setting up the beardie

[m0nk3y]

I got a 3 bulb Exo Terra Compact Top (http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/compact_top.php) and put in the ReptiGlo 10.0 (http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/compact_fluorescent_bulbs.php) a 75W NightGlo and a T-Rex 60W uv bulb..... I also have a dome that I am going to get a spotlight for, and I used the Zilla Ground English Walnut Shells for the bedding. I also use the ZooMed reptisafe for the water, and feed him ExoTerra Complete Food (http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/pellet_foods_agama.php). I also got some Tetrafauna ReptoLife (http://www.tetra-fish.com/sites/tetrafish/catalog/productdetail.aspx?id=1276&cid=430) to sprinkle on the crickets when I get em for him, and some Vitakraft Reptile Grammare small shrimp (http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=1698). I would love to get an opinion about these things, so I know whether to stop giving them to my bearded dragon, or if they are good enough. I really want to do the right thing, but am on a tight budget with few pet shops in town. Please let me know what you think about these things.

 

[beardielovers]

Just thought I would welcome you here. There are a lot of very knowledgable people here that have taught me almost everything I know about bearded dragons.

Let's see how I'm doing. I will be corrected if I'm wrong on anything - which I would expect. It is not recommended to use a compact flourescent (CFL) bulb for the UVB. It is hard on their eyes. People here will actually tell you it's better to be without UVB for a day or two while you get a different light. Also, the 75W NightGlo - if it is a light you may want to consider trading it for a ceramic heat element if you need it for night time heating. The idea is quite simple. Would you like to sleep with a light on all night, or do you prefer the dark? That is why beardies prefer dark for overnight. I am assuming you have the 60W flourescent for extra light? If the ReptiGlo 10.0 and the 60W is all for UVB you may be overexposing your beardie to UVB - which is not a good thing. Another issue you will want to take care of quickly is your bedding. Walnut shells can cause impaction which can result in a dead beardie if not taken care of. The safest options are tile, repti-carpet, paper towels or non-stick shelf liner.

For food options you may want to look at http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html for some good ideas. I think it could be cheaper to feed fresh food than pre-packaged reptile food. Just a thought for you since you are on a limited budget.

 

[m0nk3y]

I actually just have the night one to provide a very small amount of heat, it keeps it just about right... but the bedding is really bad for him? Everything I've seen says that its better than the sand or anything like that because it just passes through and doesn't cause the digestion difficulties that the other substrates cause... oh and the compact bulbs are bad even if you just use one for the UVB and then like 1 basking light and one regular bulb? I figured it would diffuse the light enough that it wouldn't be overwhelming, does that work?

 

[beardie parents]

What the grouned walnut shells do is tear up the insides of the beardies when they consum them. That's what causes impaction and death. This stuff is just as bad as the "calci-death-sand" for beardies, especially babies.

 

[m0nk3y]

oh ok.... well I guess I wont use that anymore...... what kind of sand is acceptable? Oh and is there a certain amount of time I should wait before handling the bearded dragon? Some people said it's important not to handle him for like the first week, to let him adapt to his new environment.

 

[twyliteskyz]

i would go to the beardi caresheet page to see little tid bits of good info, but your not suppose to have a baby on sand, just like paper towels, newspaper,tile, but not loose stuff like sand.... when they are older you buy playsand (non silica) which is actually a cheaper way to go. i know sand and decor stuff is cool, but its best for the baby to wait

 

[m0nk3y]

so playsand? Where would I get that? and basically everyone is saying not to use the ground English Walnut shells, so what would be the preferred bedding that a pet store or other accessible store would have?

 

[diamc]

A lot of us used non-adhesive shelf liner when they were babies. It comes in lots of different colors and patterns, is also easy to clean.

 

[m0nk3y]

ok well thank you all. I think I will go get some playsand tomorrow and some live food for him. My brother and I might end up breeding crickets, since his Oscar and Picu like them too. I appreciate all the help so far, and if there is anything else on that list that I cant use please let me know. I am going to try and mix the pellets with the live food, and just use the vitamins and calcium to powder the crickets and meal worms.

 

[twyliteskyz]

play sand you should be able to get at home depot or lowes (home improvement stores). when your beardi gets bigger, there are other live food options if your crickets prove to be too stinky or you wanted to just try something new

 

[m0nk3y]

alright I bought the playsand and filled his terrarium. Oh, and my brother got some strawberry scented ESU Reptile Iguana Vitamin, and it says for all Herbivorous Reptiles, would this be ok to use or should I avoid it? oh yeah one more thing, how long can I leave the cut squash in his terrarium before it spoils