mealworms?

CooperDragon":1s6giu7b said:

Moved by moderator from ER to Enclosures.


The plants are not likely to be harmful to your dragon. You may want to put them in quarantine for a little while before adding them to the enclosure. They may wind up getting trampled by your dragon. Are you adding the plants in pots? If not, planting them as part of a bioactive substrate is probably the best idea. Just using sand won't work so well and could get messy.

Mealworms are not the best feeder in terms of nutrition but are OK to offer as part of variety in a diet. Do you have other live bugs available to offer in addition to the mealworms?

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Hi CooperDragon. Sorry about wrong category posting i thought i'm in general discussion Actually i'm not worried about plants i expect to he / she eat them well ) i'm worried about i will get a juvenile and don't want him to eat subtract(I'm making bioactive not on pots). And i don't wanna get before i feel ready to get dragon because even they seem too sturdy they are so exotic so need attention on their enclosure Menu is gonna be mealworms and crickets so far.

thanks for all heplings

I have one more question. my terrarium is 130cm and i couldnt find anywhere 90cm UVB florescent. can i use 120cm uvb or 60cm UVB with it or i can make myself a 90cm florescent lighting system

A 60cm (24'') should do the trick. It's long enough to cast a good wide beam over the basking area while leaving other parts of the enclosure at lower or no UVB. If you do go with the 120, just set it a bit to the front or rear of the enclosure (still over the basking area) to create a gradient along the depth of the enclosure.

Hello! First of all, welcome to the forums.

To address your questions:

1. What substrate are you using and what do you mean by "juvenile"? The answer depends on these two questions. If it's a reliable substrate mix and by juvenile you mean 6ish months or older, I would not see any problem with you moving your dragon in very soon.

Also, just letting you know that Basil will not last very long - it usually only grows for a few weeks before dying. You also don't mention having isopods or springtails in your setup, do you?

2. Mealworms are not "easy to digest", but they are a perfectly fine feeder for all but very young dragons. They should not make up the entire diet, though, and should be paired with something easier to digest, such as dubia roaches, hornworms, or crickets.

3. Either of the UVB options should be fine, but I would go with the 60cm. They need UVB, but they also need to be able to get out of the UVB if they want to.

Hope this helps,
-Ellen

1. I mean by juvenile almost 6 month like 4-5-6 month old if i can arrange i will go with 6 month old

I couldn't find isopods for now but just ordered springtails. Right side of terrarium has rosemary and couple safe plants for bearded dragons this area will be bit moist then the left basking / uvb zone.
My substrate is %70 dirt(bought from store) %20 cocopeat and %10 other ingredients(sphagnum moss, bark etc).
i have a question about it tho, i tried to be very careful before add plants but i cant be sure if its disinfected how can i be sure of that are there any plant / animal safe and harmful bacteria killer solution or will i be safe if plants living healthy

2. I will order those insects too. Correct feeding so important in young age i keep researching after posted

3. But as CooperDragon said, i already dont have luxury of placing it middle of the terrarium. Middle area going to be open air with wire mesh, does UV light goes everywhere withing that 60cm or should i go with wider light source.

I'm sorry im asking too much but Bearded Dragons are a bit tricky to maintain standats so i dont want to cause his / hear death, Thanks for all replies.