Bearded Dragon Tank Requirements. Help Please

[ChiTownns]

Where do I start off,well I am new to bearded dragons and to this website, I am hoping this website would shed some light on my questions. I don't know what should go in his tank or not.I have not gotten a bearded dragon yet but i am looking forward to it and I even bought a book too.I also don't know what would be a good size tank for it too because Ive been doing research and they given me all kinds of stuff but yeah i would if you guys can help me out on what things to buy for him Ill be glad thanks.


P.S. If anyone sells bearded dragons or sell their accessories please let me know.Thanks.

 

[ronni1221]

Consider building your own tank, using the DIY section of the Discussion Forum. Use the Enclosure section for more info about heating and lighting your tank. I suggest going to craigslist.org to shop for the tank and accessories, and maybe you can even adopt a dragon from there! I think 40gal is optimum for a full grown beardie. You're better off starting with that size sooner, rather than having to buy one later.

p.s. I'm also from Chicago!

 

[diamc]

[Moved from Website Comments as this forum is better suited for your questions]

 

[lusipher2]

get the biggest tank you can afford, or build. mine is a 100 gal. tank. i have two beardies and there 19 inch and 20 inch male and female. charlie

 

[Elora]

If you get a beardie I first suggest only getting one.
its a risk to house them together.

-You will want to get a min of 40gallons. I bought mine at petsmart for around 70$ Make sure if you buy a tank that its not a fish tank because usually fish tanks are really tall and not a lot of floor space.
-You have 2 options for UV lighting.
a)You can get a tube UV light. The best brand that I know of is the reptiSUN 10. This puts out UV light for your beardie but no heat so you will also have to have an additional heat source. Dont waste money getting a fixture at the pet store for it. You can get a cheap one at home depo
b)If you want UV and Heat you could get a Mercury Vapor bulb. Mine is the T REX brand. Just make sure your beardie CANT get any close than around 12 inches from it. This bulb is pretty powerful. Its also large so you will either need a stand for the light fixture or get a deep dome fixture.
-If your house gets really cold at night (mine does here in western NY) below 65 i believe the temp is, you can get a Ceramic Heat Emmiter that emits heat but no light (no red bulbs)
-As for substrate my favorite is slate tile. This is so easy to clean. Lose substrate is always a gamble, especially for babies. You probably dont want to risk them eating it. I jsut got some slate tile from a place like home depot for 13dollars. It came in a box with mixed colors and sizes. You can just take the peice out that your beardie pooped on and wash it off.

As for cage decor you will want a basking platform for your beardie to bask under the UV light and then a place for him to hide if hes scared or not feeling well. (or just to sleep in) For ideas you can look at the "Viv pics only" thread under "Enclosures" you can see alot of pictures of everyones tanks and get some good ideas! Ill post a pic of Stompys viv to help you get some more ideas!

Good Luck!!!

EDIT- oh also make sure you get sliding doors on the side or a screen top!

 

[ChiTownns]

Thanks alot sorry I didnt notice the post earlier.

 

[Catalyst]

A 40g breeder is okay as a bare bones minimum tank size as long as you'll be taking your dragon out frequently for exercise. In my opinion though, it's on the small side and if you can afford to go larger, then that's better. The guidelines I was told when I was first getting into this hobby, and which I still use now, is that an adult dragon tank should provide at least 6-8 square feet of floor space with at least 18 inches of width so that your dragon can comfortably turn around. While a 40g breeder tank is 18 inches wide, it's only 3 feet long so it only gives you 4 1/2 square feet of floor space. A 75g tank, on the other hand is 4 ft x 18 inches and so gives you the minimum 6 square feet of floor space recommended. It's up to you, of course, and many have successfully used a 40g breeder enclosure for their dragons, but I personally wouldn't go smaller than my 75g for an adult dragon.

 

[ChiTownns]

ight thanks for the heads up i never knew that.