I’m a new beardie owner, so I wanted to post my enclosure setup & get some feedback on any recommended changes. See photos.
40-gal terrarium (Zoo-Terra)
ZooMed deep dome light fixture on top of screen (left rear of top) w/Zoo-Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp (100w)
Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5HO 24 watt 22” Reptile Lighting Fluorescent Tube (fixture lined up to left front of top)
TetraFauna Heat Emitter (right rear of top)
* Zoo Med Clamp Lamp w/Zoo Med Repticare Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter (nighttime heat)
Questions:
1. Should I get a daytime bulb for the right side of the enclosure since the T5 runs from the left side?
2. His basking area is reading 95-100 degrees. Is that ok? (Using infrared thermometer)
3. The ambient temps & temps throughout the rest of the enclosure vary significantly from 75-85 degrees. 75 degrees on the far right side. Do I need more heat? It seems to stay too cold on the right side???
4. Should I mount the T5 bulbs inside the enclosure?
5. Should I leave water bowl inside the enclosure?
* note: I keep my house at about 66 degrees right now.
That looks pretty nice. You might want to build a branch or something to allow closer access to the UVB light. With the mesh top it should sit about 10'' above the main basking area with closer access available. The basking temps are OK but maybe a couple of degrees too low. The cool side is fine at 75. Do you have any other animals in the house? If not, you can take the top off and suspend the basking light on an adjustable stand and set the UVB light on a cross piece of some kind. That will keep that fine mesh from intercepting UVB and heat. If you have other animals around you'll need to keep it on though.
You can use a household bulb for the cool side if you find it too dark over there. It shouldn't affect the temps too much. As far as water goes, it depends on if your dragon drinks from the bowl or not. Some do, some don't. Flicking the water to create some movement can help them get used to drinking from a bowl.
A lot of the adjustments are individual and come from just watching your dragon. Some of them prefer it warmer, some prefer cooler. They move around to get what they want so after a while you can tweak everything to better fit their preferences.