Housing Size

[weezer]

HI,
I have a baby Beardie ,about 6" total length,right now I have in a temp home a 20 gallon reptile tank.Subtrate is plain ole newspaper,heating and lighting is good.How big should he be befor I move him to his perminate home which is going to be a 40 gallon breeder tank.Also what is the feeling out there on playsand as subtrate once he is big enough .And will the 40 gallon Breeder be large enough for his perminant home.

Thanks

 

[Beardednoob]

40 breeder in most case is suitable for bearded dragons their whole lives. Only time it may become an issue is if you have a very large dragon. When I got my youngest dragon (Thor) I put him in a 40 breeder since day one, he was 6 inches on the dot. I had never had any issues. I personally believe switching enclosures after a set period of time will only account for a new case of stress on the dragon.

As of my opinion of play sand, it is completely your choice, however I would never use sand of any sort no matter how safe someone has said it to be. In the wild they may encounter sand in areas, in the wild they do not have the same life expectancy nor is the dragon you have a wild dragon. Every time the dragon is smelling around it's enclosure it is bound to get sand in it's mouth, they cannot spit it out so they are forced to eat it. Sand can become lodged in their eyes, ear openings, vents etc.. if sand is present in their mouths while eating it can chip teeth or damage their gums. Dragons have natural bacteria in their mouths, mouth injuries can often lead to infections.

If there is safer alternatives then why risk adverse health effects for aesthetic appeal? Felines were once wild animals but, I do not house my cats on grass, sticks and leaves. :wink:

Again though this is completely your choice, I am merely giving the advice and or my opinion.