Hey Everybody, New Owner Here!

[woodson28]

Just wanted to say hello, my name is Jason & I brought home my lil guy 2days ago as a gift for my daughter (and myself!) He's 4 months old & very calm & tons of personality. This forum has been an amazing source of info for me & I'm not nervous at all because I know any question that comes up, I can find an answer here. You guys are my safety net!
I went to the Pomona reptile super show this weekend with no intentions of buying yet.. I held my first BD ever. I was a lil nervous, as I've never been a fan of reptiles until recently, & this lil guy put his spell on me. He was so calm, he just there on my hand smiling at me the whole time I talked to the breeder. My heart actually started pounding with excitement & I knew this was my guy! I'm so happy with him & my daughter absolutely loves him. I look forward to spoiling him & watching my lil guy grow up & live a long happy life, just as soon as I find him a name..
Here's a pic of him & his encloser.. any feedback is welcomed..

 

[Germ]

Hi Jason,

He's a cutie ...

Please get those pellets out of there asap. They pose a high impaction risk, bacteria growth, etc. Will also provide great places for feeders to burrow & hide.

Both the UVB & the Heat bulb must be on the same side, covering the basking spot.

A few good links to help get you started ...

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?

 

[woodson28]

Aww man, I was told those pellets would help avoid impaction! Right after I bought the pellets, I read that tile is a good choice.. I think ill go get some today. I will also make sure to get him some UVB over the basking spot.. the screen cover over his encloser is sectional & has a piece of wood that blocks me from having a UVB that reaches across the entire length of the cage. Should I buy a combo deep dome for that side as well as keeping the one I do have where it is?

 

[Germ]

Hard to tell from the pic just how big the fixtures are, but it appears that there may be room to put the tube across the back on the basking side, with the heat fixture placed in front of it, achieving what you need. On the right side, very little, if any, UVB will reach the floor because a big part of it will be Blocked\Filtered\Reflected by the screen. For this reason I also suggest raising the basking spot a few more inches to bring it closer to the UVB Bulb in order for it to be effective. Should be within 8".

Another thing, that fixture appears to be one of those slimline type that has a plastic cover\diffuser over the bulb. If it is, this cover should be removed, so there is nothing between the Bulb & screen, UVB will not pass through solid filters such as Glass or plastic.

 

[woodson28]

Ok, here is a pic of the top of the cage.. what do you think I should go with on that little section? There is 10in from left to right on that section.. 15in front to back..
As far as the fixture for my current UVB, which is a reptisun 10.0, has nothing blocking the bulb other than the screen.. but I will definitely think of a way to raise him closer to the rays, within those 8 inches.

 

[Germ]

I would put the basking spot on the right or simply reverse the screen end for end, with both fixtures on the larger screened section.

on the type of Bulb & fixture.

 

[woodson28]

My only issue with that is, the smaller section is on there for good, doesn't come off. The larger portion is the opening & I don't want to be moving everything when I need to get in there.. I don't mind buying another UVB bulb for that side & just having 1 on each side to get the proper coverage.. but would it be better to get another reptisun 10.0 like the one I already have, or buy the combo deep dome & go with compact florecent next to the basking bulb? Or lol.. shud i just eat top ramen for a few weeks & buy the all in one powersun? (It's cool I like noodles)

 

[woodson28]

Did I mention my daughter loves him! Lol

Don't worry, I don't let him stay out too long, don't want him to get cold or robbed of time under his UVB.. But my daughter promised him a morning bath, a tea party, & a nap in barbies master bedroom.. & she keeps her promises

 

[Germ]

MVBs are designed for much larger enclosures, have minimum safe ranges that are not suited to or can not be achieved in most smaller enclosures & are not all that they are cracked up to be.

Wouldn't do much good to get another like you have when this one won't work for you. Coverage is only needed at the Basking spot, as it is generally the only place in the enclosure that it can get close enough for it to be effective & is where it should be spending the majority of it's time if your temps are right, anyway. They should be able to get away from the UVB should they feel the need, as they would in the shade, which would be your cool side.

By the sounds of it for your setup, your best bet would be the combo, be sure to get the 25W or 26W compact UVB, depending on which brand you purchase. You still need to raise the basking spot to get closer to the UVB, then play with Bulb types, wattages & distance to get the right temps.

Another option is to mount the UVB fixture that you have inside the enclosure, then you don't need to be as close to the UVB, because it is not being blocked\reflected\filtered by the screen & would only need to be within 10"-12" from the bulb. You would also be able to get the full life of the bulb, rather than half, when filtered through a screen. All my UVB fixtures are tubes & all are mounted inside for this reason, better UVB coverage & longer replacement time. Good quality Hot Glue works very well for mounting & generally provides a stronger bond that the plastic itself. It can easily be moved or removed by cutting the glue with a razor knife when & if needed.

 

[Germ]

What are you using for thermometers to check your temps, where are you checking them specifically & what are they, basking spot & cool side?

 

[Germ]

'Ken' for a name, seeing as how he shares Barbies Bed .

 

[woodson28]

Thank you so much, this is all very helpful! Can you please post a pic of your light so i can see how you have it mounted inside? I have a zoomed mini temperature gun. His basking spot ranges from 92 degrees at the bottom to 106 at the top. But I'm not confident in the consistent accuracy of this temp gun.. the cool side is 90-93 degrees

 

[Germ]

Basking temp should be in the 110F range with the Cool side in the 80-85F range, if you raise your basking spot you will likely need to use a lower wattage bulb & that should rectify that. Temp gun use info that may be useful ...

http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/i...ed-thermometers-temp-guns.5874/#axzz23Xw85Dwa

A couple of my UVB lights mounted inside ...

 

[Pat B]

Welcome to BDF!! I think your beardie really is smiling....mine never does....he is a 'grump'! Listen to Germ....he has been doing this for a very long time and always helps new owners get on the right track. Mounting your UVB light on the inside of your viv is a good idea. You can mount it with a hot glue gun....works really well. Enjoy your stay and ask away with any questions....someone will always help you!

 

[woodson28]

Thank you! I'm heading to lowe's now & I'm gona work on getting tile down for substrate & ill pick up a hot glue gun & get to work on the UVB. I really appriciate the help & ill be sure to check back in when I'm done for more tips! Hey real quick, does Repashy have any products that would be beneficial to beardies? Can I use the all in one Calcium plus for him?

 

[Germ]

have never used the stuff & know nothing about it. There is a thread on here someplace about it though ...

You are welcome

 

[woodson28]

Ok, 1 down.. tried to go with velcro but the cord kept the back of the fixture & the glass from touching. So I played with a wire hanger for a while until I got it perfect! So its a combination of velcro on the side of the tank & wire on the other side. I also cut half inch off the front guard of the fixture so the angle allows the light to reach the whole tank.
The switch to turn the light off is now blocked, but I have it plugged into a power strip right in back of the tank on the dresser, so its very easy to just unplug it until I can get a timer.

 

[Germ]

I tried the Velcro years ago when I first started, but kept knocking it off as I would reach into my enclosures & after time the glue on the Velcro tabs would release, then used 100% silicone which also worked very well, but needed 24-48 hrs curing time. Then tried the Hot Glue & that has worked very well for me. It looks like the combination of the Velcro & wire might work very well for you too

. Looks good.

Slipping some tin foil in behind the bulb as a reflector really helps to increase the amount of UVB radiated too.

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

It looks good, it does the job. I like it.
Tell your daughter I like her little doll room, it fits the BD really well. It's OK for her to play with it, that's where the fun is.

 

[Germ]

BDs should not be 'Played' with, 'gently handled' yes. Young children must be closely supervised with these guys for both their protection & be very sure to wash their hands after any handling to avoid the possibility of salmonella.