Vivarium heating help!

[JustSambino]

Hi, I'm new here so go easy on me! This is going to be a long post

Right, I bought a viv/lighting/heating sources on the weekend just passed. Got it all set up and been constantly checking the heat in the viv so I know for sure it is perfect for my beardie which I'll be picking up Wednesday (I am going to prolong that if need be as I want/need to get the set up perfect before moving it in).
So far, from the set up instructions, I have been constantly worrying about the heat, as yesterday the maximum temperature it hit was around 30 degrees in the hot end, but from reading forum after forum about the heat I knew this was enough! Then I came across one where it said the basking spot itself needs to be between 35-41, so just now I have placed the thermometer literally on the highest point near the thermometer and it's slowly rising (currently on 37.9 degrees). I will tell you the peak it reaches once it stops rising and the basking spot is 5.5 inches away from the bulb (is that a suitable distance?) . I'm using a 100w ceramic bulb as I've read a lot of good things about them.
I bought a thermostat which reaches a maximum of 35 degrees too, so I've placed the sensor a bit lower than the basking spot so it reaches to a higher temperature higher up. Is this a good idea or should I specifically purchase one that goes higher to be on the safe side. The shop I purchased it from said it would be fine if I bought it and placed it a third of the way down the viv, which I have done but I am also worrying they were just trying to get money out of me (not likely, but I worry as I want my little beardie to have the perfect life!).
When going to the shop I'm going to get the beardie, they told me I can't have him until a maximum of 3 days after its set up, which I'm guessing is so the viv gets a Base heat?
I will be getting a young beardie. Don't know the exact age but definitely under 6 months judging on its size.
Also, I've currently put exo terra desert sand for the floor (can't remember the proper name, something beginning with S...) but after reading online about sand possibly being a bad choice, I've decided to half and half the tank, one side sand, one side tiles so I can feed it only in the tiled area to prevent accidental sand consumption. Is this a good idea?
Another question, how long can I have my beardie out the viv at a time? Before it gets too cold. I live in the UK and at the moment the winter isn't treating us too well...
I will probably think of more questions soon, which I'll reply to this post with. Sorry about all the questions but these are things I NEED to know before bringing my beardie home.

 

[JustSambino]

Here's the little guy I'll be getting also

 

[Canicke]

Adorable! Love the background too

 

[jarich]

Cute little guy!

For the basking area, you are experiencing a common issue with your ceramic heater. They radiate heat, rather than direct it, so are best used for keeping your ambient temperature up in the enclosure at night. Id recommend getting an additional light bulb for the basking area in the daytime. A simple clamp fixture with a PAR 38 outdoor halogen flood lamp works great and is quite inexpensive (buy them online or in the hardware store and save yourself a few quid, like this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PAR38-Lamp-Bulb-240v-ES-E27-Clear-FLOOD-Crompton-PAR-38-/290433260376 ). That will give the dragon both heat and light together, which is what they are adapted to. Did you also buy a UVB light source? A very important and necessary light too. We can help you pick one out if you dont have one yet.

As for having the enclosure set up for a few days, its usually so you can get the kinks worked out. As you are experiencing, it takes some fine tuning to get the proper temperatures set, the lights in the right place, etc, so its good that they recommend having the enclosure for at least three days before you bring it home.

Regarding taking it out, it depends on the warmth of the room really. English houses have a tendency to be much cooler than here in North America, so I wouldnt recommend taking it out longer than about 20 minutes at a time. Longer than that and they really start to lose too much heat. Having said that, you will want to wait a week or two before handling anyway. It takes them some time to get acclimated to the new enclosure, especially when they are little like that. Let him settle in for a bit before adding the extra stress of handling. Dont worry, you should have him for around 15 years, so there is plenty of time to get him used to you!

 

[JustSambino]

Thank you for the response.
Yeah I already have a 2.0 and 10.0 uvb lamps (all the lighting came in an accessory pack). I do already have a light bulb for the basking lamp but from reading about ceramic I decided to switch, but if you advise to just leave it in at night I'm going to do that.
Yeah I was planning on leaving him alone for a couple of weeks so he can get used to his new home anyway.
You have been very helpful thank you again.

 

[JustSambino]

Another thing I need to ask is about his diet. I have some pellets already and I'm going to pick up so vegetables and live feed today before I get him tomorrow. Do you have a good idea on diet? I've seen quite a few posts online about it but the more insight I get about it, the better.

 

[jarich]

Ya, they are sun loving animals from the Outback of Australia, so the more light, the better really. Make sure with those T8 UVB bulbs you have that your dragon can get within about 6-8" of the light for good exposure.

As for diet, you want to always think variety. Its important not to just feed one or two different types of food, as you can run into nutritional deficiencies that you wont notice until far down the line. Give them a salad of various greens and vegetables each day. I recommend people feed this in the morning, every morning, and then leave it in all day/night. Then replace it the next morning. The same goes for live foods, a good variety is important. This doesnt mean each feeding needs to be lots of different insects/inverts, but mix it up week to week as you can get in new things. You will probably notice they have favourites, but do not let that lead you into feeding just that insect exclusively. When they are little like that you can feed them twice a day, as much as they will eat in about 10-15 minutes. As they get older, nine months to a year or so, you can start to cut back to once a day. Once they hit about 18-24 months, then you can feed them live food 2-3 times a week. At that time, and throughout their adult life, you want them eating more vegetable matter than live food.

As for which foods are good to feed, most of us recommend this chart:

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html

 

[JustSambino]

Awesome. Yeah I was already going to do a little salad for him to put in there in the morning, when I asked the question I meant really what veg should I feed them. I already have a good idea about the live feed, just the vegetables, thanks for the link, very informative!