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Bearded Dragon Tubs
- Thread starter Kodieh
- Start date
Em Lynch
Juvenile Dragon
- Messages
- 347
- Location
- Gunnislake, Cornwall, G.B
I wouldn't recommend keeping them in tubs, minimum enclosure size for an adult bearded dragon is 4ft. My girl is stunted so a 3ft allows her plenty of space, a tub will probably end up being more hard work than a purpose built vivarium and i'm not sure the plastic would be able to withstand high temperatures. Mounting the UV might also prove a challenge, If it were me i wouldn't dabble in using tubs at all. BD's are larger reptiles that require more space than gecko's 
and a consistent heat gradient
and a consistent heat gradient
- Messages
- 4,493
- Location
- North America
Just would like to clarify in addition to the previous good advice. The absolute bare Minimum enclosure size for an adult, should be 4 square feet of floor space or 'Footprint'. IMHO tubs are fine for short time temporary housing, isolation or hospital needs, but not for permanent housing.
sircactuscat
Juvenile Dragon
- Messages
- 132
You can partition it off until he's a little bit bigger!
- Messages
- 4,493
- Location
- North America
In my opinion, there is no such thing as too big, no matter what age. What is generally more the problem is clutter, too much unnecessary junk in the enclosure to start with, giving the feeders too many places to hide. If the enclosure is kept simple, with just the basic necessities to start out with, the fluff can be added later when it's a little older, size should not be an issue.
So is a separate feeding tank/tub to feed crickets or roaches a bad thing? Or could I get around that with moving the dragon out to a separate enclosure that's completely empty to feeding live insects? I would of course leave a dish of veggies in the tank with him/her.
Browsing on Tapatalk through my iPhone!
Browsing on Tapatalk through my iPhone!
- Messages
- 4,493
- Location
- North America
When you first acquire a BD, no matter what age, there is an acclimation period, generally of a week to 10 days, where handling should be kept minimal, to maintenance & basic husbandry needs only. This is to give as stress free a transition to it's new home & owner, as possible. Allows it a little time to get to know it's new home & you as it's food source, not a predator. During this time, the handling & moving to a different strange enclosure 2-3 times a day for feeding can cause undue stress, make the acclimation period more difficult & last longer. Many young BDs, not all & this varies from BD to BD, will not eat while you are watching or eat their fill immediately when the feeders are fed, so it can be a good plan to leave a few in the enclosure during the day, so it can snap up the periodic unwary feeder when the opportunity presents itself.
A young BD quite often will not take to it's greens right away, for some it takes months & this is quite normal & nothing to worry about. They require much more protein to grow when young. A daily misting & regular warm soaks a couple times a week will provide hydration. But a constant supply of fresh greens should always be made available to it, so it is there, when they choose to test it out. Some will go for them right away.
My older dragons, I always feed live in a separate enclosure. I have to, because I feed roaches & roaches are burrowers. If fed in the enclosure, they will immediately burrow into the Children's Washed Play Sand that I use for a substrate, before the BD can catch them all.
So to answer your question, a separate feeding place is not a good plan initially, but can work well later on.
A young BD quite often will not take to it's greens right away, for some it takes months & this is quite normal & nothing to worry about. They require much more protein to grow when young. A daily misting & regular warm soaks a couple times a week will provide hydration. But a constant supply of fresh greens should always be made available to it, so it is there, when they choose to test it out. Some will go for them right away.
My older dragons, I always feed live in a separate enclosure. I have to, because I feed roaches & roaches are burrowers. If fed in the enclosure, they will immediately burrow into the Children's Washed Play Sand that I use for a substrate, before the BD can catch them all.
So to answer your question, a separate feeding place is not a good plan initially, but can work well later on.
i have well water as well, i have had no problems so far, been drinking it for 4 months now.
if anything well water is more close to what you find in nature where they would normally live.
@Germ: yeah, I can see your points. So, minimal furniture and no cracks for crickets or roaches to hide in. The acclimation period is no different in Leo's, so I figured it would be the same.
@Jenni: I'm not sure for BDs but I know I don't like giving my Leo's or BP any high PPM water, so I just buy filtered spring water which has barely any PPMs to it.
Browsing on Tapatalk through my iPhone!
@Jenni: I'm not sure for BDs but I know I don't like giving my Leo's or BP any high PPM water, so I just buy filtered spring water which has barely any PPMs to it.
Browsing on Tapatalk through my iPhone!
- Messages
- 4,493
- Location
- North America
As far as the well water goes, short of having it tested, if you drink it, it is not likely to cause the BD any harm. Providing it is not extremely hard water & full of heavy minerals.
jeremy green
Hatchling Dragon
- Messages
- 47
That is the size I use for my medium sized bearded dragon. He seems to like it, but you have to make sure the temperature is propper and you have to make sure the uvb lighting is also ideal. This will allow them to better digest and gain nutrients from their food.
- Messages
- 16
- Location
- Helotes, TX
Invest in a glass tank. Your Beardie will do much better!
I'm definitely holding off now, for the sake of a glass tank. Going to invest in a 55 gallon with a nice wood stand for it.
However, I'm planning on investing in a Mercury Vapor Bulb. I looked into Flukers brand but everything I've heard about theirs is it burns out in about anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months?
However, I'm planning on investing in a Mercury Vapor Bulb. I looked into Flukers brand but everything I've heard about theirs is it burns out in about anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months?
- Messages
- 4,493
- Location
- North America
MVBs are designed for larger enclosures, you have to be very careful of the minimum safe distances in order to not put your BD in harms way. There have been so many problems with them as of late with almost all manufacturers, I really don't recommend them, particularly for smaller enclosures. If you happen to own your own UVB meter so you can keep an eye on them, you may be OK.
- Messages
- 4,493
- Location
- North America
A bright white or clear bulb of any kind, of a sufficient wattage & distance to give you the temps required for your setup & ambient room temps. Personally, I use Halogen Floods, bought at any hardware store. BDs thrive on Bright\White Light (Basically what UVA is). Coupled with a Dessert UVB, 10% or better is recommended. The ReptiSun 10.0 seems to have the better reviews. A CHE is great for night heat if it is absolutely required because the ambient room temps drop below the Mid to Low 60sF, otherwise night heat is not needed or wanted. BDs should be allowed to cool at night, slows the metabolism down for a good nights sleep. Night lights of any color will bother most BDs sleep.
Good Luck
Good Luck
If I get a UVA/UVB lamp instead of a flourescent, what wattage would I use?
