Deluxe DIY Desert Terarium (500L / 132Gal)

[MisaC]

Hello,

I am new in this reptile world but im making big steps After reading for 1 month i knew i have to buy one terarium. So far i love desert ones. I have a friend who's making customs terariums, ive told him what i want...and here its the results. I will add more pictures later on

This terarium its also the home for a cute Orange Yellow Het Trans. She is 6 months old and im dieing to bring her a partner

with uvb on.

side view. no uvb lamp

hot spot. mainly always off. It seems the temperature its enough.

And here is the cutie after i bought her. It was love at 1st sight!

more photos.

spiderman!

 

[Teage29]

Wow! Thats awesome! I think you should post this on the Vivs pic only thread on the enclosure forums. Oh and great 1st post by the way!

-Teague

 

[Yaaeee]

Wow that is a beautiful set up ! Can I ask what plants it is you're using? I've been thinking of doing live desert plants when I build my custom viv this summer! She's quite gorgeous too!! What are you measuring your temps with? Her hotspot should be between 95-105 depending on her preference.

(Oh & just a tip, bringing home a "friend" isn't a good idea. Beardies, like most reptiles are solitary animals. Unlike mammals they don't have that need for companionship. Beardies especially do get territorial and will fight. Simply search cohabilitation in this forum and you'll find lots of info.)

 

[MisaC]

Hey! Plants are common ones from Exo Terra, dyed in sandish color. Thanks for the kinds words and for the tips. Im taking all the tips every1 can spare

I know several guys here, also 1 breeder, the one that i have this dragon from that has like 2-6 in some terarium. Not a single one of this guys had a problem with 2+ beardies on big terrarium. I wonder whats wrong.


ps: ive added more photos on 1st link btw.

 

[fruitloopslave]

Is that sand on the bottom? Don't wanna be a jerk but sand can be deadly to beardies, especially juvies just wanted to help if that is what u use, sorry if this is offensive

-Reighley

 

[MisaC]

Thanks. The only thing i have in mind...is how come in real life their gene adapts to sand but on enclosure it has to be NOT sand ?!?!?

 

[kamelotte]

Your terrarium looks awesome! love the rock background. However, I'm going to expand on some of the tips other forum members gave you.

In the wild Bearded dragons live on hard, compact sand (think sandstone). Because they lick stuff to test the environment, loose sand can cause problems as it will be ingested when they do the lick test. It usually seems fine for a bit but in the long run a buildup of sand, or any loose substrate, will build up in the intestine and cause impaction. It's also a pain to clean and in the long run will be far more expensive to maintain than a tile or carpet substrate. Sand does look awfully nice in a terrarium, but for me it isn't quite worth the risk and effort. Exoterra makes a sand mat, that looks similar to sand but is a solid mat of substrate, but I can't get my hands on one big enough so I can't really say how good it is.

As for keeping 2 beardies together, and how some people you know don't have issues, often times issues arising from cohabitation are not obvious to those not familiar with them until one dragon is either missing limbs or dead. Although they may not necessarily fight, one will become dominant. Which one is dominant will be obvious, because it will be bigger. If they are fed together the dominant one will either eat all the food, or go by the wolf pack system; pick out the best bits (biggest bugs, best greens) and leave meager shreds for the other. A dominant beardie will also often lay on top of the submissive. people more familiar with mammals think it's cuddling, but its actually pretty dangerous. Whichever dragon is on top is getting all the UVB and heat which will cause the other to develop MBD or other issues. Failing that, the dominant will completely scare the other away from the basking spot and it will be left to live its life on the colder end of the tank. The submissive dragon will succumb to an early death due to the dominant literally taking everything. As cheesy as this is gonna sound, the only friend your beardie needs is you! They absolutely thrive on human contact, which is what is making them such popular pets! Concentrate on making a bond with your dragon and it will be as happy as a clam.

 

[MisaC]

Thank you for your time and for the tips. You really know how to speak from your heart. I will follow your advices but i am so focused on bringing home another Dragon that i have to do it. What i want to do is follow their behaviour and if there are problems, from domination pov i will remove the 2nd and build another terarium just for him.

I will take a closer look at this one.
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/sand_mat.php

Thanks!

 

[zackbeardieowner]

how did you make that background ?

 

[sue09]

I,m sorry but unless you are there 24/7 dont get another beardie,you cant possibly know whats going on when your not there. I'm sure you wouldn't want a injured or dead dragon,good luck with your baby.

 

[MisaC]

GOt 3 of them...and they are ok, today, after 2 weeks since when they are togheter. Lets see how things will go in the future.

 

[dragonlover4774]

Many a beardie has lost a foot or toe from the owner saying "lets see"
NO offense to your thinking, of course, but honestly the best option would be solitary dwelling. A cool thing to do is to split the cage and house a beardie on each side. If you are clever with concealing the split, it should work out great

 

[sue09]

You are making a terrible mistake in housing 3 together,one or more of these are going to get hurt or die. No matter how much you think your watching them it will still happen.