I have a 2ft by 2ft cage that I made myself. I just got a couple adult beardies today from a friend that had to get rid of them. I was worried that the 2ft by 2ft would be a little small. If it is, how much bigger do you think I would need? The female is definately gravid also... Im not very familiar with what to do with a gravid beardie.... so any suggestions for what I should do while and after she is pregnant.
Thanks alot
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2ft cage enough for 2 adult beardies?
smith710
Apr 25, 2006 04:30 PM
Replies (2)
beachbeardies
Apr 25, 2006 04:43 PM
yes that cage is too small for 2 beardies. id suggest at least a 40 gallon breeder tank size. that is the bare minimum for 2 adults. if you could do it, make it bigger. about 4 feet long, 20 inches high, 18-20 inches deep. wehn you see your female start to dig in her cage, move her to a laying bin since the cage is so small. you could use a rubbermaid tub, and plain potting soil or even peet moss and soil mixture. soak the potting soil with water and pack it down as hard as you can, this will allow the female to dig a hole to lay in without the rest of the dirt collapsing. it should be about 12 inches high or higher when packed down. give her proper heat and UVB when she is in her laying tub. hope this helps
PHLdyPayne
Apr 26, 2006 02:08 PM
A 2'x2' cage is too small even for a single adult dragon, so deffinitely too small for a pair. The minimum sized cage for a single adult should have a floor space of 2'x4'. The best thing you should do is build or buy two cages that are 2'x4'x2' (though the height can be as low as 16", floor space is important for dragons though some height is good as they are semi-arboreal).
Though two adult dragons can be housed together, and since you have a male and female pair, it would be better to house separately, unless you want to have lots of babies and risk stress on teh female due to repeated mating attempts by the male. The smaller cage can be used for some hatchlings, though you will need to get many more (10-20gal tanks are good for 1-5 hatchlings each).
If you plan on incubating the eggs from the female once she lays, you will need to buy an incubator or build one. You will need to incubate the eggs at around 85F. Female dragons can lay up to 30 eggs per clutch and have several clutches per breeding season, usually about 3-4 weeks apart. Make sure she gets extra calcium and protein to help with egg laying. The other poster described pretty well what you need to do to produce an egg laying bin.
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PHLdyPayne
