new beardie owner

[gaz]

Hi everyone finally got a beardie wanted 1 for ages & just got one of someone he's 2 y,o
Not got much equipment with him so I'm looking to add to what I've got.do I need a basking lamp @ a heat lamp the basking lamp I've got at the moment stays on all the time to so I wanna get a ceramic heat lamp will that do both jobs of basking & heating .hope questions not to long or confusing
Thanks

 

[PatsyB]

Welcome to the forum.

You don't want to leave a light on 24/7. Your bearded dragon needs to be on a day/night cycle. 12hours of light/12 dark or 14 hours light/10 hours dark. No need to heat the tank at night unless your tank temps drop below 65 degrees. You need a basking spot with a temp of 105-110 degrees and a cool side of around 80-85 during the day. A UVB bulb is a must also. Reptisun 10.0 T5HO tube style bulbs are the best, someone else mentioned Arcadia bulbs but I'm not familiar with them.

 

[Elemental Dragon Lord]

Welcome to your new addiction

 

[rob.kolm]

Welcome. You mentioned ceramic for basking and heating. You want your basking light to be bright visible light like a halogen flood light. That will give heat and light during the day. A ceramic is heat only and will not work for basking.

 

[gaz]

Thanks for replys is ceramic bulb good source of heat at night because I think temp drops below 65f
How long does uv light have to be on for is it about 10 hours ??

 

[PatsyB]

Both the basking and UVB should be on for either 12 or 14 hours. A timer is nice for this situation because it will turn them both on and off at the same time.

 

[gaz]

Yeah I got timers for lights
Next question substrate!! Got sand at moment but what's the best it seems lots of people got different ideas as to what's good for the dragon

 

[Beardielizzy]

Hi Gaz welcome !
This site is very awesome and has Tons of info under each heading if u type in substrate in the search bar u will get loads of info and lots of opinions ! Honestly I think u will find that the sand option isn't a good idea ! They say it can cause impaction ! This is what us said throughout the forums ! I personally have a female and use tile only because I found with trial and error that it is best ! Think of this - they poop and pee In the sand u scoop it up but some is still left behind as u can't see all the urine and they can get sick from that but then again I'm sure it's on everything ! So it's really what u feel is best I have a sand pit we put her in a couple times a week to play in she just looks at us like " what is this a park lady ? " lol but type in substrate and read what comes up u will find loads of info and hopefully will be able to make an informed decision
Congrats on your new beardie they are wonderful pets / family members