Entertainment center into cage

[JohnA25]

I got a entertainment center to convert into a enclosure I have a few questions

1.Im having trouble finding sheets of melamine could I not just use plywood to close it in and use FRP? What would be good to stick it to the plywood?

2.Lights What kind and how many of each? L5ftxW2ftxH3ft

3.Any suggestions on light timers,temp sensors,heat emitters and any other accessories

Im sure there will be more but I will post as they come up thanks in advance!

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Very good idea to use the entertainment center for a viv! I bet it will look great.
I couldn't really tell you offhand if plywood is any good, but you can always get melamine from home depot.
I would suggest either a reptisun 10.0 or a aracadia 11% for a uvb bulb. You should figure out how want to place the uvb, which light fixture to get, and how you should place your decorations so she gets the optimal uvb. you can figure out the optimal uvb using this site. https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides
For basking light, it really depends upon where you live and the temperature. You could just grab a 150 watt bulb from home depot or some place like it as well. I would also suggest getting a dimmer so that you can adjust the temperature to your liking (this is also sold at home depot and the like).
I won't vouch for things I haven't personally used or seen someone reliable here use for items. My dimmer, basking light, basking fixture, and dimmer I got from menards and got them pretty cheap and they are reliable.
For a light timer, I use this. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018G86I08/ref=s9_simh_gw_g60_i1_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0K2NWFP3F0M56Y04TJWS&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop
Make sure you set the days to 14-15 hours.
For temp gauge, I myself got a laser temp gauge. Laser temp gauges and probe temp gauges are the suggested temperature gauges to use. Make sure it can also detect humidity if you get the probe temp gauge, that way you get two birds with one stone.
For substrate, you should get something like textured tile, newspaper, paper towels, and some versions of repticarpet. I suggested textured tile if you can get it done right as its easy to clean, files down the nails, and looks good. Some people suggest sand or other loose substrate, but I suggest against pretty much all of those due to risk of impaction, disease, and you have to constantly purchase more to replace it. Can't even just wash it.
Obviously you need stuff such as branches, hides, and things to climb on and in, but most of that is subjective of where you want to get it. Just check on anything you get, especially stuff from the wild. For outside branches, you need to make sure its the right type of branch (pines are bad for beardies, pretty sure there were some others) and that you clean it off thoroughly. If you want to do that, there are steps you can follow online to properly clean a branch.
Feel free to ask some more questions! Always happy to help.

 

[JohnA25]

Wow thanks for the info!! As for the Lights do you recommend any certian fixtures for both? Im in Tn so with the crazy weather making it adjustable would be great! The substrate will definitely be tile. One thing Im wondering the depth of the dresser is 20 inches would it be worth the extra 4 inches to try and extend it on the back side to the full 2 feet?

 

[Rampagingraptor]

No problem!
I don't have any real suggestions other than to make sure you get the right sized tube fixture, and that its the same as the bulb (ie both are t5). I would suggest getting the t5 version of the reptisun 10.0 with a 36" light fixture with a reflector. From what I understand, it doesn't matter which version of uvb fixture you get, as long as it has good reviews. Take a look on amazon for it and make sure that it is 3 feet, t5, and has a reflector.
For the basking lamp, you can just use a regular bulb light fixture, though this takes a bit of electrical work. If you can't do that, you might have to look one up.
If you can extend it without too much difficulty, I say go for it! The more room your beardie has, the better. Just make sure that you won't compromise the integrity of the terrarium itself to do so. If its too much of a hassle, 20 inches is just fine with the rest of the dimensions.

 

[JohnA25]

Finally done!! Well almost just minor things left to do https://goo.gl/photos/uYMspibPAhLwrVzJ9

 

[CooperDragon]

That turned out nicely!

 

[JohnA25]

Thank you! Only problems ive had so far is both will only eat meal worms wont touch crickets or kale is this something I need to still offer or are the mealworms ok? Still in juvenile stage

 

[CooperDragon]

Younger dragons will prefer bugs to get the protein. I'd offer crickets or dubia roaches along with silk worms and Phoenix worms as they are a bit more nutritious than mealworms. As far as salads go, it's still good to offer them but they may not be interested until they're older. I like to reference this list when I put a salad together. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[Rampagingraptor]

That turned out beautifully! Wish I could create my setup to be as good as that.
Pretty much what Cooper said. You can feed them mealworms, but you have to be careful, as they can cause issues if your beardies aren't being provided proper UVB and temps.

 

[JohnA25]

Thank you all for the kind words! I will definitely look into your suggestions anyone have any good suggestions on websites to order worms with good prices etc?

 

[Rampagingraptor]

I don't know about silk worms, but I know several places you can get phoenix worms (BSF larvae) from. I generally get mine from phoenixworm.com, but I have also gotten some from dubiaroaches.com and they worked out well. Make sure you look into taking care of them as well, as you need to keep them at a certain temperature to last a while because of how the transform. I personally put them in a cooler and put them on the opposite side of a frozen water bottle I change every day.

 

[CooperDragon]

I get most of my feeders from LindasGoneBuggie.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Do you happen to know where they are located?

 

[CooperDragon]

She just moved from Indiana to Florida. I put an order in for BSFL, silks, and supers last week and they arrived (in Iowa) in great shape.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Alright, thanks! Will have to look into this for some silk worms.