Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, I just started to set up a cage for a bearded dragon. I have been told by a local pet store that the new hot rocks no longer over heat...also I am curious how many inches of sand I should have in the tank?

Also is there any suggestions for tank set up?
thanks.

I don't really see the need for a heat rock, a halogen flood light will easily get the required temps. I personally use a mixture of sand and soil and provide about 10 inches of it, this allows for digging and proper nesting. I like to keep my set up simple, good soil, good temp gradient, retes stacks for both basks and veggie/water dish. I hope your dragon does awsome!

The big problem with a heat rock minus that they could burn your beardie is that they perfer overhead light. The basking light and UVB lights make the cage bright which makes your beardie eat more. If you put a rock under a basking light that rock will heat up to high temps for your beardie. I perfer to use sand a and tiles. Beardies use hides/burrows to hide from animals that would eat them and to nest. Your beardie doesn't have to worry about any animals eating him and as long as your cage has a nice range from 70's to 80's with a high basking temp around 110 you will not have to worry about a burrow. On top of that since you would not leave any eggs in your cage you would want to make a seperate nesting site which you would put your female into and allow your beardie to lay eggs in that. Some people are going to a soil/sand mixture but it has ups and downs like any other substance so I would say look into it a lot before doing that. Good luck with your beardie the more you read the better off you will be.

thank you.

I use about 2" of childrens play sand in my enclosures.

First, hot rocks are useless for most diurnal lizards. They respond to heat from above, not below. Even if the hot rocks don't overheat, they can still have hot spots that can burn your dragon, unless they are controlled by a thermostat.

Again, its not worth the cost, better to just buy a large flat piece of slate, or finding a suitable rock in nature and clean it up to serve as a basking spot.

If the dragon you are buying is under 14" snout to tail tip, I suggest no sand at all. Small dragons have a higher chance of getting impacted on sand, even with the right temps for digesting. For babies, a simple setup is best.

The tank should be 20 galleons long for babies, with papertowel substrate (or newsprint, tile or other non particulate substrate) to allow for easy clean up and monitoring of bowel movements. A UVB tube that runs the length of the cage and a basking bulb. You also want to get a digital thermometer with probe and/or a temp gun to accurately measure temps both air and on top of the basking spot. A temp gun is best to measure surface temperatures but laying the probe from a digital thermometer ontop of the basking spot will do.

If you haven't done so already, read over the past 10-20 posts below for other useful husbandry information and links. Also use google to do a search on bearded dragon care sheets and read through several of them to get a good general knowledge on basic care. The more information the better, as there are always new ideals and concepts to consider in dragon care.
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PHLdyPayne

PLus, the ambient light triggers photoperiod cycles in beardies that regulate behavior, stimulate appetite, etc. If you watch a cold beardie, they turn darker (darker colors absorb heat), and spread out like a pancake to increase their surface area. They are designed to utilize overhead heat and a heat rock just doesn't do much for them.

Overhead heat via light will do so much better, along with a good UV source. The overhead heat will also heat up the substrate to provide some heat from underneath as well.