Assuming you are getting a young bearded dragon, you can use just a 35 Gal long tank without the top they sell (I find they are way over priced for what you get in a hooded top). Go to the petstore and buy one UVB bulb (repti-sun 5.0 or 8.0 are the best to get. You could get a Mercury Vapour Bulb but I would recommend waiting till you get the adult cage before getting those). That's all you need at the petstore. For the 35 gal tank a 18" UVB is fine.



Next stop is home depot or any similar home hardware place. Buy a 18" undershelf florescent light fixture (doesn't matter if it comes with it's own bulb, you can toss that later and replace it with the uvb bulb). Buy a hooded light fixture for a regular bulb and buy some regular household bulbs. A 60 or 75 W bulb should be fine to keep a basking temp of 95F-115F. Buy a length of 6" wide wood plank so you can mount the light fixture to and cut to fit on the top of the tank (yes part of the top will be uncovered but I didn't find any need to cover it myself. If you need to, then get some 1"x1" boards to use to make a frame to attach the to board, and some aluminum screen).



Last stop, the local dollar store. Buy a small trough style flower pot (rectangular in shape, about foot long). They come in different colours, pick the one that appeals to you the most. ALso buy some small ceramic bowls with sides high enough to keep crickets in and low enough for your little dragon to each over. You can also buy silk plants and other things to decorate the cage, just keep in mind there is a good chance your dragon will try and eat anything you put in the cage, at the very least it will lick it so make sure nothing can be injested or proves toxic.



At this point, depending on where you live, you can head to a shoreline to look for some nice dry pieces of driftwood, large rocks (bit enough to serve as a basking spot and stable enough so it won't tip or roll, large flat rocks work best). May just need the driftwood but both can be used in a cage. Take these home, soak wood in a 1:10 bleach solution over night then plain water over night. Or, bake in the oven at 250F for several hours. Just wash it and scrap off lose dirt etc before baking/soaking. The rocks can be cleaned in bleach (same concentration as above) and scrubbed clean with an old toothbrush then rinsed really well before drying.



Depending on the cost of the tank, shouldn't cost you more than $100 total. The remaining $250 you have, if not needed to buy the dragon, can be used for the dragon's adult cage which should be built/bought by the time the dragon is 6 months old or about 14" long whichever comes first.



What food you should have on hand just before you get your dragon is 1/4 " crickets and some mixed greens (endive, collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, escaroli and other dark greens, at least two of these should be offered with more added in later on for variety once the dragon starts eating his greens regularly). A multivitamin and calcium with D3 suppliment should also be bought.

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