BD Shopping List - Check me on it

As of this morning, I have completed my Beardie shopping list. This afternoon, I am going to a pet store to get most of the things I need, and to check out their feeder prices. Oh, and to get a rat for my poor Ball Python Cu; she hasn't eaten in a long time because the rat I have been trying to get her to eat got out and is loose in our house! :shock:

So, here's my shopping list; tell me what you think. Did I miss something?

Pet store:
-UVB bulb $20-40
-2 heat lamps $30
-2 bowls $9
-Rep-Cal Herpitivite $15
-Rep-Cal phosphorus-free Calci powder with D3 $7
-BD pellets $5

Other places (Target, Lowes, etc)
AcuRite probe thermometer $12
-Light timer $13
-Tiles $15

Of course, I will set everything up once I get the cage built; exchange things that don't fit and buy more heating elements or higher wattage bulbs if the system doesn't work. By the time I get my boy, the cage is going to be BD heaven!

Note: This isn't a complete list of things a Beardie needs; I already have some left-over supplies that my BP has outgrown

I would say save your money on the bowls and just use something around the house instead.

Why are you getting two heat lamps? How big is your tank going to be? You only need one side hot and the other side cool thus only one heat lamp.

The only thing I would suggest is being the UVB bulb online rather than getting it at the store. Pet stores tend to sell them for around $50, but you can get them online for $25 at places like llreptiles or bigappleherp.

and for your heat lamps, you can just use a regualr household bulb instead of buying one from the petstore

Akeath":e72f5 said:

The only thing I would suggest is being the UVB bulb online rather than getting it at the store.

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And when choosing your uvb bulb, go for the repti-SUN 10.0 flourescent tube. I think petmountain also have pretty good prices on these bulbs.

I also recommend getting most of that stuff online. Unless there is a mom & pop-type store in your area you would rather support, that is. You can get a lot of that stuff at a discount at places like petmountain.com or lllreptile.com. A lot of these places even price match. Petmountain offers free shipping over $150, and right now they have $5 off (5OFF discount code) over $50.

I love online shopping, though. We have nothing in this town!

I would recommend getting a dimmer switch for your heat bulb as well, just to give you some extra control over temperatures. They are pretty cheap, under $10 at Walmart or Ikea.

More Qs!!

First off, I should have mentioned, I'm building a 125 gallon wood viv, 72x18x16.

So today I got about half the things. I got Beardie pellets (to feed to the crickets), 1 heat lamp, water/veggie bowls, and 2 kinds of vitamins, one of which I'm going to bring back. Question!!! I got a "Reptivite Reptile Vitamins with D3" and "ReptoCal for all reptiles Includes Calcium and Vitamin D3". Both have phosphate. Which one should I use?

Other question!! I was going to get 2 lamps for UVB bulb and one for a 60 watt CHE bulb which I already have (left over from my BP). The CHE would bump up the heat, plus keep the cage warmer at night. Soooo, my question is, should I get a tube UVB? It says it doesn't provide as much heat though. If I got a 10.0 tube UVB, what wattage?

I'd love it if you guys can answer any of these Qs!

take them both back and get reptivite phosphorus free. too much phosphorus is bad.
as for the uvb q, yes get a tube uvb or a mercury vapor bulb but since you are getting such a big enclosure i would go with tube. tubes dont give off barely any heat. get repti-sun 10.0 and i think they are all the same wattage except for the 2.0, 5.0, 8.0, 10.0. if thats what your talking about then it depends on how far away your dragon will be from the light. if its any more than 8" than get 10.0 if its under 8" than get 5.0. make sure your tank is ver very bright.

also dont forget u can get tube fixtures at hardware stores for way cheaper than reptile stores. i get mine for 8 bucks, and in the pet stores they are like 30-40

Im not too clued up on the calcium and vitamins 'across the pond' but you do need to get phosphorous free calcium (with D3) as well as vitamin - I believe the recommended brand is Repcal - I would def exchange that calcium powder you have got but im not sure whether the reptivite is a good vitamin supplement - hopefully someone with more info can give you definite information.

herpfreak":58f52 said:

Other question!! I was going to get 2 lamps for UVB bulb and one for a 60 watt CHE bulb which I already have (left over from my BP). The CHE would bump up the heat, plus keep the cage warmer at night. Soooo, my question is, should I get a tube UVB? It says it doesn't provide as much heat though. If I got a 10.0 tube UVB, what wattage?

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You need a lamp for your basking bulb and a fixture for the flourescent strip. Avoid UV bulbs which are a coil or compact as these have been known to cause eye problems. You can read more at http://www.uvguide.co.uk. Your basking bulb should be a bright white light NOT a CHE - the bright white light is very important in simulating the natural environment as it allows your beardie to constrict the pupils to protect them from the uv rays and also allows the beardie to find the basking spot - heat is associated with light so why confuse things. A CHE can be used for night time heat... but only if the temps in your house are likely to drop below 65F.

bdchip":58f52 said:

as for the uvb q, yes get a tube uvb or a mercury vapor bulb but since you are getting such a big enclosure i would go with tube.

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The recommended UV strip bulb is the repti-SUN 10 although if your viv is big enough a mercury vapour bulb (basking and uv bulb combined) such as the mega-ray or T-rex active UV are even better!

bdchip":58f52 said:

get repti-sun 10.0 and i think they are all the same wattage except for the 2.0, 5.0, 8.0, 10.0. if thats what your talking about then it depends on how far away your dragon will be from the light. if its any more than 8" than get 10.0 if its under 8" than get 5.0. make sure your tank is ver very bright.

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A 5.0 bulb is ok (the repti-SUN 5.0 only) but if you can get the 10.0 then go with it. Despite what the packaging says your bd should be 6-8 inches from the UV source - never further than 8" and never closer than 6" as theis is the range at which the UV is most beneficial to them!

Thank you all sooooo much for everything, I couldn't have figured everything out without you!!

Final plan (and if this is still wrong, tell me):
60 watt CHE, on all the time
10.0 ReptiSun tube, on timer for 14/10hrs
50 watt Halogen bulb, on timer for 14/10hrs

I know the 50 watt Halogen may not be warm enough; I will set everything up in advance and get a warmer Halogen if the temps aren't high enough.

:mrgreen:

Again, thanks a million!! You guys ROCK!

If you plan to have the CHE on all the time i would invest on a thermostat to control it and set it around the 68F mark if you get an analouge on or 65F for a digital one and wire the CHE through the thermostat. It will give you better temp controls and the CHE not being on if it does not need to be will save you on power bills, assuming you want the CHE for night time heat anyway.