what else do i need?

[ShadowLizard]

I have for my beardie, Aro.

1. Alfalfa meal bedding.
2. A tree for him to climb on.
3. a water bowl, and a greens dish.
4. a 100 watt red bulb.
5. a 17 watt curly bulb, (forgot what its called)
6. and a slate rock, for him to lay on.

 

[redflea13]

You'll need to replace the red light with a white light. And the "curly" compact light with a tube light. The curly type can cause blindness from too much uv. They do better with a day light basking than a red light and unless it gets below 60 F they don't need a red light at night. You didn't mention a substrate so I'm goimg to recomend slate floor tiles.

 

[wizbee]

You won't need the alfalfa meal bedding either. A white household light bulb will work just fine if you can get the temps right. Measure them with a digital or temp gun not the round dial thermometers. Check out the caresheets at the top of this page for lots of info and keep asking questions for a healthy happy beardie!

 

[Nasubi77]

I have for my beardie, Aro.

1. Alfalfa meal bedding.
2. A tree for him to climb on.
3. a water bowl, and a greens dish.
4. a 100 watt red bulb.
5. a 17 watt curly bulb, (forgot what its called)
6. and a slate rock, for him to lay on.

I don't recall seeing alfalfa meal specifically being addressed anywhere, but the general consensus is that any substrate that has particles is an impaction risk. It's best to use solid substrate like tiles or non-adhesive shelf liner, or even paper towels.

The red bulb is unnecessary, and not a good daytime basking light. Beardies need and like bright white light. You can use a regular household bulb for a basking bulb. No light at night should be used. If your temps get too low, consider a ceramic heat emitter.

The "curly" bulb is a compact coil UVB, which is DANGEROUS, so I would advise you turn it off ASAP. He's better off without UVB for a few days that to be exposed to the hazards of the compact coil UVB. Instead, use a flourescent tube type of UVB bulb. The best one is the ReptiSUN 10.0. You can get a fluorescent fixture at Lowes or Wal Mart. Be sure the length covers at least 2/3 of the tank or the whole length of the tank if that's feasible.

Everything else is okay. Be sure you have a good thermometer and measure on the surface of where he basks whether it's on the tree or on the rock. Also, be sure his basking spot is elevated so that he can get within 8-12 inches of the UVB. That is, once you get the correct UVB.

As for the water dish...some people do, some people don't. It's actually a drowning hazard if you have a pretty small beardie. Most beardies don't recognize standing water as something they should drink, so those with water dishes end up using them for a pool or potty. You're actually probably better off without it until he learns to drink from a bowl (which may never happen) or at least until he gets bigger. You may find that it's just another thing to clean and it's not really worth it. You'll be giving him a bath every few days (right?), so he'll get his hydration in the bath.

Enjoy your new bub!

 

[akingsley9000]

Hi,

Here is a list of all the items you will need for a happy and healthy beardie:

Option 1:
40 gallon breeder tank (minimum for an adult)
Basking bulb (this can be just an ordinary house holdbulb)
Clamp lamp (for basking bulb)
36" Reptisun 10 tube or Repti-glo 8.0 (if you can find it) (need to be replaced every 6 months)
Florescent light fixture (you can get these at home depot or lowes, they are shop lights)
Substrate for the bottom - non-adhesive shelf liner, paper towels, news paper, tile, washed & sifted childrens play sand (sand for sub-adults/adults only)
Thermometer - either a digital one with a probe or a temp gun
Basking platform
Food dishes
Calcium with D3 Phosperus free
Multi-vitiman
Large Cricket Keeper

Option 2:
40 gallon breeder tank (minimum for an adult)
Mercury Vapor Bulb (t-rex active heat uv, power sun or reptileUV) (these are more expenseive to start with but are much better and last 2x as long)
Deep Clamp lamp (for MVB)
Clamp lamp (incase you need extra light at the other end of the viv)
Substrate for the bottom - non-adhesive shelf liner, paper towels, news paper, tile, washed & sifted childrens play sand (sand for sub-adults/adults only)
Thermometer - either a digital one with a probe or a temp gun
Basking platform
Food dishes
Calcium no D3 Phosperus free
Multi-vitiman
Large Cricket Keeper

Things to stay away from:
colored bulbs
coil/compact bulbs
any bulbs by ESU or Zilla
Calci-Sand
Repti-Sand

~Allison