New here and VERY new to reptiles

Fawah54

Member
Hello All!

I've recently retired from 28yrs of IT work, got a part time job at Petsmart because being at home all the time was killing me! For the first 54 yrs of my life I never owned a single reptile, hampsters, pigs, fish (very into aquariums) but never a reptile. Viewed them as eating machines with little to no personality.

I was very wrong!

Fell in love with beardies while caring for them. Now I've got one! While there are plenty of people at work who have them and give plenty of advice, I always look for more resources to corroborate.

Thought I'd post some pics and get some feed back, ceramic heater (150w) which I have on 24/7 and a UVB/UV light on 12hrs (also 150w, want to say its Zoo-Med, cant remember atm). Temps shown are the moment the UVB light kicks on. I've got the ceramic heater plugged into the temp power controller.

I'm wondering is it to hot at night (we keep the temp in the house quite low). During the day surface temp up top the cave is ~105-108. The cool side is usually 79-80f.
I'm a little confused on the difference between "basking lamp/area" and what I've got now. From reading more I suspect most are going to tell me to get a Pro T5 UVB :)
 

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AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there ! So you've been bitten [ or smitten ] by the beardie bug ! See what hanging out at the pet store gets you ? So he looks very good and alert but some important things.....the CHE goes off at night, they need a cool down to around 70 or bit lower at night. Also do you have a bright basking bulb ? Or just the CHE and uvb ? As for uvb, you need a long tube , Reptisun 10.0 t5 or Arcadia D3 12% t5. A coil or compact will not give enough uvb at all.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Hello All!

I've recently retired from 28yrs of IT work, got a part time job at Petsmart because being at home all the time was killing me! For the first 54 yrs of my life I never owned a single reptile, hampsters, pigs, fish (very into aquariums) but never a reptile. Viewed them as eating machines with little to no personality.

I was very wrong!

Fell in love with beardies while caring for them. Now I've got one! While there are plenty of people at work who have them and give plenty of advice, I always look for more resources to corroborate.

Thought I'd post some pics and get some feed back, ceramic heater (150w) which I have on 24/7 and a UVB/UV light on 12hrs (also 150w, want to say its Zoo-Med, cant remember atm). Temps shown are the moment the UVB light kicks on. I've got the ceramic heater plugged into the temp power controller.

I'm wondering is it to hot at night (we keep the temp in the house quite low). During the day surface temp up top the cave is ~105-108. The cool side is usually 79-80f.
I'm a little confused on the difference between "basking lamp/area" and what I've got now. From reading more I suspect most are going to tell me to get a Pro T5 UVB :)
Welcome to beardie world and congrat on retirement--- what are you using now for a UVB? Is it in a dome or long tube fixture it looks like its a dome from looking at the pic now- the Pro T 5's 24" 12% bulb 24 watt are really good UVB's and you do NOT want a UVB in a dome - your screen on the tank is going to determine where the UVB goes -- I can help you w/ that-- I see your using digital thermometer gauges good for ambient temps not so much surface basking temps - you want one w/ a probe Zoo Med makes them - your dragon looks to be about 5 months old? Hes a juvenile -- when he turns 6 months I would drop your temp down to 95-100 for surface basking temps- your cool side is good for day time- you want 65-75 temps at night ambient- NO lights at all -- 12 hr on 12 hr off photo period - what are you feeding him? Are you dusting his insects w/ calcium D3 and a vitamin w/ beta carotene - we can go over regiments for those as well - are you feeding salads? What do you mean by basking lamp area?
 

Fawah54

Member
Original Poster
Welcome to beardie world and congrat on retirement--- what are you using now for a UVB? Is it in a dome or long tube fixture it looks like its a dome from looking at the pic now- the Pro T 5's 24" 12% bulb 24 watt are really good UVB's and you do NOT want a UVB in a dome - your screen on the tank is going to determine where the UVB goes -- I can help you w/ that-- I see your using digital thermometer gauges good for ambient temps not so much surface basking temps - you want one w/ a probe Zoo Med makes them - your dragon looks to be about 5 months old? Hes a juvenile -- when he turns 6 months I would drop your temp down to 95-100 for surface basking temps- your cool side is good for day time- you want 65-75 temps at night ambient- NO lights at all -- 12 hr on 12 hr off photo period - what are you feeding him? Are you dusting his insects w/ calcium D3 and a vitamin w/ beta carotene - we can go over regiments for those as well - are you feeding salads? What do you mean by basking lamp area?
Thank you for the reply. Yes he is very young so I want to make sure I do it right from the start.

Terrarium: Thrive open glass reptile terrarium - 40 gallon
Cover mesh shown with ruler.
Yes, the UVB is in the dome with the ceramic heater.
I don't remember the exact brand of UVB but its 150w UVA/UVB + heat (Puts off a bit more heat than the ceramic does).
I'm using the attached IR to measure surface heat.

I'd rather not hang/put anything in the enclosure for fear of burning him.
Would the Pro T 5 be strong enough to penetrate the screen if laid on top?
Was thinking about getting a UVB reader but they are several $100, trying to avoid that.
 

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xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
Welcome to the forum 🙂
You've come to the right place for info and support 🙂
@AHBD & @KarrieRee can help you get your lights on par. That is the most critical thing to their health and ability to thrive. Once your lights are right everything else is pretty easy 🙂
 

Fawah54

Member
Original Poster
Quickly learned ambient temperature is very different than surface. After eating he is basking on a 100f surface, about mid-way up the cave, higher up cools off some as its not directly below the ceramic heater. I just fed him (Romaine lettuce first then dubia cockroaches).

Vitamins:
Reptivite without D3 and Repta Calcium with D3.
Was going to dose (cover the roaches) with the calcium every time, have read that might be too much?
The vitamins was going to do 3x a week.
 

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AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Reptivite once a week, very lightly. Calcium should be without D3, 3-4 X a week lightly. I keep the calcium powder with and without D3. The D3 only once a week since the high output uvb assists the absorption/manufacturing of D3. Greens like kale, collards, mustard , turnip.
 

Fawah54

Member
Original Poster
Reptivite once a week, very lightly. Calcium should be without D3, 3-4 X a week lightly. I keep the calcium powder with and without D3. The D3 only once a week since the high output uvb assists the absorption/manufacturing of D3. Greens like kale, collards, mustard , turnip.
The Reptivite I have is without D3. The Repta Calcium I picked up is with Vitamin D3 and phosphorus free. Sounds like I'll need to pick up some calcium w/o D3.

Thanks.

Found this as well, pretty good advice?

Stick to fresh food as your bearded dragon's primary food source. Providing food source is the safest, most natural way of feeding a beardie, and proven to provide the nutrients a beardie needs. Beardies thrive on fresh veggies and live insects. Here's a feeding guide by age:

0-2 months - 3 insect meals a day, 10 per meal or whatever the beardie can eat in 5-15 minutes. A small bowl of fresh greens/veggies daily.

2-6 months - 2 insect meals a day, 10 per meal or whatever the beardie can eat in 5-15 minutes. A small bowl of fresh greens/veggies daily.

6-12 months - 1 insect meal a day, about 10 per meal. A bowl of fresh greens/veggies daily.

12+ months - 2 insect meals per week, about 10 per meal. A large bowl of fresh greens/veggies daily.

A calcium supplement and multivitamin supplement should also be added to the fresh food to fill in any nutritional gaps. You should use the supplements as directed on the container. If there are no instructions, the following schedule has worked for me:

Hatchlings and juveniles - Plain calcium 4-5 days a week, calcium with vitamin D3 2x a month, multivitamin 2-3 times a week. Only dust one meal a day.

Adults - Plain calcium 3-4 days a week, calcium with vitamin D3 1x a month, multivitamin 1-2 days a week. Only dust one meal a day.

The following are the best staple insects:

Cockroaches/roaches (dubia, wood, discoid, or orange head)

Crickets (banded or common/brown)

Black soldier fly larvae - Also known as calciworms, vitaworms and ozgrubs. Both flies and larvae can be offered.

Silkworms

Insects best left as treats:

Mealworms

Superworms

Butterworms

Waxworms

Hornworms

Best staple (every day) greens:

Collard greens (spring greens)

Spring mix

Mustard greens

Mustard cress

Turnip greens

Rocket (arugula)

Endive (chicory)

Watercress

Bok choy

Escarole

Cactus pads

Pea shoots

Clover - If feeding clover, ensure it is organically grown to avoid the beardie consuming chemicals)

The following greens/veggies can be mixed in 2-6 times a week:

Dandelion greens

Kale

Fresh basil

Fresh parsley

Fresh coriander (cilantro)

Fresh mint

Alfalfa sprouts

Capsicum (bell pepper)

Carrot

Parsnip

Squash (butternut, yellow, acorn, spaghetti, hubbard or scallop)

The following greens/veggies are best left as treats (once every 1-4 weeks):

Spinach

Swiss chard

Beet greens

Lettuce (iceberg or romaine)

Ideally, commercial diets (such as pellets and gels) shouldn't make up any part of a beardie's diet, no matter the brand. I do understand in some cases commercial foods are needed though. In the event of a food shortage (such as a bug shortage), an evacuation or natural disaster, a long-lasting food that does not require refrigeration or special care is needed. Some people also just like to treat their beardie, and some beardies do like the taste of commercial diets. In such cases, the following commercial diets are safe:

Exo Terra Canned Bugs

Pisces Dried Omnivore Mix

Thrive Dried Omnivore Mix

Fluker's Bearded Dragon Diet

Rep-Cal Adult Bearded Dragon Pellets
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Yes I know, growing beardies need frequent calcium feedings but not the man made D3. Their body produces D3 by ingesting calium rich foods like the greens , as well as the calcium powder. Too much factory made D3 can be bad for their organs. So calcium w/out D3 for the majority of feedings is the safest way.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Oh, you added more to your reply before I posted, lol. Sorry I missed all that ! Yes, that's a good list for feeding, just use a little less for the babies, not all they can because some will over eat. Power feeding used to be a thing but it's not always healthy for them to grow super fast and be stufffed at every meal. It can lead to health problems later in life as their organs work constantly digesting large amounts of food.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Thank you for the reply. Yes he is very young so I want to make sure I do it right from the start.

Terrarium: Thrive open glass reptile terrarium - 40 gallon
Cover mesh shown with ruler.
Yes, the UVB is in the dome with the ceramic heater.
I don't remember the exact brand of UVB but its 150w UVA/UVB + heat (Puts off a bit more heat than the ceramic does).
I'm using the attached IR to measure surface heat.

I'd rather not hang/put anything in the enclosure for fear of burning him.
Would the Pro T 5 be strong enough to penetrate the screen if laid on top?
Was thinking about getting a UVB reader but they are several $100, trying to avoid that.
You have a wide hole screen it can stay on top distance would be 8-10 inches directly above a piece of basking decor- if your not using a clear solid bright white basking bulb please get one-Flukers -- Exo Terra Intense or Arcadia Halogen are examples -- they need the UVA from that bulb - ceramic heat emitters are good but usually used at night to keep temps in the tank around 70 not hotter than 75 ambient -- change the UVB bulb out about 10-11 months after install - I dont use a solar meter and just change the bulb out so I know hes getting adequate UVB - they lose strength after time --
 

Fawah54

Member
Original Poster
You have a wide hole screen it can stay on top distance would be 8-10 inches directly above a piece of basking decor- if your not using a clear solid bright white basking bulb please get one-Flukers -- Exo Terra Intense or Arcadia Halogen are examples -- they need the UVA from that bulb - ceramic heat emitters are good but usually used at night to keep temps in the tank around 70 not hotter than 75 ambient -- change the UVB bulb out about 10-11 months after install - I dont use a solar meter and just change the bulb out so I know hes getting adequate UVB - they lose strength after time --
I think I've got it set now. Basking area at its hottest is 115f, drops down by about 2f every step so he has lots of choices now; usually hangs out after eating in the 102-104 area.

Then at night my heat timer allows the cool side to drop to mid 70s before kicking back on.

Got the pictured for UVA after going to a local shop Scales 'N Tails | Where Reptiles Rule! and telling them what I had tank wise.
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
I think I've got it set now. Basking area at its hottest is 115f, drops down by about 2f every step so he has lots of choices now; usually hangs out after eating in the 102-104 area.

Then at night my heat timer allows the cool side to drop to mid 70s before kicking back on.

Got the pictured for UVA after going to a local shop Scales 'N Tails | Where Reptiles Rule! and telling them what I had tank wise.
Ok looks good - I would recommend no higher temp of 110- 115 is too hot
 

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Hey! I'm planning on ordering a 4x2x2 for my next beardie but I'm worried about lighting. I have a UVA and a UVB but they are small (the UVA just being a bulb and the UVB being 12 ish inches?) My house is drafty so I need a strong light that puts off quite a good amount of heat, any suggestions?
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