Is Zen Habitats worth it?

[Beardie Lover]

So I am wanting to upgrade my dragon’s tank (again lol). I am looking into getting a 4’x 2’x 2’ enclosure from Zen Habitats. I was just wondering if it is worth the money??Thanks in advance!

 

[Beardomania]

1st choice: Get a really large sturdy box used to ship something heavy, I mean like an 80 gallon box or get 2 of the same box, chop a side, then duct tape them together. You will have a massive enclosure that keeps the heat in well in the winter. Another chopped box on top to cover half the tank. You won't look like and evil genius with his high tech expensive pet setup but it's homely and it works really well and it's free.

2nd choice: Hunt for used tanks on Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace. Plenty of people pay $500 for something like that then decide they don't want the beardie and end up selling for $100 or less.

3rd choice: Build it yourself from Home Depot materials. Some skills required, many tutorials on Youtube. Will cost more than choice 2 but should not be nearly the cost of choice 4. Bonus: The process will make you a much handier craftsman and those skills will save you money further down the road.

4th choice: Fork over the $500 for a new enclosure.

In that order, I'm doing the first choice.

 

[Sadie]

So I am wanting to upgrade my dragon’s tank (again lol). I am looking into getting a 4’x 2’x 2’ enclosure from Zen Habitats. I was just wondering if it is worth the money??Thanks in advance!

I think so I have two of them --- huge tanks are harder to heat --- the 4x2x2 tanks are a good size for a adult dragon

 

[Skybug]

Yes, they are, highly recommend, they’re probably the best for “overallness” my only critique would be the plexiglass fronts scratch easily, they do have glass doors though..

 

[Rusty]

1st choice: Get a really large sturdy box used to ship something heavy, I mean like an 80 gallon box or get 2 of the same box, chop a side, then duct tape them together. You will have a massive enclosure that keeps the heat in well in the winter. Another chopped box on top to cover half the tank. You won't look like and evil genius with his high tech expensive pet setup but it's homely and it works really well and it's free.

2nd choice: Hunt for used tanks on Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace. Plenty of people pay $500 for something like that then decide they don't want the beardie and end up selling for $100 or less.

3rd choice: Build it yourself from Home Depot materials. Some skills required, many tutorials on Youtube. Will cost more than choice 2 but should not be nearly the cost of choice 4. Bonus: The process will make you a much handier craftsman and those skills will save you money further down the road.

4th choice: Fork over the $500 for a new enclosure.

In that order, I'm doing the first choice.

Honestly boxes great idea! But soiled bottom would be my concern, and be careful cause lites get hot, and fire!!
But great way to think outside the box lol

 

[Rusty]

So I am wanting to upgrade my dragon’s tank (again lol). I am looking into getting a 4’x 2’x 2’ enclosure from Zen Habitats. I was just wondering if it is worth the money??Thanks in advance!

My dragon is almost 15 yrs old,
500/15
Worth the investment, do it right the first time save money

 

[Beardomania]

Honestly boxes great idea! But soiled bottom would be my concern, and be careful cause lites get hot, and fire!!
But great way to think outside the box lol

LOL Yeah thinking outside the box by putting a lizard in a box!

I line the bottom with a few layers of magazine pages; the poop doesn't get through and the cleanup is easy. There's generally an area he goes and I try to get it all on one page. If he does soil through, I can throw the box out and whip out a new one. I have tons of medical supply boxes at my work and I keep a bunch of them neatly folded for use as recycling bins that can be picked up entirely by the trash guys and also in case my beardie soils his, which has only happened once when he was digging a lot as he was getting acclimated.

Heat is adjusted by shifting the cover to how much of the top is covered/left open.

And of course I can't have fires. The light is clamped to an edge next to the enclosure and lowered into the enclosure opening so that it touches nothing. I use not 1 but 2 heavy duty clamps to ensure that light doesn't go anywhere no matter what.

 

[Rusty]

LOL Yeah thinking outside the box by putting a lizard in a box!

I line the bottom with a few layers of magazine pages; the poop doesn't get through and the cleanup is easy. There's generally an area he goes and I try to get it all on one page. If he does soil through, I can throw the box out and whip out a new one. I have tons of medical supply boxes at my work and I keep a bunch of them neatly folded for use as recycling bins that can be picked up entirely by the trash guys and also in case my beardie soils his, which has only happened once when he was digging a lot as he was getting acclimated.

Heat is adjusted by shifting the cover to how much of the top is covered/left open.

And of course I can't have fires. The light is clamped to an edge next to the enclosure and lowered into the enclosure opening so that it touches nothing. I use not 1 but 2 heavy duty clamps to ensure that light doesn't go anywhere no matter what.

Actually it's genius you could even tile the bottom like any tank,
I'd love to see a pic of your box tank, I'm pretty resourceful but never crossed my mind to use boxes.

 

[Beardie Lover]

Please post a picture of ur box tank

 

[Sandrat]

1st choice: Get a really large sturdy box used to ship something heavy, I mean like an 80 gallon box or get 2 of the same box, chop a side, then duct tape them together. You will have a massive enclosure that keeps the heat in well in the winter. Another chopped box on top to cover half the tank. You won't look like and evil genius with his high tech expensive pet setup but it's homely and it works really well and it's free.

2nd choice: Hunt for used tanks on Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace. Plenty of people pay $500 for something like that then decide they don't want the beardie and end up selling for $100 or less.

3rd choice: Build it yourself from Home Depot materials. Some skills required, many tutorials on Youtube. Will cost more than choice 2 but should not be nearly the cost of choice 4. Bonus: The process will make you a much handier craftsman and those skills will save you money further down the road.

4th choice: Fork over the $500 for a new enclosure.

In that order, I'm doing the first choice.

Can you upload pics of your enclosure?

 

[Beardomania]

Alright, so many people wanna see what I got so here it is. That's Bugaboo's crib, with his dense shipping/packing foam black stepper, sunbathing turtle buddy, and his snuggle lobster, as he likes to go to that corner to sleep. The frog he just wants to be submissive cus that's his top bunk there. Stuffed animals were $1 each at Goodwill, light was $12 Bayco 300 Watt chicken brooding hood double-clamped to a desk edge by its cord and I use a black blanket to cover the gap next to the light hood if I need to turn on the lights during his sleep hours. He's very cozy in it and is a very relaxed dragon. If he were restless or glass-surfing (I guess box-surfing?) then I would double his enclosure by chopping the long side of this box and another and fusing them together with duct tape to double his area. But he seems very comfortable, settled in, and not too adventurous even when taken out so I've left it as is. Like I said, homely dude-and-his-lizard vibe as opposed to the billionaire evil genius shark tank/velociraptor enclosure or Waldorf Astoria lobby attraction vibe.

 

[Sadie]

Alright, so many people wanna see what I got so here it is. That's Bugaboo's crib, with his dense shipping/packing foam black stepper, sunbathing turtle buddy, and his snuggle lobster, as he likes to go to that corner to sleep. The frog he just wants to be submissive cus that's his top bunk there. Stuffed animals were $1 each at Goodwill, light was $12 Bayco 300 Watt chicken brooding hood double-clamped to a desk edge by its cord and I use a black blanket to cover the gap next to the light hood if I need to turn on the lights during his sleep hours. He's very cozy in it and is a very relaxed dragon. If he were restless or glass-surfing (I guess box-surfing?) then I would double his enclosure by chopping the long side of this box and another and fusing them together with duct tape to double his area. But he seems very comfortable, settled in, and not too adventurous even when taken out so I've left it as is. Like I said, homely dude-and-his-lizard vibe as opposed to the billionaire evil genius shark tank/velociraptor enclosure or Waldorf Astoria lobby attraction vibe.

How are you measuring temps ? I dont see any temperature gauges -- and the basking bulb is a MVB?

 

[Beardomania]

How are you measuring temps ? I dont see any temperature gauges -- and the basking bulb is a MVB?

Medical standard infrared forehead temp gun. Yeah, it's a 125W Vivosun MVB.

 

[Sadie]

IR forehead temp gun. Yeah, it's a 125W Vivosun MVB.

Ok so I would look at adding a digital probe thermometer they are more accurate than the IR guns also the Vivosun brand I have never heard of but I would look at swapping that out for a Mega Ray or a PowerSun -- they are a better brand however they usually donot emit enough UVB --- so w/ that being said I would look at adding another long tube fixture like a Zoo Med even a T8 fixture would work -- the only thing is you would need to have it unobstructed and place directly over head of the basking decor 6-8 inches -- all the little stuffed animals are cute --

 

[Beardomania]

Ok so I would look at adding a digital probe thermometer they are more accurate than the IR guns

I have a device that doctors trust to measure an infant's body temperature to the 0.1 degree in order to help them make medical decisions and you're telling me it's not good enough for a lizard that lives in the Australian wilderness? I think I'll keep my temp gun.

also the Vivosun brand I have never heard of but I would look at swapping that out for a Mega Ray or a PowerSun

Yeah no, I've used 2 for 11 months now. A 3 year old beardie grew almost half an inch. I'm not tossing them out because you've never heard of them.

-- they are a better brand however they usually donot emit enough UVB --- so w/ that being said I would look at adding another long tube fixture like a Zoo Med even a T8 fixture would work -- the only thing is you would need to have it unobstructed and place directly over head of the basking decor 6-8 inches --

Like I said, a 3 year old beardie grew by nearly half an inch. My lighting is fine.

Perhaps you didn't understand. I didn't come here with a "Help; my beardie isn't eating and his eyes are sunken in!" post. I posted an update on my setup in which my dragon is thriving long term. I didn't ask for advice on what I need to change or throw out. The proof is in the results. I'm sure your way works fine too, but my way works as well, and I'll bet it's far more cost-effective. Please don't be a Julie and tell people with thriving animals that they need to change everything because that's not the way you do it.

all the little stuffed animals are cute --

Thanks

 

[Tina W.]

My dragon is almost 15 yrs old,
500/15
Worth the investment, do it right the first time save money

Rusty, I think you just became my new best friend! I want my Dragon to live that long too!!!!

 

[Rusty]

Rusty, I think you just became my new best friend! I want my Dragon to live that long too!!!!

LOL i cant take all the credit, i was babysitting (so i thought) my friend owned Rusty from 2 months old, and when she was unable to care for him properly 2 yrs ago, i became his proud owner
Although in my care he is thriving so I'm pretty proud of that lol

 

[missjody]

I got one of these and I love it...

Essential 4 PVC & Aluminum Enclosure 2.0 - 48 L x 24 W x 24 H

Perfect for Bearded Dragons, Ball Pythons, Colubrid Snakes and other medium sized reptiles our 4 ft PVC and aluminum enclosures and cages are among the very best on the market.

customreptilehabitats.com

I actually have an extra one I was going to use for my tortoise but I ended up moving him outdoors.. flat wrap around background if you're interested

 

[Tina W.]

LOL i cant take all the credit, i was babysitting (so i thought) my friend owned Rusty from 2 months old, and when she was unable to care for him properly 2 yrs ago, i became his proud owner
Although in my care he is thriving so I'm pretty proud of that lol

You should be proud as well as your friend. I hope I can do as well as you guys. This is my first dragon and he is already a spoiled and very loved four month old. If you or your friend have any tips I'd love to hear them. Thanks and have a great day!

 

[Rusty]

You should be proud as well as your friend. I hope I can do as well as you guys. This is my first dragon and he is already a spoiled and very loved four month old. If you or your friend have any tips I'd love to hear them. Thanks and have a great day!

It's funny, but she didn't really give me much instruction, i would panic and text her he won't eat he won't poop what do I do lol
She would say check the temp and relax eventually Rusty started to tell me what to do,
Watch your dragon and get to know him, is my best advice, when you know him you will know exactly what to do, lol you guys will get a routine going, and it's easy after that, good luck and enjoy