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Creating and Managing a Habitat
What not to do
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I strongly suggest setting up a habitat before you purchase a Bearded Dragon. If you setup the habitat first you can "work out the kinks" before your new friend moves in. This will be much less stressful for the little guy, and will help limit the number of changes you will find that you need to make while he is adapting to his new environment.
First we need to decide on the size enclosure needed. Juveniles from 4 inches (or smaller) up to about 8 inches from their nose to the tip of their tail can be kept in a 20 gallon tank with a mesh top for air circulation. Once they are 8 inches it is time to upgrade to their permanent home. When housing one full grown bearded dragon the recommended "rule of thumb" is two times as wide as they are long by three times as long as they are long. So generally the full grown bearded dragon will be about 18 inches to 26 inches. Therefore we need a tank that is 2 1/2' feet long by 4 1/2' feet long. Most 75 to 100 gallon fish tanks measure to these lengths and make a nice home for Bearded Dragons. Personally I think the tanks are usually too narrow, finding one that is wide and long would be a plus. Try not to use a tank under 2 feet wide. If the dragon don't have enough room to turn around without rubbing its tails on the opposite side of the tank, the tank is too small. I personally built my own tank which is 5' feet long by 3' feet wide by 2' feet tall, view a picture of this enclosure here. Height is important because dragons like to climb, and room for drift wood or branches is a must.
Always clean your enclosure before using it. If you are using an old, pre owned tank this is a must! I would recommend doing this for new tanks also. You can purchase cleaning solutions at your local pet store that are safe and have directions printed on the label for best results. If you mix your own solution I would recommend 1/10 bleach HEAVILY diluted with water. After cleaning with bleach water RINSE THOROUGHLY WITH WATER AND AIR OUT THE ENCLOSURE FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR before putting your pet inside. Air the enclosure in a well ventilated area, preferably outside, and dry VERY WELL so there is no moisture left inside. If you use branches from outside or driftwood or rocks from the local creek, bake them in the oven to sterilize them and kill all parasites. You can them bake in the oven at about 350 degrees for 30 minutes to an hour, watching carefully as not to burn down the house!
Third we need to put a "floor" in the tank for the Bearded Dragon. Many substrates are available and they may recommend certain types to use at your local pet store. Please read thoroughly about substrates from as many reliable sources as you can before using it. MANY substrates are harmful for bearded dragons and their health, AVOID USING THEM. Calcium sand can cause impaction (a serious digestion problem which blocks the intestines and can cause death), which is a double negative due to the fact they like the taste and will eat it often. The more they consume the greater their chance of impaction becomes. I prefer to stay away from sand completely, because juveniles are messy eaters and could consume the sand while trying to eat a cricket. DO NOT use the following, corn cob, walnut shell, calcisand, vita-sand, reptibark, any wood shaving substrate period, or lizard litter. Now lets look at some good type of substrate. For juveniles you can use newspaper (check with your local newspaper company and find if they use soy-based inks, if they don't, don't use newspaper). Also paper towels for juveniles works great, non adhesive shelf liner (glues can not be used, they give off harmful fumes when heated from the basking light), kitchen towels. Once your bearded dragon is full grown it is ok to move them to play sand (washed play sand, with no dust). Also you can use sand/peat or sand/soil mixtures for adults, be sure to keep this dry. All enclosures should be dry and never moist, their bodies do not deal well with humidity which is caused from heat and moisture.
Time to decorate the new home. Dragons like to climb, so secure drift wood or branches in place for them to climb on. Use common sense when providing them with objects to live on and around and sand or cut off the sharp edges and make them safe. Use this to create a "basking spot" for the dragon to get within 6 to 8 inches from the light. Do not use heat rocks you can buy in the pet stores, bearded dragons can burn themselves on the rocks and are dangerous for their health. Be sure to leave room for them to chase after and eat their crickets.
Now we need to heat and light the enclosure. Heat lamps are easily found at pet stores and usually are inexpensive. I would recommend a heat lamp that can hold a 150watt heating bulb. You may not need a 150watt bulb to get the temperatures you need at first, but when they are adults and live in a bigger enclosure you will probably need at least a 100watt to 150watt bulb. The fixture is capable of handling these size bulbs and you can upgrade without buying a new fixture. I recommend a heat lamp fixture with a wattage control dial built into the cord so you can adjust how much heat you need to create easily. These can be hung inside the tank (if you have enough room) or placed on the top of the mesh shining in on the basking log (usually about 6 inches close to the basking area). Be sure to heat only one side of the tank, so the other side will remain cooler so they have a "cool down" spot. More on this topic in the Care Sheet Section.
Now that we have heat, we need to regulate the temperatures. To do this I recommend NOT using the stick on thermometers they sell at pet stores. They are very inaccurate and could cause you to improperly heat the enclosure. Use digital probe thermometers or digital thermometers to read the temperatures. For juveniles the basking area (the exact spot where they are closest to the heat lamp) should be between 95 and 110 degrees. Full grown dragons seem to like 95 to 100 degrees to be most comfortable. The opposite end of the tank is a cool down area which should never go below 70 degrees. If your house gets below 70 degrees at night when the lights are off in the enclosure, you should invest in an incandescent bulb and fixture to heat the enclosure without giving off light. Also I would recommend purchasing a digital hygrometer to measure the humidity inside the enclosure. Keep the humidity very low, their normal habitats are not humid and their bodies don't adapt well to high humidity.
Once the temperatures are set, we need to focus on giving the dragon the proper UVA/UVB supply. This sounds complicated, but the process is very simple. There are many types of UVA/UVB bulbs on the market, and many of these bulbs are no good. The best ones available, and should be the only ones you use are a Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 or a Reptiglo 8.0. Of course a Mercury Vapor Light is the best! Place these bulbs in fixtures within 6 inches of the basking area for the dragon to absorb the UVA/UVB rays. More on this topic in the Care Sheet Section.
I recommend also purchasing a timer power strip. You can set these to turn on and off at specific times which is the best for maintaining a schedule for your dragon to be awake and asleep. More on this topic in the Care Sheet Section.
Now the enclosure should be ready for a Bearded Dragon to move in! Be sure to check the temperatures before putting them into their new home. Now that the home is setup and ready, lets move onto caring for the bearded dragon in the Care Sheet section.
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