MOSTLY about enclosures.

[nanyque]

Hey everyone! I just had a couple questions about my enclosure. Here is what I have -
29g Long aquarium - yes i know it's a bit too small for a full grown but we will get a bigger tank for her soon.
Exo-terra 125 Watt MVB
UTH heater
no water dish, she simply ignores it
Alfalfa pellets (I haven't seen these mentioned anywhere as far as pros or cons)
Her basking temps are about 105-107 (measured w/ a digital probe), cool side is 80 ish (though she's NEVER over there. She's always either on her basking spot, or under it.)

So here are my enclosure questions - After browsing the site here, it seems that MVB lights are not recommended. Should I look into replacing my set up entirely soon?
Also, what are the thoughts on Alfalfa pellets as substrate?

And then my non enclosure questions
Is it normal that she only touches her greens if she hasn't had roaches/crickets in over a day?
She's just under 10 inches long,the store said she would be 3-4 months old (just this past weekend they said that), but then she seems small to me?

 

[Jess]

The Powersun MVB lights still seem to be OK, but the Exo-Terra ones stop putting out UVB after they are about 6 months old. They really aren't very well made. A ReptiSun 10.0 or Arcardia 12% are the best options!

I do have a digging box with alfalfa pellets for my beardie, but I wouldn't recommend it for the main substrate. It's is going to be a pain to clean, and it gets moldy easily once it is wet. Use non-adhesive shelf liner or tile instead. If she likes to dig you can put put pellets in a small area of her tank though.

 

[nanyque]

Well, this bulb is only a month old or so, so I'll be okay for now. I'll have to start working on a better bulb soon. And thanks for the tidbit about the molding. Hadn't really noticed that. she does like to burrow into it a bit to sleep, but yeah, I'll have to just make a dig box. It's been okay to clean so far, I just scoop the dirty bits out. no worse than wood chips and a corn snake. But I see a lot of ppl with tile, so I think I'll be going to that!