Bearded Dragon Vivarium Query.

ArachnoConnor

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
19
After much debate in my family we have finally decided to get a Bearded Dragon.

We've been to a store and have found babies for sale and we told the owner of the store we would come back after Christmas. They will be six - seven weeks old then and I am wondering if a 3 ft vivarium would be too big to hold it and if it will be big enough by the time it is fully grown.

Thanks for any replies in advance,

Connor.
 

Popsmoke63B

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 9, 2011
Messages
94
I got my baby beardie a little over a week ago, I kept it in a 10 gal aquarium for a week with no problem. I could've kept him in that same 10gal for longer, but finally got my 40gal finished and wanted to go ahead and rehouse him in his permanent home.

My baby is @6" long, I think yours will be fine in your viv for awhile.
 

angrychair

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 12, 2010
Messages
61
i dont know if you can have "too big" of a cage, the bigger the better, but the only danger is height. If you have too tall of a cage you risk injury from falling. And that's only if you give them something to climb that high on. Most people say a 40 gallon breeder, or 55 gallon is a good size for an adult, you do want more floor space than height with beardeds, I won't get into basking spots/temps/lighting, that is another topic/google search. But I'll recommend to you the BEST and what lights you should use, a good MVB bulb will give you the UVA and AVB it requires, or a halogen flood light, would be cheap, and a good florescent, Reptisun 10.0 is the best bar none. The taller the cage is the harder it is to keep a 115°F basking spot, for a bearded, and the MVB bulbs don't put out as much heat as they do UVA/UVB. That I suppose is the danger of the reptile MVB bulbs, most of them REQUIRE 12" from bulb MINIMUM or the UV levels are dangerously high. The I have a 160w Powersun MVB on my frilled dragon, and at 18" at his basking spot, the temps were only 90°F, so I had to add a 75w halogen to get my temps up to 115°F , he has multiple thermal zones, and a 18" reptisun 10.0, for added uv and light in his 4'x4x'2 foot cage. Bearded / frilled dragons have similar care, though not the same, like 50% similar. I've had beardeds before and I help my friend care for his.

Sorry if I got off topic or sidetracked

your 3 foot viv, how big is it in other dimensions, is it 3' tall? wide? Deep?


This was with a 100w heat emitter for added heat that didn't cut it/I didn't like it anyway.
he has a better water tub now, and I went back to a brown plastic feeder bowl, he was used to it and won't eat bugs out of the stainless one :( silly guy.

Maybe I gave you some motivation and ideas to build your own enclosure for your bearded :D
 
Last edited:

ArachnoConnor

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
19

ArachnoConnor

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
19
I've checked exotic-pets before and I have them in consideration.

I am however not pleased with the care sheets they have produced as everyone I have spoken to says they are atleast partially wrong.

EDIT:

Could someone perhaps email/pm me a list of equipment I need, I would prefer the sender to have first hand experience with Beardies.
 
Last edited:

A7xConnor

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
73
I've checked exotic-pets before and I have them in consideration.

I am however not pleased with the care sheets they have produced as everyone I have spoken to says they are atleast partially wrong.
Yeah that's all I consider them for, equipment and potential buys. Not that their live stock is that great or hardly ever updated. Their info is pretty rubbish, but as I said, that's not what I go to them for.
 

ArachnoConnor

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
19
It's my birthday tomorrow and I have already opened some cards (got £125, some will need to be spent on new clothes) but my Dad said I have to wait until I have enough money to buy everything I need instead of buying things spread out.

This means that the list of equipment is something I would really appreciate the receive.

One last thing, I was in my local pet store today, doesn't really adhere to exotic pets but I saw a tub of what appeared to be dead black meal worms, would a baby beardie eat these? :o_O:
 

A7xConnor

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
73
One last thing, I was in my local pet store today, doesn't really adhere to exotic pets but I saw a tub of what appeared to be dead black meal worms, would a baby beardie eat these? :o_O:
I wouldn't feed it dead ones, especially if they were black |:
 

ArachnoConnor

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
19
I wouldn't feed it dead ones, especially if they were black |:
I don't think they were black because they were dead for so long, I believe it's just a different species, maybe more associated with fish.

Can beardies be fed with dead insects or do they need to be alive?
 
Top