Outdoor Bearded dragon pit

[Chicken]

Ok, so today i was looking at a lot of random stuff on this forum lol and found some stuff on outdoor enclosures. I looked up a bit and found some cool lizard pits that people have made. So i had a thought, why don't i give it a shot. Ok, well ill start by saying i'm in vic in the outer suburbs of the city so my first big concern was temperature. I was thinking and i had a read and this is what i came up with. Ok so i'm in vic yes and it can get cold here. Easily below 10 during the day on some winter days and winters night can fall well below 5c. So firstly this is my enclosure design. I don't have pics but i plan to make out of a wood. Some type of wood that cops the rain and is weather proof or maybe even corrugated iron but ill cross that bridge when i come to it... So because of the rain i decided to have one half of the roof sheltered and one half open so it can get a good basking spot and light. I'd put the roof covering the half of the pit on an angle so the water ran off it onto the ground (outside the pit) and were the pit gets wet where it is open ill try and form some type of drainage system. Anyhoo i came up with two plans to deal with temp. This is were you guys come in. Can Central bearded dragons cop cold? My plan 1 was to have her in the outdoor enclosure during the summer all day all night then winter come and she would start to brumate and i'd put it back in her cage on a low temp to sleep out the winter or if it doesn't brumate just have it in the indoor 4ft melamine cage. Although nights in summer can still fall quite low easily below 10c so i came up with plan two. Its exactly the same as plan 1 accept in the summer i bring it in for night then back out for the daytime. What are your guys thoughts or have you got an option 3? Im not worried about size of the pit or anything right now (although its going to be like 4ft by 5ft or so i'm planning) but i'm just a bit concerned about temps.? Lol cheers guys

 

[Chicken]

if your eyes blow up reading this i apologize

 

[bfg23]

A well insulated hide with something like dried grass clippings or wood shavings packed in there should stay slightly warm overnight during the winter.

You will not need to bring anything inside over summer. I have blue tounges and shinglebacks local to me so I am going to leave them out there all year round, but I will bring the bearded dragon inside.

I would make the pit much bigger than 4ft x 5ft, when they are outside, they revert to their 'wild' instincts and will need more room than if they were kept inside.

 

[Chicken]

Sounds good. Hopefully i'll get her to brumate over winter were i would move her into her cage for security on a low temp. What size pit do you recommend? Im also considering adding another female... Maybe

 

[pepsi111]

if you where worried about the heat you could build like a cage kinda thing with a door so he could get out and have lighting or a heat rock in there
hope it helps =]

 

[bfg23]

My pit is 10ft by 8ft, but now its all built, I would have liked to go a bit bigger.
But now I realised you are only having one lizard in there, you could probably get away with a smaller pit the size you mentioned.
I had my young beardy in a 4x2x2 mesh enclosure last summer and it was way to small, it was forever looking for a way out.

If you can run electricity to the pit, your problems are easily solved.

 

[lloydy]

10ft x 8ft? Wow massive.

I was actualy thinking of building a pit next weekend as wheather down here in melb is starting to warm up.

My plans where 2 4ft x 4ft enclosures, made from ply or melamine, with mesh as sides and meshed roof that opens on hinges.

Will post some pics rookie

 

[Chicken]

awesome, i'll have to save up a bit but look forward to pics

 

[bfg23]

Save up?
You could find almost everything you need leftover on jobsites.

Here is a photo of mine half finished but you get the idea. I lied, its actually 9ft by 8ft.

 

[Chicken]

wow that looks great! I think i might go with option 1 So hopefully this is what i plan.. ill put her in the pit sayy october until march then move her to her tank and try to brumate her then when she wakes up if its spring already move her back out. Or if she doesn't want to brumate just keep her in the cage over winter. Thanks for your help. I think i might make a big long tunnel out of wood running most of the length of the back of my pit (i'm going 5ft by 5ft) so a tunnel 4ft long and 40cm wide with a little entrance for her to go in and sleep and ill insulate it with polystyrene and have wood chips ect. How does that sound?

 

[bfg23]

Sounds OK as long as you make sure no water gets down there when it rains. It rains sometimes in summer so you have to think about it.

 

[JAS101]

i will be making the same sort of enclosure as bfg23 has for my blues and i will even make one for my beardies .
i have made a full walk in enclosure for my turtles ponds .

 

[Chicken]

loos great ZOOJAS oh and bfg i'm still going to have half the pit covered with a roof so it doesn't get wet.