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QuesoTaco43

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Okay so this momma is new to
This! I bought a Beardie for my son who has Autism/special needs. Well we’re in love with Taco or Queso or Squeegee he can’t make up his mind? I even made his his own hammock with a cotton mask and two suction cups! He loves it! Okay so at night he feels cold to the touch, do I need to get a ceramic bulb? I leave his 150 w lamp and T8 fluorescent light on.. he gets plenty of cricket. We just got him two days ago so his basking rock is coming tomorrow as well the shut of timer to
Turn his lights on and off as well the hydrometer as well hammock/decorations/hideouts. He loves his dinosaurs.. his rocks are on the cool side.. he loves crickets and ate one bite of a bell pepper but loves crickets. He’s very very active& loves to look at the lava lamp. Humidity around 50, heat 105.. but at night it’s getting colder.. can I do
A rice sock? How? Also his blanket and pillows are coming as we. Thanks

I’m not sure if he’s a he or she? Not sure how old? Got him at the Reptile Expo
 

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Shinryu

Hatchling Member
Staff member
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Taco/Queso is such a cute little guy! How wonderful for your son to have a beardie friend. It's ok for him/her to feel cool at night since reptiles are cold blooded. The main thing to be aware of is how cold your house gets at night. If your temp drops below 65 degrees, then I would use a ceramic heat emitter. Is your T8 bulb either a Reptisun or Arcadia? Those are the only brands we recommend. Be sure to mount the T8 bulb inside the terrarium since it's output is much weaker than the T5 High Output bulbs. Also, I'm glad you're getting a timer since it's definitely important to turn off UVB/basking bulbs at night since beardies are like us and prefer darkness for sleeping. What sort of substrate are you planning on using? Paper towels work great while you're getting everything set up.

I would highly recommend getting a digital thermometer/hygrometer with a probe. Zoo Med makes a good one. The analog ones can be quite inaccurate. An IR temp gun is also handy for testing surface temperatures.

Recommended humidity is between 20 and 40 %. I've heard of people trying a rice sock so that may work. I've also seen small and quiet dehumidifiers for inside the terrarium. Your baby is probably too young to tell the gender. Once he/she grows up a bit, check out our article on sexing your bearded dragon.


Some people also use the flashlight method, which is very effective. I haven't written an article on this yet to post here but if you do a Google search, you will see instructions for how to do that.

Are the pillows and blankets for comfort? Since beardies are cold blooded, their bodies don't generate heat so the blanket wouldn't be able to hold in the heat.

Once you have your enclosure all finished, we would love to see photos! We also have some Buying Guides in the Resources section, which might help. So far, just on lighting, heating, and terrariums. Good luck!
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I definitely second getting a better thermometer. I'd argue the most important thing for a dragons health is proper temperatures, so make sure you are using an accurate device such as the digital with probe end thermometers.

Humidity is never really an issue, so don't worry too much about it.
Being cool to the touch at night is normal too. They don't produce any body heat being cold blooded, so as their environments cool, so will they. If your temps in the tank/house are dropping below 65f at night, you could look into using a CHE at night to provide a bit of warmth while not producing any light.

And just a note on your slimline fixture if you weren't aware, you will want to remove the clear piece of plastic that covers the UVB bulb, as the plastic blocks UV rays (if you haven't already).

-Brandon
 

QuesoTaco43

New member
Original Poster
I definitely second getting a better thermometer. I'd argue the most important thing for a dragons health is proper temperatures, so make sure you are using an accurate device such as the digital with probe end thermometers.

Humidity is never really an issue, so don't worry too much about it.
Being cool to the touch at night is normal too. They don't produce any body heat being cold blooded, so as their environments cool, so will they. If your temps in the tank/house are dropping below 65f at night, you could look into using a CHE at night to provide a bit of warmth while not producing any light.

And just a note on your slimline fixture if you weren't aware, you will want to remove the clear piece of plastic that covers the UVB bulb, as the plastic blocks UV rays (if you haven't already).

-Brandon
Yes I have removed that. Gonna look into a Che fir a 150 watt is what I have. His tank isn’t getting hot enough now as of today it’s 91.4.. I put a towel covering one side of the mesh top to see if that helps so far it hasn’t .
Taco/Queso is such a cute little guy! How wonderful for your son to have a beardie friend. It's ok for him/her to feel cool at night since reptiles are cold blooded. The main thing to be aware of is how cold your house gets at night. If your temp drops below 65 degrees, then I would use a ceramic heat emitter. Is your T8 bulb either a Reptisun or Arcadia? Those are the only brands we recommend. Be sure to mount the T8 bulb inside the terrarium since it's output is much weaker than the T5 High Output bulbs. Also, I'm glad you're getting a timer since it's definitely important to turn off UVB/basking bulbs at night since beardies are like us and prefer darkness for sleeping. What sort of substrate are you planning on using? Paper towels work great while you're getting everything set up.

I would highly recommend getting a digital thermometer/hygrometer with a probe. Zoo Med makes a good one. The analog ones can be quite inaccurate. An IR temp gun is also handy for testing surface temperatures.

Recommended humidity is between 20 and 40 %. I've heard of people trying a rice sock so that may work. I've also seen small and quiet dehumidifiers for inside the terrarium. Your baby is probably too young to tell the gender. Once he/she grows up a bit, check out our article on sexing your bearded dragon.


Some people also use the flashlight method, which is very effective. I haven't written an article on this yet to post here but if you do a Google search, you will see instructions for how to do that.

Are the pillows and blankets for comfort? Since beardies are cold blooded, their bodies don't generate heat so the blanket wouldn't be able to hold in the heat.

Once you have your enclosure all finished, we would love to see photos! We also have some Buying Guides in the Resources section, which might help. So far, just on lighting, heating, and terrariums. Good luck!
Ok tysm for the advice.. it’s a t8 not sure what kind it’s from petco.. my house stays at 72 or 73• I’ve got blanket/pillow coming… his uv is outside… was gonna hang his decorations.. just got his basking rock and his hide outs. Paper towels for now he’s still to small.
 

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Shinryu

Hatchling Member
Staff member
Lead Writer
Thanks for the additional info! I'm glad to hear the habitat is coming together! We only recommend two brands for fluorescent tubes-- Arcadia 12 % UVB T5 High Output Tube Fluorescent Bulb or Reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 High Output Tube Fluorescent Bulb. T8 versions of these bulbs are also acceptable if mounted inside the terrarium. T8 bulbs are already not nearly as strong as the "gold standard" T5 High Output bulbs and the screen filters out even more output so we recommend mounting them inside the terrarium under the screen. I have seen people use command hooks and various wire brackets to hold the fixture in place.

Most other brands can lead to various health problems for beardies so double check the bulb you got from Petco.

@KarrieRee, do you have any recommendations for how to mount a T8 fixture under the screen of a Zoo Med brand 40 gallon terrarium?

If your house stays at 72-73, you shouldn't need CHE at night although may be good to own a bulb in case you were to need it (like a power outage, etc.).
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Thanks for the additional info! I'm glad to hear the habitat is coming together! We only recommend two brands for fluorescent tubes-- Arcadia 12 % UVB T5 High Output Tube Fluorescent Bulb or Reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 High Output Tube Fluorescent Bulb. T8 versions of these bulbs are also acceptable if mounted inside the terrarium. T8 bulbs are already not nearly as strong as the "gold standard" T5 High Output bulbs and the screen filters out even more output so we recommend mounting them inside the terrarium under the screen. I have seen people use command hooks and various wire brackets to hold the fixture in place.

Most other brands can lead to various health problems for beardies so double check the bulb you got from Petco.

@KarrieRee, do you have any recommendations for how to mount a T8 fixture under the screen of a Zoo Med brand 40 gallon terrarium?

If your house stays at 72-73, you shouldn't need CHE at night although may be good to own a bulb in case you were to need it (like a power outage, etc.).

this stuff is like a Velcro strap -- cut into strips then wrap around the fixture - works great I use it in my tanks -- if the fixture has a clear plastic cover over the bulb take it off please leave it off - you dont want a Zilla brand bulb they are ok but the Reptisun is the best it will need to be changed out in 6 months I recommend a month prior to
 

QuesoTaco43

New member
Original Poster
Taco/Queso is such a cute little guy! How wonderful for your son to have a beardie friend. It's ok for him/her to feel cool at night since reptiles are cold blooded. The main thing to be aware of is how cold your house gets at night. If your temp drops below 65 degrees, then I would use a ceramic heat emitter. Is your T8 bulb either a Reptisun or Arcadia? Those are the only brands we recommend. Be sure to mount the T8 bulb inside the terrarium since it's output is much weaker than the T5 High Output bulbs. Also, I'm glad you're getting a timer since it's definitely important to turn off UVB/basking bulbs at night since beardies are like us and prefer darkness for sleeping. What sort of substrate are you planning on using? Paper towels work great while you're getting everything set up.

I would highly recommend getting a digital thermometer/hygrometer with a probe. Zoo Med makes a good one. The analog ones can be quite inaccurate. An IR temp gun is also handy for testing surface temperatures.

Recommended humidity is between 20 and 40 %. I've heard of people trying a rice sock so that may work. I've also seen small and quiet dehumidifiers for inside the terrarium. Your baby is probably too young to tell the gender. Once he/she grows up a bit, check out our article on sexing your bearded dragon.


Some people also use the flashlight method, which is very effective. I haven't written an article on this yet to post here but if you do a Google search, you will see instructions for how to do that.

Are the pillows and blankets for comfort? Since beardies are cold blooded, their bodies don't generate heat so the blanket wouldn't be able to hold in the heat.

Once you have your enclosure all finished, we would love to see photos! We also have some Buying Guides in the Resources section, which might help. So far, just on lighting, heating, and terrariums. Good luck!
@QuesoTaco43, also where in the terrarium is the temperature 91.4 degrees and what do you use to measure it?
A hydrometer I think is what it’s called as wel
 

QuesoTaco43

New member
Original Poster
Thanks for the additional info! I'm glad to hear the habitat is coming together! We only recommend two brands for fluorescent tubes-- Arcadia 12 % UVB T5 High Output Tube Fluorescent Bulb or Reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 High Output Tube Fluorescent Bulb. T8 versions of these bulbs are also acceptable if mounted inside the terrarium. T8 bulbs are already not nearly as strong as the "gold standard" T5 High Output bulbs and the screen filters out even more output so we recommend mounting them inside the terrarium under the screen. I have seen people use command hooks and various wire brackets to hold the fixture in place.

Most other brands can lead to various health problems for beardies so double check the bulb you got from Petco.

@KarrieRee, do you have any recommendations for how to mount a T8 fixture under the screen of a Zoo Med brand 40 gallon terrarium?

If your house stays at 72-73, you shouldn't need CHE at night although may be good to own a bulb in case you were to need it (like a power outage, etc.).
It’s a Zil-Fluor slimeline w?
 

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Shinryu

Hatchling Member
Staff member
Lead Writer
A hydrometer I think is what it’s called as wel
A hygrometer measures humidity or water vapor in the air. Do you have one of the combo products (thermometer/hygrometer combo? We recommend a digital reptile thermometer with a probe. The combo thermometer/hygrometer is also fine as long as it comes with a probe .Place the probe on top of the basking area to test the basking temps and on the floor on the cool side to test the cool side temps. Many other ways of measuring are very inaccurate.
 
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Shinryu

Hatchling Member
Staff member
Lead Writer
It’s a Zil-Fluor slimeline w?
Oh I didn't realize that came with a bulb as well. We only recommend Reptisun 10.0 UVB or Arcadia 12 % UVB. Many other fluorescent bulbs on the market cause various health issues in bearded dragons. I believe Zilla has been known to cause eye issues in bearded dragons and some other health issues.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Oh I didn't realize that came with a bulb as well. We only recommend Reptisun 10.0 UVB or Arcadia 12 % UVB. Many other fluorescent bulbs on the market cause various health issues in bearded dragons. I believe Zilla has been known to cause eye issues in bearded dragons and some other health issues.
Is the zilla fixture a 18" or what size please ? I cant see it
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, it's always exciting to get a beardie [ especially your first one ! ] and it's nice to see that you're eager to get everything right for the little one. It's good that he's eating well but I will say that it is critical to have his heat + uvb up to par. If not, there can be serious health problems in a very short time, even within days. Call the store to ask if they have Reptisun 10.0 bulb + fixture, the Zilla brand you have is not going to cut it and is already much too far away because the baby is in a giant tank. Also, the basking temp. needs to be at least 100, 105 is better. The coolest side for a baby in a large tank should be at least 80. Cover more of the tank with a heavier towel for now. In the mean time you can go to Walmart and pick up an aluminum dome heat fixture and a 4 pack of bulbs like these. Yes, they are regular incandescent [ halogen ] bulbs, I've used them for all my tanks , never bought a pet store heat bulb.

 
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