Housing



Enclosures

Materials for Enclosures
Glass aquariums and glass terrariums work well as enclosures. However, some Bearded Dragons get upset if they see their reflections.  In such cases, a background can do the trick.  You can also use enclosures made out of plexiglass, wood, and/or melamine. 
Wire and mesh are not generally good ideas.  They don't hold in heat well enough.
As for the top, I personally love screen lids, they're great for ventilation while still keeping most of the heat in. 
You can get cages at pet stores, garage sales, and classifieds both online and in newspapers.  Or you can build your own cage.  Directions to build your own cage can be found at Timeless Spirit Enclosure and Crossfire Enclosure.


Size
The bare minimum is a 40 gallon breeder (36 by 18 by 18 inches) for one fully grown Bearded Dragon. 
The ideal tank size is 4 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet.
When choosing an enclosure size, it's important to keep in mind that some higher gallon numbers aren't wide enough, such as a 55 gallon (aka a 55 gallon long) that is only 48 by 13 by 21 inches.  Since most Bearded Dragons are a minimum of 18 inches fully grown, a 55 gallon long will not be wide enough for them to turn around comfortably. 

Substrate

Substrate (tank bottom) choice is important. This is because Bearded Dragons have delicate digestive systems prone to impaction (getting things stuck in their digestion system and not being able to pass it), which can be deadly.


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deadly substrates
Deadly Substrates
There are some substrates that people will sell to you even though a huge number of Bearded Dragons die from them annually.  These include calci-sand, repti-sand, walnut shell/desert blend, and gravels/pea rocks.  If you use these, you are putting you're pet at a serious risk of being killed by it.  Stay away from these.
There are also some other substrates that harbor so much bacteria and such that they are not good ones either.  These include soils, mulches, corn cob, millet, and rabbit pellets. 

There are, however, safe substrate choices.  These include: 


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Textured Slate, Porcelain, or Ceramic Tiles
My personal favorite.  This comes in a huge variety of colors.  Just make sure that the surface of the tile is rough and textured for traction.  Clean this thoroughly every month or so.  You can clean it the same way you would clean the entire tank.  Spot clean too of course.  I recommend just placing them inside the tank without trying to seal them together, so that every tile can be removed if needed.  Textured tiles have the added benefit of filing down claws.   These can be found at Lowes and other home improvement stores.

Nonadhesive and Textured Shelf Liner
You can get this in various colors.  It should be taken out and washed every now and then, as well as being spot cleaned.  It can be washed in a standard washing machine, but should not be put in a dryer.  You can find this type of shelf liner at Target and other stores of that type.

Reptile Carpet
This should also be taken out and washed in a standard washing machine, as well as being spot cleaned.  Get the kind that doesn't have tons of loops that can snag claws.  Reptile Carpet can be found at most pet stores.


Paper Towels
Quick and easy.  Just throw them away when they're dirty.  Paper towels are a popular choice for owners of very young dragons, who may have bowel movements more than once a day.

Newspaper
Your slightly cheaper alternative to paper towels.

Sand
If your Bearded Dragon is 16 inches and 1 year old, washed and sifted, silicone free children's play sand (the ONLY acceptable type of sand) is also an option, but does carry some risk of impaction.  Make sure you scoop this thoroughly, and change it out entirely every 3-4 months.  This can be found at Home Depot and other home improvement stores.  Sand is still a debated subject in Bearded Dragon husbandry, so use it at your own discretion.  In addition to the impaction risk, there is also a risk that they will get some in their eyes and scratches or other eye problems may result.  Note:  What's not debated is that most pet store sands are lethal.  They cause an appalling number of impactions, are dusty, dye your Bearded Dragon funky colors...they are simply bad news

Enclosure Furniture

The Basking Site
Since Bearded Dragons are semi-arboreal they aren't really suited to  flat rocks on the floor to bask on (that's more characteristic of species that are purely ground-dwellers).  Something that is off of the ground would serve Bearded Dragons better.  However, since they are only semi-arboreal rather than just plain arboreal, they don't really need multiple above ground levels to their basking area.  What would be good is something climbable, and possibly something with two different levels but no more is needed. 
Another important aspect of a basking site is that it is large enough that you can get a temp gradient without any trouble.  It should be wide too so that the Bearded Dragon can rest on it comfortably without having to wrap around it.  Wider basking areas have been noted to increase the time of basking and the apparent enjoyment the animal gets out of it.  These aspects are more important than how much heat the basking substance holds (so long as it is in the 100-110 range, but that isn't hard to get with surfaces that aren't known for holding heat).  Considering that Bearded Dragons are semi-arboreal, and their preference for texture the best basking sites are  large wooden branches.  Use a log sold as a hide to prop the basking branch/provide stability, and the hide is used as a secondary basking site if the lizard wants a certain amount of UVB without sacrificing warmth.  Some people also use clever designs to stack rocks so that they are up off the ground and provide climbing opportunities and this too is acceptable.  Just make sure that, when using rock formation, you seal it together with an animal-safe silicone or sealant that won't react adversely to a lot of heat.  If you don't do this, the rocks may fall down and hurt your pet.

Climbing Furniture
Bearded Dragons are semi-arboreal (they like to climb, but they don't live in trees), so they need climbing furniture as well as floor space.
They seem to prefer furniture with texture, such as bark has. Ideally, the enclosure should have at least one piece of climbable furniture that is wider and longer than your Bearded Dragon's body.  It is hard to find these sizes at pet stores.  I recommend going to sites that will cut to order or going out and finding a piece yourself.  Be sure to bake it when you get home to kill all the nasties.  Also, make sure you know what kind of wood it is. Safe woods include "Alder, Ash, Aspen, Birch, Cottonwood, Dogwood, Elm, Maple, Oak, Poplar, Sycamore, and Willow" (Dragon Tank). 
If you choose to get your furniture from outside, there are a couple ways of cleaning it so it is safe for your pet.   You can either bake the furniture in the oven for half an hour at 300 degrees F. or you can clean it in a 10% bleach 90% water solution to kill all the little nasties. Make sure that if you use bleach, you rinse the furniture out thoroughly and allow it to air dry before putting it into the enclosure and if you choose to bake it make sure it has time to cool before putting it in the enclosure.

Heatpads/Heatrocks
Heatpads and heatrocks are not good for Bearded Dragons and should not be included in a setup.  Heatpads and heatrocks can burn a Bearded Dragon's belly without their noticing it, sometimes severely.  They do best with general heat from above, such as basking lights provide.

Rock Wall
Beloved by hobbyists and Bearded Dragons alike, the sky is the limit on these things.  You make rock walls yourself, principally out of polystyrene, some form of liquid nails, several layers of grout, paint, and a non-toxic sealant on top of it all.  Because polystyrene and grout are so easy to mold and cut into shapes, you can basically make anything.  You can even add little cut out arches to put huts in, or plants in.  Go to Stuart McDougall's "Building False Rock Walls for your Enclosure" for detailed instructions. 

Digging
Many Bearded Dragons like to dig. If this is the case with yours, you may want to put a suitable area for digging in their terrariums.  If you want to lower the risk of impaction, you can put in a box full of children's play sand in a certain part of their tank, rather than having play sand all over.  Some will also dig into towels and be just as happy.  Others don't care for digging at all.

Hides
Hides (little huts or some such they can go under) are good for older Bearded Dragons to give them a place to retreat to for privacy or shadow, but young ones may hide under them all the time at the price of reduced basking and reduced friendliness towards people. So it's best not to keep hides in their tanks until they are juveniles.

Rock
Rock of some sort is a good addition, because it files down the claws somewhat.
Claws can get very sharp so that they can break a keeper’s skin without any effort if such things are not included.

Humidity and Water Bowls
Humidity should be roughly 30-60%.  Consider humidity when you decide whether or not to include a water bowl.  If you do use a water bowl, clean it daily and choose one large enough for the Bearded Dragon to lay in, but still extremely shallow.  Thoroughly cleaned containers from frozen dinners work well for water bowls.  Not all Dragons drink from water bowls, but some will go to them to soak if they are having any digestive issues.

Cleaning the Enclosure

The enclosure should be spot-cleaned daily, wiped down once a week, and deep-cleaned at least once a month.  A good cleaner is Nolvasan, which does not have harmful odors.  Another is a diluted vinegar-water mix.  Dilute it quite a bit, more than 10 parts water to 1 part vinegar.  There are also commercial products on the market meant specifically for cleaning reptile enclosures that you can find at some pet stores. 

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