I adopted a 4-5 year old beardie a week ago, and I'm slowly trying to make his a home a better place. i do a ton of research online but there are some things websites can't tell you. most importantly, viv design for people living in colder climates. this is what i have the most trouble with.
here's a pic, don't be too harsh in your criticism...i'm working on it. i'm making some ladders and hammocks right now and i also want to try and get a better basking spot, since seymour seems to hate this one. really he seems almost scared of that damn rock.
first, i wanted to ask opinions on lighting/heating. when i got this beardie he had a 150(maybe?) watt heat lamp that was very old and also an unknown light source that was very old as well. there was only one thermometer in the tank when i got it and it was at 80 degrees and i think it was on the warm side at the time. i replaced the ceramic heat lamp with a Exo terra 250 watt heat wave lamp ceramic heat emitter. i also got a new light source which is an exo terra 125 watt daylight solar glo light, which gives out yummy UVBs. i also picked up that second thermometer, the black one hanging in the warm side. now the thermometers read 80-83 on the cold side (depending on whether i leave the light source on the lid or clamped next to the cage) and 90-94 degrees on the warm side. my house is quite cool, it's getting into late fall here in ontario, canada. the weird thing is my beardie is never on the warm side of the tank, he's always around the middle at best. wouldn't he want to get towards those warmer temps?
anyways, i'm surprised that adding these new fixtures has brought me only a 10 degree increase, i was expecting a lot more. these lights sure are the big guns so i doubt i'll be able to get the tank hotter than 80/93 for cold/hot sides. i guess i could manage it if i bought an under-tank heater, but they are really expensive. is this temperature okay? or should i really push that extra 10 degrees?
second, i wanted to ask about decorations. do beardies really like plant decorations or is that just to make the viv more attractive for us humans? where do you guys get all the crazy stuff you have in your vivs? the ones i am in awe of the most are stone blocks that form stairs up to a higher part of the viv, like real structures. i went out rock hunting and thought i brought back something acceptable but by beardie seems to hate the basking area and never sits in it, he either hangs out around his hiding place or on the cooler side. sometimes i stick him under the lamp after he eats something but he roams away pretty quick. do bearded dragons get bored? i'm worried about him never moving around much, but that might be because there was never anything to climb on. i'm trying to fix that now with hammocks and ladders.
anyway comment on my light and heating set up, and if anyone can suggest places where i can get materials to build something interesting in the boring side of the tank it would be fantastic. a comment like "stop obsessing, it's winter, of course your beardie is doing this or that" is also acceptable, but i really have no idea @_@
(btw, ignore the sandy food dish. he almost never eats so i don't bother using that dish, i just hand feed him green beans whenever he'll munch on them. if i put them in the viv they would shrivel too quickly.)
here's a pic, don't be too harsh in your criticism...i'm working on it. i'm making some ladders and hammocks right now and i also want to try and get a better basking spot, since seymour seems to hate this one. really he seems almost scared of that damn rock.
first, i wanted to ask opinions on lighting/heating. when i got this beardie he had a 150(maybe?) watt heat lamp that was very old and also an unknown light source that was very old as well. there was only one thermometer in the tank when i got it and it was at 80 degrees and i think it was on the warm side at the time. i replaced the ceramic heat lamp with a Exo terra 250 watt heat wave lamp ceramic heat emitter. i also got a new light source which is an exo terra 125 watt daylight solar glo light, which gives out yummy UVBs. i also picked up that second thermometer, the black one hanging in the warm side. now the thermometers read 80-83 on the cold side (depending on whether i leave the light source on the lid or clamped next to the cage) and 90-94 degrees on the warm side. my house is quite cool, it's getting into late fall here in ontario, canada. the weird thing is my beardie is never on the warm side of the tank, he's always around the middle at best. wouldn't he want to get towards those warmer temps?
anyways, i'm surprised that adding these new fixtures has brought me only a 10 degree increase, i was expecting a lot more. these lights sure are the big guns so i doubt i'll be able to get the tank hotter than 80/93 for cold/hot sides. i guess i could manage it if i bought an under-tank heater, but they are really expensive. is this temperature okay? or should i really push that extra 10 degrees?
second, i wanted to ask about decorations. do beardies really like plant decorations or is that just to make the viv more attractive for us humans? where do you guys get all the crazy stuff you have in your vivs? the ones i am in awe of the most are stone blocks that form stairs up to a higher part of the viv, like real structures. i went out rock hunting and thought i brought back something acceptable but by beardie seems to hate the basking area and never sits in it, he either hangs out around his hiding place or on the cooler side. sometimes i stick him under the lamp after he eats something but he roams away pretty quick. do bearded dragons get bored? i'm worried about him never moving around much, but that might be because there was never anything to climb on. i'm trying to fix that now with hammocks and ladders.
anyway comment on my light and heating set up, and if anyone can suggest places where i can get materials to build something interesting in the boring side of the tank it would be fantastic. a comment like "stop obsessing, it's winter, of course your beardie is doing this or that" is also acceptable, but i really have no idea @_@
(btw, ignore the sandy food dish. he almost never eats so i don't bother using that dish, i just hand feed him green beans whenever he'll munch on them. if i put them in the viv they would shrivel too quickly.)
