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Pics of my setup and Woody

Mark_W.

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Location
Alexandria/Pineville, Louisiana
I've spent the last few days reading the threads on the forum and learning more about my Beardie. Frankly I'm amazed at what I've learned and the things I've observed with Woody. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected the behavior I've seen. Woody loves being held! I've placed my hand in his tank to pick him up only to have him climb my arm to my shoulder. He likes being outside although is is very alert and still (other than head movements as he looks around) then when he thinks he's had enough he'll climb into my lap or back up to my shoulder. Late evenings will find him on my or my wife's chest fast asleep.
His tank is a re-purposed 55 gal aquarium and at the moment it's sufficient. I do have ideas for a larger home for him that I will build with better lighting.
20170705_181453.jpg
 

Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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3 Year Member
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5,574
They are great critters!! Good looking fella you got there..
 

Mark_W.

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Location
Alexandria/Pineville, Louisiana
What are you using for lights?
One is a 75w basking lamp the other is a 10.0(?) UVB lamp. I feel like the UVB should be a little bigger size wise to extend the full length of his tank but finances right now dictate I have to go with what I have. I'm home most of the day so I tend to move his UVB to where ever he's at.
 

PatsyB

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Yeah the UVB doesn't cover enough space in he tank. This one is okay temporarily, but as soon as you can, get a tube setup.
 

Mark_W.

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Location
Alexandria/Pineville, Louisiana
Yeah the UVB doesn't cover enough space in he tank. This one is okay temporarily, but as soon as you can, get a tube setup.
What would be the best UVB bulb to get? I have the tube lights that came with the aquarium but I would need to modify them so that they don't cover the entire top of the tank and restrict airflow.
 

Mark_W.

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Location
Alexandria/Pineville, Louisiana
On a side note I also have a 75w basking lamp under the tank wedged in the pedestal and pointing at the bottom of the tank on the right side. It's positioned about 1 ft from the bottom. This is to provide a higher temp on this side. Is this OK?
I also have a digital thermometer positioned in the center of the tank about 4 inches from the bottom which consistently reads 85 degrees when all of the lights are on. He tends to prefer this area unless he's on his basking perch. At night I turn all of the lights off and cover his tank with a blanket to keep him from getting too cold. Our AC is set at 72 degrees so our house is usually no colder than that. Should I do anything different?
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
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Location
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So you want to measure the temp right in the basking spot to make sure your basking light is getting the right temps. Bearded dragons only recognize heat from coming above. Their third eye helps them seek the "sun" because instinct tells them this is where the warmth comes from. They don't have many nerve endings on their belly, so providing heat underneath them could be dangerous and they can get burned because they won't realize it's too hot and move.

The most popular UVB bulb is the T5 size tube bulb either a Reptisun 10.0 HO or an Arcadia 12%. They are good because they can be put on top of the tank and still provide good UVB coverage through mesh. The T8 size UVB bulbs are good too, but they need to be mounted somehow inside the tank over the beardies head.

I personally have a 36" T5 ZooMed fixture with an Arcadia 12% bulb that goes the length of the tank. My dragons have places to hide to get away from it when they need to. I found the fixtures onside at Dr. Foster and Smith online. Sometimes PetMountain has them on sale too.
 

Mark_W.

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Location
Alexandria/Pineville, Louisiana
So you want to measure the temp right in the basking spot to make sure your basking light is getting the right temps. Bearded dragons only recognize heat from coming above. Their third eye helps them seek the "sun" because instinct tells them this is where the warmth comes from. They don't have many nerve endings on their belly, so providing heat underneath them could be dangerous and they can get burned because they won't realize it's too hot and move.

The most popular UVB bulb is the T5 size tube bulb either a Reptisun 10.0 HO or an Arcadia 12%. They are good because they can be put on top of the tank and still provide good UVB coverage through mesh. The T8 size UVB bulbs are good too, but they need to be mounted somehow inside the tank over the beardies head.

I personally have a 36" T5 ZooMed fixture with an Arcadia 12% bulb that goes the length of the tank. My dragons have places to hide to get away from it when they need to. I found the fixtures onside at Dr. Foster and Smith online. Sometimes PetMountain has them on sale too.


Thanks, I'll look into it pretty soon.
 

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