Newbie Here

[Kryton]

As stated up in Introduction, I am new to this and have a few questions. First we are looking to start out with a baby or juvy Bearded Dragon. I have 3 tanks to choose from,30gal,55gal and a 150 gal. Eventually he or she will end up in the 150 but should I start out with the 30 or just go with the 150?
As for the substrate if the consencus is to start out with the 30 then I will just go with newspaper. With the 150 though from what I was reading i was thinking of going with a laminated floor bottom. Using pet safe silicone I would spread out play sand on it to give some traction. Also taking a play sand fill dirt mixture and spreading out this mixture over about 1/3 of the tank,1 1/2-2 inches deep. That would give the Dragon a natural place to dig in I think.

Your thought please,Thanks

 

[CooperDragon]

A 30gal is a good starter size. It will give a little one enough room to run around without feeling overwhelmed. From there I'd go to the 150gal. I'd start preparing that early with some nice ceramic tile floor. Paper towels or non adhesive shelf liner will be fine for the 30gal. If you wish to go with the 150 from the start, that is probably OK as well but you may want to partition it off at first to provide a cozier space for a small dragon.

I wouldn't use sand or any loose substrate, especially with a little one, because they lick everything in sight as they explore and if ingested it can cause impaction which can be fatal. You'll want to set up some rocks and/or logs for basking. You could use a reptile hammock as well. They love to climb.

Lighting is very important for them. You will want to get a basking light (you can use a reptile basking light or just a plain halogen flood light) to provide white light and heat. This should be placed above a basking spot (flat rock or log etc) so it hits 100-100. Use of a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a probe is the best way to get accurate temp readings. The "cool" side of the tank, opposite the basking area, should be about 75-85 in the day. If your house gets below 65 at night, you can set up a fixture with a ceramic heat emitter for nighttime use. If your house is above 65 at night, skip this and let the temps drop at night. UVB is another very important consideration. I suggest getting a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube UVB that is at least 1/2-3/4 the length of your tank. This should be on when the basking light is on (about 12hrs a day more or less following your routine). Outlet timers are useful to set the lights on a schedule.

 

[Taterbug]

IMO go big. You won't have to worry about switching everything later and your dragon will not have to move again. Dragons do like space, but if your baby gets too stressed you can make a big tank smaller who partitions of cardboard. Hopefully with a good set up (lots of climbing places and structures) they will settle right in. Pepper has been in his ~120 since I got him at three months old with no problems.

I use nonadhesive shelf liner for mine right now, it's easy to clean, grippy and stays put relatively well. Siliconed on sand sound interesting, just try it out first and make sure it's easy to clean the chunks out. Few folks on here will advise/approve of any loose bedding, and it may be worth starting out without it until you are more familiar with your dragon and it's habits. There will always be a chance for impaction, and loose stuff is sometimes hard to keep clean. I did something similar but found that sand was too much hassle. Unless it's contained the sand mix will end up everywhere and it was a pain to keep clean.

 

[Kryton]

Thats good advice thank you. Im probably just going to go with the 150 and partition it off like you stated. The 150 is already sitting empty in the living room while the 30 is in the garage.As for the substrate the shelf liner is a good idea. But as the dragon reaches adult hood would my idea with the play sand/fill dirt mixture work better then? Also for cleaning purposes I would just remove the mixture and replace it once a month since it is really cheap.As for the sandy laminate I would just remove it and wash it off.
As for the lighting I already have 2 lamps that I have to get bulbs for and I have 2 aquaticlife 2' fixtures that Im going to get new UVB tubes for one of them and use it for that specific lighting. Should work really well.
Thanks for the advice and I am sure I will have plenty of more questions.
Kryton

 

[CooperDragon]

I wouldn't use loose substrate at any point really. I use ceramic tile and like it because it's relatively easy to clean, holds heat well, and keeps the dragon's nails filed pretty well. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions or want a sounding board for ideas.