Advice for new owner.

CaptainCrawlie":2qap167o said:

So, I work for a pet store and fell in love with one of the beardies there and took him home, about 2 weeks ago.
I didn't have enough cash to completely get a complete perfect set up immediately but here is what I have.

10gallon tank <<<< very small
75w Basking Bulb for day <<<< OK if creates a basking spot at about 40oC (100F) and a warm zone about 30oC
50w black night light (I keep my house in the 60s because I get too hot) <<<< black night lights are not good as they give off light at night and this can disburb a beardie's sleep.
I recommend a CHE (mushroom shaped ceramic heater that only creates heat and emits no light) like this
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/ceramic_heater.php (the ones I've seen most usually are white)
, this needs to be controlled by a switching thermostat like this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOMO-Digital-Thermostat-For-Snake-Reptile-Heat-Mat-Lamp-Incubator-Aquarium-/252795878903
I'd run it 24/7, as the thermostat will power down / turn off the CHE during the day when the room is warm and the basking globe is on.



A coil UVB 13w (yes yes I know!!) <<<< MIN I'd use is a 26W UVB200 in a NanoHood mounted under the lid and about 8 inch from the beardie's basking spot.
Newspaper for substrate
Stick on temp reader <<<< these are rubbish , a couple of these are good http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4x-LCD-Digital-Temperature-Thermometer-Fridge-Freezer-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Reptile-/391259141696?hash=item5b18dcb640:g
Drift wood perch
Wood U thingie for him to hide under
I do have a back ground on the tank as well.
Dusting powders for veg and crickets



What I am upgrading to in a 1.5 weeks, when I get paid and it goes on sale.
40gallon ($1 per gallon sale... YAY!) <<<< will do him until he's about 1 year old or there abouts, will eventually need full sized tank about 4ft x 2ft x 2ft (140 Gal) for his home as an adult beardie.
Reptile Mat <<<< lino or loose laid ceramic tiles or slate tiles are better.
Another piece of drift wood for the tank
Possibly a hammock <<<< popular but if its got a mesh type fabric it's a nail snag problem so I'd only use a hammock that is solid fabric
Long bulb UVB (can't remember the name :/) look for a T5 tube rated at least 10%UVB and a good reflector hood , to mount under the lid.

Captain Crawlie is "his name" but I haven't sexed him yet, he's still small. He's shed once since bringing him home. I've started him on veg. I didn't think captain would eat it being so small, however he jumped right down and went to town eating. We feed crickets 3x daily - and Mr. Crawlie is a fatty - eats upwards of 10+ crickets per feeding. When he sees us getting his veg or crickets he comes down from his wood and stares at us. Will even accept veg from my hands.

For the past two days he's been rubbing his belly and under neck on the top of the drift wood, so I'm assuming it's shed time again. He's gotten a lot bigger, he was only being fed once 3-5 crickets per day.

My main thing...
Does my new set up I'm going to get him sound acceptable? I only got this one because I knew that it was only temporary and an upgrade, better than what he had at the time.

Does anyone order feeders online? I'm looking into getting hornworms, and possibly roaches - but all I can find are the larger ones. He's such a big eater that I know he'd love to eat something different.

Since he was in a pet store, he wasn't used to being handled that much. He will accept being handled here and there so we are going at it slowly, mainly he just wants to chill in our hands and take a nap.

Sorry for the long post, any advice is appreciated!!

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