Does this enclosure look okay?

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

Hello, I made this account mainly so that I could get some advice from some veteran bearded dragon owners (but I'm sure it will be useful for months to come as well!) about the right setup for my bearded dragon's enclosure. I don't have a bearded dragon yet, but plan to get a baby next week (a few months old).
I have a 55 gallon glass tank and I already have a basking lamp and bulb (75 watts) from Zoo Med, two hammocks, various rocks that I found and sanitized already, hiding spot log, bridge, and two thermometer+hygrometers. My UVB bulb (10.0 Reptisun) and fixture will be coming later this week. I have turned on the basking lamp to test out the temperature on the basking spot, and it has reached 105 F. Will this be enough heat for a baby bearded dragon? Also, I have concerns that it may get hurt on the hammock if it were to fall.. I was thinking of moving the hammock that is on the cool side and putting it under the other hammock that way it can serve as both a way to more easily reach the higher hammock and catch a fall if it were to happen.
One more concern: the cool side is 77 F and 50% humidity, which I believe is a bit too high in humidity and too low in temperature. Would a regular white light bulb (40 watts?) help it reach 85 F?
Additionally, the basking spot has a humidity of 29%. Is this too low?
Sorry for all of the questions, but I want to make sure that Ember's (his/her name for now) home will be perfect when he/she arrives.

Basking spot (note: thermometer/hygrometer will be moved, but I put it there for now until I can hang it on the wall of the tank)

Cool side

 

[Silver dragons]

Hello, I made this account mainly so that I could get some advice from some veteran bearded dragon owners (but I'm sure it will be useful for months to come as well!) about the right setup for my bearded dragon's enclosure. I don't have a bearded dragon yet, but plan to get a baby next week (a few months old).
I have a 55 gallon glass tank and I already have a basking lamp and bulb (75 watts) from Zoo Med, two hammocks, various rocks that I found and sanitized already, hiding spot log, bridge, and two thermometer+hygrometers. My UVB bulb (10.0 Reptisun) and fixture will be coming later this week. I have turned on the basking lamp to test out the temperature on the basking spot, and it has reached 105 F. Will this be enough heat for a baby bearded dragon? Also, I have concerns that it may get hurt on the hammock if it were to fall.. I was thinking of moving the hammock that is on the cool side and putting it under the other hammock that way it can serve as both a way to more easily reach the higher hammock and catch a fall if it were to happen.
One more concern: the cool side is 77 F and 50% humidity, which I believe is a bit too high in humidity and too low in temperature. Would a regular white light bulb (40 watts?) help it reach 85 F?
Additionally, the basking spot has a humidity of 29%. Is this too low?
Sorry for all of the questions, but I want to make sure that Ember's (his/her name for now) home will be perfect when he/she arrives.

Basking spot (note: thermometer/hygrometer will be moved, but I put it there for now until I can hang it on the wall of the tank)
View attachment 22841
Cool side
View attachment 22843
View attachment 22844

Hello, your cage looks good to me the cool side is not too low it is just perfect. The humidity is too high though, so I would suggest trying to get more airflow there but 50% isn't super high. Where you have the Hammocks is good, bearded dragons in my experience normally don't fall so I wouldn't be super concerned about it unless you're getting a super tiny baby then I would lower it.

 

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

Hello, your cage looks good to me the cool side is not too low it is just perfect. The humidity is too high though, so I would suggest trying to get more airflow there but 50% isn't super high. Where you have the Hammocks is good, bearded dragons in my experience normally don't fall so I wouldn't be super concerned about it unless you're getting a super tiny baby then I would lower it.

Okay sounds good. Thank you!

 

[Bostonfinest]

Your enclosure looks good to me

 

[averyhanna_]

everything looks good! another suggestion for the humidity is to get a dehumidifier if you can’t get more air flow

 

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

I've got a cooling, heating, and dehumidifier unit that has attachments for the window. Takes out 60 pints per day. I just discovered the dehumidifier function (didn't really pay attention to it until I actually needed it!) and it has been running approximately 1.5-2 days. It has not really helped that much yet, but I also discovered that the filter was pretty dirty and just cleared it out today. Hoping that better air flow with cleaning the filter will start to make a difference soon. Humidity is still in the 50s (even reached 60 some yesterday).

 

[averyhanna_]

i hope it starts working. keep us updated! you can also put a fan near his enclosure to get more air flow

 

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

Humidity right now on the cool end is 49% and 30% at the warmer end. Just put in a rice sock at the cooler end to help take it down a couple percent. Is 49% acceptable for now? More important now considering that I actually have a real beardie! I've had him/her for 1.5 days.
Question about its eating: I did not feed it Saturday night because it would not have had enough heat for long enough after eating before turning lights off for bed. Yesterday morning it ate two crickets and that was it. I tried feeding it bell pepper, carrots, grapes, cucumbers, and it has licked some of it but hasn't actually eaten any greens yet. It didn't eat anything else the rest of the day. This morning it ate 4 crickets and then wouldn't eat anymore. I'll try feeding it again soon and see how much it eats. I've noticed that he/she is shedding as well and I have him/her a bath this morning as well. So new home + shedding = less eating? Oh, and in case this info is needed, she/he pooped twice in the time I've had her/him (last time was a couple a couple hours ago).
Pictures!

 

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

Update: s/he was just eating a couple veggie pieces I left out (bell pepper) and the humidity on cool side is at 45%
Also, more pictures lol

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Update: s/he was just eating a couple veggie pieces I left out (bell pepper) and the humidity on cool side is at 45%
Also, more pictures lol
View attachment 22893
View attachment 22894

Adorable baby! My baby (now about 2.5 months) usually only eats 4-5 crickets and about 1-2 roaches about every 2.5-3 hours. His little belly won't handle any more than that at a time. Not sure how old your baby is, but if he/she is young you may need to feed more often right now to make sure he/she's getting his daily protein. Eating pieces of salad is great, too, but he/she needs more of bugs so don't stress if he/she doesn't eat a ton of salad right now. About 80% bugs 20% veges, I think is the ratio for youngsters. Also, my baby recently shed and I noticed his appetite went down a bit, so since your baby is shedding he/she may not eat as much as normal during this time. His appetite picked back up once he was done the majority of his shed.

I have issues with humidity, too. Some days it's a battle even with the rice socks, fans, and dehumidifier and every once in a while his tank humidity will get up into the 50s before I can get it back down. I just need to watch it constantly some days. Gahhh. He recently had a wellness check and no signs of respiratory infection so far. Phew! Good luck with your baby. Keep us updated on his/her progress.

 

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

Adorable baby! My baby (now about 2.5 months) usually only eats 4-5 crickets and about 1-2 roaches about every 2.5-3 hours. His little belly won't handle any more than that at a time. Not sure how old your baby is, but if he/she is young you may need to feed more often right now to make sure he/she's getting his daily protein. Eating pieces of salad is great, too, but he/she needs more of bugs so don't stress if he/she doesn't eat a ton of salad right now. About 80% bugs 20% veges, I think is the ratio for youngsters. Also, my baby recently shed and I noticed his appetite went down a bit, so since your baby is shedding he/she may not eat as much as normal during this time. His appetite picked back up once he was done the majority of his shed.

I have issues with humidity, too. Some days it's a battle even with the rice socks, fans, and dehumidifier and every once in a while his tank humidity will get up into the 50s before I can get it back down. I just need to watch it constantly some days. Gahhh. He recently had a wellness check and no signs of respiratory infection so far. Phew! Good luck with your baby. Keep us updated on his/her progress.

Thank you! This morning Ember (officially decided to call him/her that so I wouldn't have to call him/her an it anymore.. hoping to figure out gender soon!) ate 6 crickets and in the last feeding ate 5 dubia roaches, so appetite (as well as energy / alertness) is definitely up. From now on I will start to feed Ember more frequently. I turn on the lights at 7-8am, so I plan to feed bugs at 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm. Lights are turned off between 9-10pm. By 9pm Ember is already gone to bed on the hammock on the cool side. Didn't sleep there the first night, but definitely has set up a routine already. It's soon fun to see Ember zoom down from the basking spot when I pour the bugs into the food dish (although sometimes I use a separate container and transport Ember there for feeding the crickets so they don't escape and roam about the enclosure, as one did once).

 

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

Also, not sure how old Ember is, only that s/he is 5-6 inches long.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Thank you! This morning Ember (officially decided to call him/her that so I wouldn't have to call him/her an it anymore.. hoping to figure out gender soon!) ate 6 crickets and in the last feeding ate 5 dubia roaches, so appetite (as well as energy / alertness) is definitely up. From now on I will start to feed Ember more frequently. I turn on the lights at 7-8am, so I plan to feed bugs at 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm. Lights are turned off between 9-10pm. By 9pm Ember is already gone to bed on the hammock on the cool side. Didn't sleep there the first night, but definitely has set up a routine already. It's soon fun to see Ember zoom down from the basking spot when I pour the bugs into the food dish (although sometimes I use a separate container and transport Ember there for feeding the crickets so they don't escape and roam about the enclosure, as one did once).

Ember is a great name! So glad to hear his/her appetite has picked up and Ember is settling in. Yeah, they eat like piggies it seems. It's funny how once a routine is established they follow it. My Dex will put himself to bed even. lol Thanks for the update. Luv hearing them.

 

[BeardedDragonDude]

Also, not sure how old Ember is, only that s/he is 5-6 inches long.

If s/he is about that size, it's probably around the 3 month mark.

 

[BeardedDragonDude]

Also, like others have said, humidity is a bit high. You might want to bring that down a little. Hope this helps!

 

[EmberTheBeardedDragon]

Hi, just an update on Ember. S/he is now 7 inches long. S/he has grown about 1 in. long since I've had her/him (my guess is boy because femoral pores are more noticeable, but I know it's still too early to tell). I can't believe it's only been 2.5 weeks since I picked Ember up! It has felt like longer lol. Also, s/he is now eating salad a lot. Favorites are kale and bell peppers (yellow and green, not the red). Doesn't really like carrots, and will only occasionally eat watermelon and cucumbers. I have not tried squash yet, but plan to.
I have managed to keep the humidity in the 40s on the cool side most of the time, except when it was crazy hot and humid and later rained on one day, where humidity shot up to the 60s. I now have it back to normal, but now I've just been making sure Ember has no signs of any respiratory problems (which there hasn't been so far). I've already done research on where to go for veterinary care if an emergency were to arise as well as for general health checks.
I am also now feeding dubia roaches (ordered online). Crickets are the worst things to keep, not to mention to feed them to Ember. Now that I feed dubias, I am never going back to crickets unless I have no other choice. Ember is eating about 200 of them every 2 weeks. I still have about 30-40 of the 200 I ordered 1.5 weeks ago, but my estimate is that s/he will go through them at about that rate. I've already ordered 200 more of them to make sure I don't run out.
Anyway, here is a few more photos lol.

Ember on one of my stuffed animals