New beardie owner who needs help!

[Kcoop2012]

Hello!

I know there are a ton of post about new owners of bearded dragons and I’ve read through a lot of them, but I still can’t quite seem to find my answer. I am purchasing my son a dragon for his birthday. (I say its for him, but it’s really for me so even if he doesn’t stay interested in it we are definitely going to be a forever home.)

(This part is just the research I’ve done and what I plan to buy for our enclosure so I can kinda be double checked on if there is anything I am doing wrong. The next paragraph has my actual question.) I am going to either be purchasing a baby bearded dragon, or I’m hoping to be able to find a juvenile to adopt from one of the local rescues. I know when they are adults, they need larger tanks but since this is going to be a smaller dragon, we are starting on with a 40 gallon tank. I am going to be using bio dudes terra Sahara substrate and I’m going to be creating a bio active enclosure. I know I need to have a lot of hides and a lot of different things for him to climb on so that he can stay busy. I will also have live plants in there purchased from bio dude so I know that they are safe for my beardie to munch on. I will also be feeding it a diet of roaches, crickets and salad.

I feel like I have done my research to make sure that everything is good for him, but where I’m lost at is the lighting. When I was researching, it said that 100W light would be good for the heating element so I was going to research which one was best. (Recommendations would be greatly appreciated) but as far as the UVB, I’m completely confused. I see a lot of people suggesting a 24 inch T5 or T8 bulb, but then other say that they won’t work for a 40 gallon tank because it will be to close to the dragon. I plan on setting the light on top of the screen so I know that also affect the UVB going into the tank. The tank is 18in tall.

I know I also need to purchase a heat temp gun to make sure his basking spot is warm enough and will have thermometers on both sides to ensure the cooler side stays where it should be and the warmer side stays where it should.

Is there anything else I am missing?

 

[xp29]

Hello!

I know there are a ton of post about new owners of bearded dragons and I’ve read through a lot of them, but I still can’t quite seem to find my answer. I am purchasing my son a dragon for his birthday. (I say its for him, but it’s really for me so even if he doesn’t stay interested in it we are definitely going to be a forever home.)

(This part is just the research I’ve done and what I plan to buy for our enclosure so I can kinda be double checked on if there is anything I am doing wrong. The next paragraph has my actual question.) I am going to either be purchasing a baby bearded dragon, or I’m hoping to be able to find a juvenile to adopt from one of the local rescues. I know when they are adults, they need larger tanks but since this is going to be a smaller dragon, we are starting on with a 40 gallon tank. I am going to be using bio dudes terra Sahara substrate and I’m going to be creating a bio active enclosure. I know I need to have a lot of hides and a lot of different things for him to climb on so that he can stay busy. I will also have live plants in there purchased from bio dude so I know that they are safe for my beardie to munch on. I will also be feeding it a diet of roaches, crickets and salad.

I feel like I have done my research to make sure that everything is good for him, but where I’m lost at is the lighting. When I was researching, it said that 100W light would be good for the heating element so I was going to research which one was best. (Recommendations would be greatly appreciated) but as far as the UVB, I’m completely confused. I see a lot of people suggesting a 24 inch T5 or T8 bulb, but then other say that they won’t work for a 40 gallon tank because it will be to close to the dragon. I plan on setting the light on top of the screen so I know that also affect the UVB going into the tank. The tank is 18in tall.

I know I also need to purchase a heat temp gun to make sure his basking spot is warm enough and will have thermometers on both sides to ensure the cooler side stays where it should be and the warmer side stays where it should.

Is there anything else I am missing?

The 24 is a good choice, I personally prefer the Arcadia pro t5 12% desert. As long as your beardie can move out of the direct uvb it will be fine. The temp guns can be very inaccurate of some materials, they also read the temp of the material not the temp of the light. The digital probe thermometers are the most accurate way to get that temp. They are only 10 to 15 bucks each. For a baby through sub adult 105 to 110 is the target temp. Adults 95 to 100. As for what wattage bulb, it's trial and error. Get a 75, and a 100 and test both to see which one works. You can adjust off that testing as needed. Try to have overlap with the uvb and basking. If you can provide multiple distances from the light your beardie will pick the right spot.

 

[Kcoop2012]

The 24 is a good choice, I personally prefer the Arcadia pro t5 12% desert. As long as your beardie can move out of the direct uvb it will be fine. The temp guns can be very inaccurate of some materials, they also read the temp of the material not the temp of the light. The digital probe thermometers are the most accurate way to get that temp. They are only 10 to 15 bucks each. For a baby through sub adult 105 to 110 is the target temp. Adults 95 to 100. As for what wattage bulb, it's trial and error. Get a 75, and a 100 and test both to see which one works. You can adjust off that testing as needed. Try to have overlap with the uvb and basking. If you can provide multiple distances from the light your beardie will pick the right spot.

Thank you so much! I will definitely try that!

 

[Chris.]

Hi, first of all, I really really like how you do your research in advance. There are too many people on here that have a beardy with issues and it turns out they don't even know what they need to thrive. Some will even throw them in a ball python setup and wonder why their dragon won't eat!

A juvenile will be a great choice especially for your son, as they are already big enough so he can touch and handle them without the fear of doing them harm. Just keep in mind that they grow really fast and a juvenile might already be 16"+ in size.

You probably know about your bugs already for a bioactive tank? You will need isopods and springtales (there are arid springtales you can use) but the biodude has good videos about bearded dragon setups on his YouTube channel.

The light....xp29 pretty much said it all. They are smart, they will adjust as long as you give them opportunity to. Which is easyer in a big tank, btw.

It is good that you will provide it with ample space to climb and explore. But also remember that they are reptiles and no mammals. Meaning they will try to conserve energy wherever possible. They are not boring by any means but they will not move as much as a mammal.

Feel free to ask anything you want, we are always happy to help out.

 

[KarrieRee]

Your screen on the tank is going to determine placement and distance for your UVB -- I recommend the T 5 it will go into a bigger tank which is recommended for a adult dragon - if your getting a juvenile he wont be in the 40 gallon for very long - your gonna want a 120 gallon -- we have links for those so we can post them --

 

[Kcoop2012]

Hi, first of all, I really really like how you do your research in advance. There are too many people on here that have a beardy with issues and it turns out they don't even know what they need to thrive. Some will even throw them in a ball python setup and wonder why their dragon won't eat!

A juvenile will be a great choice especially for your son, as they are already big enough so he can touch and handle them without the fear of doing them harm. Just keep in mind that they grow really fast and a juvenile might already be 16"+ in size.

You probably know about your bugs already for a bioactive tank? You will need isopods and springtales (there are arid springtales you can use) but the biodude has good videos about bearded dragon setups on his YouTube channel.

The light....xp29 pretty much said it all. They are smart, they will adjust as long as you give them opportunity to. Which is easyer in a big tank, btw.

It is good that you will provide it with ample space to climb and explore. But also remember that they are reptiles and no mammals. Meaning they will try to conserve energy wherever possible. They are not boring by any means but they will not move as much as a mammal.

Feel free to ask anything you want, we are always happy to help out.

Thank you so much! I can already tell this community is super helpful!