Building an enclosure - few questions

[fkalb]

Hey everybody, so ive decided i want a beardie and have read tonnes on them in the last while. I would rather build an enclosure than just go out and buy one. Ive looked around for plans and have found some decent ones such as the timeless and crossfire. Any other links and plans would be greatly appreciated! Im an electrician so i will most likely be getting carried away on the lighting and plan to have it look awesome (will post pics once done.. in awhile ). Few questions as far as lighting goes: I plan on putting in a UVA/B, Daylight basking lamp, and a blue or red nighttime lamp. What distances are safe/recommended for the beardie for each? Dont want to burn it and also want the light to be most effective. I havent seen much written about night lighting but i figured i would put in a nighttime lamp, how long should this be on for and is it a good idea?

Also a few other questions regarding the beardie, might be the wrong forum but while im posting i might as well try asking
Im from BC, Canada. Where would the best place to get a Beardie from be? Ive been around to a few pet stores but would prefer to buy from a respected breeder or what do you guys think about buying from a pet store. Any recommendations and info is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much

 

[0mega9401]

dude trust me save yourself the trobule just get a cheap one at a reptile show sunshine cages makes "sunshinedragons" great cages that arent to expensive and mikealso has some really stuning his dragons

 

[GoFast]

Don't just buy one if you want to build one and have the tools and general know-how. Half of the fun of owning a beardie comes from building things for them.

Other questions:

UV lighting:
Don't worry too much about the UVA specific bulbs. Your main focus really should be the UVB. For that, you will want either the the reptiSUN 10.0 tube, the reptiGLO 8.0 tube(not the 10), or an MVB(mercury vapor bulb) The mercury vapor bulbs are the best but do cost more initially. The upside is that you only have to replace them every 12-18 months instead of every 6 months lube the fluorescent tubes. SO ultimately you save a few bucks in the long run.

Night lighting:
no need. actually it should be as dark as possible and the red light can hurt the BD's eyes.

Basking light:
don't get suckered into buying one of those "special" basking bulbs for double the cost of a normal light bulb. A regular household incandescent bulb will do just fine. Since you are an electrician, hook up a 100watter to a dimmer or rheostat and you can control the heat that way. It is much easier than trying to find just the right position to put the bulb or basking area.

Distance from bulbs: that will ultimately depends on what avenue you plan on taking for UVB lighting. for the most part though, the minimum from ANY bulb is 6 inches. Once you decide on the UVB source, we can get into proper distances at that point.

Hope this has helped!

 

[fkalb]

Thanks gofast, Im going to build one because like you said its half the fun. I like building things and have all the know how and tools so why not!

I will most likely go with a reptiSUN tube for uvb, Ive read a bunch on the MVB and high uvb output cfls can actually be pretty harmful to the animal. Probably get started on Friday.. pretty stoked I think im gonna go with a nice slate tile for substrate and maybe a sand corner??

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Im to lazy to load the picture from photobucket, but i build my own cages they are very simplistic. If you want to see them just check out my website under caresheet, and i have a picture there as well as in the photo area.
Tom

 

[diggerdrake]

keep in mind if you are planning to use the reptisun tube that the T-12 will be no longer available after July 2010. the T-8 fixture and bulb will keep you from having to change it out a year from now.

 

[jargonchipmunk]

T-8 bulbs work in T-12 fixtures at the bulbs rated wattage, so if you currently have a T-12 fixture, you'll still be fine when you can't find a T-12 bulb anymore.

 

[diggerdrake]

true that the T-8 will work in a T-12 fixture but you will lose lifetime of the bulb since the T-12 fixture puts out a higher power than the T-8 bulb requires

 

[fkalb]

Yeah, i wouldnt mix and match the two. T8s will become the norm i think by 2012 T12s will no longer be allowed to be built so everythings switching soon, im going to have T12 with a reptisun for the time being, cant get reptisuns in any larger than 18" that are T8 yet. Ill post pics soon!

 

[jargonchipmunk]

I fould 48" T8 reptisuns online somewhere. I accidentally ordered bulbs from petmountain, and neglected to look at the fact that I ordered T12 bulbs for my T8 fixture :-( Called petmountain and they said I could return them no problem, so I'm off to find a different place to order them :-( Unfortunately I haven't found yet a site that has them for anything less than double what petmountain wants.

I lied. here's a link to a decent price on 48" T8 reptisun 10.0

http://www.petguys.com/-097612343480.html

 

[tundradragons]

I just have a Q, why would anyone not be allowed to build a t12 bulb after 2012, that just sounds silly to me. to me it's like saying by 2012 you wont be able to buy a normal light bulb, and everything will be florescent. it just doesn't sound right, but info into this would be appreciated.

wouldn't surprise me though our govt is wacked out anyhow.

 

[jargonchipmunk]

part of the energy savings movement. T12 bulbs waste too much vs. T8 or T5 and cost the same to produce (actually I think it costs less to produce T8) Even without the govt. it would happen eventually. T8 is just a much better bulb. T5 is even better but isn't cheap enough yet to compare. Think VHS... 8 tracks.... victrolas lol all good things in their own regard, but replaced by better technology. Plus it's not OUR government that would control this. A grand majority of light bulbs in the US come from overseas. I'm assuming the same for UK. I know big manufacturers are in Germany, Japan, and massive ones in China. but I'm rambling on an unimportant topic lol

oh yeah, by the way I did order T12 bulbs from Petmountain and even called to try and cancel them. They told me the order had already gone out but I could return it with no hassle, but they couldn't exchange as they didn't carry the T8 version.... The bulbs arrived.... and they WERE T8's. 48" T8 Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulbs. I accidentally got the right things after ordering the wrong thing lol. Petmountain is either psychic or two wrongs DO make a right hehe

 

[tundradragons]

lol, well thats good for you that they got you the right bulb with the miss ship lol.

not looking forward to buying new fixtures then. i already got 2 t12's for the tanks i built. grrrrrrr, oh well

thanks for the info.
oh and on a side note, my friends 8 track player is still kicking, lol. nothing like it for an old car restore lol.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

I have been lucky all my fixtures are T8

 

[fkalb]

yeah.. The reptisun i bought is a T12... you wont need to replace the whole fixture, just the ballast.. if your comfortable with doing that 8)