West Coast Dragons - Vancouver Island Breeders
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Rik & Rosana Smith - westcoastdragons@shaw.ca  Phone: (250) 618-5408
All rights reserved. Copyright       2007 - 2009. West Coast Dragons ~ Vancouver Island Breeders
Our 73 gallon custom built enclosures are equipped with full length UVB and daylight flourescents with deflectors and an internal fan driven cooling system.
Pictured here is one of our private display enclosures. This 110 gallon had been divided to house two sub adult dragons. The enclosure has since been reverted to its original size and  houses our adult german giant male.
Housing

A 20-gallon sized enclosure is the minimum acceptable size for a young dragon and will be sufficient until it approaches the 10"- 11" range, then a larger habitat is necessary. Enclosures smaller than the 20-gallon size do not provide adequate space to maintain the required temperature gradients and should not be used. Equally, excessively large enclosures for young juveniles are not recommended, as they tend to cause higher stress and make it difficult to find or catch live prey. The ideal situation when considering an enclosure for a young dragon is to purchase a larger, 55+-gallon size and temporarily divide it into a smaller area to save the cost of buying a larger enclosure as your dragon grows. We generally house all of our adult dragons in 55-75 gallon sized enclosures to allow sufficient roaming and climbing space although the 55 gallon range is usually sufficient for one dragon. Avoid placing enclosures in areas of direct sunlight as this may increase temperatures beyond the acceptable range without providing any benefits (natural UV rays do not penetrate glass or plastic). Continually loud or active areas should also be avoided especially with new or younger dragons. With glass enclosures we recommend that the back and sides be covered with paper or a  "back ground" material to limit stress and allow young dragons to feel more secure in their surroundings. Depending on your particular setup, situation or depth of the enclosure a screened top may be required to prevent your dragon from escaping or uninvited guests (i.e. other pets or young children) from entering your dragon's home.
West Coast Dragons
Vancouver Island Breeders