my first wood enclosure! (and some questions)

[baldegale14]

hello! so i just finished building my first wood enclosure for my beardie today and im using a 25% play sand/75% organic soil substrate since i plan on going bioactive soon. before i ask questions here are some pics:

(no decor in there cause im letting the soil dry out a bit ((let me know if i dont have to do this))) so now my questions: my beardie is already used to high humidity (50-70%) due to the natural humidity of my room and hes doing fine, any suggestions on controlling the humidity in this enclosure? ive noticed that besides the basking spot being warmer the tank itself is pretty much the same temp, any suggestions on how to create a gradient? im pretty sure i should do out, but should i feed him inside or outside the tank? i was kinda thinking about making a lil shelf on the UVB side that i could put his worms and his greens on. i already know im going to need a higher wattage basking bulb to improve digestion because of the possibility of him getting some substrate and just cause its a further distance than my previous tank in general


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[Bclifton]

Looks great so far!

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[baldegale14]

update: i touched the soil and it wasnt near as wet as it looked. i decided to put him in and a large piece of stone for him to feed on, he was kinda confused at first, tasted the substrate as expected then i fed him some greens and he was happy. now hes sitting on his little perch basking

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[Bclifton]

update: i touched the soil and it wasnt near as wet as it looked. i decided to put him in and a large piece of stone for him to feed on, he was kinda confused at first, tasted the substrate as expected then i fed him some greens and he was happy. now hes sitting on his little perch basking

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Well done!

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[PatsyB]

You need to add ventilation holes in the back and on the sides to help with humidity and give air flow.

The other thing that concerns me is that your basking bulb is too far from your UVB bulb. The two should overlap somewhat because the heat from the basking light helps the body synthesize the D3 from the UVB light.

 

[PatsyB]

Also make sure you sealed the wood before you put the dirt into it or the wood is going to soak up the humidity.

 

[baldegale14]

You need to add ventilation holes in the back and on the sides to help with humidity and give air flow.

The other thing that concerns me is that your basking bulb is too far from your UVB bulb. The two should overlap somewhat because the heat from the basking light helps the body synthesize the D3 from the UVB light.

i plan on adding vent holes, was just too tired last night, i also plan on getting a 36” UVB i just dont have the money right now


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[baldegale14]

i have a whole list of things i need to buy still: 36” uvb and bulb, spring tails and iso pods, plants (cacti and mint), LED for the plants, higher wattage heat bulb (main priority), and some ghostwood


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[Ray Hower]

I've consider a live tank how do you mentain the dirt, doesn't their poop affect the soil or is it a closed ecosystem? I'd be concerned the insects would drag something into the dirt or the poop would make the dirt unsuitable or stinky and or all of the above.

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[Bclifton]

I've consider a live tank how do you mentain the dirt, doesn't their poop affect the soil or is it a closed ecosystem? I'd be concerned the insects would drag something into the dirt or the poop would make the dirt unsuitable or stinky and or all of the above.

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Your Cuc will eventually multiply and sustain themselves. They are the clean up crew. They get rid of the poo and old veggies and whatever else is laying around. It's a self sustaining ecosystem if done right. Don't forget to have some leaf litter when you put your Cuc in there.


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[Ray Hower]

Your Cuc will eventually multiply and sustain themselves. They are the clean up crew. They get rid of the poo and old veggies and whatever else is laying around. It's a self sustaining ecosystem if done right. Don't forget to have some leaf litter when you put your Cuc in there.


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Cuc is what exactly

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[baldegale14]

Cuc is what exactly

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clean up crew, such as isopods and spring tails


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[Ray Hower]

clean up crew, such as isopods and spring tails


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And the inspects they don't interrupt this process? I mean they are in the wild but theirs scavengers in the wild dragons like live stuff so what happens to their fecies and body parts shedding and can they carry Intruders I've read about dragons getting warms in em I still gatta get my girls checked out haven't had em in yet but they've been healthy I'm just curious how this loop works and what can interrupt it. Also how does a dragon get warms ? And what kind are they sorry this just seemed like allot of knowegable people we're involved wanted to learn a little more. I can't stand my fake substrate

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[Bclifton]

And the inspects they don't interrupt this process? I mean they are in the wild but theirs scavengers in the wild dragons like live stuff so what happens to their fecies and body parts shedding and can they carry Intruders I've read about dragons getting warms in em I still gatta get my girls checked out haven't had em in yet but they've been healthy I'm just curious how this loop works and what can interrupt it. Also how does a dragon get warms ? And what kind are they sorry this just seemed like allot of knowegable people we're involved wanted to learn a little more. I can't stand my fake substrate

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They are the process. By having the clean up crew your enclosure should remain clan after the Cucs colonies are established. Given that you provide them with good substarte and leaf litter so they can hide and eat. Then they poop and put nutrients in the soil. The plants now have rich soil to grow in. You herp eat or destroys the plants and the cycle continues. Thats the jist. There is more to it. But it's not complicated. Just expensive to start. Look up bioactive groups on Facebook and you'll find tons of people with common questions and a lot of.knowledge.

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[baldegale14]

And the inspects they don't interrupt this process? I mean they are in the wild but theirs scavengers in the wild dragons like live stuff so what happens to their fecies and body parts shedding and can they carry Intruders I've read about dragons getting warms in em I still gatta get my girls checked out haven't had em in yet but they've been healthy I'm just curious how this loop works and what can interrupt it. Also how does a dragon get warms ? And what kind are they sorry this just seemed like allot of knowegable people we're involved wanted to learn a little more. I can't stand my fake substrate

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you technically dont have to have the clean up crew to have a 75% soil/25% sand mixture, you can clean it pretty well. its what im using right now


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[Bclifton]

you technically dont have to have the clean up crew to have a 75% soil/25% sand mixture, you can clean it pretty well. its what im using right now


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I used 50/50 that's what most recommend. The clean up crew is what makes it bioactive

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[baldegale14]

I used 50/50 that's what most recommend. The clean up crew is what makes it bioactive

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i was going to do 50/50 i filled a 5gal bucket halfway with sand and halfway with soil and it seemed like wayyyyy too much sand so i put in another half of soil


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[baldegale14]

update again: hes been doing really well, i was really worried about impaction due to use a sandy/dirt substrate but hes been pooping well, better than ever actually. hes loving his tank though though, only thing that annoys me is that he loves to scratch at the plexi until i let him out but its also nice cause ive gotten to interact with him more. i still feed him his worms outside of the tank 90% of the time and he’s perfectly okay with that. ive been trying to keep the soil loose to promote digging but he hasnt been very interested in it at all, any ideas on how to get him into that id like to know, other than that i havent had many issues at all with him, hes loving it


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[Mark the Mailman]

hello! so i just finished building my first wood enclosure for my beardie today and im using a 25% play sand/75% organic soil substrate since i plan on going bioactive soon. before i ask questions here are some pics:

(no decor in there cause im letting the soil dry out a bit ((let me know if i dont have to do this))) so now my questions: my beardie is already used to high humidity (50-70%) due to the natural humidity of my room and hes doing fine, any suggestions on controlling the humidity in this enclosure? ive noticed that besides the basking spot being warmer the tank itself is pretty much the same temp, any suggestions on how to create a gradient? im pretty sure i should do out, but should i feed him inside or outside the tank? i was kinda thinking about making a lil shelf on the UVB side that i could put his worms and his greens on. i already know im going to need a higher wattage basking bulb to improve digestion because of the possibility of him getting some substrate and just cause its a further distance than my previous tank in general


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That looks great...sorry if i missed it but is that plexiglass on the front? great job

 

[baldegale14]

That looks great...sorry if i missed it but is that plexiglass on the front? great job

yes it is! i originally used glass but it was too brittle and wasnt working very well


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