Basic Housing Requirements

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Bearded Dragons are one of the most popular reptile companions, but many of them are poorly housed due to common misinformation! These important requirements will keep your pet happy and healthy.

Lighting is possibly the single most important aspect of your habitat. Whichever heat fixture you choose should give you a basking side surface temperature reading of approximately 100-105f for an adult bearded dragon. With enough space to give you a temperature gradient of a basking temperature at approximately 80-85f on the cool side. Your UV bulb and fixture is SO IMPORTANT! You need 75% UV coverage at a minimum, that means that 3/4 of your enclosure has direct UV coverage. In an adequate sized enclosure, that means you will need the 24" 10.0 bulb. Reptisun and Arcadia are the best brands on the market as far as actual UV output. You can also use MVB or mercury vapor bulbs for both heat and UV-- but many opt away from these temperamental and expensive options. BOTH types need to be mounted *inside* the enclosure in order to be beneficial at all. If you are in a situation where you have a screen lid and want to put your UV on top of the enclosure-- you will need a T5 linear bulb and fixture in order for the UV rays to penetrate past the screen. HOWEVER, no matter which UV bulb you choose-- it will need to be changed every 6-12 months.

Iguanas are an increasingly popular reptile pet, but their high demands when it comes to space means that they are also commonly housed improperly. Iguanas are an arboreal species that has the potential to grow very large in the right conditions, but they require a large space even as hatchlings.

Lighting is much the same as bearded dragons when it comes to UV. You will need at least 1 linear 24" 10.0 bulb in order for your iguana to receive adequate exposure.  The Megaray and other reputable MVB (mercury vapor bulbs) are much more suitable for iguanas as they tend to be both stronger and more concentrated, but also need to be changed every 12 months. 

Space is also one of the most highly debated topics when speaking to iguana keepers-- but one thing is clear. Iguanas DO NOT live in tanks. Iguanas require a abundance of climbing space and enrichment (we use both, fresh tree limbs that have edible leaves and wooden structures). Housing for iguanas needs to be at least 6ft tall, by 3ft deep/wide, by 5ft wide/deep-- but bigger is ALWAYS better! It is also important that you have both plenty of ventilation, and plenty of humidity.

Tortoises make great lifetime companions, and most will live well into their 50's and beyond when kept properly! They don't require the space commitment that larger tortoises do, but their habitat is essential to their long and happy life.

Small tortoises live best in "tortoise tables", which are (usually) open top habitats made of wood allowing for ventilation and controlled humidity. They can also be purchased from reptile brand companies like zoomed. Small tortoises have the same UV requirements as bearded dragons. They need a liner UV bulb and fixture, and it needs to be changed every 6-12 months depending on the manufacturer recommendation.

They also need basking spots and cool areas, created by basking bulbs and ceramic heat emitters for at night. Tortoises are also natural diggers, needing inches of dirt and mulch substrate to be able to be happy. They also needs hides and enrichment inside their enclosure, and a shallow water dish large enough for them to climb in and out of.