Soon to be new bearded dragon owner

[Allan P]

Hello,

I'm planning to obtain a baby bearded dragon within the next few weeks. However, I'm building a 4x2x2 cage before getting one. I plan to install sliding glass doors for the front of the tank (which is going to be made of 3/4" oak plywood).

I was wondering... will 1/8" glass be good enough for the doors?

I'm having a hard time right now finding 1/4" glass and I'm on a budget. I've got nearly everything that I need and the glass is one of the few things to get.

So far I've got a leopard gecko in an MDF-based enclosure and 7 tarantulas in tupperware containers (for now).

 

[Eavlynn]

Hello,

I'm planning to obtain a baby bearded dragon within the next few weeks. However, I'm building a 4x2x2 cage before getting one. I plan to install sliding glass doors for the front of the tank (which is going to be made of 3/4" oak plywood).

I was wondering... will 1/8" glass be good enough for the doors?

I'm having a hard time right now finding 1/4" glass and I'm on a budget. I've got nearly everything that I need and the glass is one of the few things to get.

So far I've got a leopard gecko in an MDF-based enclosure and 7 tarantulas in tupperware containers (for now).

1/8 inch glass should be fine. If you were going with plexiglass, I'd recommend 1/4 inch.

How small of a baby are you getting? 4x2x2 customs are what I have my adult and older juvenile in, they're fantastic. However, if you plan on getting a small baby, I'd consider a 40 gallon until he/she puts on some more size.

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[Allan P]

I'm going to be getting it from petsmart. I saw some 1/4 acrylic at Lowes that I'm going to get instead.

I can't really afford to buy two separate enclosures for him/her in such a short period of time so that's why I decided to build one. I already have nearly all of the supplies but I also have a 24" under cabinet fixture and 18" under cabinet fixture that I plan to install into it for the ReptiSun 10.0 bulbs.

What is considered to be a small baby and what is juvenile for these little guys?

I'm still very new to these lizards but I'm doing my best to learn all that I can along the way and hopefully apply my experience with my gecko to them.

 

[Allan P]

Actually, I just remembered that I have a 38 gallon aquarium without a cover that is sitting around I can use for a couple months which gives me time to make the interior of the big one look good

 

[Eavlynn]

The 1/4 inch acrylic is what I used for my build and I'm definitely pleased with it.

Babies and juveniles done have set sizes really, it's more of a vague differentiating opinion, I think. My baby is about 6 inches, your petsmart baby will likely be around the same size. My juvenile is probably close to 12+ inches. They grow incredibly quickly.

What are the dimensions on your 38 gal? If it has decent floor space, you should be able to rig a top up for it to use as a temporary home until your baby puts on some size. And it won't take long, maybe a few months, especially if you feed roaches. Like you said, it also gives you time to work on the build's interior, and that's where all the fun is

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[Allan P]

I have yet to upgrade my geckos, Chomper, enclosure to sliding glass doors. I'm starting to like how firm and non bendy the 1/4 acrylic is from what I've felt at Lowes.

I think the tank is 36" x 12" by 18". I have a sheet of mdf I was using as part of a desk that I should be able to cut somewhat and convert it to a top for the next couple months. I'm gonna feed the little guy crickets for a bit. I need to start a new roach colony (got rid of my old one last year). I did see that these little guys grow very fast with inches per month being typical.

I think I've got important threads on my favorite bar and I had tried to do a decent amount of research to be more prepared.

It's not advised to use heat tape with bearded dragons, correct?

 

[Eavlynn]

I have yet to upgrade my geckos, Chomper, enclosure to sliding glass doors. I'm starting to like how firm and non bendy the 1/4 acrylic is from what I've felt at Lowes.

I think the tank is 36" x 12" by 18". I have a sheet of mdf I was using as part of a desk that I should be able to cut somewhat and convert it to a top for the next couple months. I'm gonna feed the little guy crickets for a bit. I need to start a new roach colony (got rid of my old one last year). I did see that these little guys grow very fast with inches per month being typical.

I think I've got important threads on my favorite bar and I had tried to do a decent amount of research to be more prepared.

It's not advised to use heat tape with bearded dragons, correct?

You're correct, no under belly heat for these guys, they like their heat from above. They have a "third eye" on the top of their head, and where there's light, there's heat, in their mind.

It'll be difficult to get the baby close to the UVB with that enclosure, but with the right climbing decor, it can be done. Do you have an infrared gun? It's great for zoning in on the proper basking temps.

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[Allan P]

Nope, I don't have one yet. I'm glad that I verified the bit about the heat tape.

I'm going to borrow Chompers large wood thing and put some new wood I've collected into wood in exchange. It should put the baby several inches closer to the lights. I have the High Output versions of the lights coming if that makes any difference.

 

[Eavlynn]

Nope, I don't have one yet. I'm glad that I verified the bit about the heat tape.

I'm going to borrow Chompers large wood thing and put some new wood I've collected into wood in exchange. It should put the baby several inches closer to the lights. I have the High Output versions of the lights coming if that makes any difference.

The high output bulbs are great. If you're mounting it in the enclosure , you won't need to get your baby quite as close.

The IR guns are nice, and pretty cheap on amazon. Not so great for checking temps on cool/cold things, but great for checking basking temps. A UVB testing strip is a good item to keep on hand as well, that way you know when the bulb is starting lose its mojo. They say the t5 HO bulbs are good for a year, but they start to get weaker a little before that.

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[Allan P]

Yeah, It will all be mounted inside the enclosures. I actually started assembling wood for it's enclosure later on already. I have it put together most of the way and only stopped because I ran out of screws. I'm not good with my hands at all but I did this without help.

 

[Eavlynn]

I'd say you're pretty handy, it looks great! It took two of us to assemble our 4x2x2.

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[Allan P]

Thank you!! I was leaning each piece against something while I screwed it together. I'm staining and sealing the exterior right now. I have a quick question. I hate crickets as they die due to anything. Thinking about death causes them to die. Are mealworms truly a bad feeder until I can get my dubia roach colony up and running again?

 

[Eavlynn]

They are really high in chitin, and can potentially cause impaction, especially in younger beardies. Some people have fed mealworms occasionally with no issues, but there's always that risk.

Crickets suck, I tried breeding them and it was far more effort than it was worth. I ordered roaches in bulk from a woman that breeds them, while waiting for my colony to establish itself.

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[Allan P]

Aww. I have a mealworm colony that I use for my leopard gecko. I was hoping to use that for now.

Yeah, I tried breeding them a few years ago but it only resulted in a complete failure. I have 10 female and 5 male dubia adults coming next week. Hopefully that will allow the colony to start pretty fast. Do you have any advice on keeping crickets alive to be fed for a month at a time until my roaches are established?

 

[Eavlynn]

The crickets I got seemed to be hit or miss. Some would last a couple weeks and it seemed like others dropped like flies within a few days. A warm room, ample water gel and cricket food gave me the best results. I'd give them some carrot every now and then as a treat when I fed the roaches.

I just started a mealworm colony for my leos. It seems pretty simple, almost too simple haha.

You should be able to get a roach colony established with that. Keep them toasty and well fed and they'll do great. Temps were always my biggest issue when I was getting my colony going.

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[Allan P]

Oh yeah, mealworms are pretty much a set and forget feeder. Here's the cage so far. I was wondering if anyone knew what a good sealer for the grout is. I'm on a budget so the cheapest I've found is this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Sealants-32- oz-I

 

[Allan P]

 

[Eavlynn]

That should work just fine. Is that a photo of an enclosure that you found or is that your current build? The way the tiles are broken into a mosaic pattern is really nice, I might have to rethink future builds

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[Allan P]

Yep, it's my current build. I have broken tiles on the top back above the unbroken ones now too. Thank you!! I wanted to do something different than what everyone else was doing. Next steps are to grout the back wall and put broken tiles up on the side walls.

 

[Eavlynn]

I love it! It looks fantastic I may be a tad jealous haha

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