A few questions before I get my beardie

[BeardieMankey]

So I've been doing research for the past couple of weeks, and I'm pretty sure that I'm ready to take care of a beardie. Although I do have a few questions that are a little more specific. Sorry I'm putting this into General Discussion, it fit into so many other places that I figured just putting it here would be correct.

1. What should I be looking for in my basking bulb? I've found a flood light bulb that says it's a 65 watt equivalent, but only uses 10. Would that be too ineffective?

2. Also relating to that bulb, is 5000k a good Kelvin rating? Would the high Kelvin rating help in heating, or is there something else I should be looking for?

3. The temperature where I live tends to range from around 50 to 100 degrees throughout the year. Should I have different bulbs for different times of the year, or is this problem fixable through a CHE?

4. How can I make it easier for my new beardie to acclimate to its new home? I'm buying it online, and I'm going to be introducing it into a 40g breeder tank, so I'm assuming that's going to make it a little rougher on him.

5. At least while he becomes acclimated, how should I feed him? Would he get used to its new home faster if I feed him in there, or should there be no problem with feeding in a separate container?

6. Since I wake up and go to school at different times each day, would it be easier for me to get a timer so the lighting schedule isn't irregular? There's a 2 hour difference between the time I wake up each day.

7. I've been shopping around online looking at different feeder options; Would the "baby bearded dragon sampler pack" from Rainbow Mealworms be a good choice for my first batch of feeders to get an idea of what he would enjoy more?

Thank you in advance for any answers.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....I'll try to answer a few Q's for you. Having a 40 gal. is fine, I use nice long basking stick and/or ceramic fake log laid lengthwise for lots of climbing area and maybe a half log cave, but I would keep the tank uncluttered so the baby can acclimate quicker. You'll have to experiment with heat bulbs....always use a bright white like a halogen [ no colored bulbs ] and having one higher + 1 lower wattage will probably serve the purpose. You can always post Q's about lighting in the enclosure forum, you'll get more responses + suggestions there on that subject.

The sampler package is O.K., you'll just have to see that he doesn't get spoiled on 1-2 items and then snub the others. Phoenix worms need a temp. of about 50 F so they may be more difficult to keep since a fridge is too cold but room temp. will cause them to turn in to flies too quickly unless you feed them off right away. The dubias could be eaten in a day or 2, so you'll be relying mostly on the micro superworms. The tiny hornworms can be fragile and you don't get many in a pod and waxworms are not too great for beardies. You might shop around, try linda'sgonebuggy for other variety choices. I used to just get bulk 1/4" crickets [ or larger depending on the dragon's size] by the 1,000's. You might check cricket prices at Rainbow, Ghann's or Hungry lizard or other cricket supplier.

I'm sure that others will have suggestions as well.

 

[BeardieMankey]

So it would be a good idea to keep it a little more open-spaced at first? I had been thinking that less open space would be better, so I guess it's best that I learned that now.

As for crickets, I think I already know that I'll be getting all of mine from Rainbow Mealworms, since they have a pickup option and they're actually really nearby to where I live.

 

[MyBilbo]

I can tell you I use a CHE 24-7 it goes off at night bit it's there for the cold nights to, just adjust the thermostat accordingly

Timers are great I got every thing on timers, keeps day night cycle regual to.

Not sure what dimensions a 40gal is but I had a 48x18x18 to start with for my little guy as long as there is a good amount of cover (places to hide) size is not a problem, I moved Bilbo in to a 165gal tank when he was 8 months

 

[BeardieMankey]

I can tell you I use a CHE 24-7 it goes off at night bit it's there for the cold nights to, just adjust the thermostat accordingly

Timers are great I got every thing on timers, keeps day night cycle regual to.

Not sure what dimensions a 40gal is but I had a 48x18x18 to start with for my little guy as long as there is a good amount of cover (places to hide) size is not a problem, I moved Bilbo in to a 165gal tank when he was 8 months

What timer would you recommend? I'm going to start shopping for one now.

 

[MyBilbo]

Where do you live? I'm in the UK I bought digital timers from B&Q, i would recommend digital over analogue timers, I had analogue but they make noise and it was driving me mad so I went digital, digital is also better because you can set up different programmes for different times of the year

You can get them off Amazon cheap enough too

 

[BeardieMankey]

Where do you live? I'm in the UK I bought digital timers from B&Q, i would recommend digital over analogue timers, I had analogue but they make noise and it was driving me mad so I went digital, digital is also better because you can set up different programmes for different times of the year

You can get them off Amazon cheap enough too

I live in the US. But I was scared of getting one from Amazon since I have a tendency to look at the 1 star reviews and assume that's what the product it going to be.

 

[MyBilbo]

Ahh, ok fair enough. Well my experience Amazon is perfect any problems they get resolved some way.

Not sure what the exchange rate is but I paid the equivalent of $30 per timer there good not let me down in 10 months I had them, have back up batteries in case of power cut so you don't loose your program settings.

Don't know what hardware stores you have? Try there they're your best bet for a decent timer

 

[MyBilbo]

Hi, I done some looking about for you, I had nothing better to do hahaha, and I found a 7 days digital timer from home depot for what seems to me to be a resonalble price

http://m.homedepot.com/p/GE-7-Day-Indoor-In-Wall-Digital-Timer-15089/100685874/

It's not the same brand as mine, obviously, but it has the same features. Not sure what your budget is bit hope this helps.

Depending on your set up you may want 2, one for heat and one for lights, logically it gets cooler before he Sun sets so I have mine is set to

Heat 0730-1930
Lights 0800-2130

This gives the impression of cooling down before Sunset, a drop of in temp is healthy for a good night sleep, I have a drop from 27-41*c to 18-20*c at night

 

[BeardieMankey]

That does seem really good. Although I think I would need 2 for lights, since it seems there's 2 connections and I would need to connect it to both the basking light and UVB. Thank you, though. I'll definitely consider it.

 

[Taterbug]

So I've been doing research for the past couple of weeks, and I'm pretty sure that I'm ready to take care of a beardie. Although I do have a few questions that are a little more specific. Sorry I'm putting this into General Discussion, it fit into so many other places that I figured just putting it here would be correct.

1. What should I be looking for in my basking bulb? I've found a flood light bulb that says it's a 65 watt equivalent, but only uses 10. Would that be too ineffective?

That probably bulb will not work - it sounds like a high efficiency bulb and unlike most situations we are after the 'inefficient' part which is the waste heat. You'll have to experiment but something with an actual wattage of about 60-65 for a halogen, and 100-150 for a tungsten incandescent would be a good start.

2. Also relating to that bulb, is 5000k a good Kelvin rating? Would the high Kelvin rating help in heating, or is there something else I should be looking for?

Kelvin is part of the color temperature scale, it actually doesn't describe heat as much as the 'color' of the light. Daylight is 6500K and bulbs in the 5500k-6500k are a good range for ambient lights. Most basking lights will be much lower, 2500K-4500K if I recall and tend to have a yellow cast to them.

3. The temperature where I live tends to range from around 50 to 100 degrees throughout the year. Should I have different bulbs for different times of the year, or is this problem fixable through a CHE?

Depends on how stable the temperatures in your house are.

4. How can I make it easier for my new beardie to acclimate to its new home? I'm buying it online, and I'm going to be introducing it into a 40g breeder tank, so I'm assuming that's going to make it a little rougher on him.

Give him time to himself to settle in before too much handling or fuss. I would include a few places to hide or at the very least feel hidden, such as some branches or leaves he can hide behind and still bask without feeling like he is too exposed.

5. At least while he becomes acclimated, how should I feed him? Would he get used to its new home faster if I feed him in there, or should there be no problem with feeding in a separate container?

Probably depends on the individual.

6. Since I wake up and go to school at different times each day, would it be easier for me to get a timer so the lighting schedule isn't irregular? There's a 2 hour difference between the time I wake up each day.

Timers make life so much easier. The mechanical ones are cheep and reliable. Some have multiple outlets and you can spend more or less money for more features. There are some dimming thermostats out there that will control when you lights come on as well as make sure they don't over heat the tank but those are pretty expensive.

7. I've been shopping around online looking at different feeder options; Would the "baby bearded dragon sampler pack" from Rainbow Mealworms be a good choice for my first batch of feeders to get an idea of what he would enjoy more?

Thank you in advance for any answers.

 

[10yearoldvet]

I will try to answer a couple of your questions. First of all a 40 gallon tank is a great size for when they are little but when thy get bigger they sometimes need more space and you might need to switch to a 50 gallon tank(in the future). The second thing is that to get then comfortable and used to you, you can wrap then in one of your t-shirts to sleep in so they know your scent. The the third thing is that for food options, the worst food option for babies are meal worms because of their extremely hard exoskeleton wich will make them sick .If you are looking for good food options here are a few:Small dubia roaches, small crickets , small phoinex worms, and small hornworms.
I hope you end up getting a beardie they are the best pets I ever had 8)

Good Luck,10yearoldvet

 

[BeardieMankey]

Thank you. I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of what to get for basking bulbs now. I should also be pretty much set with the timer. I've managed to make space for a larger container of feeders (which is part of why this reply is a little late). I would have never really thought of the scent idea, but it does sound like it'll be really helpful. Although I might not need it, since his tank is in my room and it's actually right next to my computer desk. Also, I've been saying "he" because I already have the beardie on hold from the breeder, and it's a he.

Thank you all for the help. I really appreciate it.

On a final note, I originally had reptile carpet in there, but decided to go with newspaper instead for now. At least while he's still young and will probably be pooping often. I get newspaper for free at school anyway, so it should be pretty easy to maintain this way.