Diy bearded dragon enclosure idea

Geminibabii

New member
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So I'm planning on getting a bearded dragon for the first time, I want to build the enclosure and have an idea that I want to make real so just want some thoughts/suggestions/ideas/anything

I want to make an enclosure that is a 55 gallon, 75 gallon and then 110 gallon in one, with slide in walls to separate

what I wanted to do was make it with indents where I can slide in wall sections to separate the tank to be a 55 gallon, 75 gallon and then with the wall sections out a 110gallon. I'm thinking of having a glass front and then a top that opens, (so I can slide in and out the wall sections) with 2 mesh sections for the lights to sit on top and the uvb lights going to be mounted on the inside
this is a top view of what it would look like, with the red and blue lines being the wall sections
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CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
There are a lot of good builds in this DIY section that are worth looking over for ideas. Some general thoughts I have are to put the vents low on the cool side and high on the warm side to help air circulation.

You may want to either build it a little bit higher to accommodate light fixtures and bulbs, or have the top be a loose mesh screen that you can put the lights on top of. You could build either as a hinged top so you can lift it and move the sections as needed. As you increase the size of the enclosure with the sections, you may find that you want to move or adjust the lighting as well, so keeping that modular may be good in this case.

I would also advise building front access which is MUCH easier when you need to get into the enclosure to to cleaning or retrieve your dragon. Some people like sliding doors, some have doors with hinges on the sides so they swing out from the center (I find these get in the way sometimes). And what I like most is to have the hinge on the bottom so you can lower the front so it drops straight down and out of the way. You can put a latch/lock along the top to hold it in place. You could do this while still having a cross piece along the top in order to allow for your dividers or either a screen or solid top.
 

Geminibabii

New member
Original Poster
Thanks so much for responding! I definitely am going to do the vents low on the cool side and high on the hot side, I'm planning on doing a solid top with 2 loose mesh screens (triangluar shaped) on the left and right side of the top for the lights to sit on and the uvb lights going to be on the inside of the tank, what did you mean by the cross piece along the top? What's that for? The only thing I'm still trying to figure out is having a top that lifts and a front that drops down and it being able to hold itself, like would that be a solid structure, do you have any tips for that?
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
What I mean by cross piece is imagine a rectangle as a frame that goes along the top parallel to the floor. That can be held up by four posts of some kind that hold the sides on. You could then attach the latch at the top of the drop down front door to that. You could also notch the back of it so that your dividers will slide down through part of it to help hold them in place. Take a look at how the Zen Habitats are built with their metal frame and bamboo side panels to get a visual of the type of thing I'm thinking of. Something like wooden 2x2'' pieces for the frame then notch the inside portion so you can slide your dividers down and have the frame hold them in place. You could notch tracks into them to slide the front and back panels in too. Kind of a modular design. Just one way to do it though. I'll bet if you read through a bunch of the DIY projects on here you'll get some more (better) ideas on how to proceed.
 

Geminibabii

New member
Original Poster
That was super super helpful!! I think that's the way we're gonna go about it but we're gonna keep looking at different enclosures and get some more ideas like you said! Thanks so much!!
 

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