Housing and Environment

The short version

• Buy the adult enclosure once. Sources disagree on the minimum: 48 x 24 x 24 in (120 x 60 x 60 cm) is the common minimum [3]; ReptiFiles sets it at 72 x 24 x 24 in (180 x 60 x 60 cm) [1].
• Basking surface 105–115°F (40–46°C), cool side 70–85°F (21–29°C), all heat off at night [1][4].
• Strong UVB is required. Use a long T5 HO tube next to the heat lamp and replace it about every 12 months [4].
• Keep humidity at 30–60% at the cool end, with a water bowl always present [4].
• Never use calcium sand, walnut shell or wood shavings [10].

Enclosure size

The hobby used to "grow" dragons through 20-gallon and 40-gallon tanks. Current guidance is to buy the adult enclosure once. Young dragons reach near-adult size at about 10 months, so a starter tank is outgrown inside a year, and a cramped baby tank with one hot bulb is easy to overheat [3].

Front-opening PVC or wood enclosures are popular because glass holds heat poorly, which makes temperatures harder to keep steady. Glass tanks work, but reflections and the "invisible wall" stress some dragons, showing as glass surfing, pacing or a black beard [3].

Keep one dragon per enclosure. Dragons kept together compete for food and basking spots and may fight, even if they seemed to get along at first. Adult males fight over territory, and a larger dragon can injure a smaller one [2].

Furnishings

Give your dragon:

• A flat basking platform (stone, slate, cork round or a sturdy branch) directly under the heat and UVB.
• A hide at each end.
• Climbing branches. Dragons are strong climbers and diggers, so give them both options.
• A shallow water dish that cannot tip [6].

Heat

Measure surface temperatures with an infrared temperature gun and air temperatures with a digital probe thermometer. Stick-on dial gauges are not accurate enough.

Use halogen flood bulbs, at least two side by side, so the whole body warms rather than one spot. For a 4 x 2 x 4 ft or 6 x 2 x 2 ft enclosure, ReptiFiles suggests two 90–100 W halogen bulbs [1][4]. Always confirm the result with a temperature gun and adjust bulb height or wattage to hit the basking target.

Put the heat on a dimming thermostat. At minimum, use a cut-off thermostat as a failsafe, with the probe in the warm-side air (not under the lamps and not on the cool side) and set to 99°F (37°C), the warm-side air limit in the table above [4].

Turn all heat off at night. A normal house is warm enough. A ceramic heat emitter, on a thermostat, is only needed if the room falls below 55°F (12°C) [1][4].

Heat rocks and under-tank heaters do not suit a basking lizard and can cause belly burns (keeper experience, not proven).

UVB lighting

UVB is not optional. Without it, a dragon cannot make vitamin D3, cannot absorb calcium, and develops metabolic bone disease [7].

• Lamp type: a linear T5 HO fluorescent tube, about 22 in (55 cm) long, in a reflector fixture. Arcadia Desert 12% or Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 T5 HO are the standard choices. Arcadia Dragon 14% suits deeper or taller enclosures [1][4].
• Distance: the basking surface should sit 11 in (27 cm) below the lamp if the lamp is on top of a mesh lid (mesh blocks roughly 45% of the output). If the lamp is mounted inside with no mesh, use 16–17 in (40–43 cm). For Arcadia Dragon 14%, use 11–12 in (28–30 cm) over mesh or 17–18 in (43–45 cm) with no mesh. If you have no UV meter, add 1–3 in (2–8 cm) to these distances to be safe [4].
• Target: UV Index 4.0–4.5 at the basking spot, checked with a UV meter if you have one. For hypomelanistic, translucent and silkback dragons, keep it at or below UVI 3.0 [4].
• Coverage: a 22 in (55 cm) tube is a good length. It should be at least as long as your dragon and run alongside the heat lamps on the warm side, so your dragon gets both at once [4].
• Replacement: about every 12 months for most T5 HO tubes, including Arcadia and Zoo Med; every 6 months for Exo Terra. VCA's general advice is every 6 months or as the maker directs. The tube keeps glowing after it stops producing useful UVB [2][4].
• No glass or plastic between the UVB lamp and the dragon. Both block UVB [2][4].
• Avoid compact coil UVB bulbs. They do not cover enough area for this species (keeper experience, not proven).
• Daylight: add a 6500K LED or T5 daylight strip covering 75–100% of the length. Dragons are built for very bright light, about 30,000–60,000 lux at the basking spot [1][4].
• Photoperiod: run all lights 12–14 hours a day in the active season and a little less in winter. This is the usual keeper schedule (keeper experience, not proven).

Humidity

Keep ambient humidity at 30–60%, measured at the cool end at ground level. The basking area can drop to about 10% [4].

In cold climates, winter heating often pushes indoor humidity below 30%. A humid hide or burrow on the cool side, or a light misting once or twice a week, helps [1][4]. Dehydration is one of the main causes of impaction [8].

A shallow water bowl should always be in the enclosure, changed daily [6].

Substrate and the impaction debate

This is the most argued topic in bearded dragon keeping.

The "no loose substrate" view, common in older care sheets: babies and juveniles swallow sand while hunting, it builds up, and the gut blocks. Tile, paper towel or reptile carpet avoid that risk entirely.

The current ReptiFiles and BeardieVet view: in a healthy dragon, impaction is a sign of a husbandry problem, not of sand. The listed causes are dehydration, a basking spot too cool to keep the gut moving, low vitamin D, too little roughage, and too much insect shell (chitin) from overfeeding insects. Lab analysis of wild habitat soil came back about 96% fine sand, and digging is a natural need. A sick dragon can impact on paper towel and insect shells just as easily [8].

What both sides agree on:

• Never use calcium sand. Calcium carbonate clumps in the gut and neutralizes stomach acid [10].
• Never use ground walnut or other nut shell (dusty, causes impaction), wood shavings or bark [10].
• Reptile carpet traps bacteria and catches claws, which can break toes. It is a poor long-term choice [10].
• Play sand is the dustiest sand. Fine, washed quartz sand is better [10].

What we recommend: paper towel or a washable mat for quarantine and the first few weeks at home. After that, use either unpolished stone tile or a 4–6 in (10–15 cm) bed of fine quartz sand, or a mix of 50% sand, 30% organic topsoil and 20% excavator clay, for a dragon whose heat, water and diet are correct [10].

Replace sand every 3–6 months and spot-clean daily, removing the sand around any waste. Any dragon on skin ointment or with a wound goes on tile or another fixed surface until treatment is done [10].