Just want to make sure Im off to good start *Images attached

Hello Everyone,

So on Sunday (08/13) I bought a new baby bearded dragon and I just wanted to get some opinions on my enclosure. I bought a 40 gallon so that the little guy can grow into it, but made sure that it wasn't too complex so he wouldn't get overwhelmed. He actually seems to be doing pretty fine. He'll run around a bit or bask on his piece of wood. He'll only get stressed out when I try feeding him. I put him and crickets in small tupperware dish that stays inside tank and then take the dish out when feeding time is over. He poops 1-2 times a day and it looks healthy. Right now the bask spot is at 104 - 106 and cool side is at 80 and we live in southern California so the nights are warm 78-80.

I just am a little concerned with his lights. I want to make sure that he is getting enough UVB.. should I have more UVB being emitted into the terrarium. UVB takes up at least half of the tank in inches. Please let me know if this is a decent set up so far.

Also he has been eating crickets everyday but not a lot. He'll only eat about 5-10 every day and I am slightly concerned about that as well.

Feel free to critique my set up and give me pointers. I want to take really good care of my new baby. His name is Basil

Hi there, Basil is a cute name. Nice climbing log, that's the best piece of cage decor for any beardie since they love to climb. And it looks like reptile carpet I think ? It has the appearance of sand, so just to clear that up before someone comes a-yelling about that, lol.

I think you have a red light....if so get rid of + buy a white halogen bulb. You don't need a pet store type, just go to Lowe's or Home Depot or Walmart + buy a halogen bulb, a 75 W will probably do the trick but you may have to experiment.

What exact type of uvb bulb is that ? It's good that he can get close to it and that the wire screen that it sits on has very large holes that don't obstruct the uvb. Did that come with the tank like that or did you DIY ?

AHBD":1tvll8q9 said:

Hi there, Basil is a cute name. Nice climbing log, that's the best piece of cage decor for any beardie since they love to climb. And it looks like reptile carpet I think ? It has the appearance of sand, so just to clear that up before someone comes a-yelling about that, lol.

I think you have a red light....if so get rid of + buy a white halogen bulb. You don't need a pet store type, just go to Lowe's or Home Depot or Walmart + buy a halogen bulb, a 75 W will probably do the trick but you may have to experiment.

What exact type of uvb bulb is that ? It's good that he can get close to it and that the wire screen that it sits on has very large holes that don't obstruct the uvb. Did that come with the tank like that or did you DIY ?

Click to expand...

Hi, Thank you!

So I actually just have brown kraft paper as the carpet that my warehouse purchases from Uline, very similar to just newspaper.

Hmm not sure how to tell if its a red light. I have a 75 watt, R30 bulb from ExoTerra and it states that Color Rendering Index: CRI 83. Is that a red bulb?

I purchased a 25 UVB 15 watt tube. and I bought mesh cloth from Home Depot and just cut it up and set it up top!

Please let me know if I need to replace these bulbs!

Is your basking bulb an infrared or a white bulb ? You can tell by looking at it.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKgiCrHR75j-w1coREJsw-8hEQtK2FsUuzBmnp4clKI2xT7DsLUVwcc1L9_XqRXNxqf59gAIqs&usqp=CAc

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcSz9d3iLRE_LL7ZBPe9Z8gy2V4z15hXUKl9wtlTK2BuQgBnZ7vFHfBoqFhIk0BRJyYv9BYZq3Md&usqp=CAc

AHBD":24z9un6x said:

Is your basking bulb an infrared or a white bulb ? You can tell by looking at it.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKgiCrHR75j-w1coREJsw-8hEQtK2FsUuzBmnp4clKI2xT7DsLUVwcc1L9_XqRXNxqf59gAIqs&usqp=CAc

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcSz9d3iLRE_LL7ZBPe9Z8gy2V4z15hXUKl9wtlTK2BuQgBnZ7vFHfBoqFhIk0BRJyYv9BYZq3Md&usqp=CAc

Click to expand...

Oh, the bulb is white.

O.K, that's good. In the pic it looks like a red tint in the tank but it's just the picture.

Your UVB tube is not adequate, and it's sitting on top of the mesh lid, so a lot of it is being blocked as well.

What brand of UVB tube is it? It will say on the tube itself, as it looks like a Zilla Slimline fixture, which usually comes with a desert 50 UVB tube, which is not a great UVB tube. It also usually comes with a clear plastic cover on the fixture that blocks all of the UVB light, so if it's on the fixture it needs removed.

You can use the tube fixture you have and buy an 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube, that is the only beardie appropriate UVB tube that will fit in that fixture. But the 10.0 T8 needs to be mounted under the mesh lid because it's not strong enough to penetrate the mesh. It also needs to be mounted within 8" of his main basking spot. A better option would be ordering a Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube and a matching fixture rated for the T5 tube from Amazon, they seem to have the best price on a package deal (make sure not to buy a Reptisun 5.0 instead of the 10.0). The T5 UVB tube can be set on top of the mesh and will penetrate it as long as it's within 11" of his main basking spot.

The only other thing you need is a digital probe thermometer. The stick-on ones are horrible and off by up to 20 degrees. The $10 digital probe thermometers are accurate and you can measure the basking spot with them, as well as the Hot Side and Cool Side temperatures. Getting all 3 of those temperatures within the correct range is very important.

Welcome to the wonderful world of bearded dragons...

Good advice from EllenD about the lights and the thermometers. You may also find that better lighting will improve his appetite.

You should also know that if all goes well, he will outgrow the 40 gallon tank at some point, so you'll need to be prepared to get him something larger, even though he looks almost lost in it now, and it's fine for the time being. :wink:

The mesh is fine + won't block the uvb. The O.P.specifically bought + installed the large gauge hardware cloth . If you zoom in closely you'll see It looks about 1/4" holes which won't block any uvb.

But again, what type of uvb is that ?

halima16":1x6gmcvt said:

Hello Everyone,

So on Sunday (08/13) I bought a new baby bearded dragon and I just wanted to get some opinions on my enclosure. I bought a 40 gallon so that the little guy can grow into it, but made sure that it wasn't too complex so he wouldn't get overwhelmed. He actually seems to be doing pretty fine. He'll run around a bit or bask on his piece of wood. He'll only get stressed out when I try feeding him. I put him and crickets in small tupperware dish that stays inside tank and then take the dish out when feeding time is over. He poops 1-2 times a day and it looks healthy. Right now the bask spot is at 104 - 106 and cool side is at 80 and we live in southern California so the nights are warm 78-80.

I just am a little concerned with his lights. I want to make sure that he is getting enough UVB.. should I have more UVB being emitted into the terrarium. UVB takes up at least half of the tank in inches. Please let me know if this is a decent set up so far.

Also he has been eating crickets everyday but not a lot. He'll only eat about 5-10 every day and I am slightly concerned about that as well.

Feel free to critique my set up and give me pointers. I want to take really good care of my new baby. His name is Basil

Click to expand...

Welcome!!! Great setup, i LOVE that climbing perch!!! The only other thing i would suggest is getting rid of the sand substrate. It could cause implantation if they ingest too much of it while eating their insects. I personally have rough tiles that i bought at Home Depot for $.89, i also have some bricks that my parents had in the garage (cleaned very well and dried out before putting in her viv) and also a slate stone as her basking spot and a half tree trunk. I find the rocks and stump REALLY help with her nails as they do grow and if they get too long you will have to cut them down yourself. This way with the tiles, bricks and rock she wears them down herself when she runs around eating her crickets!! #WIN for me haha (attached some pics for reference). Hope youre enjoying being a beardie parent!!

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for the responses! First, I wanna say I am not using lose substrate for his tank. Its brown kraft paper.

Second, the UVB light I purchased from craigslist without much knowledge on what kind of UVB I needed, unfortunately. Anyway, the tube reads 25 UVB 15 watt Tropical.. Can someone explain the difference between desert and tropical??

Lastly, I did purchase a table so that the tank will be level with the window and hopefully let more light in. I do understand now that I will need to replace the UVB bulb and I just bought a thermometer on Amazon with a probe!! However, I do think the mesh cloth squares are large and will not impede the UVB rays from emitting into the tank.

Can someone recommend a thermometer they are happy with??

Yes, unfortunately the tropical is not strong enough. You'll need to get the Zilla desert 50 to fit that fixture. Be SURE there is no clear plastic shield covering the uvb bulb on that fixture though, and the Desert 50 can work but it's only good up to about 8-10" away.

The other bulbs that Ellen mentioned are superior uvb bulbs though so you might consider getting one of those. It's a bummer when you've already spent money though, huh ?

halima16":2lkpf7cx said:

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for the responses! First, I wanna say I am not using lose substrate for his tank. Its brown kraft paper.

Second, the UVB light I purchased from craigslist without much knowledge on what kind of UVB I needed, unfortunately. Anyway, the tube reads 25 UVB 15 watt Tropical.. Can someone explain the difference between desert and tropical??

Lastly, I did purchase a table so that the tank will be level with the window and hopefully let more light in. I do understand now that I will need to replace the UVB bulb and I just bought a thermometer on Amazon with a probe!! However, I do think the mesh cloth squares are large and will not impede the UVB rays from emitting into the tank.

Can someone recommend a thermometer they are happy with??

Click to expand...

Oh brown paper that's good. Sorry just have missed your post about it.

AHBD":36hiz0tp said:

Yes, unfortunately the tropical is not strong enough. You'll need to get the Zilla desert 50 to fit that fixture. Be SURE there is no clear plastic shield covering the uvb bulb on that fixture though, and the Desert 50 can work but it's only good up to about 8-10" away.

The other bulbs that Ellen mentioned are superior uvb bulbs though so you might consider getting one of those. It's a bummer when you've already spent money though, huh ?

Click to expand...

Ha yeah, I spent $20 on lights and the guy also threw in a waterfall (haven't used it yet), so at least going back and getting the right light wont be that big of a deal compared to the prior investment.

I also like those little "step ladders" you made for him -- should make it easier for him to climb up to his basking area.