First time Reptile Keeper- help

[Narny105]

Hi guys!

I have just upgraded my goldfish into a pond, and now have my 200 litre aquarium spare. I was planning to sell it, but it is no longer fit for use as an aquarium since there is a very small hairline crack on the inner of the tank. I don't want to sell it and have it completely crack on someone!

I've always wanted to keep a bearded dragon, but knowing very little about them, I'd like to get some more information on their terrarium setup, conditions, and of course, the Lizard! I'd only keep one in this tank, and I don't think I would like to take on two being only new to them.

I understand the tank is not necessarily ideal as it can only be accessed from the top, but it does have nice dimensions.

I mainly want to know the costs of setting up a terrarium for these guys. Given in mind the tank, how much does lighting and essentials cost on average?

How much time is needed to invest into a bearded dragon?

What sort of lighting is required, and how often should this be replaced?

How often is the terrarium cleaned for maintenance?

Any other tips?

Thanks! I'm not planning to get anything anytime soon, since I would just like to learn more before really deciding to invest in such a commitment.

 

[Ramsayi]

What state do you live in? In NSW there is minimum cages standards you will need to be aware of.

A 200 ltr tank I'm assuming would be 1200 (L) x 450mm (W) x 600mm (H)?


Beardies grow to about 60cm so I wouldn't keep one in a tank that was only 45cm wide.Maybe look at a smaller species of dragon.

 

[JACK0]

you would need a heat lamp you can get them pretty cheap off ebay and also beardies need uvb light which are also pretty cheap, you could make or purchase a mesh lid for the tank then put the lights on top of the mesh and have one at each end, keep a water dish at the opposite end to the heat lamp, you will need sand or something for the bedding and maybe some logs and stuff they can hide and climb on, maybe put a rock or something that could absorb a bit of heat under the heat light so they can lay on it and heat up their belly, then for their diet you can feed them variety of veggies crickets and you can even give them pinky mice, that's just the basics to give you a rough idea what your in for, if your planning on getting some do some more research to get more specific info. hope some of this helped

 

[Narny105]

I wasn't aware bearded dragons got that big, but I'll certainly look at smaller species I'm in QLD, and I do have a recreational wildlife license I need to renew.


Those dimensions are close to I would assume just by looking at it. I'll upload some pics.

 

[Narny105]

Thanks Jacko!

I've got a heat lamp in storage which is pretty suitable for a tank, but will need a better bulb for it

 

[JACK0]

yeah that's all the kind of stuff you should research before you invest in a beardie

 

[Narny105]

Here's the tank!

 

[sharky]

Consider a Pygmy Beardie if you want a beardie that grows to a smaller size.

 

[Narny105]

Thanks, Sharky!

 

[Narny105]

What sort of time should be devoted to them? I do travel to and from home for vet school, since it's around 2 hours drive. I'm usually home on weekends, but would this be fine? I wouldn't be considering getting one until the end of year since there's 3 months off

 

[BDkeeper]

Pygmy beardies would be so good in that tank, there the exact same but are smaller and eat less. I keep to in a 3ft tank and they have plenty of room to move around in so you can easy keep 2 or 3 pygmy beardies in that tank


These are my beardies in there 3ft tank and as you can see they got heaps of room (the one on the ground is still in brumation)

 

[Narny105]

Thanks! The terrarium looks great too

Just curious, are those two lights both heat lamps? What bulbs do you use?

 

[BDkeeper]

Thanks! The terrarium looks great too

Just curious, are those two lights both heat lamps? What bulbs do you use?

The one on the left is 20w 10% uv by exo terra (now known as 200) and the one on the right is just a normal 40w light

Although they are both heat lamps the one on the left is alot cooler than the one on the right by around 15 degrees

 

[Narny105]

Ok thanks!

 

[MathewB]

What sort of time should be devoted to them? I do travel to and from home for vet school, since it's around 2 hours drive. I'm usually home on weekends, but would this be fine? I wouldn't be considering getting one until the end of year since there's 3 months off

They don't need to be walked or patted or anything like that but they need to be fed every couple of days, so you've got to take that into consideration.

 

[Narny105]

They don't need to be walked or patted or anything like that but they need to be fed every couple of days, so you've got to take that into consideration.

Thank you, I do want them to be somewhat 'tame' in regards to handling, but unfortunately I live in a household where no one but me likes lizards, so that's a fight I'll never win lol. They are able to be fed by someone else daily though

 

[MathewB]

Thank you, I do want them to be somewhat 'tame' in regards to handling, but unfortunately I live in a household where no one but me likes lizards, so that's a fight I'll never win lol. They are able to be fed by someone else daily though

I think with beardies you don't really need to 'tame' them, they're just like that naturally. Just what I've heard though.

 

[Narny105]

I think with beardies you don't really need to 'tame' them, they're just like that naturally. Just what I've heard though.

yes, I've heard that too, so hopefully they'll have that sort of temperament, but I'll just have to wait and see

 

[Amelia]

Although they don't need walking as such, they do need to get out & about every now again. Not a bad idea to rearrange their enclosures from time to time, they can get pretty immobile if there is nothing to stimulate them.