Care Sheet

[luissandoval87]

A little background info: I started off keeping leopard geckos for about two years. I had to move out to an apt that didn't tolerate any pets of any kind so I had to sell my geckos. After moving to another place I decided to get some bearded dragons. However, I began searching on craigslist and found many people who could no longer provide for them. I began to take some in about a year ago. I quickly learned a lot about them and had about 6 at one time. I had a collection of tanks until I started building enclosures. I usually rehome them all and until now I never purchased any. I recently took in a female who was gravid and soon after I took her in she laid eggs. I incubated the eggs and I'm not looking to rehome the babies. They hatched 12/24/2012. I'm keeping them in a 40 gallon breeder with a very basic setup. I don't like to rehome them to just anyone so I would usually quiz the person on reptile care and probed them to see if they had any experience and a stable job. I always look out for the dragon's well being before just handing them off to whoever wants them. However, I have realized this is probably not the best way to approach the situation. There are many people who are willing to keep these animals, but just don't have enough knowledge about them. So in an attempt to help out future bearded dragon keepers. I have compiled a care sheet to give along with the bearded dragons and created a basic setup diagram. I don't see an option to upload a Word Doc., but if anyone is willing to help I will try to email the document to you or send it in another format. I have attached the basic setup diagram. Please let me know if I should make any changes or if you have any tips, or I'm simply doing anything wrong.
Thanks,
-Luis

FYI:The thermometer with probe is off because I use an infrared gun to measure temps. I simply put it on for demonstration

 

[luissandoval87]

and I am*** looking to rehome the hatchlings.
sorry about that, it's a typo...
maybe subconsciously I don't really want to rehome them and want to keep them

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I would suggest a couple of modifications to your set up. The first would be to definitely put a screen top on the enclosure. Bearded dragons are actually very accomplished at jumping and as you have things set up in a 40 gallon breeder tank it will be very easy for them to get out of the enclosure. I have seen our 2 1/2 year old Mungi go from a sound sleep to making a 2+ foot jump from my lap in a split second on more than one occasion. So a secure lid should always be in place on your dragon's enclosure. I do know that Germ has a couple of enclosures for his adults but they are much deeper and set up in such a way as it would make a leap to freedom very difficult.

Also as to your lighting set up you should be aware that on the UV lights most of the UV is emitted from the center of the bulb and actually very little from the ends of the bulb. The way you have it set uo your dragon is not getting much of the UV at all.

Here is a diagram I made showing a much better placement for the most efficient UV getting to your dragon.

Notice that the center if the UV light is inline with the basking light. These should be placed so that both shine down on the Basking spot. Your dragon will spend the majority of it's time there so and it will give him the the most efficient UV exposure.

Another better thing to do is to actually mount the UV fixture inside the tank. This can be done using a hot glue gun in just a couple of minutes. It also serves another purpose by allowing unfiltered UV light once your screen top is in place. A screen top otherwise will filter up to 50% of you UV light from getting to you dragon which will mean you will have to replace the bulb every 6 months. However mounted as shown inside the tank the bulb will last a full year.

The fixture is mounted against the back wall and side wall with hot glue and about 1 inch under the black top rim of the tank to allow for the screen top to still be slid into place. You will also notice that I have used a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil slid behind the center of the bulb which helps focus, intensify and direct the UV light directly at the basking spot. You cant see in the pic but the basking bulb is directly over the basking spot too.

These modifications will provide a safer and more efficient set up for your dragon.
I am also including some other links here which provided a wealth of correct care info that I am sure you will find informative and helpful.

Basic BD Care Sheet-A Place to Start

Bearded Dragon Exclusive Care Library

Bearded Dragon Diet Nutritional Information

Bearded Dragon Co-Habitation-A Good Plan???

How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

Hope this helps!
Enjoy

 

[luissandoval87]

Sounds great. I do have the screen lid for the enclosure. I busted one of the locks for it so it won't lock, and I thought it would be easier access if I had it opened up. But you're right I've seen some of the dragons I've kept try to reach for the top of the tank. Luckily, I spend most of my time here since I work from my house and keep a close eye on them. I'll go ahead and change that and the UVB positioning and try to make a different diagram. I'm gna go ahead and go through your care sheets and if I see any discrepancies I'll go ahead and change those as well. Thanks a lot for your feedback.
-Luis

 

[Germ]

Example of a Basic Setup: Showing the recommended Basic requirements, proper Temperatures & the points at which they should be measured from, in Red & the optional choices that are actually used in this particular example enclosure, in Black.​

 

[luissandoval87]

Looks great! Thanks for the help guys
I also provided a link to this forum on the care sheet I assembled so they can come by and get help from you and other keepers.
Thanks again.

 

[luissandoval87]

One last question. Do you guys buy UVBs at petmountain.com? I usually buy them there because they're waaaay cheaper than other stores and they usually have a lot of special offers. I'm just wondering if there's any other cheaper alternative. Thanks a bunch

 

[Augie]

Random question: is there a way to remove the fixture if you decide to use the tank for something else at a later date? Can dried hot glue be removed safely without damaging the tank?

 

[Germ]

You can cut it to release the fixture with a hot knife, the glass surfaces can be easily cleaned with a razor blade\scraper ...