IS THIS SETUP CORRECT? PICTURES !!

[m0mmy2010]

WE just purchased our first bearded dragon last week and he has been living in a 10 gallon tank up untill today. We just moved him in this 40 gallon tank this morning and are wondering if his basking spot is set up correctly as well as if there is any issues with my lighting. He is close to 6-7 weeks old and roughly 6 inches long. We have a 100 watt basking bulb and a reptisun 10.0 bulb for his UVB. We use 2 digital probes to measure his temperature (one on each side) but i have no idea where to put the probe for his basking side since he basks in a tree and can move up and down, i have no clue where to put his probe at to read the correct temperature ! We also moved his reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb next to his basking bulb so he will always get uvb. Is that ok or should it be on the other side of his tank over his water bowl? The only reason we moved it next to his basking bulb is because he rarely goes over to the other side. If you have any other questions PLEASE feel free to ask and do not hesitate to give any advice.

 

[BeardieGrandma]

Looks pretty good, and not bad to put uvb next to basking bulb as it helps them with the glare from the UVB...but...

consider getting a longer UVB tube that spans across the back. i have a 40gl breeder and mounted the uvb inside the tank with double-stick velcro. I got the tube from petmountain and the fixture and velcro tape from walmart...like this:

you want the uvb 6-8" from the beardie.

as far as your basking probe, i'd try to put it in the tree on the spot he hangs out with, or devise a different basking spot that is easier to manage...

 

[m0mmy2010]

We definately want to do our uvb the way you have yours. I'm on walmarts website but i'm not finding it. Do you happen to know what department you found it in and what the name or brand of it is so i can look it up?

 

[BeardieGrandma]

it was in the do-it-yourself section (aka hardware) i think, listed as flourescent light bulb fixtures with the word 'america' (sorry i can't remember) in the brand name. i just went in the store and they had them right there, $7 each.

 

[Denduran87]

love that food dish.

 

[m0mmy2010]

Dendura, I know ! I love that little dish! I found it at petland. I'm not sure where your located but most counties have a petland somewhere nearby. I'm sure if you went to www.petland.com you could find it for cheap. I'll most likely have to upgrade to a larger dish though soon, once he gets bigger!

 

[whitehotdragons]

If you decide to get a fixture for your UVB that is not specifically made for reptile use, be sure to use a metal fixture. I speak from experience that over time the UVB makes plastic brittle and it will begin to just fall apart. The reptile specific ones have a UVB resistant paint. It took a year, but my plastic non-reptile brand fixtures were so brittle that they fractured into pieces when I just moved them. They were as brittle as a potato chip. :lol:

The same thing happens to my baby beardie bins which are the clear plastic ones. They just begin to fall apart after a year of UVB exposure. I have to replace them each breeding season.

 

[Trogdorpheus]

You're actually better off leaving the UVB covering only about half of the enclosure. They should have the option to get out of the UV light if they want to, plus if its only by the basking bulb then their eyes will be adjusted to handle the UV light.

 

[lauraj1055]

Definately get the UVB into the cage instead of on the screen. I have brackets that hold mine in the cage..

Also, I would be a second light fixture on the cool end. I'm sure that's why he doesn't go over that side much to cool off because it's not bright. You can get a energy saver 50 watt (which only is 13watt with little to no heat) and put it on the opposite end so it's brighter

 

[m0mmy2010]

But isnt that the point? To have a cool side incase he wants to cool off? I could see maybe getting a 50 watt bulb and putting it over.... i dont know.. I have an appointment with an awesome vet like 2 hours away from us that only does exotic pets so i'm just going to wait to see him untill then.