Can I keep a baby beardie in an adult size cage?

Question

this is alot of info sry!

i am getting a beardie in the next few months and i have a cage and i know what all i need for them. but im not sure wether to get an adult or a baby. which one do you think would be better to get? (the tank is a 40 breeder) with a ybs in it now but im going to get another RES or YBS because i think shes lonely (she was in a huge pond with about 10 other turtles including RES and 2 ybs and a snapping turtle.) i know that means having to get a bigger tank and i am aware of that but how big of a tank do i need for 2 full grown turtles? (ybs, res) so i know so i dont get too small of a tank. then i will keep the beardie in the 40 breeder. but there is one at the pet store that is made for reptiles like beardies. and the 40 breeder that i have now is mad for water,(the seals on the edges) and the other one isn't (at the pet store) this pet store sells mostly reptiles and is a locally owned pet store and they know reptiles, i know because i have asked them lots of questions that i already know the answers to. so any help would be great!

Answer 1

yes you can keep a baby beardie in a 40 gal breeder but I suggest that you buy a tank divider to make the area he stays in small, and you can increase the size as he grows. Just make sure that you give enough space for correct heat gradients. (about the size of a 20 gal to start would be good) make sure that he can't climb over or under the divider.

Answer 2

You can use a water tank for non-aquatic critters. I do. I have a Sulcata in a water tank, I just put sand in the bottom of it and it works just fine. For two sliders I would suggest a large tank. At least a 55, but if you want to spoil them you can go up to like 125 so that they have tons of room to swim around. Just FYI, your turtle isn't lonely. They don't get lonely. I understand that it was with tons of other turtles for a long time, but they just don't get lonely if you take them away from the rest. My Sulcata was with probably 15 other tortoises when I got her and she is a solo tortoise now and doing marvelous. I have a feeling that they prefer the one on one attention, there is no competition. By all means, get another turtle if that is what you want, but it won't make much of a difference to your turtle either way. Just make sure that you don't get two turtles that will be aggressive towards each other or you may have to get yet another tank. Another reason to get as big of a tank as you can afford is that the bigger you go the less likely you will have to upgrade to a larger tank in the future if you decide to get more turtles or they grow more than you expected. So go as big as you can!  If you have any more questions you can email me at [e-mail] and I will be happy to help you out!