Hey every one

[kickside]

Hey everyone just wanted to say whats UP!!!
I'm new to the site and new to bearded dragons so I have many QUESTIONS lol

for the past couple of weeks the GF and I have been, thinking about getting a little bearded dragon
so we have been reasearching like crazy but theres just way much information on the internet

We are buying the rest of the stuff that we need later on today
but we are still not sure what kind of substrate to use??
all the petshops keep telling us to buy calcium sand

So if any one can help us out that would be most excellent


thanks!!!

 

[Nght_RideA]

Greetings and welcome !!!

let me be the first to let you know 90% of the people on here are going to say use slate tiles ;D

Iv just set up my tank (with tiles) waiting for my beardie to hatch !!

Go wild asking questions here, everyone is very helpfull !

 

[ladyknite]

Hey there!

Nope, no calci sand.
Paper towels, tile, non adhesive shelf liner, indoor/outdoor carpet (not the plastic astroturf stuff) or most solid paper products will do for substrate.

What else are looking to pick up? they're pretty wrong about the bulb advice they give also. You'll want the Repti Sun 10 tube light, no compacts, no R Zilla bulbs.

 

[kickside]

Hey there!

Nope, no calci sand.
Paper towels, tile, non adhesive shelf liner, indoor/outdoor carpet (not the plastic astroturf stuff) or most solid paper products will do for substrate.

What else are looking to pick up? they're pretty wrong about the bulb advice they give also. You'll want the Repti Sun 10 tube light, no compacts, no R Zilla bulbs.

Yeah I dont really trust the big chain pet stores
I was actually going to buy the R zilla bulbs

so why do ppl keep telling me to buy the calcium sand??

 

[ladyknite]

it's a money racket with stores.

forums don't make money off you. we wanna see your new hobby succeed. But if you fail, they have a 50/50 shot of getting you to spend more money. The truth of the matter really isn't flattering.

the fixture doesn't matter. You'll want it to hold a T-8 bulb. The bulb is the important part.

 

[renich]

HI and welcome. Here's a link to our caresheet. It provides a background for dragon care. I'm also providing our substrate discussion.

Bearded Dragon Care

Substrates

 

[staylor]

Welcome and you are going to love this hobby.

When Piggy was a baby I used paper towel once she got bigger I switched to tile. For your basking light you don't need the expensive reptile lights at the pet store, you can use a regular incontinent light bulb from walmart or anywhere that sells them. I use a 75 watt but you may have to try 100 watt depending on how far your basking site is from your heat source and the temps in your house. You can also get your dome light from walmart, or a DIY store for less then what you would pay at a pet store, I picked mine up from the flea market for $6. Just make sure it can support the high wattage bulbs you will need. The pet stores also like to say you need an under tank heater or heat rock, these are dangerous to the beardie. Let us know if you have any other question.

 

[SoleSky]

Welcome to the forum. So far 90% of people are saying tile! Including me! Heres a pic of my viv with some nice roman textured tiles. They look awesome and are easy to clean.

Also the setup. Deep dish clamp lamps, although they arent clamped. 40 gallon tank (good to start with). Digital thermometer. 100 Watt basking bulb (you can use a flood light) and on the right is a CFL bulb for light not heat. Im not as experienced as most on here considering I still have a baby. But everything I've learned has been from this forum. They are fantastic.

 

[kickside]

Alright thanks everyone for all the information
For now we are going to use newspapers for substrate but the gf and I are definitely leaning towards tiles

 

[zebraflavencs]

Just wanted to add my welcomes and a suggestion.. don't seal in your tiles to the substrate.. You'll want to be able to remove them for cleaning.