Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am looking to build a bearded dragon cage but I'm not sure how to do it. I want to make it primarily out of wood but I don't know what wood to use so it won't rot. I have the lights and screen for the top so I just need to know what type of wood to use so it will hold sand and my dragons. I also don't want it to become a fire hazard. I won't the dimensions to be 6'x 3'x 3'If anyone has any plans for something like this I would really appriciate it if you would send them. Thanks for all of your help. It means a lot.

Dan Ketterman

you could make the cage out of almost any type of wood as long as you seal it after. many people chose to use meliname (sp?) because it only requires silicone to seal corners.
one thing i would suggest is to maybe rethink one of your dimentions as with your smallest dimention being three feet it will be quite difficult to get it through most any doorway.

>>you could make the cage out of almost any type of wood as long as you seal it after. many people chose to use meliname (sp?) because it only requires silicone to seal corners.

I agree, any wood will work for a Bearded Dragon. They have low humidity requirements and they don't scratch enough to warrant any super tough sealant.

And melamine would be a good choice.

>>one thing i would suggest is to maybe rethink one of your dimentions as with your smallest dimention being three feet it will be quite difficult to get it through most any doorway.

Can't emphasize this point enough. This tends to be a very common problem with first time builders.

To the original poster:

Once you re-think the dimensions post a new thread and we can help you with a "cut list".
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Thanks for the earlier posts. My dimesions will be 6'x 2'x 3' (72"x 24"x 36". This will allow me to get it through my door ways. I have my lighting fixtures that I want to get but the biggest thing I'm having problems with is the sliding glass doors I want for the front. If anyone knows how to help me with this that would be great. Also if anyone has any pictures of their cages I would appriciate them. Thanks for your time.

Dan Ketterman

>>My dimesions will be 6'x 2'x 3' (72"x 24"x 36". This will allow me to get it through my door ways.

Hi Dan,

I think you made a good choice, that cage should basically fit through any doorway and your Bearded Dragon(s) will love the space.

>>I have my lighting fixtures that I want to get...

Do you want the lights to be secure from the dragons (i.e. a screen barrier of some sort)? I can give you some details of my false ceiling design if so.

>> ...but the biggest thing I'm having problems with is the sliding glass doors I want for the front.

Sliding doors are easy. With that size cage and for a bearded dragon I believe you can get away with plastic track and 1/8" thick glass (aka double-strength glass). The one downfall of a cage this size is that you'll likely want a central support in the middle-front of the cage. This support will go behind the upper and lower lips of the cage and will allow for full-length bypass tracks.

Rockler.com carries plastic glass track and also a real wood track. The real wood product only works with 1/4" glass which is not a big deal.

How decorative do you want this cage to be? Fancy, simple, or somewhere inbetween?

Below is a picture of my bearded dragon cage. It's made from birch plywood and has a cherry stain. It looks much better in person than this picture suggests. It was pretty cheap.

It was built from scrap material so the dimensions are a bit odd... 49.5" x 20" x 27.5"

If you scroll down to my post below titled "Build-50, Envirotex, et. al." you'll see a picture of another cage I built using the exact same design (except larger).

In this picture you can see the false-ceiling I use in my cages. A frame runs from the bottom of the upper lip to the top of the back panel of the cage. This creates a 8"x48" opening all along the back-top of the cage so lights and heating elements can be accessed.

For reference, the upper and lower lips are where the glass track is attached.

This feature is not a huge deal for a Bearded Dragon, IMO, but some people like the idea of the heating elements being out of reach.

Here's the Bearded Cage.

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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)