Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

Well i was curious about the optimal size, substrate, cage type and furnature for a beardie? I have read so much my headd is spinning ...LOL

opinions?
Thanks
Laura

The picture below is one of my bearded dragon setups. It is a 55 gallon glass aquarium. They cost about $100 at Petco. The lid is half screened and half removable glass. The screened part is great for the UVB and heat lamps, because UVB won't go through glass.

I can understand why you feel overwhelmed. There's a lot to learn and everyone does something different. You have to figure out what will work best for you and your dragon. I use wheat bran sometimes and the indoor/outdoor carpet as substrate. Both are inexpensive. I guy the outdoor carpet at Home Depot and it lasts forever. I can buy 50 pound bags of wheat bran at Win Co. for $10, and that lasts me over a year! I've heard of other beardie owners using playsand, papertowels, newspapers. Just stay away from the walnut shells, corn cob, kitty litter, and calci-sand. Those can all cause impaction.

I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than an enclosure that is about 3 feet long by 2 1/2 feet wide by 2 feet tall. But that's just my opinion. I prefer to give my dragons more room than that though. If you dragon is small still, you can probably get away with a smaller cage temporarilly.

As far as cage furnishings, the main items would be a hiding place, a basking place and of course a food and water bowl. Those half logs make great hiding places. And some driftwood would make for an excellent basking spot.

Good luck.

Veronica

Beautiful Dragons