*Images* Newb and need enclosure critique

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halima16

Member
Hello Everyone,

So on Sunday (08/13) I bought a new baby bearded dragon and I just wanted to get some opinions on my enclosure. I bought a 40 gallon so that the little guy can grow into it, but made sure that it wasn't too complex so he wouldn't get overwhelmed. He actually seems to be doing pretty fine. He'll run around a bit or bask on his piece of wood. He'll only get stressed out when I try feeding him. I put him and crickets in small tupperware dish that stays inside tank and then take the dish out when feeding time is over. He poops 1-2 times a day and it looks healthy. Right now the bask spot is at 104 - 106 and cool side is at 80 and we live in southern California so the nights are warm 78-80.

I just am a little concerned with his lights. I want to make sure he isnt too far from the UVB tube light I have and that he is getting enough UVB.. Should he be placed closer to the light or should I have more UVB being emitted into the terrarium. Please let me know if this is a decent set up so far.

Also he has been eating crickets everyday but not a lot. He'll only eat about 5-10 every day and I am slightly concerned about that as well.

Feel free to critique my set up and give me pointers. I want to take really good care of my new baby. His name is Basil:)


Please see Image in posts below!
 

charmander16

Juvie Member
Looks good. I think the UVB is fine. An additional light source may be good, just something like a desktop lamp unless that window typically provides more light.
 

CaramelBeet

Hatchling Member
Looks mostly good.
A 40-gallon tank is too small for a full grown beardie to the best of my knowledge (we don't measure in gallons here, but I think a 55-gallon breeder is the smallest you want to go), but will be nice and big while he grows.
Can you tell us exactly which UV light you have (Brand and strength)?
Is your basking light colored or white? I can't really tell from the picture. You want it to be white.
It's a good idea to remove the substrate (sand?) that he's on, as he may eat it and become impacted. Newspaper, paper towel, tile and reptile carpet are all suitable choices that can't be eaten, and plus it's easier to clean and keep hygienic.
I see a stick on thermometer on the back of the tank. Is this what you're using to measure his temps? These tend to be fairly inaccurate (up to 20 degrees off!), so it's a good idea to get either some probe thermometers or a temperature gun (or both!).

Looks like a cutie, and you're doing a great job so far :D
 

halima16

Member
Original Poster
CaramelBeet":lcc6r5ha said:
Looks mostly good.
A 40-gallon tank is too small for a full grown beardie to the best of my knowledge (we don't measure in gallons here, but I think a 55-gallon breeder is the smallest you want to go), but will be nice and big while he grows.
Can you tell us exactly which UV light you have (Brand and strength)?
Is your basking light colored or white? I can't really tell from the picture. You want it to be white.
It's a good idea to remove the substrate (sand?) that he's on, as he may eat it and become impacted. Newspaper, paper towel, tile and reptile carpet are all suitable choices that can't be eaten, and plus it's easier to clean and keep hygienic.
I see a stick on thermometer on the back of the tank. Is this what you're using to measure his temps? These tend to be fairly inaccurate (up to 20 degrees off!), so it's a good idea to get either some probe thermometers or a temperature gun (or both!).

Looks like a cutie, and you're doing a great job so far :D

So I actually just have brown kraft paper as the carpet that my warehouse purchases from Uline, very similar to just newspaper.

I purchased a 25 UVB 15 watt tube. For the posts also saying there may need to be more light, I am purchasing a table to set the tank on so he can get more sunlight throughout the day, will that be ok too?

And I noticed that the thermometer isn't the best so I am purchasing a better one on amazon to replace it.

Please let me know if I need to replace these bulbs!
 

Reptilelady

Sub-Adult Member
Yeah i agree, you'll want to have that UVB a bit longer so it covers about least 2/3 of the enclosure. Also what kind of basking bulb do you have? It should be a bright white color and also you can add additional light just a regular house bulb with no heat on the other side so you have a nice full spectrum of lighting in the enclosure. Beardies come from Australia which is really bright and full of sun so you'll want to replicate that for their habitat. Make sure that UVB is high quality bulb such as reptisun or Arcadia. Also, i see you have an analog temperature its good idea to get least 2 temperature gauges, preferably one a digital with a probe. :)

Also note, sunlight or any UVB bulb cannot penetrate through glass.

Btw. I couldnt find your beardie in some of the photos but in one i was like OMG there is a beardie, super cute :D
 

CaramelBeet

Hatchling Member
For his UVB light, please get either a reptisun 10.0 tube (preferable t5 with a reflector) or an arcadia 12% (preferably t5 with a reflector).
These are the best bulbs and the only ones that will definitely provide good UVB for your scale child :)
 

charmander16

Juvie Member
CaramelBeet":ilhe0cxi said:
For his UVB light, please get either a reptisun 10.0 tube (preferable t5 with a reflector) or an arcadia 12% (preferably t5 with a reflector).
These are the best bulbs and the only ones that will definitely provide good UVB for your scale child :)

This is not accurate.

In his current configuration a T5 10.0 would be too powerful.

He also doesn't need a UVB the full length of the tank. The UVB bulb is directly over where he basks, which is where he will spend about 75% or more of his time, so it's just fine.

He's got a "screen" that easily allows the full power of the UVB bulb through. His setup is fine for now. When the dragon gets bigger and he needs a larger viv he can get larger/more powerful bulbs at that time.
 

CaramelBeet

Hatchling Member
charmander16":dmq9qaut said:
CaramelBeet":dmq9qaut said:
For his UVB light, please get either a reptisun 10.0 tube (preferable t5 with a reflector) or an arcadia 12% (preferably t5 with a reflector).
These are the best bulbs and the only ones that will definitely provide good UVB for your scale child :)

This is not accurate.

In his current configuration a T5 10.0 would be too powerful.

He also doesn't need a UVB the full length of the tank. The UVB bulb is directly over where he basks, which is where he will spend about 75% or more of his time, so it's just fine.

He's got a "screen" that easily allows the full power of the UVB bulb through. His setup is fine for now. When the dragon gets bigger and he needs a larger viv he can get larger/more powerful bulbs at that time.

Perhaps a more experienced member can confirm/deny this? When I was setting up my light (arcadia 12% t5, with reflector), we had to work to get my guy close enough to it (10-12 inches), based on the UV readings given by arcadia for their lights (I can't find the post I'm thinking of, but see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234292).
 
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