need some help

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james1989

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im going to build a cage for my future dragon its going to be 17 or 20 inc high and 4 ft long and 2ft wide but i can figure out the lighting i was going to do the ceramic house light sockets 3 of them 1 for basking 1 for the che and 1 for ambeit and the of corse a uvb fluorescent but will that work or will it be to high or what?

thanks in advance
 

Gormagon

Extreme Poster
I went 24 tall so I could give my dragon higher perches to climb on. I use the Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB 36". That space allowed me to get proper distance away fro the uvb (12")and, proper heat in her basking spot (8"). I feel that 20" won't give you enough space for climbing areas.
 

charmander16

Juvie Member
I'd consider mounting the lights outside the enclosure. As long as you aren't using screen to sit them on it's fine to mount them outside. Then you free up a lot of room inside the enclosure and it's easier to control the temps.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
guide-bearded-dragon.jpg

t5ho_12_uvb.png


I''d go for a 24in T5 HO reflector hood with one end close to a 80W MVB , or coverlapping the light from a 80W par28 colorless incandescent or halogen spotglobe.
Make sure the CHE and basking / MVB sockets are rated for high wattages and high temperatures (NO PLASTIC).
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
charmander16":1khkjdbp said:
I'd consider mounting the lights outside the enclosure.
<<<< that's bad advise, best to have a solid lip and front sliding glass doors and the light fittings all mounted from UNDER THE LID.

As long as you aren't using screen to sit them on it's fine to mount them outside. Then you free up a lot of room inside the enclosure and it's easier to control the temps.

I know it is very common for pet shops to flog converted fish tanks with screen / mesh lids to house reptiles including bearded dragons but this is an incredibly poor viv design and IMO completely inadequate. Only advantage is it is cheap for them to sell this kind of junky viv and most noob lizard keepers are clueless and don't know there are better ways of housing their pet.

DO NOT USE A SCREEN LID , vivs with screen / mesh lids are essentially completely open to the environment.

With these screen or mesh lids
>warm air created by the MVB , or the CHE , or the basking spot globe will simply rise and be lost , meaning the only heating benefits the pet gets is radiant heat transfer , very little conduction heat transfer and zero convective heat exchange
==> you need much more wattage to get the same heating benefit because no stable convective heat currents can ever be established.

A solid lid will
> insulate the viv from the colder temperatures outside it in the room
> will force warmed air to circulate creating a nice thermal gradient
> will provide a good strong and stable structure to mount the light fittings under and mount a cage about the very hot MVB , the CHE and the par38 spotty
> will keep unwelcome snouts / fangs , paws and claws out.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Actually nothing wrong with light on top of the screen as long as it's strong enough uvb and heat. Some of the totally enclosed custom vivs [ like the ones that are common in the U.K ] trap too much heat or provide too much in one area and/or have a basking light that is too close to the beardie.

You can easily cover part of a screened top with a small towel, piece of cardboard or flat wood, etc. if any extra heat is needed.

Bottom line is that both ways can work to house a beardie.
 
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