I'm an experienced Bearded Dragon owner, although my ex got my last Dragon Tony when we divorced .
I've taken in a rescue this week. Some ***** left him in a park in the cold in a box to die. The reptile rescue place called him Bob cos he literally doesn't stop head bobbing. It's a peculiar thing, I've never seen a Beardie bob anywhere near as frequently as this guy. And there are no other pets around or anything like that to set him off.
He has very early stages of MBD and his femoral pores were a bit blocked, but that aside he's in good nick and he's very friendly. I think he's quite young, maybe not even at full maturity. It's almost like he's been cared for for a year or so and then been given up on. I think he can be nursed back to full health though.
The viv he came with is old, a bit smelly (despite the fact I've given it a deep clean), and generally an eyesore. As such both for my benefit and Bob's, I've decided a custom cage is in order. I've found one that is half built and the guy hasn't got round to finishing it. I've seen previous vivs this guy has built and they are top quality. He's a Carpenter and a Bearded Dragon owner so he knows what he's doing.
It's a fairly standard 5ft x 2ft x 2ft wooden viv that he's constructed and he's done the walls and some structures, basking spot etc. What remains to be done is basically installing doors, heating, lighting and substrate/flooring.
The glass doors are easy, my brother in law makes windows and doors so he's gonna do that for me. The rest I'm gonna do myself and I'd like it to be as high spec as possible.
I've seen some videos recently where people have used a combo of sand and grout and then covered it with sealant to create a terrain that looks authentic and can be kept clean. Could I use that instead of a substrate? I know most people favour tiles these days, but because the structures are already completed it won't be possible. I've used sand based substrate in the past (Tony liked to dig), but cos Bob has a few health issues already, I don't want to add the risk of impaction to that list. I don't like the look of just a wooden floor given it's gonna be a high spec build, so I need a solution.
I also want to go high spec with heating, lighting, thermostat etc. A basking spot and UV strip are easy, but I'm not too clued up on temperature control. In the past I've just used a temperature gun. I was living in South Africa too where the ambient temperature was a bit hotter than in the UK where I am now. For this set up I'd like something integrated to control and monitor the temperature. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I've taken in a rescue this week. Some ***** left him in a park in the cold in a box to die. The reptile rescue place called him Bob cos he literally doesn't stop head bobbing. It's a peculiar thing, I've never seen a Beardie bob anywhere near as frequently as this guy. And there are no other pets around or anything like that to set him off.
He has very early stages of MBD and his femoral pores were a bit blocked, but that aside he's in good nick and he's very friendly. I think he's quite young, maybe not even at full maturity. It's almost like he's been cared for for a year or so and then been given up on. I think he can be nursed back to full health though.
The viv he came with is old, a bit smelly (despite the fact I've given it a deep clean), and generally an eyesore. As such both for my benefit and Bob's, I've decided a custom cage is in order. I've found one that is half built and the guy hasn't got round to finishing it. I've seen previous vivs this guy has built and they are top quality. He's a Carpenter and a Bearded Dragon owner so he knows what he's doing.
It's a fairly standard 5ft x 2ft x 2ft wooden viv that he's constructed and he's done the walls and some structures, basking spot etc. What remains to be done is basically installing doors, heating, lighting and substrate/flooring.
The glass doors are easy, my brother in law makes windows and doors so he's gonna do that for me. The rest I'm gonna do myself and I'd like it to be as high spec as possible.
I've seen some videos recently where people have used a combo of sand and grout and then covered it with sealant to create a terrain that looks authentic and can be kept clean. Could I use that instead of a substrate? I know most people favour tiles these days, but because the structures are already completed it won't be possible. I've used sand based substrate in the past (Tony liked to dig), but cos Bob has a few health issues already, I don't want to add the risk of impaction to that list. I don't like the look of just a wooden floor given it's gonna be a high spec build, so I need a solution.
I also want to go high spec with heating, lighting, thermostat etc. A basking spot and UV strip are easy, but I'm not too clued up on temperature control. In the past I've just used a temperature gun. I was living in South Africa too where the ambient temperature was a bit hotter than in the UK where I am now. For this set up I'd like something integrated to control and monitor the temperature. Does anyone have any suggestions?