Not a dragon owner ... yet

[apaprikao]

Hello everyone!

I'm a dragon owner wannabe. My name is Anjie and I'm 25 years old, married with a 3 year old daughter and a son on the way. We live in Connecticut and our zoo so far consists of a German Shepherd/Husky mix named Maverick, two gray tabby cats named Munchkin and Dunkin, a ball python named Scarlett and a rat which is supposed to be food but since it's winter she's not eating regularly so we usually have a rat hanging around.

I've been researching Beardies for over a month now and I'm pretty sure I want to own one some day. With me being pregnant right now I think the best idea is to wait until after the baby is born and see how much time I have to devote to a Beardie. If we got one now my husband would be doing most if not all the work and that just isn't fair since I'm the one that wants it.

We have a 75 gallon long tank in our garage that I want to use as my dragon's home. We'll use a divider if we end up getting a baby to make the space smaller, but I'm not opposed to getting an adult. I would like to have the tank all set up and a thriving dubia colony ready to go before we bring a Beardie home. What suggestions would you give to someone setting up their first dragon tank of that size? What would you put in a 75 gallon and how do I get the heat gradient to be just right? I'm going to save this thread so that when I do get my Beardie I'll have all the right information available!

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Bwalter]

Glad your doing the research first. I fell in love with my daughters berdies, so I did a lot of research first, then found a good breeder here in my town, had to wait about a month before they were ready to rehome, I have had him for about 6 weeks now and just love it. He is very healthy and growing fast.

 

[wizbee]

Take a look at the Enclosures thread for some great ideas on your tank setup.

 

[Caltrat3]

the three biggest and most important things I can think of from everything I've learned thus far is..

1. Don't use Sand, it's gross and just not worth the risk, use a safe alternative like tiles or reptile carpet.
2. Don't be fooled by "poser" bulbs, go with Zoo Meds Reptisun 10.0 tube bulbs (not compacts) and feel secure in your choice.
3. Invest in a good temp gun or digital thermometer with a wire probe, stick on and the "button" thermometers are extremely inconsistent and generally way off on temps.

Good luck setting up your tank and preparing for your new beardie!