When should I upgrade my 40-gallon tank for a 15-inch bearded dragon?

Yes, I think a 40 gallon tank will be sufficient for now and may be enough long term depending on hiow big he gets. Just make sure to properly control his environment with temperature, an area to eat, and an area to hide away. Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Choose the largest cage your space and budget will allow. At minimum, a 55 gallon enclosure should be considered. Acceptable substrates include slate, reptile carpet, decomposed granite or large gravel. Yes, setting up a bio-active environment for beardies is possible. It will take a bit of research and effort to get it right.

Congratulations on your new addition! The tank is sufficient for a juvenile, however you will likely need a larger one when Sonora is fully grown. Make sure Sonora can get into and out of the bowl easily to prevent drowning. Place thermometers in the enclosure to monitor temperature. You will need 3. One at the cool side, one on the warm side and one for the basking spot. Hygrometers can also be used to monitor humidity. You can review care information at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

Make sure his cage is large enough. A 20 gallon tank will be sufficient for now (if that's what you have) but as he grows, you will need to move him into a larger enclosure. Provide multiple hiding boxes and plants (real or fake) for privacy. You can also use cage wraps or backgrounds to provide additional privacy. He can come out of the cage also but be sure he does not get chilled or escape into a small crack or crevice.

Thanks for your question about Smaug, and thanks for the photo as well! I think that you have a good start to your set up, and that we can tweak a few items. First, your lighting situation appears adequate - I see a UVB light (please change this bulb every 4-6 months), a basking light, and a ceramic heat bulb. I would ensure that your temperatures are appropriate for this species, and that you are monitoring them using digital thermometers (I think that you see both a digital and analog thermometers currently) at the level of Smaug. Analog thermometers are inaccurate, so I don't recommend using them (also, they are high up on the sides of the enclosure, so they wouldn't be giving an accurate temperature read for Smaug). For the cage furniture that you have, I like that you have places for Smaug to climb and hide. However, I would recommend having a hide on both the warm side of the enclosure and the cool side so that Smaug has choices. Same for the climbing structures. I may have missed a food and water dish in the enclosure - I would recommend that both of these be shallow, and be large enough for Smaug's entire body to fit within them. I cannot tell what type of shavings that you have on the bottom of the enclosure, but the only wood shavings that I recommend are aspen shavings. If they are pine, these can be irritating to the respiratory system. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

50-watt spot/heat bulb is usually sufficient.Put a 10 to 12% UVb fluorescent tube up to one half the length of the vivarium and fix it as far into the hot end as possible Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Good questions. Since Bearded Dragons are omnivores, you want limit the amount of crickets (and other insects) you feed them, so they are motivated to eat the veggies. You can do this by having a daily feed time. It's not easy to know exactly how many to feed at a certain time, because it depends on their size. I would start with 12. If this seems like too much (he doesn't eat them within a day), then cut back till it seems adequate. Remember, you want a few hours where he only has vegetables to eat. If he/she eats them all right away, then you can add some more. You want the UV lamp to mimic daylight, so it should not be on longer than 12 hours. I always used a timer with my lamps, or I'd invariably leave them on or off for too long. I've included a link to a very helpful website that has great information on how to care for Bearded Dragons. It's highly recommended you read this for the best care of your Beardy. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html Good luck and enjoy - they make great pets!