Bearded Dragon Enclosure

You will need to decide what you are going to use as his/her home, will it be a cage or Vivarium, will you buy one or build one and what size?

Here are the options available for you to consider:

Type of Enclosure

  • Cage
  • Vivarium/Terrarium
  • Tank

Buy or Make?

Positives & Negatives of buying

Positives Negatives
  • Ready to use straight away
  • Variety of sizes and styles available
  • Brand provides peace of mind
  • Can be more expensive than making depending on the size
  • Limited to what variations you can have

Positives & Negatives of building

Positives Negatives
  • Self satisfaction knowing you have built a home for your pet
  • Can customise to suit your needs
  • Can be less expensive than buying one new, depending on the size and design
  • You get to specify the measurements
  • Not ready to use straight away
  • Can take some time to complete, especially if you have to order glass in
  • Can cause problems if things like ventilation is not done correctly

If you do decide to build a vivarium yourself you may want to check out our How to make a Vivarium page.

A selection of different size vivariums are also available in our shop if you decide to buy.

The Size

The size is a key thing you need to think about before you buy a beardie. Do you have enough room for a fully grown dragon? The average adult bearded dragon can grow up to about 18 inches long, however German Giants can grow up to 24 inches. My beardie Eddie is already 22 inches long and is still growing. He is a fire and ice x German Giant.

If you buy a full set up in a shop with a baby Beardie you will find that you will need to replace the set up within approx 4 months as the shop will usually provide a set up for the Beardie as a baby. It is important for a baby Beardie to have a small enclosure so that he/she can catch live food such as crickets. A temporary solution for baby bearded dragons is a Rubbermaid tote. They are cheap, easily cleaned but work well for young bearded dragons.

For an adult on his/her own 4 ft x 2ft x 2ft appears to be the recommended size. However I still feel this is too small and recommend going a little bigger to guarantee comfort. 2 - 3ft in height however, is as big as you need for safety as beardies are not the smartest of animals and will launch themselves off anything given the chance. 2 ft drop won't do a great deal of damage to a bearded dragon but anything higher may be dangerous if s/he is as clumsy as mine.