Ecnclosure Assistance

[skeeterbug97]

I am currently in the process of buying my first beardie and am setting up the tank first. What don't know is what lighting to go with. The tank is 30" long but is a 20 gallon tank. I would prefer a fixture that would work in a bigger tank when the beardie gets a little bigger but just don't know what to get. I have been looking at the Zoo Med 10.0.
If yall know a fixture that would work long term that would help.

Is the UVB bulb supposed to be on 24/7?

Would it hurt to have the UVB bulb stretch across the whole tank?

Is there such a thing as too big of a tank for a juvi?

What wattage of UVB should I use?

I've heard that it is best to not have a water bowl in the tank because they could defecate or food could get in the water and mold. Is it really that big of a deal?

If it gets down to 72 degrees in my house at night do I need a nigh time heat bulb?

 

[PatsyB]

ReptiSun 10.0 tube is a good UVB. It comes in a T8 size or T5, I hear the T5 is the better of the 2. I use the T8 and change my bulb every 6 months, with the T5 you can go a whole year before you have to change it. It wont hurt to have it stretch across the whole tank. Do not leave any lights on in the tank at night. They can see all spectrum of light and any light can disrupt their sleep cycle.

As long as their tank doesn't get below 65 at night you should be fine. If it does drop below you can get a CHE bulb. It gives off heat but no light.

The concern about a water bowl is humidity. If putting a bowl in the tank is going to make the humidity too high, then leave it out. The other thing is standing water doesn't really interest them, so they won't drink it like a dog or cat would.

I started both mine in a 36x18x18 ExoTerra and they both had no problems.

It's great that you are figuring all this out before you get your bearded dragon. Welcome to the forum

 

[skeeterbug97]

Thank you for your help. I actually went to my local reptile shop not a chain pet store. The people were really nice. But they pushed the deep domes with a powersun bulb. It gets my basking spot hot enough without having the branch for them to climb on. Tomorrow I will probably get all of the last essentials for my dragon and may end up getting it then. Just one more question. How do I acclimate a baby beardie?

 

[PatsyB]

I don't know too much about the Power suns but I know people use them and like them.

There's a lot of recent posts where people have asked how to bond with their beardie. When you first bring him home he may be fine for the first few days and then start to show signs of what we like to call "moving sickness". Try not to handle him too much. Put your hands in his tank but don't touch him. If the tries to bite you don't flinch, you want him to know you aren't afraid of him and you aren't going to hurt him. You can put something of yours in his tank so that he gets used to your smell.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[skeeterbug97]

Thank you very much for your help.

One more thing... Sorry for so many questions.

Is the Zoo Med coconut substrate a good bedding for young beardies?

 

[skeeterbug97]

And also. Am I supposed to leave the UVB/Basking light on during daytime hours? So from like 7am. to 8pm.?
I have read that it is best to leave it on for around 8 hours a day. But I dont know how true it is.

 

[tj4x4fun]

Yep. Or make it easy on yourself and get a 40 breeder and mvb 100 watt. They will get the uvb and proper heat. Works well for me. This is my setup.

the one on the left is just a 30 watt for additional heat.

 

[skeeterbug97]

Ok. Thank you

 

[skeeterbug97]

Another question. Would it be bad to have my enclosure in front of a window?

 

[tj4x4fun]

Yes. It can make the tank too hot if there aren't drapes or blinds. The dragon will not get any benefit from the sunlight as far as uvb goes. The gass filters it out. Keep it out of direct sunlight. Maybe on an wall near but not in direct sunlight.

 

[skeeterbug97]

Thank you. I will make sure to keep blinds closed. I have read that it could be helpful during winter months though. But if not I can just keep the blinds closed. I am thinking about putting one of the Exo Terra backgrounds on it to give my beardie more climbing area.

 

[PatsyB]

Yes leave the UVB/heat lamp on all day. A 12hours on 12 off is good or a 12 off 14 on.

 

[flynstone]

I have had a beardie die, I found a breeder now she has been doing this for 30 years (well since 1991 with beardies), she told me best substrate is ceramic, as it is easy to clean (as you may have read sand is bad and there is a big controversy on it even when adult some say its fine but some say it isn't.. I am not taking that gamble anymore, also carpets they sell in pet stores aren't good that's on the substrate mine died... vet said he had a parasite.. and turns out breeder I met told me those carpets builds up bacteria) any loose substrate is dangerous since most likely he will ingest some. Even directly on glass is better than any loose or carpet, I just wanted to share this because, Ive seen how much she cares about them she has all rare breed 10 female 3 male (adults) and had about 40 babies for sale. she even brings every babies she gets to vet so get tested on parasites. You don't see this types of substrate much online since most websites come from petshops or sellers who just want to make money out of it...

 

[tj4x4fun]

Our girl is on tile. Got two pieces from Lowe's cut for under 20 bucks and they last forever. I do take them out and bleach them once a month. And sometimes if her poop is runny it can go under the tile and stink. Just a little extra work to clean but overall better than sand. I have had both. Just my opinion.

 

[RaidenMarshall]

I believe p-co is currently having a $1/gal sale and you can get a 40 gal breeder for almost a third of the normal cost. And if you do get carpet, make sure to wash it often so bacteria dont begin culminating to the point where the bacteria is a hazard. Tile though, is great, recently put in a slab for Apollo and all he does is lay around on it

 

[tj4x4fun]

Do you guys just throw the carpet in the washing machine or hose it down? What's the process?

 

[RaidenMarshall]

Depending on the mayhem left on the carpet I'll: bring it outside and scrub it with my dogs old brush (works wonders as a cleaning brush) if its pretty bad or he smeared it everywhere. Or I'll just flick off all larger pieces on it, bash it against the wall until I've vented off enough anger. And then throw it in the wash after either or both steps have been completed.

 

[PatsyB]

I spray messes with vinegar and give a good scrub with a toothbrush then rinse real good and throw it in the dryer

 

[jarich]

Another question. Would it be bad to have my enclosure in front of a window?

Actually, it depends. There can be a great benefit from having your dragon in front of the window, but as mentioned there is the possibility of overheating, so be careful. While UVB does get filtered out by most glass, the UVA pretty much goes right through. Since this is something that most enclosures lack much of, it can be a great benefit. This is the type of UV light that dragons can see, so having natural light likely makes for a more natural vision for them. It also adds enrichment as there is lots going on outside that window, which often attracts the attention of your dragon. I think most people often find when they let their dragons out to roam in the room, they often end up right in the window checking out the world.

I would suggest that only part of the window be open, or only part of the tank be in front of the window, and only if it is an open topped or screened enclosure, so that the heat can escape rather than build up. If you have a closed enclosure it would be very easy to overheat from the direct sunlight.

 

[skeeterbug97]

Ok thanks jarich for the help. Yes only part of the tank is in front of the window. I will probably have the window mostly behind shades except maybe during the winter months.