Pet Toolsby The Sturdy Paw

Answer

What size tank does a bearded dragon need?

An adult bearded dragon needs at least a 48 × 24 × 24 in enclosure (4 × 2 × 2 ft, about 120 gallons of space). ReptiFiles sets its minimum higher: 6 × 2 × 2 ft (24 cubic feet) for one adult.

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Common tanks compared

Standard tanks versus the bearded dragon minimum
TankSize (in)Meets minimum?
20 high24 × 12 × 16No
20 long30 × 12 × 12No
29 gallon30 × 12 × 18No
40 breeder36 × 18 × 16No
55 gallon48 × 13 × 21No
75 gallon48 × 18 × 21No
90 gallon48 × 18 × 24No
125 gallon72 × 18 × 21No
PVC/front-opening enclosure48 × 24 × 24Yes

One adult per enclosure. A 40-gallon tank is too small for an adult.

More questions

Is a 75-gallon tank OK for a bearded dragon?

It’s below the minimum: a 75-gallon tank is about 79 gallons of space versus about 120 for a 4 × 2 × 2 ft enclosure.

Can two bearded dragons share a tank?

Housing them separately is the safe default; adults can fight.

How many gallons does a bearded dragon need?

About 120 gallons of space: a 48 × 24 × 24 in enclosure.

Can a baby bearded dragon live in a smaller tank?

For a short time, yes, but most keepers buy the adult size from the start and add plenty of hides.

Does a bearded dragon need a tall enclosure?

Height matters less than floor space for ground-dwellers; climbers such as crested geckos need the height.

Is a front-opening enclosure better?

Many keepers prefer front opening: it is less stressful than reaching in from above.

Do I need to measure inside or outside?

Inside dimensions are what the animal gets; glass tanks are listed by outside size.

Where do these minimums come from?

From the keeper-care sources linked below; the reptile tank tool checks your own enclosure against them.

Citing this? Link to https://tools.thesturdypaw.com/answers/bearded-dragon-tank-size/. Free to reuse with a link (CC BY 4.0).

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Sources