New Owner - Need some help

[Christi]

Hi out there. I just got my first BD yesterday and have been reading like crazy trying to make sure I get all the right things for him. He's about 7 inches long and I bought a 'Reptihabitat' when I got him. It came with sand and after reading all morning, I'm going to take that out when I get home from work tonight and replace with newspaper until I can get some ceramic tile. My habitat came with the following things:

• 20 gallon (long) terrarium 30"x 12"x 12" (76x30x30cm) with sliding screen top.
• 12" Terrarium Hood
• ReptiSun® 5.0 Compact Florescent
• Dual Mini Deep Dome™ Lamp Fixture
• Repti Basking Spot Lamp (100 w)
• Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp
• Vita-Sand Outback Orange (10lb.)
• Strip Thermometer
• Water/Food Dish Combo Pack (med.)
• Bearded Dragon Food (sample)
• Care Book: Guide to Bearded Dragons
• ReptiCalcium (sample)
• ReptiVite® (sample)r

I know now that the strip is useless - I need to get 2 thermometers for the warm and cool side - can anyone recommend a good thermometer to get - stick on/digital?

Is the basking spot lamp and florescent enough to keep him warm, or do I need something else?

Any help is much appreciated. This is my first reptile and I think he (or she) is freaking adorable and want to take good care of it.

 

[Bill]

Welcome to the forum I'm at work so I can't help much now but some one will be along shortly

 

[richard]

i personally recommend a screen top, with fluorescent 10.0. not a big fan of the compacts. basking bulb should be okay just keep an eye on it. juvies can tolerate a higher baskin spot 115 or so. as they get older that drops to about 105 or 110. i dont recommend sand. i use paper towels as its easy to change out and keep clean. i use digital therms. they are usually more accurate. oh yeah, cool end should be around 80. ive never had much luck with that food either. crickets get their attention and are just better for them. just a few ideas. if ive forgotten something or not answered your question, i apologize.
.

 

[richard]

bill's got some good info too. always get multiple opinions. everyone here wants to help

 

[Fliehigh]

Your also going to have to watch the tank size as your Beardy will probably out grow. It should be fine for the first 6 months or so but the smallest recommended tank size is 36" X 18" X 18" with floor space being the most important.
And like richard said, bevery careful with the Coil CFL bulbs, they have been known to cause eye issues with Beardy's.

 

[Christi]

i personally recommend a screen top, with fluorescent 10.0. not a big fan of the compacts. basking bulb should be okay just keep an eye on it. juvies can tolerate a higher baskin spot 115 or so. as they get older that drops to about 105 or 110. i dont recommend sand. i use paper towels as its easy to change out and keep clean. i use digital therms. they are usually more accurate. oh yeah, cool end should be around 80. ive never had much luck with that food either. crickets get their attention and are just better for them. just a few ideas. if ive forgotten something or not answered your question, i apologize.
.

Thanks for the info. What kind of digital therm do you use - does it stick on the cage?

 

[Christi]

Your also going to have to watch the tank size as your Beardy will probably out grow. It should be fine for the first 6 months or so but the smallest recommended tank size is 36" X 18" X 18" with floor space being the most important.
And like richard said, bevery careful with the Coil CFL bulbs, they have been known to cause eye issues with Beardy's.

Thanks for the info. Should I be concerned that he is on his log just about an inch away from the CFL? His bask lamp is on the other side and he's been hanging out on the top branch of his log right under the CFL since about 10 this morning (my husband put a web cam on him). He was in the same spot last night as well before I turned his lights off for the night.

 

[Fliehigh]

Just watch him. If he/she starts keeping his eyes closed alot and not opening them please change the CFL's to linear tubes.

 

[richard]

Thanks for the info. What kind of digital therm do you use - does it stick on the cage?

i have one that sticks on the glass for the cool side and use one with the probe for adjusting the basking spot...exo terra i think. also like fliehigh was saying, watch the little guy. when they are little and they get close to the top of enclosures, they will climb and stick to whatever they can. especially screens. i personally dont let mine climb more than half way up their tank.

 

[Jp]

Hey Christi, Welcome 2 the BD Forum.

While you are keeping your dragon housed in this enclosure I would recommend keeping his hot side between 95-105 to be safe. You want your dragon 2 have a cold side around 80 like mentioned above & with the measurements you provided a 75-100 watt bulb should be fine.

Coil bulbs aren't recommended for very good reasons & you should consider an alternate source for UVB. Definitely use the Repti-calcium ''with D3'' on veggies or live food a few times a wk. until you can upgrade your UVB source.

I use the infrared bulbs when the weather gets cold outside, which isn't that often in Florida but they are used to offer more heat to the enclosure without blinding your dragon while basking or keeping it awake at night.

Digital thermometers are more reliable, accurate & easy to use. Check the hot side temp, reset the device, check the cold side temp, turn off the device.

 

[Bill]

You are getting some great advice good luck and keep asking and reading.

 

[Christi]

Thanks so much for all the advice - this forum community is awesome! So I went and got 2 digital thermoms and a ReptiGlo 10 UVB. I'm going to put the 10 up instead of the 5 CFL and dump the sand to put in either papertowels or newspaper. I'm also going to get him some greens tonight and spritz him with water. Any other advice?

I've put him directly under the heat lamp a few times and he keeps moving back to his log under the current 5 CFL. It's only about 95 under the heat lamp so I know it's cooler under the UVB - do you think he's warm enough? Also, I've held him quite a bit since yesterday. He doesn't seem to mind, but I don't want to over handle him. I go to put him back in the cage and he actually clings to my hand. He doesn't seem to move around a whole lot when I hold him except for his head and eyes - same in the cage except to crawl on his log. Does that sound normal?

Thanks again for all your responses. I'm a bit obsessive since it's my first reptile (I've always had cats, I have 4 now) - want to make sure I'm doing everything right for him.

 

[richard]

when beardies are moved to new habitats, it takes them a while to adjust. babies are already a bit skittish so dont worry just give him some time to adjust. is his basking log really wood or plastic. sometimes plastic gets really hot under a heat lamp. i prefer rocks only it takes a little longer to get a true reading from them when trying to set the basking temp. you could move his climbing area off to the side if his baskin spot and see how he acts. after about 3 weeks to a month, once he's settled,(stress can actually raise cocidia levels) let a vet check him out for parasites.

 

[Bill]

He is small and will heat up fast my young don't spend much time on there basking spot

 

[Jp]

These guys will regulate their own body temp if they are properly housed, thats why it is important to have the hot & cold sides set up correctly.

 

[Christi]

Well I got a 20" instead of 18" bulb for my uvb 10 so I'm going to take it back tomorrow and get the right one. Here's a pic of his current setup. The one on the left is the current UVB I'm replacing tomorrow. The right is the heat lamp. Temp is up to 108 on the warm side and 78 on the cool. Do you think when I get the 10 UVB lamp that this will work ok? One more thing - what's good to use to clean the sides of the glass?

 

[richard]

it should be ok. turn the uvb fixture so it spans as much of the tank as possible. there are several products i have used. one is Healthy Habitat the other is Chlorhexidine. both work well. i prefer the Chlorhex. alot of vets use it also. you can find info on both product online and choose for yourself. the Chlorhex comes in gallon jugs and when diluted properly, preferably with distilled water, last about six weeks before you have to mix more. just my opinion