It will be extremely hard, near impossibly I presume, to make a serlf sustaining enclosure for bearded or Rankin dragons. To have self sustaining enclosures, you need both a little humidity, and many insects. Here are a few points to think about:



-The humidity keeps the plants alive, and with a regular bi weekly water you could keep them healthy. However, you would cause respritory problems from the humidity, in your dragons.



-Self sustaining means that the insects will grow-breed-die-decompose-grow-breed--die etc inside the tank. This is actually relativley easy to start. And there are many insects that help with the decompsing of dead bugs and dragon poop, such as the beetles of feeder worms. They live relatively short lives after they become beatles, but they are ravonous eaters and also need to stay humid and will feed on the live plants because they are thirsty insects.



-Supplimenting. To ensure that your dragon is getting the correct suplimenting, you need to know how much calcium and how much vitamins it is receiving. Insects don't always get the diet that herp keepers should give them, and inside the enclosure this would be even tougher to make possible.



-Enclosure size. You would need a massive enclosure for this with good ventilation and possibly fans for air flow. It would smell a bit.







All this being said I know of a peach throught monitor that live hapily in one for 3 years eating beetles, large crickets and worms that breed inmside the enclosure. He was fed a few mice and a few gold fish weekly aswell.But...monitors differ from dragons quite a bit.



Aside from this info, I don't know any websites off hand, but do some Googling.



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1.1 Bearded Dragons

1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons

1.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizard

500 Escaped Crickets

[ Hide Replies ]

• Realistic/Living Vivarium - rkjohnson2, Sun Sep 25 10:56:52 2005
• I wouldn't suggest it. - Willhayward, Mon Sep 26 08:48:13 2005