What do you all think of my viv???

[beardieman08]

Hi This is my Beardie Charlie he's around 4 months old and just over 10' long.......

 

[vickson420]

Topic moved to Enclosures

Hi
Its very nice.I like the plants and logs.I do have a few corrections/suggestions.First it appears you are using a red light for heat.Beardies like bright white light/You can use a regular bright white household bulb for this.Just play with the different wattages until you get the desired temps.Also is there any way to lower the UV bulb?Its a bit far from him.You really want him to be able to get within 6-8inches of it.At the distance you have it he really isnt getting the benefits of it.Last thing is more of a question as I cant se it,what type of substrate are you using?Also do you have a digital probe thermometer or an infared temp gun?

-Vicky

 

[coltonl]

nice set up but do u have any ventilation in there because i cant see any unless its in the front????

 

[Sheepard]

Looks very nice!

 

[muzikfreakah]

Looks nice I think he is too far from your UV though. What is the size of your tank?

 

[beardieman08]

Thanks for your replies.... i'm going to lower the uv tube and change the red light for a white one...the vents are behind the uv tube and he comes out at least once a day..i'm using calcium sand which is very fine and perfectly safe for reptiles(should be at the price i paid) I'm building a new Viv and xmas has i think he's out growing this one has its only 2foot by 2 foot. I have a twmp gauge in there which has been checked against a digital probe thermo......

I'll post new pic when i've carried out the work....

 

[beardieman08]

Some close up pics of Charlie he's shedding right now and has some nice colours coming through (camera is poor quality)

Hope you like the pics....

 

[muzikfreakah]

Thanks for your replies.... i'm going to lower the uv tube and change the red light for a white one...the vents are behind the uv tube and he comes out at least once a day..i'm using calcium sand which is very fine and perfectly safe for reptiles(should be at the price i paid) I'm building a new Viv and xmas has i think he's out growing this one has its only 2foot by 2 foot. I have a twmp gauge in there which has been checked against a digital probe thermo......

I'll post new pic when i've carried out the work....

Sorry really to be the one to tell you this but calcium sand isnt good for your dragon, when they accidentally ingest it binds to the body and becomes impacted. I recommend you change it asap for the safety of your dragon who has a very beautiful morph by the way.

 

[peera]

Sorry to tell you, but calcium sand isn't safe. Try pouring a little water on it. See how it clumps? Now imagine it doing that inside your dragon. Around here we refer to it as "death sand" because the calcium in the sand encourages them to eat it and then it clumps up and impacts them. It actually has a warning label on it that it's not safe for juviniles, although it's not safe for any dragon, but they wouldn't be able to sell it if they admitted that. If you really want your dragon on sand, you can get washed and shifted silica free playsand at Home Depot for like $5 for a 50 lb bag, but even that should only be used after 1 year. Personally, I'm all for tile. It's much more sanitary (particle substrate harbors bacteria no matter how often you clean up after them, unless you're throwing it all out every time they poop) and so much cheaper since you'll never have to replace it.

 

[beardieman08]

What type of tiles do you use? I would of thought they would find it hard to walk on tile and where do you put the heat mat?

 

[peera]

Any tile like you would use in your own kitchen will do, so long as when you drag your fingernails over it you can feel the texture.

I don't use a heat mat. Dragons can't feel heat from below so they don't know to move if the floor gets to hot and can get burnt.

 

[brazilman93]

Try drilling small holes in the top and hangning the uvb lights by a small string, this could get it closer to the dragon, the uvb lights should be not more than a foot away for the dragon to get the full benefits. Other than the UVB the viv is great.

 

[Evin]

Thanks for your replies.... i'm going to lower the uv tube and change the red light for a white one...the vents are behind the uv tube and he comes out at least once a day..i'm using calcium sand which is very fine and perfectly safe for reptiles(should be at the price i paid) I'm building a new Viv and xmas has i think he's out growing this one has its only 2foot by 2 foot. I have a twmp gauge in there which has been checked against a digital probe thermo......

I'll post new pic when i've carried out the work....

Its better for your dragon and your wallet to use regular play sand from homedepot which is only $6.39 for a 20kg (around 50lb) bag, as people said before its not recommended to use sand at all but i use sand for my dragon since he was about 6 months and hes in perfect health. As long as your dragon is healthy and doesn't have any problems i think sand is fine and i love to see my dragon jumping around and then digging holes in sand and sleep in them at night

 

[beardieman08]

Hi i''m from the U.K by the way and the sand i purchased is safe i've checked this with a known breeder and he said its fine has it will not clog together when wet, nor will it cause my beardie any digestion problems has its totally digestable.. Its made by a company called T-rex just incase anyone wanted to check it out.

 

[vickson420]

Hi i''m from the U.K by the way and the sand i purchased is safe i've checked this with a known breeder and he said its fine has it will not clog together when wet, nor will it cause my beardie any digestion problems has its totally digestable.. Its made by a company called T-rex just incase anyone wanted to check it out.

Is this what your using?
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?FamilyID=6325&cm_sp=certona-_-1-_-6325
I am sorry but your friend is VERY mistaken.It is not digestable.It is edible but not digestible.It is lethal stuff.All calcium based sand binds to their intestinal tracts and should never be used.Over time this will build up and cause serious impaction that would require surgery.Aside from the impaction risk the constant exposure to the calcium carbonate can actually damage their organs and cause hypercalcemia which is just as bad as not getting enough calcium.Another littel known fact about calcium carbonate is that it is actually toxic to humans.I promise you I am not making this up.I have plenty of data I could send you on it if you would like.This is a typical sales tactic used by pet stores,breeders,etc.I would go with solid substrate.Better safe then sorry,right?