Hey guys and girls I'm getting a Bearded dragon on Sunday. I just bought a 120 gallon. Looking for tips and advice to help with the move Louie

[Fortin28]

 

[Chris.]

Hi Loui and welcome to the forum and congrats on getting your first dragon.

So in the wild most their predators come from above so a tank that opens on the front rather than the top would be prefered to not scare them everytime you open it. Since you already have a tank you should keep that in mind when approaching your dragon. Try not to come at it from the top.

The reptisun 10.0 HO is a very good bulb but as with any tube it is important to get them to the correct distance to the basking decor (something that is much easier with mvbs or mhbs).
The first pic looks like there is a ceramic heat emitter in the double dome. Chances are you're not gonna need that. Che are for night time heat (if your room gets below 65°F). During the day you want your heat to come from lights as they are a dessert species and therefore also need high illuminance.

Spend lots of time close to the tank and move very slowly.

Try handfeeding as much as possible.

Don't try to touch or handle them too much during the first week. You want to wait till you can hold your hand close and he doesn't move away from it. Just slowly putting your hand in the tank and holding it close is also good.

Have patience some take longer than others

 

[KarrieRee]

You want 2 digital probe thermometers for the tank --- 95-100 for a adult dragon - 80ish cool side of the tank - Is the pic you posted of your dragon now?

 

[Fortin28]

Hi Loui and welcome to the forum and congrats on getting your first dragon.

So in the wild most their predators come from above so a tank that opens on the front rather than the top would be prefered to not scare them everytime you open it. Since you already have a tank you should keep that in mind when approaching your dragon. Try not to come at it from the top.

The reptisun 10.0 HO is a very good bulb but as with any tube it is important to get them to the correct distance to the basking decor (something that is much easier with mvbs or mhbs).
The first pic looks like there is a ceramic heat emitter in the double dome. Chances are you're not gonna need that. Che are for night time heat (if your room gets below 65°F). During the day you want your heat to come from lights as they are a dessert species and therefore also need high illuminance.

Spend lots of time close to the tank and move very slowly.

Try handfeeding as much as possible.

Don't try to touch or handle them too much during the first week. You want to wait till you can hold your hand close and he doesn't move away from it. Just slowly putting your hand in the tank and holding it close is also good.

Have patience some take longer than others

Thx u so much for the info unfortunately my tank is a old fish tank so I was thinking of just putting my hand on the opposite side and make him come to me

 

[El heffe]

I got my tank from petco when they have there sale and I get some off for being a vital member but it was like 100$ no kidding it’s not perfect but I like it and you can’t beat 100$ anymore

 

[ChileanTaco]

Regarding opening from the top:
The enclosure I have also opens from the top. The reason is that I'm here in Chile and no large reptile tanks are available (keeping reptiles is super rare here), so I had to get something made by a glass company and "like a fish tank" was the most feasible option. I then made the lid myself.
It works. I put my hand in from the side where my dragon is not, and then I reach in diagonally. He quite soon learnt that something from above is no treat to him, and he's not shy at all.

Is the image in the first picture showing the enclosure your dragon is in now?
Do you have a lid for your new enclosure, the fish tank?
I'm asking especially as fine mesh, and also glass or plastic as a lid will filter out too much light. It should be a wide mesh, similar to chicken wire, also sold as "hardware cloth" - otherwise the lights need to go inside the tank and not on top.

 

[Fortin28]

You want 2 digital probe thermometers for the tank --- 95-100 for a adult dragon - 80ish cool side of the tank - Is the pic you posted of your dragon now?

I'm getting him on Sunday I believe I bought one from zoo med yesterday and yes it is What's the best place for the Probes

 

[Fortin28]

Regarding opening from the top:
The enclosure I have also opens from the top. The reason is that I'm here in Chile and no large reptile tanks are available (keeping reptiles is super rare here), so I had to get something made by a glass company and "like a fish tank" was the most feasible option. I then made the lid myself.
It works. I put my hand in from the side where my dragon is not, and then I reach in diagonally. He quite soon learnt that something from above is no treat to him, and he's not shy at all.

Is the image in the first picture showing the enclosure your dragon is in now?
Do you have a lid for your new enclosure, the fish tank?
I'm asking especially as fine mesh, and also glass or plastic as a lid will filter out too much light. It should be a wide mesh, similar to chicken wire, also sold as "hardware cloth" - otherwise the lights need to go inside the tank and not on top.

Yes, that's the enclosure. My dragon is in right now. I'm going to home depot tonight to get a chicken Wire to make for a lid.
I will definitely keep that in mind for feeding ect
I

 

[ChileanTaco]

What do you have for making the lid?
Chicken wire alone is not enough; you need some frame (if that's not already existing) to keep it stable. Also, you would need hinges to open it without removing the complete lid and taking the lamps off.
The basking lamps (everything that's not a tube) should not be moved while on or still hot, this is why they should not be taken off for opening the lid. Otherwise, they will burn out even faster, and in addition, always taking off all the lamps before opening the enclosure makes it annoying pretty soon.

In the attachment you can see my dragon's enclosure and especially the lid I made for it.
(A big disclaimer: You see an analog thermometer in there. I was not (!) relying on that but was using digital probe thermometers and still do so. Digital thermometers are more accurate and they really aren't expensive. I only had this leftover thermometer in there in addition for a short time and then removed it as my dragon just knocked it over and dragged it around.)
The lid is basically a wooden frame, on top of that a hinged opening in the front half part. The lamps in the back stay there when I open it (as only the front half opens), and I only have to take off the tube lamp (which can be done safely).
In total, the materials I used are: the wire mesh, wood (for making a frame that goes fully around, and a smaller frame for the part that opens), two solid hinges, screws, and nails (staples/ staple gun would be easier) for fixing the wire mesh to the frame. (I then painted the wood, which is optional. I would not recommend doing that as you already have your dragon and would not want to expose it to paint fumes. I painted it as I had the enclosure many weeks before getting my dragon.)

 

[KarrieRee]

What do you have for making the lid?
Chicken wire alone is not enough; you need some frame (if that's not already existing) to keep it stable. Also, you would need hinges to open it without removing the complete lid and taking the lamps off.
The basking lamps (everything that's not a tube) should not be moved while on or still hot, this is why they should not be taken off for opening the lid. Otherwise, they will burn out even faster, and in addition, always taking off all the lamps before opening the enclosure makes it annoying pretty soon.

In the attachment you can see my dragon's enclosure and especially the lid I made for it.
(A big disclaimer: You see an analog thermometer in there. I was not (!) relying on that but was using digital probe thermometers and still do so. Digital thermometers are more accurate and they really aren't expensive. I only had this leftover thermometer in there in addition for a short time and then removed it as my dragon just knocked it over and dragged it around.)
The lid is basically a wooden frame, on top of that a hinged opening in the front half part. The lamps in the back stay there when I open it (as only the front half opens), and I only have to take off the tube lamp (which can be done safely).
In total, the materials I used are: the wire mesh, wood (for making a frame that goes fully around, and a smaller frame for the part that opens), two solid hinges, screws, and nails (staples/ staple gun would be easier) for fixing the wire mesh to the frame. (I then painted the wood, which is optional. I would not recommend doing that as you already have your dragon and would not want to expose it to paint fumes. I painted it as I had the enclosure many weeks before getting my dragon.)

Chicken wire will allow for the UVB to sit on top of screen as its a wider hole

 

[ChileanTaco]

@KarrieRee
Exactly, that's what I meant. This is why I recommended it. Being able to have the lamps on top makes it easier, especially if the tank must be opened from the top.

 

[Fortin28]

What do you have for making the lid?
Chicken wire alone is not enough; you need some frame (if that's not already existing) to keep it stable. Also, you would need hinges to open it without removing the complete lid and taking the lamps off.
The basking lamps (everything that's not a tube) should not be moved while on or still hot, this is why they should not be taken off for opening the lid. Otherwise, they will burn out even faster, and in addition, always taking off all the lamps before opening the enclosure makes it annoying pretty soon.

In the attachment you can see my dragon's enclosure and especially the lid I made for it.
(A big disclaimer: You see an analog thermometer in there. I was not (!) relying on that but was using digital probe thermometers and still do so. Digital thermometers are more accurate and they really aren't expensive. I only had this leftover thermometer in there in addition for a short time and then removed it as my dragon just knocked it over and dragged it around.)
The lid is basically a wooden frame, on top of that a hinged opening in the front half part. The lamps in the back stay there when I open it (as only the front half opens), and I only have to take off the tube lamp (which can be done safely).
In total, the materials I used are: the wire mesh, wood (for making a frame that goes fully around, and a smaller frame for the part that opens), two solid hinges, screws, and nails (staples/ staple gun would be easier) for fixing the wire mesh to the frame. (I then painted the wood, which is optional. I would not recommend doing that as you already have your dragon and would not want to expose it to paint fumes. I painted it as I had the

I will definitely show this to my dad. He is helping me make the lid today