New guy here

Just thought I drop by to introduce myself. My 6 year old son talked me into getting a bearded Dragon last week, but we've had Leopard Gecko's for about a year and 2 snakes prior to that so I'm not completely new to keeping reptiles. I must say though, I kind of wished I'd started with beardies though as the one we have has already been a lot more fun and interesting that our other reptiles.

We haven't named him yet, kids are still thinking, but here's his setup. Let me know what you think!



It's a 40gal tank with reptisun 10.0 and a 150w bulb for heat. I understand that the substrate may cause issues, but I used it for 3 different Leopard geckos before I knew any different and didn't have any issues.

Besides the substrate, what do y'all think?

Welcome to the wonderful world of bearded dragons a land of mystery, enchantment, cuddles, love and, worry! A magical realm where things always seem to change in an instant and, the moment you think you have it all figured out, the rules change! You think you own your dragon?, Ha Ha....guess again..... Like it or not, you are now a slave, lol!!!

I like the way you set up that viv"very nice" but, I am going to go over a few things that will help your dragon live a long healthy life.

Those kits they sell are very lacking in proper dragon care.

As you have probably noticed..... Dragons are not quite the same as a Gecko, LMAO!
That crushed walnut shell is extremely dangerous to Dragons. If they ingest it, it has sharp edges and, can cut up your dragon's intestines. Why take the chance?
The coil type uvb bulbs (compacts) are very bad for their eyes. They can cause eye irritation, eye infections and/or blindness. They don't provide proper uvb for desert creatures. I highly recommend a linier tube type fixture and, bulb such as the Reptisun 10.0 t5 ho or the Acadia 12%D3.
The thermometers they sell with the kit can be off as much as 20°+/-. The best way to get good readings is a digital one with a wire probe or an IR temperature gun.
I am sure they sent a red IR nightlight. Trust me they don't like any type of light emitting heat source when they sleep. They like it cool and pitch dark so they can slow their metabolism and actually get rest. In the event that your house temperature was to drop below 65° you can use a CHE "ceramic heat emitter", to keep it a good range.
These are just a few of the things that we see a lot of times with first time Dragon slaves "I mean owners", lol!

Thabks for the feedback!!

As for lighting/heat, I actually use a 150w ZooMed spot bulb for heat and a ReptiSun 10 for UVB. Prior to buying the lights I read that the could types were bad and thus avoided them. The basking area temp is around 105 per my probe type thermometer(not seen in the pic because I pulled it out so crickets wouldn't climb up it). Cool side stays right around the 80-85 mark.

As for substrate, my beardies tank is in my living room so I almost refuse to use paper towels as a substrate and don't really like the look of ceramic tiles. Are their any good alternatives out there that look like sand but are safe?

Your options are tile, non-adhesive shelf liner, or paper towel. Loose substrate is dangerous, so please make the health of your pet your first priority. You can get very cool tile that looks like sand! The other option is a sand mat that is a plastic mat with sand and rocks glued to it. It's not the greatest because particles can still get loose and it is very difficult to clean, but it is much better than sand or walnut shells if you absolutely must have a sand-like look.

Fatheadhill":3dqr9exw said:

Thabks for the feedback!!

As for lighting/heat, I actually use a 150w ZooMed spot bulb for heat and a ReptiSun 10 for UVB. Prior to buying the lights I read that the could types were bad and thus avoided them. The basking area temp is around 105 per my probe type thermometer(not seen in the pic because I pulled it out so crickets wouldn't climb up it). Cool side stays right around the 80-85 mark.

As for substrate, my beardies tank is in my living room so I almost refuse to use paper towels as a substrate and don't really like the look of ceramic tiles. Are their any good alternatives out there that look like sand but are safe?

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You can use vinyl flooring as long as it has a rough texture, there are many styles to choose from. I like the tiles because they are easily disinfected and cleaned. It will also keep their nails trimmed nicely. I would rather bend a little on aesthetics, than let possible harm come to my dragon. My dragon is spoiled rotten, lol!