-
Hello guest! Are you a Bearded Dragon enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Beardie enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your dragons and enclosures and have a great time with other Bearded Dragon enthusiasts. Sign up today!
Help!!!
- Thread starter h2simms
- Start date
Basically you just build a box. You need to decide how its going to open. I would either seal the wood so moisture doesn't rot it, or cover the inside walls, floor, and ceiling with FRP or tile board. Put vents on the middle of the two far walls. Put them either on the middle or a couple inches above the substrate line (no screen tops). Mount all lights on the inside. Just attach them to the ceiling. Put silicon on all the corners and inside edges. Good luck!
- Messages
- 37
Why no screen tops?
Screen/open top enclosures cause very poor air movement. The hot light bulbs shoot hot air in the enclosure. The hot air turns around and goes straight back up and out the enclosure (nothing to slow the process). The dry, hot air from the light bulbs absorbs moisture from the enclosures furniture (substrate, logs, water bowl) and its inhabitants (your beardie). It causes your dragon to dehydrate more rapidly than an enclosure with a solid top.
The screen top also makes keeping in heat impossible (hot air rises). A higher watt bulb is needed to keep temperatures where they need to be. High watt bulbs eat away at electricity and throw off more heat, making air temps hotter. The extra watts needed to compensate for the heat loss just further increases moisture loss and dehydration. I heat an entire 60"x30"x30" enclosure with one 50 watt halogen indoor/outdoor floodbulb. A heat a 48"x24"x24" enclosure with one 65 watt incandescent flood bulb (incandescents aren't as powerful as halogens).
With screen tops your starting at a negative. I'm not saying an animal can't get dehydrated with a solid top, but it greatly slows the process. Screen tops can be used. You just have to make sure they get more fluids than normal.
The screen top also makes keeping in heat impossible (hot air rises). A higher watt bulb is needed to keep temperatures where they need to be. High watt bulbs eat away at electricity and throw off more heat, making air temps hotter. The extra watts needed to compensate for the heat loss just further increases moisture loss and dehydration. I heat an entire 60"x30"x30" enclosure with one 50 watt halogen indoor/outdoor floodbulb. A heat a 48"x24"x24" enclosure with one 65 watt incandescent flood bulb (incandescents aren't as powerful as halogens).
With screen tops your starting at a negative. I'm not saying an animal can't get dehydrated with a solid top, but it greatly slows the process. Screen tops can be used. You just have to make sure they get more fluids than normal.
- Messages
- 89
Heh, we don't have a screen top. He is so big and his cage is small, The cage would be like a box floating in lava if we had a top, Because the lamp is very big. He likes it better, Because sunlight from the window seeps in as well.
- Messages
- 112
I know you were talking more about screen tops meaning for the actual entire ceiling, but just to add in a clarifying point, if you have a screen underneath your lighting housing (ours has a tube flourescent bulb, and a heat emitter and two other bulbs for basking) the screen can alter the wavelength of your UVB/UVA rays.
I know ZooMed (the type of bulb I use - ReptiSun) has a documented range of up to 20", but with a screen underneath it, it has been tested to provide about 12" range. So I took the screen that came with the housing off since my beardie can't reach it anyway.
Now I should be getting the full 20" range and with an 18" height on my viv, I should be good. Hope this adds to the thread.
I know ZooMed (the type of bulb I use - ReptiSun) has a documented range of up to 20", but with a screen underneath it, it has been tested to provide about 12" range. So I took the screen that came with the housing off since my beardie can't reach it anyway.
Now I should be getting the full 20" range and with an 18" height on my viv, I should be good. Hope this adds to the thread.
- Messages
- 37
Re: Help!!! - need suggestions
Any suggestions on how to fix up my viv? I'm not replacing the 6ft tank! But I have two cats that would love to get their paws on my lizards
So I need to keep the top. I would like to put the heat lamp inside the tank, but I don't know how to fasten it and I'm afraid of Scuttle leaping into it (you'd swear she's part frog or gazelle!). I've been putting a blanket on top (away from the heat lamp) and I'm thinking about getting some thick plastic and cutting it to fit the top while allowing a space for the heat lamp. I'd rather have a simpler solution.
What do you think?
Any suggestions on how to fix up my viv? I'm not replacing the 6ft tank! But I have two cats that would love to get their paws on my lizards
So I need to keep the top. I would like to put the heat lamp inside the tank, but I don't know how to fasten it and I'm afraid of Scuttle leaping into it (you'd swear she's part frog or gazelle!). I've been putting a blanket on top (away from the heat lamp) and I'm thinking about getting some thick plastic and cutting it to fit the top while allowing a space for the heat lamp. I'd rather have a simpler solution.What do you think?
- Messages
- 112
I forewent the expense and bought the official hood for my viv. It had everything I needed and the top doens't get hot. It wasn't cheap!
Are you looking for the do-it-yourself version to save the expense?
Are you looking for the do-it-yourself version to save the expense?
Mounting the light inside the terrarium is ideal for all lizards. It takes a little wiring, but its not hard. I'm no electrician and I did it. I can't tell you what I used because I don't know what its called 
, but I'm sure the people working in the electrical section of your local hardware store can help. Heres a pic.
, but I'm sure the people working in the electrical section of your local hardware store can help. Heres a pic.
- Messages
- 48
We actually bought just a normal clip on desk lamp that you would use to clip on your bed for reading and fitted the basking lamp inside that so we just clamp the lamp to the side of the tank
You might wanna check out this post by TheWolfman. At the bottom their is a link to directions in building a Bearded Dragon Cage
Hello i have built a couple different cages and the first thing is you need to know the size you want, then where do you want to be able to reach your dragon (from the front are the top) i thinks the sliding glass in the front is the best type of setup. once you get all that in place its not to much at all. You can go to any home depot and find the stuff you will need.
1. start with a sheet of ply wood 4ftx8ft about 1/2in you can cut it your self are have home depot do it. All you to do is make four cuts at 2 ft and three of them are for bottom, back, top. Yous should have one piece left over 2ftx4ft you will cut that in half and end up with 2ftx2ft them will be the sides. use what you have to build a box.
2. figure where you are going to put your vents and take a jig saw and cut the hole for the vents. you can put the vents on the top and use some wire mesh to cover are you can buy some vent covers and place them on the side(make sure if you do it this way to place some screen to stop bugs from escaping)
3. you will then want to seal all the seems inside with caulking
4. Now the fun sanding. sand the outside nice and smooth than paint/stain whatever color leaving the inside. Now some people like the bright white background so you can paint the back and sides white are you can get creative and make a fake rock background, whatever you like
5. Once yo have finished all this you will need to place the tracking for the glass use no nails to glue the tracking in place.
6. set your lights up on the inside add the glass and you are styling .
Here are a couple pics i found from my first project.
hope this helps.
1. start with a sheet of ply wood 4ftx8ft about 1/2in you can cut it your self are have home depot do it. All you to do is make four cuts at 2 ft and three of them are for bottom, back, top. Yous should have one piece left over 2ftx4ft you will cut that in half and end up with 2ftx2ft them will be the sides. use what you have to build a box.
2. figure where you are going to put your vents and take a jig saw and cut the hole for the vents. you can put the vents on the top and use some wire mesh to cover are you can buy some vent covers and place them on the side(make sure if you do it this way to place some screen to stop bugs from escaping)
3. you will then want to seal all the seems inside with caulking
4. Now the fun sanding. sand the outside nice and smooth than paint/stain whatever color leaving the inside. Now some people like the bright white background so you can paint the back and sides white are you can get creative and make a fake rock background, whatever you like
5. Once yo have finished all this you will need to place the tracking for the glass use no nails to glue the tracking in place.
6. set your lights up on the inside add the glass and you are styling .
Here are a couple pics i found from my first project.
hope this helps.
