xenadaisy":8804a said:
i was going to buy a four foot vivarium but some people have told me only to buy a three foot because otherwise the beardie may have trouble eating??
This is only a concern for small baby dragons and even then there are many ways around it. You can feed live food in a separate container (like a rubbermaid tub, or a 10g tank) so that your dragon doesn't have to chase the food as far and you don't have to worry about chasing down any who escape from your dragon and hide in the tank. You can also use a piece of cardboard or something to section off the tank to a smaller size while your dragon is small and then remove it once he's gotten a bit bigger. It's most cost effective to go with the full sized tank from the start instead of getting a smaller tank and finding out later you need to upsize it as your dragon grows.
As far as what size that tank should be, some use a 40g breeder as their minimum tank size (36" x 18"), but in my opinion this is too small and doesn't provide enough floor space for a dragon (floor space is more important than height with dragons). An adult tank should have at least 6-8 square feet of floor space and a minimum width of 18 inches - this works out to a 75g tank (48" x 18") or larger. Many build (or have built) a basic 4' x 2' x 2' enclosure for their adult dragon and love it.
probably stupid question but exactly what do i need in my vivarium, by way of heat sources etc. do bearded dragons need a heat matt? could this be used just to bump up the temperatures needed in the hot end?
sorry if all us newbies ask the same things
thanx
You will need:
(1) substrate - a baby dragon should be kept on something solid because they are prone to impactions when kept on something loose. Good solid substrates include paper towels, reptile carpet, nonadhesive shelf liner (without holes), and textured ceramic or slate tiles. You can keep the dragon on these types of substrate for it's entire life or you may choose to switch over to a loose substrate after it is an adult (with proper research on your part of course). Avoid calcium sand and crushed walnuts - both are dangerous for dragons of any age, despite pet store claims.
(2) heat bulb - you can use a regular lightbulb or a halogen flood light (my preference because it kicks out more heat per watt) as your heat bulb. They do the exact same job as the more expensive pet store heat bulbs and cost less. Really all you need is a bulb that puts out lots of bright clear (not coloured) light and enough heat to get the temperatures up where they need to be (100-110*F basking spot, 80*F cool side). You'll also need a light fixture with a ceramic socket to hold the heat bulb (like the dome fixtures from the pet store).
(3) digital thermometer or a temperature gun. These are the most accurate ways of tracking the temps in your dragon's enclosure, and good temperatures are a vital part of having a healthy dragon. The stick on teh glass strips or dials can be inaccurate and so shouldn't be trusted.
(4) UVB lighting. You have two options with this:
A) flourescent tube lighting - this is a long flourescent tube bulb that will fit into a flourescent light fixture (like a shop light, or an aquarium light bar). It will put off UVB with no heat. Your dragon should be able to get within 6-8 inches of the bulb at some point in the tank (preferably the basking spot since that's where he'll spend a lot of his time) and the bulb should be replaced every six months. The best is the reptiSUN 10.0 and then the reptiSUN 5.0 and reptiGLO 8.0 are decent. There is also a reptiGLO 10.0 but it's had a history of causing eye problems so I would avoid that one. Also avoid compact or coil versions of any of these bulbs (look like energy saver bulbs and screw into a regular light socket) since some of these bulbs can also cause eye problems while others burn out prematurely, leaving your dragon with insufficient UVB.
B) mercury vapor bulbs - these bulbs screw into the same type of dome light fixture as your heat bulb and will put off UVB as well as heat (an all-in-one type of light). Your dragon should be no closer than 12-18 inches to the bulb due to it's strength, and the bulb should be replaced every 6-12 months depending on which one you get. The best ones are the megarays (see
http://www.reptileuv.com) and the T-Rex Active Heat Flood bulb. Most others are an older technology and not quite as reliable. This type of bulb is great because its puts out more UVB but should only be used in a large tank due to that strength.
Heat mats aren't suggested for dragons because if that mat were to malfunction and overheat, the dragon would continue to lay on it until he were burned. It's safest and most natural to have all heat sources over the dragon's head. If the temps drop too low at night (below the low sixties), you can use a ceramic heat emitter (ceramic disk that screws into a light socket providing heat without light) to keep the temps up at night, otherwise the cooldown is natural and healthy for your dragon.
That covers the basics I think. Please feel free to post any questions you have, it's always great to see someone doing their research ahead of time!
