Jess

[Jess2224]

Hey everyone!
My name is Jess. I currently do not own a bearded dragon but am looking to get one very soon. A friend of mine suggested I join this site to gain some knowledge into the bearded dragon world. I look forward to picking your minds for useful information!

-Jess

 

[Russell84]

Hello Jess and welcome to the site! A very good idea to do your research first :study: !

Make sure to buy a nice healthy and alert beardie from a reputable breeder or shop when you do decide to buy
If you have any questions I can try to help,

All the best!

 

[Oniko]

Welcome!

This site is amazing for information. I lurked here and read hundreds of threads before I got my beardies. As a fairly new beardie owner I find myself panicking sometimes and run to this site to find answers, and it never lets me down.

Post pictures when you get your new baby!

 

[Jess2224]

Thanks guys!
I spent all day yesterday reading posts and have already learned so much. We are going to be purchasing many of the items we need soon and than we are going to buy our beardie. We have a 55gal tank we plan on using once the beardie grows a little bit and have a fourty gallon one for when we bring him/her home. I know I'm probably going to be the one taking care of it so I need to know as much as I can. One question I did have, and ill post it here and in another discussion because I have not really found an answer (and it may be a dumb question) but I know you need a specific light so they can get their heat, but do you need any other lights? At night you put them in darkness, but they get their heat from the light I put on right? Not sure if that makes sense. Any input would be great.

 

[daner923]

Hi there! Just a word of caution about the 55 gallon tank - If it is a regular 55 gallon tank, it is actually going to be a bit narrow for an adult beardie - they are only 12 inches wide! If it is a 55 gallon breeder tank, then you're all set. Otherwise, the 40 gallon is just fine for most fully grown beardies. As for lighting - quick run down is this:
1) You need a Reptisun 10.0 tube UVB light. This should be mounted under the screen in an under cabinet fixture, easily and cheaply obtained at Home Depot or Walmart, or some such store. You can use 3M command hooks/strips to mount it. For a 40 gallon breeder, this should probably be a 24 inch bulb and fixture. Much cheaper to order this bulb online than to buy it in a store.
2) You need a basking light of some sort. This should be a bright white or clear light, not a colored or "daytime" reptile light. I currently use a 75 watt Zoo-Med basking light for my 40 gallon, but need to get a dimmer as it is just a couple degrees too hot on the basking spot. You can also try a 75 or 100 watt household incandescent bulb.
3) If the cool side isn't getting warm enough, you could try a 40 or 60 watt household light bulb to increase the ambient temperature.
4) Overnight you do not need any light. If the tank temp falls below 65, you will want to get a ceramic heat emitter to raise the temps. You can use a lower wattage one to just slightly raise ambient temps (which I do now), or you can use a thermostat with a higher wattage CHE to keep the temps in a certain range (which I have also done).