Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'll be getting my first bearded in a couple of weeks and want to make sure I have everything straightened out first. I have experience with monitors, but this will be my first BD.

First off, I have a 10 gallon, 20 gallon, and a 4x2x2 aquarium that i can use as a cage. Right now, this guy is around 5 weeks old, he'll be about 8 weeks when i get him. What enclosure should i start him out first? I was thinking the 20 gallon so i can have a larger temperature gradient, but some people say smaller is better so the food doesn't get away.

What kind of UV lights do you use? What brand/size and where in your enclosure do you put it?

I'll be keeping him in the 4x2x2 foot cage as an adult. Would this be sufficient to house 2? If so, would it be better to introduce the second when they are both babies or to wait until they are older?

Also, if you have anything else that you think i should know, please share.

Thanks
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Scott,

First off, I have a 10 gallon, 20 gallon, and a 4x2x2 aquarium that i can use as a cage. Right now, this guy is around 5 weeks old, he'll be about 8 weeks when i get him. What enclosure should i start him out first? I was thinking the 20 gallon so i can have a larger temperature gradient, but some people say smaller is better so the food doesn't get away.
>>>20 gal. should be good for a dragon around that age. I'd suggest using paper towels as a substrate so you can feed the crickets right in the cage safely. He/she shouldn't have a problem chasing down crickets in a 20 gal.

What kind of UV lights do you use? What brand/size and where in your enclosure do you put it?
>>> A 100 watt Power Sun will run you around $34 at reptiledirect.com and should provide sufficient heat as well as UVB (basking area should be around 90°F air temp). The 100w Power Sun could over/under heat the tank depending on your room temp. You'd need a 10" dome to hold the Power Sun bulb.

Position it on the far right or left of the cage so that the opposite end stays cooler. There are a lot of other options you could go with, but that's what I'd do.

You should not house a male & female together until they're full grown adults. You can raise 2 females together safely as long as they're not overly agressive toward each other.

Rich
Champion Reptiles
www.championreptiles.com

Minimum distance from the basking spot on a 100w PowerSun is 12" as stated by the manufacture even though others say at least 18" inches is the safe distance. Either way a 20G tank is only 12" tall so there is no way to keep a safe distance. I personally believe that MVB is overkill for any enclosure smaller than 24" tall. Stick with the Reptisun 5.0 strip lights and a seperate basking bulb, it's cheaper any way.

>>Minimum distance from the basking spot on a 100w PowerSun is 12" as stated by the manufacture even though others say at least 18" inches is the safe distance. Either way a 20G tank is only 12" tall so there is no way to keep a safe distance. I personally believe that MVB is overkill for any enclosure smaller than 24" tall. Stick with the Reptisun 5.0 strip lights and a seperate basking bulb, it's cheaper any way.
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Rob Talkington