Questions about beardies and their tanks?

Question

1. How big is a 40 gallon tank and how big is a 55 gallon tank?

2. Are there tanks that open from the sides?

3. Where to buy beardie leashes?

4. How much are 40 gallon tanks and how much are 55 gallon tanks?

5. Where to buy freezed dried crickets?

6. Any other things i should know about beardies and/or their tanks besides feeding?

Answer 1

1.A. a 40 gal is about 3'-1.5'-1.5.

   B. ad .5' for the 55 gal.

2. yes. lots

3. most stores, petcos, and privets.

4.A. 40 gals are about $60

   B. 55 gals can be $80- $150

5. online or at stores

6. a 40 gal is the min cage size for ONE BEIRDED DRAGON.

Answer 2

We put our beardie in a 40 gallon Long tank--there is more room in there for him to move around. It has a screen top with cutouts for the lights (both kinds). Since they need warmth it's ok for them to only have top ventilation.

In his tank he has a large rock 'cave' for sunning on top and hiding underneath, located directly under the heat lamp (that's his favorite spot). There's a nice big piece of driftwood in there too for him to climb, plus a sprig of fake greenery (more for looks than for him). The substrate is play sand, it gets changed once a month (sifted until then). He has a large shallow dish for water and another one for food. Once a week he gets a bath with our hedgehog (they're both prickly and leave each other alone).  Both of his lights are on an auto-timer, too.

Also, our beardie won't touch any dead crickets, only live ones. You can buy vibrator pots to put dead ones in but not all beardies will fall for that.

Answer 3

I would not recommend feeding ur beardie dried crickets, they do not have nearly as much nutrients as they need, if its still a young beardie feed it live crickets, but once its full grown u can feed it pinkies ( which they love)

Answer 4

I cant answer everything, but I have seen many tanks that dont open from the top. check your local petstore, I would also look there "or on a reptile site, or even ebay" for a beardie leash.   and why freeze dried crickets, I've never seen those before,  live crickets give the aimal more exercise and you can assure good health to your beardie by feeding the crickets gut load,  buy some herehttp://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr... , it offers everything needed for the crickets health, wich means good health for your beardie.  beardies also require a heat lamp. and probably a UVB/UVA light.  I am no beardie expert,  but I know about reptile health.

Answer 5

A 40 gallon *breeder* tank is the minimum for a single adult beardie. A 40 gallon breeder is better then a 55 gallon, because it is much wider, so they have more floor space.

If you want a cage that will open from the front, you will have to order one from a place like http://www.animalplastics.com/ or build your own. Sometimes you can find used ones off of Ebay, or craigslist, but you have to clean them VERY well. Petstores only have top opening cages.

You can get beardie harnesses/leashes at PetSmart and Petco, or order them online from http://www.petmountain.com/category/131/...

Forty gallon breeder tanks are usually about $80.00-$90.00

Freeze dried crickets? I assume you mean canned crickets, and if so, these are no good. They stink, most beardies hate them, and the chemicals used to preserve them can be toxic for your beardie. You can get live crickets at a local petstore or, get them cheaper online at http://www.mulberryfarms.com/  You can also feed silkworms, goliathhorm worms, butterworms, pheonix worms, dubia roaches, discoid roaches (both these types of roaches can NOT fly or climb glass), wax worms, and superworms. Make sure the insect is no longer or wider then the space between your dragon's eyes.  Wax worms are only to be used for treats, as they are very fatty and highly addictive. Superworms are only for beardies 1+ years, and 14+ inches because they are so big. Do NOT feed mealworms; they have no nutritional value, and cause impaction.

You need a heat lamp to get basking temps of 105-110, and 75-80 degrees on the cool side. Check these temps with a digital thermometer with probe, not a cheap stick on thermometer; those can be up to 20 degrees off! Do NOT use heatmats or hot rocks/caves; beardies can't sense heat coming from below them, and will get seriously burned before they realize it's too hot.

You need a UVB light. The best available at a petstore is the ReptiSUN 10.0 flourescent TUBE. Do NOT use ReptiGLO 10.0, or any type of compact/coil bulbs; they can cause blindness, seizure, and even death! The best quaility UV available is the MegaRay, which is a MVB bulb, so it is heat and UV in one. Here is the site for MegaRays http://www.reptileuv.com/

Beardies need supplements in their diet. If using the ReptiSun 10.0 flourescent tube, you will need Repcal calcium+D3, and Herptivite multi-vitamin. If using the MegaRay, you will need Repcal calcium NO D3, and Herptivite multi-vitamin.

Beardies should NEVER be housed on any type of sand, calci-sand, vita-sand, crushed walnut, or any other loose particle substrate. Even the ones that say they are "safe" and "digestible" are NOT. They cause impaction, and harbor bacteria. The best substrates are paper towel, newspaper, slate or ceramic tile (don't glue them down), or non-stick shelf liner. Those are easy to clean/replace on a daily basis, are sanitary, and can't cause impaction. Slate tile also keeps beardie's nails filed, and retains some heat.

Beardies need greens&veggies every day. Here is a good list of what they can/can't eat  http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...

Here is a site I reccomend to new beardie owners. The people on there have been working with beardies for many years, and there is a lot of good info. http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/

Good Luck!