A few basic questions opinions would be great thank you

[Captiveking]

So I have had my bearded dragon for about 10 years. Not sure how I've kept him alive as I read more and more. I have since bought 2 more. I have had a 55 tall fish tank and the basic sizes offered by pet stores. I'm looking to give them something a little custom and more permanent. First question is as I look at some post here I see a lot are taller than I would guess. What height is a good rule to follow? And why? I use the basic can lights but my bulbs are always burning out so was wondering some good light suggestions. I run a 150 watt basking bulb and the uvb lights vary in size between the three. Any help or thoughts would be great. I also use sand I know it's not recommended for juvies I'm seeing some use tile. Is that a pain to maintain

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[CooperDragon]

I like the taller enclosures because you can build climbing branches for them which they enjoy. It's easier to provide them with proper lighting at greater distances with the more modern UVB lighting available. I recommend at least 4'x2'x2' but the more space you can provide, the better. You can break the lighting up into zones and give them lots of options closer to what they'd have in their natural habitat. Taterbug put together a really helpful guide that explains the same thought on lighting setup https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/photogradient

I use tile and find it very easy to maintain. It can be spot cleaned with some vinegar & water and it can either be sprayed down with F10SC or tossed into the oven to sanitize. It is a relatively unforgiving surface but not a lot unlike the hard packed clay in their natural habitat. Having something soft for relief is still a good idea. You can use leaf litter if you set up a bioactive substrate. I put down some small fleece blankets that provide a soft area that allows for digging and some relief from the tile. The fleece is loopless so won't get their claws caught up in it and it's easy to throw in the washer to clean as needed.

 

[Captiveking]

Thank you. How often should one sterilize the tile? And the guide is pretty good. Are there pages within the forum that show specific lights? Mine always burnout and run the higher wattage than the 75 he was talking about

 

[CooperDragon]

I only sterilize it if my dragon poops in his tank or it gets super soiled with food for some reason. He usually goes outside of his tank though.

She has a guide for specific combinations of UVB lighting here https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides But for basking lights you just need to do some trial and error. If the bulbs are burning out a lot I'd double check the fixture to ensure it's rated well above the wattage of the bulb and that it doesn't get moved around much. I've found the GE PAR38 halogen flood lights to be more durable than the reptile specific bulbs. The wattage you use will depend on the temperature output you're reading. They are also pretty good option if you want to use a dimmer. The ZooMed Repti Basking Spot light I had would hum if I dimmed it.