New to Beardie keeping.

[XiDiS]

Just wanted to say hi. I found you guys through a google search after a few people on another forum (for piranhas) got bearded dragons. I have always wanted one and seeing theres was the push i needed to get going.

I wanted too get two juvies and set them up in my 45gal aquarium (to be moved to a 75gal aquarium when they get bigger) But i am more leaning towards one because of cost of live food lol. I have a few things i am still trying to figure out like feedin schedule since im out of the house for 9 hours a day.... not sure how to swing that. My 45gal is also a taller tank about 20" tall and im not sure what size (watts) basking light to use and how far it should be away from there basking spot. I am going to be using an 18" 10.0 UVB light but again im not sure if i can have that sitting on the top of the tank or if i should be mounting it inside farther down. Any advice or suggestion would be muchly appreciated.

The site is great btw... i have spent the last few days on it looking at EVERYTHING!! lol

 

[daner923]

You should definitely only get one beardie - they should never be housed together. They are not social with each other, and can be downright aggressive. So go with 1, or get get one for each tank! The cost of the live food will be high with a young dragon - they can eat upwards of 50 appropriately sized crickets, soft-bodied worms, or roaches each day. You can put the basking light on top. I would try maybe a 75 watt basking light from that distance. You should mount the UVB inside the tank, so that your dragon can be about 6-8 inches away from it while basking. Make sure you get the Reptisun 10.0 UVB TUBE, not any other 10.0. Avoid mealworms. Do not use night time lighting - it will disturb your baby's sleep. Do not use sand or other loose substrate - you can use slate tile, paper towel, newspaper, reptile carpet, or non-adhesive shelf liner. I prefer tile - it doesn't need to be replaced, is easy to clean, and keeps nails short!

Hope that helps!

 

[XiDiS]

Thanks for the info I meant to add it to my first post... i am planning on using slate tile for the bottom of the tank. I will start with a 75watt basking bulb and see what temps i get. I have some pics of the rough layout of my tank i will post later tonight to get some opinions. I will also show the light fixture i am going to use for UVB to get some opinions on positioning and how to mount it.