Throwing out my razor!

[jargonchipmunk]

Yup. That's right. Gonna' grow a beard!

Okay. My name is James, and I have a horrible sense of humor. Anyway, I don't have a bearded dragon yet. I wanted to do some research first, and I got a lot of conflicting info. I realise that most animal hobbies get some wives tales and other info outdated and a lot of the FAQ's I read seem to disagree with one another, so I figured I'd come here and ask my questions before I went out seeking my new addition. I guess I could start off with a few questions, or at least let you guys know about my intended setup so you could tell me how horrible an idea it was.

I'm thinking a standard 125gallon aquarium. I would LIKE to eventually do a few dragons (1M 2F?) in this enclosure. Is this large enough?

If the initial idea doesn't sound too crazy... what light setup would be recommended for this setup to achieve the temps needed for each side of the tank?

Sand... I keep leopard geckos, and the big word around campus is always impaction. I've kept them on sand without issues, but don't now simply because it's difficult to keep the sand clean (and not smelly) so it's easier to use a soft carpet bottom and take that out to hose it off every once in a while. What is the fave flave for substrate for the beardies? (the idea of sand is the most intriguing to me because it seems like it would radiate the heat better and feel more natural for the dragons running around in it, but I don't know.

I have a lot more questions but I think those are enough to get started with lol

 

[BrittanyS]

Welcome!

I'm thinking a standard 125gallon aquarium. I would LIKE to eventually do a few dragons (1M 2F?) in this enclosure. Is this large enough?

Housing two or more dragons together usually ends up in disaster. We have many users on this board who have beardies who were victims of others. They are missing tails, legs, and some have even been killed. I would recommend only keeping one dragon per enclosure. A 40 gallon breeder tank is the bare minimum size for an adult. Usually an enclosure measuring 4x2x2 is ideal.

Sand... I keep leopard geckos, and the big word around campus is always impaction. I've kept them on sand without issues, but don't now simply because it's difficult to keep the sand clean (and not smelly) so it's easier to use a soft carpet bottom and take that out to hose it off every once in a while. What is the fave flave for substrate for the beardies? (the idea of sand is the most intriguing to me because it seems like it would radiate the heat better and feel more natural for the dragons running around in it, but I don't know.

Slate tiles work really well. They are easy to clean and you never have to buy more. PLUS they keep the beardies nails filed down nicely.

Again, WELCOME!
-Brittany

 

[jargonchipmunk]

so the 1M 1F isn't even a good idea? I thought I'd seen a lot of them kept this way. If it's a big danger I'll steer clear. How do they breed if they aren't kept this way? Are they just introduced to one another when people want them to breed?

 

[fresnowitte]

Hello & Welcome to BD.org!

I must agree with Brittany on this......sorry but beardies are truely solitary creatures in the wild and rarely will they thrive if housed together. Now I happen to be one that use to house my beardies together due to bad information...not from BD.org rather pet stores and books. I can tell you that even though I had no noticeable problems like fighting or any missing body parts...my beardies have thrived so much better sense seperating them. It does cause them stress as they are territorial creatures and truely do deserve their very own domains. I highly recommend not housing beardies together....it's just not fair to them. :wink:

Can they live that way? Maybe!.....Will they thrive that way? Most likely not!

 

[jargonchipmunk]

ok. well that's why I came here. problem number one avoided. Many more to come lol.

so... I have an old friend who is a carpenter and might be willing to make me an enclosure and stand for (probably a lot LESS) than I can sell the 125 and stand for (the tank used to be for fish I didn't buy it specifically for this) are there any guidelines anywhere that you guys trust for a GOOD enclosure. I mean foolproof, don't skimp if it's going to be less than optimal type setup.

I can start with 4 x 2 x 2 and go from there. Will wood on bottom and three sides, screen top and sliding glass front work? Would all glass sides be better? (for the dragon, not me) If I go for this size, what would an optimal equipment setup be? (lighting, heat, etc) I'm new so a shopping list is neccesarry so I don't screw up lol.

 

[BrittanyS]

try this website
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/

 

[jargonchipmunk]

is one 36" UVB light enough for this enclosure, cause darned if I don't already have a couple laying around! lol This looks a lot simpler than I was thinkng. (sorry, I'm used to high tech planted tanks costing me hundreds more than I originally thought when designing them lol)

 

[LJean]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello and welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Lance

 

[jargonchipmunk]

I just thought of something. I find it odd that they're such solitary animals in the wild, and yet seem to very much enjoy human companionship in captivity. Maybe they just know where the good stuff comes from?