Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got a small Bearded about 5 or 6 inches ( not including the tail). i was reading that as an adult he should be housed in a enclosure the size of a 55 gallon tank. right now he's in a 20 long. Is he to small to move him up to a bigger tank? i keep ball pythons and i know that they shouldn't be placed in to large of an enclosure becuse it may stress them out and they may go off feed. will the bigger tank stress him out or would he be fine?
thanks
Mike

if he is only 5-6 inches i would keep him in there for a little while but if you want to move him up to a 55 you may want to have a couple of branches and decorative plants easily purchased shouldnt make them feel insecure and im not to sure but beards never have the urge to really hide i have one and he never hid in his little hiding spot so i took it out and he seems to do fine so it shouldnt be an issue

A 5-6" dragon not including his tail is I'm guessing a 10-12" overall dragon. I have also read that you can house adult dragons in a 55 gal. but I as many other disagree with that size. Generally a 55 gal. is 4' long by 1' wide. It is generally accepted from most sources that an adult dragon should be housed in an enclosure with a minimum floor size of 2' x 4' which is twice the size of a standard 55 Gal.

Anyway, I don't believe in the theory that small dragons are stressed by large enclosures on the whole. I moved my 2 week old hatchlings from plastic bins about the size of a 10 gal. to my 4' x 2' terrariums in groups of three with no problems. They all managed to find their food and basking spot. lol. Now, the larger ones, 12-14" are in their adults homes of either 5' x 3.5' or 4' x 3.5' in pairs or singles and the smallest 10" one is in a 4' x 2' terrarium alone.

when I got my guy about 2 months ago he was about 10" and never had any problems in the big tank. We bought and setup a 55gal and he's been in that since I've had him. He's 17" now and we're about to build him a bigger home. I can tell that he's beginning to get cramped in the 55. hope this helps!

Thanks for the help. he seems to be doing fine in the 20 so i can take my time setting up the 55 for him.
thanks
Mike

I have my juvenile female in a 6' longX 2'
wide converted jewelry display case. She seems to do well, the challenge is keeping the ambient temperature at 80 degrees. I have provided a basking spot of 105 degrees, but the last two feet of the tank falls to the 70's or whatever room temperature is. She doesn't utilize this area. I also have provided her a 5 gallon tank laid on its side with an undertank heater under the bottom side. This provides a hot, dark, cave for her night time sleeping and belly heat. She loves it. If I don't keep the ambient temps at a regulated 80 degrees though, she won't come out of her cave except to bask, which means she won't eat or drink water. I guess the best size tank is the one that you can maintain the temps in.