Soon to be Beardie owner

[Light_The_Sky]

Ive decided to get myself a new companion! I went out today and got most of the stuff I think I'll need, but I wanted to check with you guys to see if I need anything else. Heres what Ive got

100 watt heat emitter coil light
100 watt uvb light
55 gallon enclosure
Washed playsand substrate
A log to climb on
A cave to hide in
I wasent sure on this, but is an under tank heater required? If so I'll get one =D
Calcium d3 powder supplement

Is there anything Im missing? Are either males / females easier to take care of? Im new, so I basically need all the basics! Thank you for any feedback!

 

[brittany]

Specifically, what kind of uvb do you have? Is it an MVB?
The coil bulb is for night time if it gets under 65 degrees, otherwise it's not needed.
Nope, heat mats are a bad idea so it's good that you didn't get one of those (they easily over-heat causing burns to dragons).
You'll only want to use the hide if your dragon is 8 months old or older as younger dragons normally will hide and not bask which is really unhealthy for them.
If your dragon is under a year old, you'll want a solid substrate and not play sand (however, I'm glad you got play sand and not calci-sand) Some of these include reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, newspaper, slate tiles, and paper towls.
And, double check that the calcium is phosphorus free.
You'll want to make sure you have a top for your cage of some sort as they are great little esacpe artists.
You'll need fixtures for the bulbs (which you probably have but didn't list)
You'll need a food dish for veggies and/or worms
Something to house feeders in (I use rubber maid tubs for my roach colonies and crickets)
You'll also want a multivitamin (I recomend Rep-Cal Herative)
You'll need food for the feeders which will varry depending on what you use
Sorry that this is so long, I just want to make sure it's all covered.
Just in case, I always have neosporin or polysporin on hand in case of a sore or something (you never know and we use it for our boo-boo's too)
If you'd like to do a growth chart, a digital kitchen scale to track weight (I got one to be sure mine gained weight when she had paracites)
You'll also want some extra cash for a vet check and fecal for 2-4 weeks after you get him or her
As for male or female being easier, imo, they are about the same. The only major difference is females can lay infertile eggs even if not being with a male so you'd have to take extra precautions for a pregnant female.

 

[Light_The_Sky]

Ok. I took the sand out and Im gonna get tile, but I have a question about that. Won't tile get really hot under a heat lamp?

I do have a top to my cage, I got all the little dishes and all that stuff, I just didnt list them.

I was also kinda confused about the lights. I need a Heat Lamp and a Basking Light right? Ive heard so many different things from different people! I dont know what to think!

I think thats all of my questions, thank you for your help!

 

[brittany]

The tile can get hot but if your temps are right, there shouldn't be a problem. You'll also need either a digital thermometer with a probe (stick ons are up to 20 degrees off) or a temp gun from http://www.tempgun.com so you know you're temps. I prefer the temp gun. You can get the digital with a probe at Walmart in the outdoor thermometer section for $12.

Heat lamps and basking lamps are the exact same thing. You need a heat lamp and a UVB lamp. There are two different ways to do lighting so I will try and explain them in a way that makes sense. A normal house bulb works well for a heat bulb. They do the same thing just 1/2 the price from a pet store.

Way #1. For this, you use a heat bulb and a separate UVB bulb (heat bulbs do not have UVB). For your size tank, I'd recomend starting with a 100 watt bulb. Sometimes it takes more than one heat bulb to get the temps right. Next, you'll want a strip UVB light, the Repti-Sun 10.0 being the best. They run about $50-$60 in a pet store or $22 from http://www.reptiledirect.com For your size tank, you'll want the 36" bulb. You'll need a long fixture for this, like a shop lite fixture that you can get at Walmart or a harware store. Those run about $8-$30. The UVB has to be replaced every 6 months.

Way #2. This is what's called an MVB (mercury vapor bulb) which produces both UVB and heat. They have to be at least 12" from the basking area though. These run $30 to $80. These need to be replaced once a year. This bulb is one of the best out there. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/-/t-rex-100-watt-flood-active-uv-heat-bulb/

I hope this makes sense and if anything needs clarification just ask.

 

[Light_The_Sky]

Ok, it all makes sense now! Thanks! All I gotta do now is grab a select few things and Im ready to pick out my new best bud. Yay! Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it! I'll try to post up some picks when I get my beardie.

 

[brittany]

I'm glad that it makes sense and that I was able to help. We all love pics too. Good luck!