Recommended Tanks

I think it’s safe to say that anybody who owns a Bearded Dragon needs a tank right? however, getting the right tank for your Dragon can often be pretty tricky, especially if you’re a new owner.

The biggest mistake I see is related to getting the right sized tank for your Bearded Dragons when they are a baby that will allow them to grow without you having to upgrade to a larger tank every couple of months.

Here are my top 3 recommendations for baby, juvenile and adult Bearded Dragons. these recommendations will allow your Dragon to grow and be happy without costing you a fortune on unnecessary upgrades.

(All 3 tanks are available on Amazon)

• Baby Bearded Dragon 0-5/m (I Recommend This One From Exo Terra)

• Juvenile  Bearded Dragon 6-11/m (I Recommend This One From Carolina Custom Cages)

• Adult  Bearded Dragon 12/m+ (I Recommend This One from Carolina Custom Cages)

(Read on as I go into more detail about the tank sizes and why I recommend these specific tanks)

Picking The Right Sized Tank

Before I share my recommendations I just want to give you a guide so you know roughly how big your tank should be for the size of your Bearded Dragon.

Having a tank that’s too large for a baby isn’t always a good idea because they can find it hard to catch live feeders as they’re still novice hunters. By the same token, they also need a tank big enough to allow them to grow.

Adults love larger tanks with lots of room for tunnels and hides. You will find that an adult Bearded Dragon will have a much happier life in a larger tank as opposed to being cramped in a small one so when purchasing a tank keep in mind that requirements for babies and adults can be quite different.

if your wondering how to tell what tank your Dragon will need then don’t worry, I’ve picked out a tank that’s perfect for babies, one that’s just right for juveniles and lastly one that every adult Bearded Dragon will love as well!

Check out this chart below to get a good idea of the size tank you might want to consider for your Bearded Dragon depending on their age and size.

Baby Bearded Dragon (0-6/months)

If you have a Bearded Dragon that’s aged from 0-6 months old then they are going to be growing rapidly. It can be tempting to go out and get a huge tank that will last them all the way up to and through adulthood and believe me, I can see the temptation, though you really need to resist and get something smaller.

The reason for this is that baby Bearded Dragons aren’t good at catching live feeders yet and hunting their food can become a huge problem in a large tank.

If you get a tank somewhere in the 20-40 gallon range then it will be small enough for them to learn the skills needed for hunting live feeders without any trouble as well as giving them lots of room to grow in those vital first 6 months of their life.

The tank I recommend is the “Exo Terra All Glass Terrarium” You can see the latest price of it here on Amazon…

The dimensions of the tank are 24x18x18 which converts to around 36 gallons so it’s perfect for young Dragons and will last right up to the point that they turn juvenile which is from 6 months onwards.

If you go too small and get something between 10-20 gallons then you’ll need to upgrade to a larger tank before you know it, so the 36-gallon size of this Exo Terra tank is just right for a baby and all the way up to 6 months old.

Exo Terra is a brand I always trust for my Bearded Dragons, this tank has everything you need as an owner to ensure that your Dragon is happy and healthy.

I love tanks with 2 front opening doors as it makes cleaning the tank and feeding much easier while also preventing escapes. This is another reason why I would recommend this tank, although it’s just a personal preference of mine I believe it does make life as an owner a lot easier.

The tank also has full-screen top ventilation which allows the UVB light to easily penetrate so you can be sure your Bearded Dragon is getting the adequate lighting they need.

It has plenty of collapsible wire or tube inlets so you can attach ample fixing such as sensors, so another thumbs up there.

One of the main reasons I like this tank is the fact the doors are high with a large glass panel below so you can fill the bottom of the tank full of substrate and allow your Bearded Dragon to burrow if you like.

If you’re like me and you like to use excavator clay as a substrate then having a tank with a high panel below the doors is a very clever and practical feature and one you can make good use of.

You can also fit a ceramic heat emitter under the tank if the temperature in your room falls below the required level to keep your Dragon within that 70-75° temperature range through the night.

If you have a Bearded Dragon aged from 0-6 months then I highly recommend this tank. You can check out the full spec of this tank on Amazon.

One other thing I should mention is that if you don’t have space for this exact size tank in your home at the moment then the tank actually comes in 12 different sizes.

You can get a taller and slimmer model of the same tank with all the same features and quality.

Juvenile Bearded Dragon (6-12/months)

If you have a Bearded Dragon that’s aged between 6-12 months old then ideally you should be looking to purchase a tank that’s larger than the 20-40 gallon size that you would house a baby Bearded Dragon in.

In the first 6 months, Bearded Dragons grow a substantial amount so upgrading to a larger tank to allow them the room to grow for the next 6 months is highly recommended.

By the 6 months period, they will also have better hunting skills so they should find it easier and have more fun catching live feeders in a larger tank.

The ideal tank size for a juvenile Bearded Dragon is between the 50-75 gallons range and the higher end of this scale will be ideal to last up to and even for a period of their adulthood.

The tank I recommend for juveniles is the ‘Carolina Custom Cages’ 48x18x18 (you can check the latest price here on Amazon) this tank equates to around 64 gallons.

This is a great sized tank for a juvenile, however, you should be aware that ideally from 12 months onwards they may need to move into something upwards of 75 gallons.

Carolina Custom Cages have some really good tanks for older Dragons. The quality of the tanks are awesome and they are my go-to tank brand when my Dragons become juveniles and adults every time.

The larger models such as this one have sliding doors and are key lockable for extra safety too.

One thing you will notice about Carolina Custom Cages is that they are really easy to assemble to say they are large tanks.

I’ve had nothing but good things to say about these tanks for a long time now and it’s good to see that now lots of other customers love this brand too and are giving them glowing reviews on Amazon (well deserved)

As mentioned above this is a really good tank at a good size for a juvenile Bearded Dragon and i wouldn’t hesitate for one second at housing one of my Dragons in this tank.

Adult Bearded Dragons (12/months +)

By the time your Bearded Dragon reaches full adulthood you really want to think about getting them the best tank you can as this will probably be the last one you purchase (at least for a long time)

When your Dragon is growing up it can seem like are spending a lot on tanks just for them to grow too big for them in no time, however, now they’re an adult you can really think about getting them something spacious and creating a real home that they can live in and be happy in for years to come.

You should really be thinking about something in the size range of 75-120 gallons. I understand that it may be hard to find the room for something that’s 120 gallons or more but if you can make the room then you will be doing your Dragon a huge favour.

In a larger tank, you can create some amazing habitats with awesome hides, tunnels and rock areas. Your Bearded Dragon will be much happier and mentally stimulated in a larger tank that replicates their natural habitat as much as possible.

The tank that I recommend is another tank from Carolina Custom Cages. This time it’s the Carolina Custom Cages 48x24x24 (Check The Latest Price Here On Amazon).

The size of this tank is a really nice 120 gallons so your Bearded Dragon will have all the room it needs and you will be able to create that perfect habitat with no restrictions.

This tank has all the same qualities and features of the tank i recommended for juveniles but it’s simply a larger version.

One thing to point out is that although it’s a larger version it won’t take up much more room than the 48x18x18 juvenile version, this is because it has an increased depth and height but the length is the same.

Tank Lighting & Heat

Now we’ve picked the perfect tank for your Bearded Dragon you will need to kit the tank out with essential items such as the UVB light and basking lamp.

I’ve created a list of my favourite lighting and heating products that are vital to the health and well being of your Bearded Dragon as well as ones that will help you to automate the whole process.

Check out the list and I’ll show you all my most trusted and battle-tested favourites.