Introducing Lilith

[2pops]

Hi all,

We are a family of four humans, three dogs, 2 parakeets, and introducing Lilith, our new bearded dragon. We are very proud to have rescued this wonderful creature. She is so friendly and warm to the whole family. Her favorite thing to do is chill and watch a movie with us (such a couch potato). Since she came to live with us, we have done a ton of research to make sure she has all of her needs met. It seems she is a juvenile because she prefers her insects to the veggies. Any good pointers will help out. One quickie question and Ill post this in the appropriate also: Lighting: Does she need a basking light or is the tube light enough with a ceramic heater?

 

[Murtaghs_family]

Baskings probably the way to go! Make sure you have the correct heat gradient in your tank (100-105 for the basking spot and 80-90 on the cool side) and I'm sure germ will post a more specific answer

 

[Germ]

BDs thrive on bright, white light, so a white\clear bulb is recommended for providing heat. CHEs (Ceramic Heat Emitters) are fine for night heat if you need it because your night ambient room temps are below the mid to low 60sF. If this is the case, there should be a dimmer or thermostat in line.

Posting pics of your BD & setup, showing your lighting & it's orientation in relation to the rest of the enclosure, along with as much accurate info as possible about your setup & husbandry, such as temps, type & brand of UVB, substrate, enclosure size, diet, Day\Night schedule, etc, etc, would help to pinpoint ongoing or potential issues.

A few good links to help get you started ...

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?

How to sex a Bearded Dragon
How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

 

[2pops]

Thanks for the head start. We are building an enclosure using JoshJake90's plans with modifications. It'll be 48" long so we are going with a 18"tube light by Zilla on the cool side and Powersun 160watt on the hot basking side. In the middle we will place a ceramic heater for cold winter nights which won't happen until late October (We're in Los Angeles). The Powersun and tube light will be on a timer. The Ceramic heater will be on a Rheostat when needed.
For now, she's in a 20 gl. tank, she has a basking light (100 watt), and a 18" tube light. We are feeding her greens as recommended by the nutrition chart (collard greens are her favorite)....well, besides crickets and mealworms. We powder them with calcium except on Fridays when she gets herptivite and a bath. So far, she poops regularly (once a day) and has a very healthy apetite. She loves chasing after those crickets, its so cool to watch.

 

[Germ]

Your plans for the UVB lighting will not be a safe setup.

1: BDs need to be able to get out of the UVB when & if they feel the need, in the shade so to speak, generally the cool side in most enclosures. Your planned setup would cover the majority of the enclosure with UVB, giving no escape when\if needed.

2: UVB is only needed at the Basking spot, as that is where they should spend the majority of their time if the temps & heat gradient are set up properly. An 18"-24" 10.0+ or equivalent UVB tube is all that is needed, setup so the basking spot is covered by the bulk center portion of the tube. There is very little effective, useable UVB emitted off the end 3"-4" portions of the tubes.

3: Unless your enclosure is something huge, like 3 feet tall (Too tall & unsafe for a BD enclosure), a 160W Powersun MVB has no business in most BD enclosures. Check out the following thread for more info.
MVBs & The Relatively Small Enclosures Used For BDs

4: If using the Zilla Desert 50 Slim Line fixture, be sure that the plastic cover over the bulb is removed, as it will reduce the amount of UVB reaching the BD.

Good Luck

 

[2pops]

Ok, thank you Germ. So I'll continue to use the tube but with the cover off.

 

[Noella]

Hi! Welcome to Bearded dragon land Where everyday's a feast!

 

[2pops]

Hi! Welcome to Bearded dragon land Where everyday's a feast!

Thank you Noella,
Everyday is a feast....of crickets, lol

 

[Noella]

Yep! They love their crickets and their greens. Well, most of them do anyway!

Kind of hard typing with a big girl sitting on the keyboard.

 

[2pops]

so here is an update! We have Lilith in her new Habitat, first day in. We have installed the Zilla 50 dessert 18" tube. A 75 watt ZooMed basking light. And the ceramic heater is in for nighttime use only when cold. Currently her temps are: Hot side is at 99degreees where she basks/107degrees directly under the light; Cool side is at 80degrees. Keep in mind it's her first day in, so I'll post another update in a few days.

 

[2pops]

here's a clearer pic of Lilith's newly built 100 gallon habitat. The dimensions are 48" x 20" x 24"