First time owner

Hey all, I just got my beardie this week. He's 3 months old. Much bigger than I had expected. Then again, I was expecting to have him in June. Anyway, I'm not looking to breed, just looking for any good tips and info on care and other things to help me along.

Hello,

Congratulations on your new addition. Good he was big & healthy for you even if you did get him late.
What would you like to know? What type of UVB lighting are you using? What brand is it, & is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?
What type of basking light are you using?
Are you using calcium 4-5 times per week?
What type of substrate are you using?
What feeders are you using?
What about your thermometer, is it a digital probe or a temp gun? The recommended basking temps are 95-110 & the cooler area around 78-82.

We will help you make sure that you have him all setup properly. Just answer the questions above & we will review it for you. Thanks.

Tracie

Originally Posted by Drache613

What type of UVB lighting are you using? What brand is it, & is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?

Zoo Med Repti Sun 5.0 Fluorescent UVB Lamp 18"
Since I just upgraded his terrarium, should I now upgrade this to a 24". And what is the best way to set the UVB? I just currently have it sitting on the screen over his hammock. Is it okay to place it in the terrarium? And does the UVB need to be on one side or does it need to cover the entire area?

What type of basking light are you using?

Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp Bulb - 100w
Zoo Med Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp - 100w
I'm also using 2 medium size Exo-Terra Glow Light Porcelain Lamp which I've noticed covers more ground then the small ones I had at first.

Are you using calcium 4-5 times per week?

Yes I am and I was told that some owners also add some to their greens as well.

What type of substrate are you using?

I'm not using any sand or any other type of substrate. What I've done is line the inside of the terrarium with ceramic tile. I have a rock and hammock placed on the basking side and will be placing a long branch soon that goes from one side to the other.

What feeders are you using?

I'm not sure what you mean by feeders?
I feed him crickets with greens & parsley in the morning. In the evening he seems to only go for his veggies. I've been noticing that he does not eat as much in the evening as he does in the morning.

What about your thermometer, is it a digital probe or a temp gun? The recommended basking temps are 95-110 & the cooler area around 78-82.

I'm using a strip one that sticks to the glass. And it's currently holding one side at 95. The nocturnal side is just under 80. I keep him in my office which has two computers running at all times and tends to get a tad warmer than the rest of the house even with the A/C running.

Thanks for your reply, Tracie.

Hello Emmanuel,

Thanks for answering all of the questions. There are a few things to address.
Yes, the Reptisun 5 flourescent tube bulb is a decent bulb, though not quite as strong as the 10. Maybe you can upgrade soon. The 18 inch is fine, no need to get the 24 inch. The UVB only really needs to cover 2/3rds of the tank, leaving a bit of room at the end where he can retreat to with no UVB if he chooses to do so.
Ok, so you are using a 100watt basking light, in conjunction with exo terra lights? What are they just low wattage lights for brightness? Can you perhaps show me a picture of your entire tank setup?
The UVB should be mounted at one end, with the basking light directly beside it to encourage basking while getting UVB. That is where you will focus the most amount of heating, on the basking end with the UVB beside it. You can mount the UVB on the inside of the screen by tying wires around the fixture on the inside of the top of the screen. The screen will filter some of the UVB's out. Do not mount the UVB sideways, or vertically. Mount it directly overhead as to avoid any glaring on the eye area. Does the fixture have reflective backing on it?
Really, at night, he wont need any heating unless it gets below 50 or 55 in the tank. If you need nighttime heating, I suggest using a ceramic heat emitter, because the infrared can disturb his sleeping patterns due to the spectrum being seen by them.
Yes you can sprinkle calcium on the greens as well, if he does not eat as many crickets dusted, no problem. Feeders are simply the bugs. Do you provide food 24/7 for your crickets, including moisture like apples or potatoes & a dry food too?
The stick on thermometer will be inaccurate for reading your basking temps. The best way to read the basking temps will be with a digital probe or a temp gun. The stick ons only read the ambient temps or the glass temps for you.
The ceramic tile to line the bottom of his tank will be fine, & easy to keep clean. Just use antibacterial wipes or novalsan (chlorhexadine) spray to keep them clean.

Tracie

[quote]

Originally Posted by Drache613

Hello Emmanuel,

Thanks for answering all of the questions. There are a few things to address.
Yes, the Reptisun 5 flourescent tube bulb is a decent bulb, though not quite as strong as the 10. Maybe you can upgrade soon. The 18 inch is fine, no need to get the 24 inch. The UVB only really needs to cover 2/3rds of the tank, leaving a bit of room at the end where he can retreat to with no UVB if he chooses to do so.

Okay, sounds like I have that setup correctly then. Sorry, that is a 10 not a 5.

Ok, so you are using a 100watt basking light, in conjunction with exo terra lights? What are they just low wattage lights for brightness? Can you perhaps show me a picture of your entire tank setup?

I'm using the exo terra lamps with the 100w basking bulbs. I just upgraded this to the 150w, though.

The UVB should be mounted at one end, with the basking light directly beside it to encourage basking while getting UVB. That is where you will focus the most amount of heating, on the basking end with the UVB beside it. You can mount the UVB on the inside of the screen by tying wires around the fixture on the inside of the top of the screen. The screen will filter some of the UVB's out. Do not mount the UVB sideways, or vertically. Mount it directly overhead as to avoid any glaring on the eye area. Does the fixture have reflective backing on it?

Yes, that is how I have it setup (overhead) and was actually thinking of riggin it with the wires on the inside this weekend. And yes, the basking bulb/lamp is directly next to the UVB. UVB does have the reflective backing as well.

Do you provide food 24/7 for your crickets, including moisture like apples or potatoes & a dry food too?

yes I do. my brother suggested an orange and some water.


Thanks again.

Hello!

GREAT JOB!!
Good you are using the Reptisun 10 & a bright white basking light, he should be doing very well with that.
Everything else looks good, as well. Oh don't forget to get a better thermometer ok? A digital probe can be found at Walmart for around $12, acurite brand. A temp gun can be found at: www.reptileuv.com
This is very important to maintaining temperatures.
The crickets need dry food too. You can make it from oatmeal, non fat dry milk, dry baby cereal, bread crumbs, & bran cereal. You can choose a few ingredients, or tweak them around according to what you find. They need a constant food source.
I would do apples instead of oranges. Dragons are not supposed to have citrus so non citrus would be better. Also, make sure there is no standing water in the cricket bin, as it gets too humid in there.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tracie

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/...cf0cc41e_o.jpg

Hello!

Your tank looks great, good job.


Tracie

Hey there !!! I did not even read Trayce's comments..she is a good soul to help you out...I just wanted to say congrats and good luck ! Take care Beth

Originally Posted by Beardiepal

Hey there !!! I did not even read Trayce's comments..she is a good soul to help you out...I just wanted to say congrats and good luck ! Take care Beth

Thanks, much appreciated!

Here are some recent pix of my beardie after shedding his skin. He loves that hammock!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/...5a3efcf0_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/...783c6e25_o.jpg