Lightning the super dragons home

[Wanda]

Okay, so we purchased a 12 week old bearded dragon from a store a few weeks ago --he is only about 4-5 inches long and very sweet...but we listened to their suggestions about setting up his tank -- apparently wrongly (after reading this forum).
His tank currently is lined with desert sand and tree branches.

What SHOULD he have to be healthy?? I am in desperate need and want to get his tank set up properly asap.

 

[Beardie_Mommy3991]

Calcisand is never good for beardies. Pet stores always sugest it, to earn money, but it can cause serious inpaction issues. I personally use tile. Cheap and easy to clean. If he is that young, a cheap option is paper towels or newspaper. A 20 gallon tank is good for that saze, but to save money, just get him the 40 gal he will use for his whole life. For uvb, a reptisun 10.0 tube bulb is ideal. For basking, you can just use a household light bulb. That way, you can play with the wattages. Temps should be around 80-85 on the cool side, 90ish on the hot side, and 100-105ish wherever he basks. Don't worry. With all the smart, experienced people on this forum, you will be a beardie-expert in no time.

 

[sublyme]

I def got burnt the same way by listening to the people at the pet stores around here. They were all about making some $ and not giving a damn about my beardie. Thats not to say no one does.. but some people are oblivious to their ignorance. I got bad advice multiple times..

They had me feeding my beardie pinky mice! Which is very fattening for them, and will have them well on their way to a heart attack!
THEN, they had me buying heat emmiters along with both of his lamps, which 99% of homes will not need. It had his cage wayy to hot and I didn't even realize what was going on until purchasing a heat gun.. The crazy thing was, I paid for 3 of these and somehow.. they all broke! Its like he had a guardian angel that would come and break it every time i bought a new one.

Lesson learned. His cage is now 1/2 beardie carpet and 1/2 tile. ? found some nice little 3x3 tiles at home depot to put in the warm end of the tank as they retain heat.. he loves them. Hope this helps

 

[Wanda]

Okay off to get him tile...
our beardy is very sleepy -- is this normal or is something wrong???? If I try and give him a bath, he closes his eyes and just sleeps.
I am so worried for him, he is so young.
I hate pet stores now...why tell people something that will kill their pet

So glad I found you all!!

 

[zebraflavencs]

Uvb ? That and a flood light ( with appropriately rated dome) will help that lathargy quite a bit.
Just make sure baby can bask in temps around 105-120*F and make sure the uvb is shining down on the same area, with in 6-8".
*warm hugs*
Hope this helps out !

 

[Wanda]

He has a red light for at night, a UV light and a heat light --- temperatures are around 105-110

 

[zebraflavencs]

Don't need the red.. if you need heat at night.. try a ceramic heat element...
Hope this helps.

 

[Wanda]

Oh the red light isnt necessary?? We already have a ceramic heat element in his tank.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Noooooooope .

 

[sublyme]

get a temp gun.the ceramic elements can get extremely hot ( depending on wattage) you may not need it.. i didnt.
also, my beardie has a red lamp in the cold end of his cage too. best bet is to turn it on around dusk ( emulating the sun going down )
then go ahead and turn it off all together when you go to bed. ( or have it on a timer ) ** only way you need that red light all night is if the room where your beardie sleeps gets to be really cold.** I keep my house around 73 so its not needed at all during the night

 

[li]

How are things going?