Question on enclosure size & lighting

Yesterday I picked up a Zilla 36 x 18 x 20 front open terrarium for the beardie we will be picking up in January. Since we will probably be getting a baby (at a reptile show), I was thinking of installing a temporary tank divider so he has a space about 20" x 18" (thinking of siliconing square dowels to plexiglass, then have some silicone "dots" to attach that to the tank). Or would the full size tank be ok as long as we provided plenty of hides?

Also, I'm planning on getting the Sunblaster T5 and Reptisun 10.0 bulb. It looks like they don't make an 18", so I would need to get the 24" setup (2/3 tank length). I'm thinking I would have the beardie in the portion of the tank that only has part of the bulb.

Does this sound like a good plan, or any ideas on how to tweak it?

Hi there,

No need to section off the tank. A baby will be perfectly fine in a large tank. It's not like its gonna be any bigger than the Australian outback it would naturallybe exposed to ha

-Brandon

yes I would get the 24 inch UVB-- in case you decide to get a bigger tank later and you dont want the fixture the same length of tank ---- if the screen on top is a wide hole screen the T 5 can sit on top of screen approx 6-8 inches from basking spot --
Karrie

beckys19":1zr3htc0 said:

Also, I'm planning on getting the Sunblaster T5 and Reptisun 10.0 bulb. It looks like they don't make an 18"

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Actually, they do, but you may still want to go with a different size. :dontknow:
https://www.sunblasterlighting.com/our-products/grow-lighting/t5ho-strip-light-combos/

Tweaking: Depending on whether it's it too late to return the Zilla enclosure, you might consider going larger if feasible (as large as you can reasonably afford, but 120gal/ 4'x2'x2' or larger is considered ideal).

I agree partitioning is not necessary unless your baby beardie is convicted of a capital crime.

I don't know if you have a breeder picked out yet. I went to several (4) shows prior to purchasing. I went to each show's website, got a list of vendors, and researched them ahead of time before meating them, chatting, and looking over what they had, how they cared for them, etc. When it came time, I was able to choose/purchase with more confidence, and no regrets. :wink:

God Luck!

Ok, only reason I was thinking about portioning it off was when researching I read that if it was too big they might have problems chasing down crickets. Right now a 120 setup isn't really feasible. We might upgrade in a couple years.

I've been researching the vendors as much as I could, and one of the guys where I got the tank had a beardie and ball python and recommended a couple

beckys19":3jzd9uak said:

Ok, only reason I was thinking about portioning it off was when researching I read that if it was too big they might have problems chasing down crickets.

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No biggie. Fortunately there are options/workarounds. Other feeders don't have that problem, but that's up to you (and what your beardie will eat--IME, most anything that moves... :lol: )

Currently, Zardoz' num-nums consist of dubias, BSFL, and a few mealworms & waxworms. None of those (or many others) jump, fly, or are very fast at all. All can be fed in a small slippery-interior "bugbowl". In a month, we've had only one escapee, and that got eaten within inches of the bowl.

beckys19":1kgtl1vr said:

Ok, only reason I was thinking about portioning it off was when researching I read that if it was too big they might have problems chasing down crickets. Right now a 120 setup isn't really feasible. We might upgrade in a couple years.

I've been researching the vendors as much as I could, and one of the guys where I got the tank had a beardie and ball python and recommended a couple

Click to expand...

If you're feeding crickets, you might want to do the feedings in a separate storage bin for ease of rounding up the crix your little one doesn't eat; you do NOT want loose crickets in the tank, as they can come out at night and chew on your dragon. When your dragon is older, you can get a cricket cup like the one I got for my Figment from Full Throttle Feeders https://www.fullthrottlefeeders.com/product-page/the-bearded-dragon-adult-grid-feeding-cup which has REALLY cut down on the number of loose crickets in my tank; they do make a smaller "feeding pole" for babies, but I don't know how well it would work - to me, the crickets could just jump off the pole.

Or you could feed insects that stay nicely in a smooth sided dish, like MrSpectrum suggested. Dubias are dandy feeders (I'm a convert, though I still don't like handling them!) and won't get loose very often, and even if they do, they won't harm your dragon.