Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to buy a beardie soon! I am so excited. I have read alot of care sheets and articles so I know what I am getting into. I was looking at cages. They need atleast a 40 gallon cage which is going to be expensive. So I have decided to make my own! I plan on using plywood. It is going to be 42"L 21"W 24"H. That is the exact dimensions of the desk I am going to put it on. Is that big enough? I am going to paint the outside white and put some kind of reptile safe matting inside. It will have front doors taking up most of the front and a big hatch on top. I am going to attempt to build in the UVB light and ceramic heater. This sounds like a very fun project!

I am going to get rid of my desk and move the TV stand to the left. Now I have a ton of room to work with! I'm thinking making it 5 feet long and 36 inches deep. I havent decided on height yet. I want him to be able to climb. How tall should I make it? It will have plenty of room to run.

I am going to buy the wood tommorow. I have decided to downsize the cage to 60" long, 24" tall and 24" deep. Is that big enough for a BD?

Yes that is plenty big enough.
Even be too big for a baby dragon.

Just a plain ole light bulb is OK
for basking along with the UVB light.
Just have to figure out what wattage
so that your basking spot is around
100*

You really do not need the ceramic heater
unless your house drops below 60*
That is what I have been told.
Radena

Thanks. I am going to put a rock on one side of the tank along with a heat lamp and uvb bulb. Then Ill put some stuff to climb on in the middle of the cage and put his hiding spot and food/water stuff furthest away from the basking spot. Should I seperate the tank untill he gets bigger? I am going to feed him little crickets and some fruit mix (I have a recipe from online) if he will eat it. I think I have it all covered.

Thats not a hot/heated rock is it. Don't use those. They can cause serious burns. Light/heat should come from above.
Yes put a devider in the cage. NO smaller than a 20 gal Long
Aquarium. The temp needs to be about 100* but he should have the option of getting away to a cooler spot 74*.
Crickets (30 to 50 a day in 2 to 3 feeding for babys) should be no larger than the space between his eyes.
Fruit is normally just a treat. Now greens are good for him.
Dandelion, turnip, collards, etc. Check out some iquana food sites. Glad to hear you are asking questions before you get your
little one.

Basking spots for babies should be hotter around 110*
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My Leo's
1.0.0 Normal
0.1.0 Tremper Albino
My Beardie
0.0.1 Red x Gold

No, I meant a normal, washed off rock. I'm going to build it and get it all set up before I buy my beardie that way I can check the temps and stuff.

This is the one I want to buy...
http://lllreptile.com/v2/content/catalog/?section_string=animals&category_string=bearded-dragons&product_string=red-cross-bearded-dragons
I'm not going to get him untill after our vacation though. We leave July 16th and will be gone for 12 days.
They sure do eat alot of crickets.
Here is what I found

1/2 cup shredded green beans or lima beans (for protein)
1/2 cup shredded orange-fleshed squash, yam, sweet potato or carrot
1/2 cup vegetables chosen for variety such as bell peppers of all colors, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, corn, kohlrabi, parsnip, peas, potatoes (cooked, plain), rice (cooked, plain), pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, snow peas.
1/4 cup chopped or mashed fruit, such as apple (no seeds), apricots, blueberries, bananas (no skin), berries (mine LOVE raspberries), cantaloupe, figs, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, mangos, papaya, peaches, pears, plums, watermelon (no seeds).

Mix and store in the refrigerator. You can freeze the mix in ice cube trays or snack bags and defrost before feeding. However, because freezing destroys thiamin, you should lightly sprinkle defrosted items periodically with powdered thiamin, which you can get in vitamin sections of stores. Some people supplement with Brewer's yeast (NOT bread yeast, or you'll have a fermented mess).