New enclosure setup feedback

[smaugthebeardie3756]

I'm looking for any feedback on my guy's enclosure setup. It is a Zen 4x2x2. The basking bulb over the hammock is Exo Terra 150W intense basking bulb, UVB is a 48" Reptisun T5 with a 10.0 bulb. Top is the wide hole screen top that came with the enclosure. The top of the hide on the cool side is 13.5" from the bottom of the screen and the UV light directly above, and the hammock is about 10". Gauges are ZooMed digital probe hygrometer/thermometer and an additional ZooMed digital probe thermometer for his basking spot. Probe placed at the hammock reads a consistent 100-105 F, cool side is 75-80 F, humidity measures around 30% and the probe can be seen sticking out from between the background tiles, temps drop to 67-69 at night. The dome at the center has a ZooMed 150W CHE that I turn on if needed.

 

[Badwolfe]

couple of things I would change.

1. Those background tiles would annoy the hell out of me - I'd have to make sure the entire wall was covered
2. Move the water dish to the cooler side of the tank. Putting it under a heat source can cause humidity spikes
3. Move the CHE to the same side as the basking bulb - that way you maintain consistant temperature gradients for the entire 24 hour period rather than switching from an end to end to a central gradient at night
4. Keep an eye on the plastic plant for signs of nibbling. Some Beardies can be a little dense when it comes to artificial plants and doggedly chew pieces off and swallow them causing an impaction risk
5. Put a larger branch that runs in the same direction as the UV tube that gives your dragon more choices for climbing / basking and adds more enrichment to the tank for him and remove the smaller pieces that dont really serve as good climbing points for him.

All minor points (except number 1 which is an OCD thing for me lol) but they could add a bit of enrichment for him

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

couple of things I would change.

1. Those background tiles would annoy the hell out of me - I'd have to make sure the entire wall was covered
2. Move the water dish to the cooler side of the tank. Putting it under a heat source can cause humidity spikes
3. Move the CHE to the same side as the basking bulb - that way you maintain consistant temperature gradients for the entire 24 hour period rather than switching from an end to end to a central gradient at night
4. Keep an eye on the plastic plant for signs of nibbling. Some Beardies can be a little dense when it comes to artificial plants and doggedly chew pieces off and swallow them causing an impaction risk
5. Put a larger branch that runs in the same direction as the UV tube that gives your dragon more choices for climbing / basking and adds more enrichment to the tank for him and remove the smaller pieces that dont really serve as good climbing points for him.

All minor points (except number 1 which is an OCD thing for me lol) but they could add a bit of enrichment for himThank you for the feedback!

Thank you for the feedback!

1. Yes the tiles are a work in progress. I just got laid off recently (which is how I actually acquired this guy for myself) and wanted to make sure he would even use them before investing in more, but they are definitely now on the list .
2. I was struggling with low humidity (10-15%) before, which is why I got the bigger one and put it on the hot side. It now maintains a pretty consistent 30%, but I will keep that in mind if I do start seeing spikes in the summer.
3. I rarely use the CHE currently, but if a gradient at night will be better I might try that.
4. I have heard that. He grew up with this plant and will occasionally lick it, but I've never seen him actually try and eat it. I would like to have some live plants in there that he can munch on eventually instead though. I have a plan for a digging area, so maybe one day I'll just go all the way and do bioactive.
5. Yes,that is also on my list. The tiles were also an attempt to encourage the climbing and give some enrichment, so anything else I can do is helpful!

Here's a picture of just how much he enjoys his tiles! I've walked in more than once after lights out to see him sleeping like this!