Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,

This is my first post and I am already asking advice, tut tut.... Anyway, I have decided that I would like to keep a bearded dragon for the first time and I was wondering if someone could please recommend me a suitable vivarium?

I was looking at the Pennine 36"x18"x18" plastic one because of the problems associated with wood rotting and being hard to keep clean, but it does look rather flimsy to me. I would like a male bearded dragon and some sites recommend a minimum of 40 gallons and some sites less. The Pennine one is 42 gallons. I am in the UK so if someone could recommend me one that I can get in the UK that would be great.

Thanks
Dave

I don't know much about the type of enclosures you are looking for, but an adult male should probably have 48" length, to get the right temperatures and space. Either that or a much larger width.

At the moment I am designing an enclosure that is 48Long 24Wide 24High for my male who is growing incredibly too fast.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
1.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizard
500 Escaped Crickets

Are you sure about 48" long? Thats really big. How about 36"x24"x24"? What would be a suitable vivarium to put it in to begin with? Am I right in thinking that it's a bad idea to put a baby beardy in an adult size tank?

Thanks
Dave

Do not use an adult enclosure for a baby dragon.

I beleive that 48x18x16 is about the normal size for Adult Dragons. 16" high is a little short to have some nice driftwood in though, so I am using 24". And so I will need a little warmer of a heat lamp.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
1.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizard
500 Escaped Crickets

For a bearded dragon under 15" a 20 or 35 gal tank is good. For an adult dragon the minimum tank should be 4'x2'x2', though the height can be reduced to no lower than 16". By vivarium I suspect you mean one that has live plants and soil is biologicaly active, so it naturally breaks down feces etc. I don't think bearded dragons are very suited for this type of vivarium as they do not like moisture and can ingest the sand and wind up being impacted. They are also hard on living plants, often eating them or trambling them. It is also easier for crickets and other insects to disappear in the cage and either breed or harm your dragon, especially at night with crickets.

It may still be possible to setup a living vivarium with dragons but it will have to be one that is more arid that most are. You would most likely have to spot clean the dragon's poop as the soil most likely will be too dry to allow proper breakdown. Alot more research will have to be made to create a properly working semi-desert type vivarium. Unfortunately I don't know enough about it to say if it can or cannot work. I don't think it would work, but I haven't researched it so I can easily be wrong. The tropical humid type vivariums are too humid for dragons, who do best with less than 50% humidity. Most tropical and humid vivarium are above 60% humidity and such humidity could cause many ailments in bearded dragons.
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PHLdyPayne