New Guy Here looking for some advice....

[PsycoMenace]

Hey guys whats going on. Well I made the decision to get a Beardie over a Chameleon. And I have found a local store who sells them. They are a tad more money than the Local Pet stores and not sure why. Would it be safe to buy from a local pet store? What signs or what would one look for when purchasing a Beardie from the pet store than the reptile shop?

Also I have a Glass tank from having fish. But dont have the other essentials that I need. My concern is the Lighting. Can one Purchase any fixture to use with the Bulbs?? Or are there certain Fixtures one must buy?

I have found a Complete kit that has everything in it at the pet store. THIS Do you think this is worth buying, or should I buy everything seperate?

Also Do I want to use Sand or a Carpet in the Tank?? And reasons why.... thank you

Thanks guys all info would be helpful. Thanks again and Happy Holidays

 

[Monkeys563]

Look for an alert dragon with clear eyes, out basking not hidden in a corner. If by local pet store you mean a chain company their reptile care, at least from what I've experienced, isn't the best but that doesn't mean you absolutely won't find one that is in good condition. If I were you I'd just take a good look and make sure you know no matter where you buy it could always end up sick and needing costly care.
What size is the tank? Beardies need quite a bit of floor space. You can buy either the clamp lamps from the pet store or Home Depot usually sells them for much cheaper. You shouldn't use just any lamp as it poses a risk because of the heat an wattage. Just get one lamp for the uvb and one for the heat, and make sure they are for the correct watt bulb.
As for the substrate, sand is likely to cause an impaction and your much better going with carpet especially if it is just a baby. I use tile in my beardies cage, I find it very easy to keep clean and looks nice too.

 

[PsycoMenace]

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=344&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=1

This is the tank with complete setup, I find it fairly expensive. Not that sure as Idk much about what costs what with Reptiles much.

So you say I can go to Home depot and buy the clamp fixtures and just put the bulbs in there?

As far as the Beardies yes, I was meaning Petsmart. they have them onsale right now for $43 dollars. At the Local Reptile shop they are $100.
The ones in the Pet store were basking and sitting on the stick. Eyes were open and all. But not moving around much. The ones in the Local Reptile shop there was about 15 of them in a 20 gallon tank, all moving and running around.

Thanks

 

[PatsyB]

DO NOT BUY A COMPLETE KIT they are total B.S. and you will end up buying everything separate anyway. You'll want some sort of basking light fixture and fluorescent tube style bulbs are best for UVB, something that will cover at least 2/3 of the tank. You may also want to get an extra light fixture for a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) in case your tank temps at night drop below 65 degrees. You will want 2 digital probe thermometers that will give you an accurate temperature reading right at the basking spot and cool side.

As far as substrate there are many issues with sand. A lot of people believe you shouldn't put a bearded dragon on sand until they are about 15 inches long. Children's washed play sand is the best sand to use. Sand can cause impaction if your dragon isn't well hydrated. Other issues with sand though are they can get it in their eyes and cause abrasions and or infections. Breathing it in could be another issue. Repti carpet is good but can be hard to clean. Slate or untreated ceramic tile is a good choice because you can take out the dirty piece and wash it and put it back. Tile is good to help keep the nails filed down. I would recommend just plain white paper towel to start with, very easy to clean.

There is nothing wrong with buying a bearded dragon for Petsmart. I bought Dexter there 2 years ago and she is perfectly healthy and the sweetest animal I have ever owned. I bought my Luci last year from Petco and again, no medical problems with him. You want to look for a dragon that is alert and bright eyed. One that is active, if you are lucky and get there at feeding time, you can see how interested they are in food. Also, a healthier dragon would have all it's digits and it's tail intact. With both of mine(that was a big selling factor), they were interested in me. They came to the front of the tank and they followed my finger and they were just interested in whatever I was doing.

 

[Monkeys563]

In my experience kits are usually more expensive then buying separately. Your might be better off buying a plain 20 long with a screen lid. Walmart and Home Depot are great for finding the same things the pet store sells for cheaper. Two things I never buy at pet stores are substrate and lamps. You can come up with a nice tile floor for just a few dollars from Home Depot for substrate or felt from the craft store is the same material as the repticarpet stuff. However stores pricing tends to vary. If you want to get the best deal you might have to just take some time and look around see what the stuff in the kit sells for separately. Bearded dragons are far from a cheap pet but it's possible to cut several costs it just takes more time.

You could also try Craigslist, eBay, ect..
Or you could build a cage maybe with scrap supplies for mostly free.

 

[PsycoMenace]

DO NOT BUY A COMPLETE KIT they are total B.S. and you will end up buying everything separate anyway. You'll want some sort of basking light fixture and fluorescent tube style bulbs are best for UVB, something that will cover at least 2/3 of the tank. You may also want to get an extra light fixture for a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) in case your tank temps at night drop below 65 degrees. You will want 2 digital probe thermometers that will give you an accurate temperature reading right at the basking spot and cool side.

As far as substrate there are many issues with sand. A lot of people believe you shouldn't put a bearded dragon on sand until they are about 15 inches long. Children's washed play sand is the best sand to use. Sand can cause impaction if your dragon isn't well hydrated. Other issues with sand though are they can get it in their eyes and cause abrasions and or infections. Breathing it in could be another issue. Repti carpet is good but can be hard to clean. Slate or untreated ceramic tile is a good choice because you can take out the dirty piece and wash it and put it back. Tile is good to help keep the nails filed down. I would recommend just plain white paper towel to start with, very easy to clean.

There is nothing wrong with buying a bearded dragon for Petsmart. I bought Dexter there 2 years ago and she is perfectly healthy and the sweetest animal I have ever owned. I bought my Luci last year from Petco and again, no medical problems with him. You want to look for a dragon that is alert and bright eyed. One that is active, if you are lucky and get there at feeding time, you can see how interested they are in food. Also, a healthier dragon would have all it's digits and it's tail intact. With both of mine(that was a big selling factor), they were interested in me. They came to the front of the tank and they followed my finger and they were just interested in whatever I was doing.

Thanks for the reply. So what I need some help with is choosing the Light Fixtures and bulbs. It is safe to use Home Depot Fixtures that house bulbs?? And should one buy a Hood that has a tube bulb? Or Would it be ok to have those dome fixtures with the different bulbs in them? If you could point me in the direction that be great. Im seeing that most people use the Reptisun 5.0 Bulb, Repti Basking Spot Lamp, and a Nocturnal Infrared heat lamp. Are theyre better or different bulbs I could get?

I will use Paper Towel for now, and look into getting Tile as I see it is better than the carpet. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Im going to go to the petstore and ask them if they could feed them for me and all. Is there any questions I should ask them? And do you think they will know the Sex of them? Ill look for what you told me and see if I can find a good one.

Thanks for the intel. =)

 

[PatsyB]

Now here is the part that I don't know a whole lot about, lights, LOL! I've gone around and around with lights and tend to settle with the ZooMed basking lights. I know other people use other things that work for them. I settled, I just didn't want to deal with the headache any more. However, I have recently started using a Par38 flood light in Dexter's tank and it's working out just as good as the ZooMed lights. As far as the UVB goes, Reptisun 10.0 T5HighOutput fluorescent bulbs are the best. I used to use the Reptisun 10.0 T8 bulbs but the mesh on the top of the tank filtered out too much of the UVB so I went wit the T5 fixture and bulbs. I got them at Dr. Fosters Smith online for a real good price. Do not get a nocturnal light. The only reason you would need heat at night is if your tank temp gets below 65 degrees. If it does then a ceramic heat emitter is the better choice. It gives off heat without light. Bearded dragons have a "3rd eye" on top of their head. It looks like a scale with a hole in it right in the middle of their head. They see light with this and it lets them know when it's dark and time to go to sleep. It also lets them know if there is a predator over head, which is why you should always scoop them up from the front when you pick them up so they don't get scared when your hand goes over their head.

You can get tile at home depot for real cheap. The pet store won't be able to tell the sex. That's something you usually can't tell until they are about 4-5 months old.

 

[PatsyB]

Oh and a light timer is a Godsend! You can get those at HomeDepot/Menards too. Bearded dragons need to be on a sleep cycle so either 12 hours of light 12 hours of sleep or 14 hours of light 10 hours sleep. I've always done 14/12. Lights go on at 6am so I can feed before I go to work and lights go off at 8pm so I can get some play time in when I get home from work I do have to say that if my bearded dragons are in their tanks they do tend to go to sleep or at least start to settle into their sleep spot about 2 hours or so before lights out.

 

[PsycoMenace]

Oh and a light timer is a Godsend! You can get those at HomeDepot/Menards too. Bearded dragons need to be on a sleep cycle so either 12 hours of light 12 hours of sleep or 14 hours of light 10 hours sleep. I've always done 14/12. Lights go on at 6am so I can feed before I go to work and lights go off at 8pm so I can get some play time in when I get home from work I do have to say that if my bearded dragons are in their tanks they do tend to go to sleep or at least start to settle into their sleep spot about 2 hours or so before lights out.

Thanks for the advice. How many watts do I want the bulb to be? And what Hood did you purchase for the Bulb? I found that site when I was looking for bulbs before. Nice site and great prices. So Im going to need this Bulb and a Basking light too? Any other Bulbs will I need?

How are Heating pads? Are they any good?

Also is it ok to cover the tank at night if I am up after the lights go out on the tank?

As some posted, they are using 8.5" Clamp lights, I can put the Par38 flood light in that correct? I want to say at times I open up my Room window cuz I like to sleep in the cold. But if I am getting this Lil guy I may have to stop that so I can keep the temps correct.

 

[PatsyB]

You will want a UVB light, a basking light and maybe a CHE for night time heating. If you are going to be opening your window, it might be a good idea to use that on nights when it's too cold in the room.

For the UVB bulb I got the ZooMed hood. I have an exo terra 36x18x18 tank and I got the the 36" hood but as long as the one you get covers 2/3 of the length of your tank you should be good. For the basking lights I just got regular domes. You should be able to put the flood light in the clamp lamp. Just check to make sure the wattage and voltage of the bulb matches that of the fixture. I have a CHE but I don't use it. My temps get down to about 69 at night so no need to worry. The good thing about having a CHE "just in case" is they are good if your dragon gets sick where you have to keep the tank temp on the higher side all day long.

IMO heating pads don't do anything. Plus bearded dragons can't really feel the heat so if they are laying on a heating pad they could burn themselves. Same with a heated rock.

How late would you be up after lights go out? To be honest, our bearded dragons are in the same room that my boyfriend plays video games. So for at least 2 maybe 3 hours after their lights go out, he is still playing games. He keeps the volume of the games off but will maybe play a video on his IPad. It doesn't seem to bother the dragons.

 

[PsycoMenace]

You will want a UVB light, a basking light and maybe a CHE for night time heating. If you are going to be opening your window, it might be a good idea to use that on nights when it's too cold in the room.

For the UVB bulb I got the ZooMed hood. I have an exo terra 36x18x18 tank and I got the the 36" hood but as long as the one you get covers 2/3 of the length of your tank you should be good. For the basking lights I just got regular domes. You should be able to put the flood light in the clamp lamp. Just check to make sure the wattage and voltage of the bulb matches that of the fixture. I have a CHE but I don't use it. My temps get down to about 69 at night so no need to worry. The good thing about having a CHE "just in case" is they are good if your dragon gets sick where you have to keep the tank temp on the higher side all day long.

IMO heating pads don't do anything. Plus bearded dragons can't really feel the heat so if they are laying on a heating pad they could burn themselves. Same with a heated rock.

How late would you be up after lights go out? To be honest, our bearded dragons are in the same room that my boyfriend plays video games. So for at least 2 maybe 3 hours after their lights go out, he is still playing games. He keeps the volume of the games off but will maybe play a video on his IPad. It doesn't seem to bother the dragons.

Ok Well As for how late Ill be up, prob around to 11 or 12pm with lights off but TV on. Or Ill have the PC monitor on as I do alot of research and modding on my PC. So that is why I ask if I should cover him up when I do this.

I am going to be using a 20gallon tank. It is a Long, so its 30 x 13 x 13. Would a 18" Hood be enough? Or should I go with a 20" or 24"???
Also Does the Hood have to be a T5 HO High Output Terrarium Hood?--> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25698

Or will a can it be a normal hood?--> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21549

And Do I really Need a T5 HO Light??? Or can I just use the Clamp Fixtures with Certain Bulbs??

What would you recommend for a Flood light Bulb? Like how many watts?? 75W, 100W, or 150W?? And Will I be able to use this in a Clamp Light Fixture?

Thanks Patsy

 

[PatsyB]

You could cover it up but may be just fine for a few hours.

I would go with a 24" hood. You don't have to go with the T5 HO light but I would go with a hood that uses fluorescent tube style bulbs only and then a clamp fixture for the basking and CHE. The wattage of the bulb depends on how far away the basking spot is going to be from the bulb. In a 13" high tank that's not a lot of room 75 may be to hot.

A bit about your tank....are you going to change the tank as the dragon gets older? The reason I ask is because the length may be okay but the height and width is going to be too small for an adult dragon. Plus dragons, especially little ones, love to have something to climb on so they will use the vertical space in their tank as well as the horizontal. To put things into perspective, I have a 36x18x18 tank. My adult dragon is 18" so she is exactly the width and the height of the tank and half the size of the length.

 

[jarich]

Id recommend not covering it, just for your safety's sake. Its not a big deal if you have the TV or monitor light on for awhile after. However, if you cover it and then forget to uncover it, and the lights go on the next day, you risk starting a fire and burning the place down. I dont know about you, but Im pretty forgetful sometimes and could easily see myself forgetting to uncover the tank one night!

For the lighting, I would recommend going with the T5s, yes. They cost a bit more initially, but will save you money over time. The normal T8 lights have to be replaced every 4-6 months, however the T5 bulbs only have to be replaced once a year. They also project much further, and the T5 fixture comes with a reflector built into the fixture already. That means the dragon is getting much more of the exposure to UVB that you are looking for. Its not one of those things you want to scrimp on. As for the basking light, the wattage will depend on how close the light will be to the basking area. If you have an elevated basking area, then you will need less wattage than if its not. I would say start with a 75 watt bulb and see if it gets hot enough. They are cheap and you can always get a 100 watt if you need to. There is no need to buy the reptile basking bulbs for that, they are the same as the ones you get in the hardware store. You want to get a PAR 38 outdoor halogen floodlight. The number after PAR is the measure of the width of the bulb, so the 38 means it is a nice wide face on the bulb and will give you a broad basking area, which is what you want. That is why you buy a flood light also instead of a spot light. I always recommend the outdoor versions as they are just made with a thicker glass and seem to hold up better in an enclosure. The indoor versions usually have a thinner glass and in my experience dont last as long.

 

[PatsyB]

Jarich is our lighting expert! It's because of him I went with the T5 HO fixture and recently decided to give that PAR 38 flood light a chance.

 

[PsycoMenace]

Id recommend not covering it, just for your safety's sake. Its not a big deal if you have the TV or monitor light on for awhile after. However, if you cover it and then forget to uncover it, and the lights go on the next day, you risk starting a fire and burning the place down. I dont know about you, but Im pretty forgetful sometimes and could easily see myself forgetting to uncover the tank one night!

For the lighting, I would recommend going with the T5s, yes. They cost a bit more initially, but will save you money over time. The normal T8 lights have to be replaced every 4-6 months, however the T5 bulbs only have to be replaced once a year. They also project much further, and the T5 fixture comes with a reflector built into the fixture already. That means the dragon is getting much more of the exposure to UVB that you are looking for. Its not one of those things you want to scrimp on. As for the basking light, the wattage will depend on how close the light will be to the basking area. If you have an elevated basking area, then you will need less wattage than if its not. I would say start with a 75 watt bulb and see if it gets hot enough. They are cheap and you can always get a 100 watt if you need to. There is no need to buy the reptile basking bulbs for that, they are the same as the ones you get in the hardware store. You want to get a PAR 38 outdoor halogen floodlight. The number after PAR is the measure of the width of the bulb, so the 38 means it is a nice wide face on the bulb and will give you a broad basking area, which is what you want. That is why you buy a flood light also instead of a spot light. I always recommend the outdoor versions as they are just made with a thicker glass and seem to hold up better in an enclosure. The indoor versions usually have a thinner glass and in my experience dont last as long.

Jarich is our lighting expert! It's because of him I went with the T5 HO fixture and recently decided to give that PAR 38 flood light a chance.

So with that said I will be going with the Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO lamp 24" which holds a 22" bulb. That should do the trick Or is there a Cheaper Hood??

Now we have the Basking light down. As you say PAR 38 Outdoor Halogen Floodlight. My tank is 13.5 inches High... I guess Im going to need to raise the Lamp Fixture a little since I will have a peice of wood for the Beardie to climb up and lay on while basking. Ill start out with a 75W I think it would be enough.

Now for a CHE Bulb, what wattage and bulb would you recommend?

Anything else I need or missing with Lighting?

This any good for the flood light ----> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-60W-Equivalent-Halogen-PAR38-Flood-Light-Bulb-421289/203248908

 

[PatsyB]

I think that PAR 38 should be fine...hopefully Jarich chimes in to confirm. I would probably go with the lowest wattage bulb since the tank isn't high.

Couldn't help but notice your store of choice was in Chicago. There is a great little reptile store on Broadway in Andersonville called Curious Creatures. They sell all sorts of reptiles and reptile goods. The best part is they have feeders, when I wanted to try dubia's, we took a trek over there and they sold me like 5 of them. They also fed a few to the beardies there to show me how enthusiastic they were about eating them LOL!

 

[PsycoMenace]

I think that PAR 38 should be fine...hopefully Jarich chimes in to confirm. I would probably go with the lowest wattage bulb since the tank isn't high.

Couldn't help but notice your store of choice was in Chicago. There is a great little reptile store on Broadway in Andersonville called Curious Creatures. They sell all sorts of reptiles and reptile goods. The best part is they have feeders, when I wanted to try dubia's, we took a trek over there and they sold me like 5 of them. They also fed a few to the beardies there to show me how enthusiastic they were about eating them LOL!

Me hehehe Nooo Im In New York. Haha I was using Google and didnt select my store haha. Walmart also have the Par bulbs for cheaper too. they start out at 60 watt. Ill be able to install that bulb into a Clamp light fixture?

Now for a CHE Bulb, what wattage and bulb would you recommend?

Anything else I need or missing with Lighting?

 

[PatsyB]

LOL! That's too funny. Well if you're ever in Chicago, there is a reptile store

I think the lowest CHE is a 60 Watt..I think that may be just fine. You may not even need to use it.

You should be able to use the PAR 38 in the clamp lamp just make sure the voltage and wattage for the bulb and fixture match up.

 

[jarich]

Im in NYC myself. And yes, those halogen bulbs will work just fine. Since it looks like you will be shining it through a screen, that 60 W should work pretty well for you, but you may need to elevate it a bit. Only way to be sure is to grab one and put it up though. That will work in the clamp lamp, yes.

As for the CHE, a 60 watt should be fine. Again you arent looking to get it up to daytime temperatures, just looking to keep it up around 70 F ambient temp.

As for the T5 hood and bulb, that sounds great. If you order it from the DrFoster and Smith website it comes with a 5.0 bulb included, so its a pretty decent price. You dont want to just get any cheap T5 fixture though, as they are not all high output ballasts and so will limit the bulb output. You might be able to find a sale on at a grow store though since its Christmas, ya never know. Just make sure the wattage matches the bulb, that its an electronic ballast and that its a high output fixture. In my experience they are all usually around the $45-55 range with those parameters.

 

[PsycoMenace]

Thanks very much, will be buying the stuff this week and getting it setup. Thanks for all your help If I run into any issues Ill follow with a PM, Thanks guys Much appreciated.