• Hello guest! Are you a Bearded Dragon enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Beardie enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your dragons and enclosures and have a great time with other Bearded Dragon enthusiasts. Sign up today!

Does my set-up look okay?

marzipanbaby

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
50
Hi, I’m a new owner of an adorable beardie. Does my cage set up look okay? Please let me know if theres anything I can do to make him more comfortable or if there is something wrong :) .
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.9 MB · Views: 63

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Hi, I’m a new owner of an adorable beardie. Does my cage set up look okay? Please let me know if theres anything I can do to make him more comfortable or if there is something wrong :) .
[/QUOTE
Please get rid of the red bulb - dragons have very sensitive eyes colored bulbs disrupt their sleep and can cause long term eye damage --- the other dome has a what in it? A basking bulb only or a MVB for UVB and heat????? If its a MVB what brand and wattage please ------------ you need a digital probe thermometer to get actual basking temps --- stick ons are inaccurate -- if you need heat in the tank at nite and if your tank is falling below 65 then get a CHE ceramic heat emitter -- they produce heat and NO light --- if you need more help please ask
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
wow- thank you for all this! should i replace the red bulb with this bulb? View attachment 24057
Yes get a bulb like this and you need a UVB ASAP -- your dragon will not live w/ out a UVB I am going to post what you need and you go from there
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html 24" for a 40+ gallon tank
this fixture comes w/ a 5.0 bulb it can be used as a back up its considered to be a T 8 - distance and placement would be different from the bulb I want you to get
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/arcadia-12-uvb-t5-reptile-bulb.html 22" bulb this bulb is a great bulb --
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-repticare-ceramic-infrared-heat-emitter.html you only need this if the tank is falling below 65 at nite you will need a deep dome w/ a ceramic socket -
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/en...nse-basking-spot-light-14809.html?cgid=500202 start w/ a 100 watt but you MUST have a digital probe thermometer to get the temp - I am guessing the 75 watt is not getting your tank to the basking temp you need for that baby -- it needs to be 105-110 --
check your local pet store for the basking bulb and the digital probe thermometer --- I am guessing they are not going to have the UVB that I recommended --- but every thing I just posted here the UVB and the basking bulb and thermometer is a MUST HAVE as soon as possible ----------- your dragons over all health depends on these things What is in the other dome ???????????? not the red bulb dome?
 

marzipanbaby

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
50
Yes get a bulb like this and you need a UVB ASAP -- your dragon will not live w/ out a UVB I am going to post what you need and you go from there
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html 24" for a 40+ gallon tank
this fixture comes w/ a 5.0 bulb it can be used as a back up its considered to be a T 8 - distance and placement would be different from the bulb I want you to get
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/arcadia-12-uvb-t5-reptile-bulb.html 22" bulb this bulb is a great bulb --
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-repticare-ceramic-infrared-heat-emitter.html you only need this if the tank is falling below 65 at nite you will need a deep dome w/ a ceramic socket -
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/en...nse-basking-spot-light-14809.html?cgid=500202 start w/ a 100 watt but you MUST have a digital probe thermometer to get the temp - I am guessing the 75 watt is not getting your tank to the basking temp you need for that baby -- it needs to be 105-110 --
check your local pet store for the basking bulb and the digital probe thermometer --- I am guessing they are not going to have the UVB that I recommended --- but every thing I just posted here the UVB and the basking bulb and thermometer is a MUST HAVE as soon as possible ----------- your dragons over all health depends on these things What is in the other dome ???????????? not the red bulb dome?
oh my gosh- thank you so much! i will act quickly!!
 

Squish

Hatchling Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
67
Hi, I’m a new owner of an adorable beardie. Does my cage set up look okay? Please let me know if theres anything I can do to make him more comfortable or if there is something wrong :) .

Hey, I see you've already been given great advice on the UVB and heat bulbs, and I will reiterate you need to get UVB on this guy ASAP. Without UVB they will develop severe metabolic bone disease and likely die. It is necessary for digestion so every day your little guy doesn't have a UVB bulb he could be suffering a belly ache and not absorbing his nutrients.

Beyond that though, I wanted to offer my personal advice regarding heat regulation. Many people suggest a thermostat; however, I have never been able to set one up that my beardie didn't knock out of the way. This made me worried he'd end up cooking himself knocking the probe and causing it to continue to heat beyond safe temps. Instead, I use dimmers and an infrared thermometer to monitor his temps. If you plug your heat lamps/CHE into the dimmer then check your temps every day (multiple times a day if possible) with your thermometer you can adjust it manually. This is a bit more hands on and tedious, but I've found it works best for me and my dragon.

Unfortunately, the thermometer and hygrometer you have on your tank wall aren't going to be helpful to you in accurately monitoring the basking temps. You have to either have a thermometer/thermostat directly under the basking spot or use the IR thermometer to take the temperature on the spot where he basks.

Here is a link for an IR thermometer, though you can search around and use any IR thermometer, I just linked this one as an example.. though don't get any that are meant for taking human temps, there are tons of those on the web atm so could be easily confused:

And here is the dimmer I use for my tanks that don't have thermostats:

Good luck with your new baby!!! It's awesome you're asking for help to get started and give him/her the best care you can. :)
 

Impawsible_Squad

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
109
You shouldn't ever use a heating mat for your bearded dragon; it will burn their stomachs. Decor is a nice touch but live plants are hard to care for and can raise the humidity too high. This can be avoided by misting the plants outside of the tank.
 

HoomanSlave

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
Messages
691
Location
Hogwarts
Your tank is so great, but you have something to improve: plant, heating mat, ... you can find here: https://www.thepettime.com/. Hope it useful for you!
Beardies can't feel heat on their bellies, so heating mats/rocks are dangerous. If they overheat, a beardie may not notice until it develops potentially fatal burns. CHEs are the best way to provide heat at night.
One accessory that reptiles enjoy are hammocks. You can buy a variety of swings and hammocks on Etsy, and I found a cool leash and hammock pack on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SS7BR3B/ref=twister_B0834R14DM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have also seen bridges and swings. I don't have one myself, but they look pretty cool and might be fun to try.
 

marzipanbaby

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
50
does this set up look better? i got an 18 inch UVB light in there now, a thermometer probe at the basking spot (which is still the same basking light) some new decorations, and thete is a heating mat underneath the tank.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.9 MB · Views: 44

HoomanSlave

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
Messages
691
Location
Hogwarts
does this set up look better? i got an 18 inch UVB light in there now, a thermometer probe at the basking spot (which is still the same basking light) some new decorations, and thete is a heating mat underneath the tank.
Remove the heating mat (and return it if you can), it isn't safe. Beardies can't feel heat on their bellies, so your lizard won't notice if the heating mat is burning it until it's too late. Heating mats are best for some geckos and snakes.
 

Emilia Thuet

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
416
He is super cute! I remember when my Starbucks was that size, oh the nostalgia. Your set up is looking so much better and its amazing that you care so much for your bearded dragon. Just wanted to pass on some advice.
- Like Humanslave said no heatpads or heat rocks, They'll probably end up burning your beardie or never be used. They are big climbers and rarely spend much time on the ground.
- I'd switch the 2 lamps so he's getting proper uvb or see if you can have one in front of the other, If he's not within like 10 inches then its basically the same as not having a bulb at all and he'll slowly develop mbd over time.
- Bearded dragons grow 200x their size at birth by 1 and a half years old, which is a lot of growing in a short time. Because of that I suggest the next tank you get him should be big enough for when he's an adult. So like a 100 gallon+ if you can but at least something that is 4ft long. Some people may say this will cause him stress or whatever. It is cheaper, because sadly the tank you have now, he'll probably out grow within the next 5 months if that. So that means every couple of months you'll have to spend 100 of dollars to change up his set up. I did that this Starbucks and he was more than fine, he loved the extra room and the amount of climbing he could do. Just make sure its safe for him and you can always readjust things every couple of months or get some extra decorations if anything. It'll save you more money.
- Beardies love hammocks so if you can get him one he'll probably never leave it lol.
Hope I was able to help and don't worry about a thing it may seem overwhelming now but sooner or later it gets easier and basically second nature
 

marzipanbaby

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
50
Would it be good to put the heating mat on the side of the cage? I worry it's a little too cold- the temp is normally in the 90s range and the highest it gets is 105.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Would it be good to put the heating mat on the side of the cage? I worry it's a little too cold- the temp is normally in the 90s range and the highest it gets is 105.
Please get rid of the heat mat- if you need heat in the tank it's best to use a che / ceramic heat emitter--- dragons heat from their backs - you would need a dome that supports wattage and has a ceramic socket you only need it if your tank is falling below 65 at nite
 

Squish

Hatchling Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
67
Would it be good to put the heating mat on the side of the cage? I worry it's a little too cold- the temp is normally in the 90s range and the highest it gets is 105.

If you need to, just get a higher watt bulb to make up for the temp not getting high enough. Also, it probably does get hotter than 105 given your temp probe is attached to the side of where the lamp is. It'd be ideal to have the probe as close to the actual basking spot as possible. Speaking from personal experience, heat mats really don't radiate heat beyond where they are touching the glass. They are only really useful for animals that like belly heat, like some snakes and leopard geckos, etc.

Your tank looks way better otherwise, I'm sure your little guy is happy and doing well! Kudos for making the changes so quickly!
 
Top