New to Beardies need help

[Cayla & Adam]

Ok i have been reading care sheets and am pretty good on what i would need if i were to pick up a bearded dragon (which is a possibility since my girlfriend and i are going to a reptile show on 4/11). I currently have a vacant 20g long tank that i would be putting it in while it is young. Basically my question is how long do you all think it would take before he/she would outgrow the 20 long and require something bigger. I have no problem upgrading but if i could put it off for a few months until the little guy outgrows the 20 long I'd be happy.

Anyway thanks for any responces.

 

[acpart]

I have only had a beardie as an adult, but I seem to recall that a young one would be 12" by 1 year of age. I'd assume the 20 would be OK for at least 6 months, but you'll have to wait for the beardie experts to weigh in.

Aliza

 

[Chestersmom]

A few months. Baby beardies grow very quickly. My youngest dragon was kept in a 20l for about 4 months. Then moved him to a 40 breeder which he also outgrew. Now he's in a big homemade enclosure.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Really depends on the beardie. A 20 long will work from anywhere between 2 and 6 months old roughly.

 

[Cayla & Adam]

thanks for the replies guys. I went out to buy food for my albino cornsnake earlier and saw that 40gal reptile vivs w/screen cover were on sale so i am probably just going to pick up a 40g this weekend. I do have another question though. What lighting(hoods, and bulbs) do you guys find to work best in a 40gal tank? i dont want to get something too small for my new guy and i want to make sure i purchase the right kind of bulbs as well. I know they need uva/uvb bulbs but there are huge differences in price between florescent uva/uvb and regular ones (atleast at my local pet-----).



So what do you guys use?

Thanks in advance (links or pictures would be greatly appreciated so i can see exactly what you guys are talking about)

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

When I was using tanks I used a hood that hels all the bulbs inside. UVB tube day lights and night lights.
Your most important bulb would be your uvb. I use the reptiSUN 10 bulbs by zoomed. You can get them fairly cheap at petmountain.com I use reg household bulbs for heat. The wattage will depend on your house. You will want your hot side around the 105 degree mark. Also feel free to check out my caresheet on my site as well. It will go into more detail.

 

[Tony C]

For heat I use halogen floodlights from home depot, 75 watts for my 40 breeders, though you may need a different wattage depending on your room temps. For UVB I use Zoo med reptisun 10.0 bulbs, they are generally regarded as the best bulbs on the US market. I also use a normal daylight fluorescent tube for visual light in the same fixture.

 

[Cayla & Adam]

wow thanks a lot for the quick replies gentlemen i really appreciate it that was exactly what i was looking for. My gf and i are going out later for dinner and i think i might pick up the tank. I'm so excited i have been trying for months to decide what i should get at the expo god its going to be the longest 3.5 weeks ever.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Welcome to your new addiction!

 

[lilblack94gt]

Just make sure the UVB Bulb is a tube and not a compact. Compacts can cause issues.

 

[pogo and apophis]

lighting is really important. it will stunt his growth and make them sick if they dont have the proper type of bulb and wattage. also make sure that you have a calcium powder as well as a multivitamin. what i do is mix a tablespoon of each in a plastic baggy with the crickets and then drop them coated in the powder into a separate feeding tub. that way it keeps his habitat nice and clean.

also as per your question by about a year your beardie will be full grown they grow at different rates so keep that in mind. I have heard cases where if u put a baby beardie into a tank thats too big they get stressed and make themselves sick. I started mine of with a simple 20. He know has a custom built 4x2x2 which if you research is the minimum requirement for an adult beardie. dont forget to bathe them.

hope that helps.