Bearded dragon cages that are comfortable, safe, and unique are what your beloved cute lizard needs. But to provide your bearded dragon with those facilities, you have to familiarize yourself with their original habitat and habits.
Knowing what is the best material for your bearded dragon’s tank is also important. You have to know how to maintain the right temperature environment in the lizard’s housing as well. Here are some requirements that you need to know before setting up the cage.
The Cage (Size, Material, Substrate, and Decor)
You can use an appropriate sized terrarium or vivarium that has a tight fitting lid. The lid should allow for ventilation to prevent the air inside the cage to be stagnant. For adult bearded dragon, you can use at least 50 to 70 gallon terrarium. And for the hatchlings, 10 to 15 gallons aquarium can be a perfect fit.
The waterproof aquarium is the best choice since it will be easy for cleaning; therefore a glass terrarium is the best choice. It is easy to clean, maintain, and to use as observing and viewing of your pets.
If you choose a wooden cage, you should seal the cage with waterproof agent, such as polyurethane, and made with caulk joints for easy cleaning and disinfection process. When you have sealed the wooden cage with polyurethane or other similar waterproof material, let the seal dry for several days. Air the cage thoroughly to prevent your pet from the toxic of wet waterproof sealant agent.
The design should be simple as well so you can decorate it easily. For the bottom of the cage, choose the cage carpet that is easy to clean and is not dangerous for digestion if your pet dragon swallow it accidentally.
The substrate should be soft as well as absorbent to pull away waste from the surface and to not to irritate your lizard’s tender undersides. If the substrate is hard and can’t absorb the waste, a chance of getting infection from bacteria is very high, which can endanger your bearded dragon’s well being.
The tank for your dragon should be placed out of reach from cats, dogs, or your other pets and should not come in contact with sunlight directly. Provide some branches inside the cage for climbing and basking. The branches should be in various sizes and should be as wide as the bearded dragon’s width.
The Temperature
Bearded dragon is a desert species that like hot temperature. You need to set up lots of heat and light. For a daytime temperature, set it on 80 degrees to 90 degrees. Let the other side of enclosure stays cooler than the basking area. When the night comes, change the heat into 65 to 75 degrees.
Bearded dragons are diurnal species, a species that active mostly during the day, and need UVA and UVB (ultraviolet light). Use UVA/UVB fluorescent bulb for about 12 hours a day.
Reptiles are territorial individual, so is bearded dragon. So it is best to house bearded dragon individually in their own cages.