Helloo! Am i doing everything right? :)

[JAKO91]

Hey there guys, i got my beardie about a week ago now, she is 4/5 months old but pretty large at 15" long. It would be great if some of you guys could let me know if my viv's is ok and if im doing anything wrong

Anyway there's a few pics of the viv that she came in from the breeder, I know it's not perfectly ideal, but in a month or so i will be building her her own custom viv with a lot more headspace and room for her to climb in.

Anyway, the viv isn't very tall, its 3ft wide, 2ft deep, and only 1ft high. The problem I've been having is with the heat bulb, because the lid is fixed and so low, a regular heat bulb makes the basking spot too hot. I've tried several bulbs to get it right and the one that's provided the right temp is a plain old 40watt light bulb. Is this ok? Does it matter as long as the temps are fine? The temps i'm getting now are approx 103-107f directly under the bulb, 75-80f in the cool end, and a middle temp of around 85-90f. I'm using the 24" repti-glo 5.0 UVB light, with a log underneath so she can get right up to it if she wants.

She's got a real good appetite, usually 20+of the standard size brown cricks, 2-3 times a day with calcium, and a few super/morio worms here and there, (probably why she's so big for her age!). She doesn't seem to like her veggies that much, i try and mix the cricks up with them along with a bit of baby food to try and get her to eat it but she doesn't really seemed fussed. I take her out and she plays for an hour or so, my flat is roasting hot so she doesn't get cold and doesn't mind me holding her at all (She sat on my shoulder for an hour the other day while i did work, though i don't really do this much as i worry she'll leap off and hurt herself)

Anyway sorry for the essay, but just want to introduce myself and make sure i'm doing everything right and that my girl is gonna be happy and healthy Any feedback is much appreciated!

 

[Aleena]

Hi, and welcome to BDF! We love seeing new beardies and their slaves around here. I'm sure someone will come on later to give you further help, but right now off the bat just by looking at the pic I can tell you that the wood chips are a no no, they can't digest them properly and they will eventually decide to chew on one or more when they're catching prey. Things like that can and will lead up to impaction in a young bd. Love the look of the setup btw! Gorgeous! The light would be fine. Bright white light is best, halogen is recommended if you're going with a reg. bulb. I would switch out the thermometer to digital as soon as possible to verify the temps are correct. Very cute and curious looking little guy! Glad he's such a great eater! More greens to fruit ratio, fruit should be an occasional treat and is not a necessity.

 

[Germ]

You are correct, Any white or clear bulb will do the job quite well, if the temps are being maintained at what is recommended. Cool side temps seem to be a touch low but will be ok. My concern, and is a serious one, the unprotected bulb that the BD has easy, easy access to, posing an extremely high risk of getting burned while climbing around, tail touching & likely wouldn't even feel it until much too late. This should be addressed immediately, even a 40W bulb will cause serious burns, try holding one in the palm of your hand, after it's been on for a couple of hours .

BDs don't sense heat well on most parts of the body. However, they do sense their light/heat by the Parietal Eye, Pineal Eye or 'Third Eye', as it is called, in the center of the top of their head, appears as lighter circled spot, that usually blends in with their coloring. It does not form images but is sensitive to Heat\Light & is what governs or controls thermoregulation & is active in triggering hormone production.

Aleena has already addressed the Wood chip issue.

Good Luck

 

[JAKO91]

Thanks for the help guys, I've ordered some digital thermometers and will be replacing the wood chips with tiles or play sand asap. I will address that bulb situation tomorrow, if i were to fix a small cage around the bulb would that suffice? That's awesome about how they sense heat, i never knew that, thanks for the cool fact

 

[Germ]

Some kind of cage or wire protector would help immensely.

 

[Wellovelizards]

Welcome. This site is amazing. Germ and Aleena have been so great. Good luck to u

 

[Aleena]

Welcome. This site is amazing. Germ and Aleena have been so great. Good luck to u

That was very nice of you to say! Thank you

 

[I.heart.my.bd]

Welcome. This site is amazing. Germ and Aleena have been so great. Good luck to u

Yes, this site is VERY helpful and I must say not only Germ, but Aleena was VERY helpful to me as well!