Is a 30 gal big enough?

[Bighead]

I have an old bookshelf that I turned into 2 enclosures with a footprint about equal to that of a 30 gal. tank. I have 2 juv. beardies - 1 in each and they are very happy so far. I was hoping to stay with this arrangement but wanted to see if it was too small.

I have a bigger cage, but it has a small pond with running water. Is this a bad idea with beardies? The humidity usually stays around 50%. Its also about 5 feet tall. There's no harm in a taller cage as long as they have plenty of floor space, correct?

Thanks.



1.1 Beardie, 0.1 Ball Python, 1.2 corn snakes (amelanistic, anerythristic, snow), 1.1 Bahaman Anole, 1.1 Green Anole, 1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Who needs a new home. Anyone interested?)

[ChristinaM]

Hi hi. What are the measurements of the bookshelf enclosure? (30g can vary).

The bigger cage, the pond.....about how deep is the pond?
You're right, there is no harm in a tall cage. The only thing to remember is that the uv bulb needs to be no more than 10" away from the spot they spend the most time in. After 10" the beneficial rays decrease and it becomes useless basically....(you could put the bulb along the side of the tank if the basking spot is not at the top, or something....)

[eyespy]

An adult beardie should have at least 4 square feet of floor space and no dimension should be shorter than its body length to avoid stress. Beardies do not like being forced to brush up against enclosure walls when moving around and often become inactive and obse when forced to live in too small environments.

Males keep their sex organs in their tail base and can have fertility issues if they don't have room to stretch out. I don't like a cage smaller than a 4x2 foot footprint personally. In my experience dragons with less room are nowhere near as active, well-muscled and healthy.

[burmer]

I had my male in a 30g long and recently moved him to a 4x2. It has made all the difference in the world. He is more active and eating much better. Bigger is better.