New Home

[Cotter81]

Went to get my to new beardies today. For me being a first time owner I can say that the living conditions they were in when I pick them up was not the best but I am sure that it was not the worst either. Tomorrow I am going to go get supplies to make sure that they have everything that they need. Right not the heat source is a standard household light and I am not to sure what the if the night heat light is really what they need. There is no thermometer at all so who knows if they were ever kept at the right temp. I am on a mission to make sure that these guys know what it is like to live the good life.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

You do not want any night lighting in a bearded dragon enclosure as it will only disturb their rest. That includes red lights and black lights that are advertised as being invisible to reptiles. Bearded dragons can see them.
No supplemental night heating is needed either unless the ambient room temperature in your home drops below 65 degrees F. Bearded dragons need a night temp drop in order to slow their metabolism and help them rest deeper.
If your home gets below 65F then you can use a CHE ceramic heat emitter which will emit heat without light. These have to be used with a thermostat and set to just come on enough to knock the chill of and bring the temp back up to 65F.
This is usually only needed in winter if you keep you home extra cool.
Be sure to reread the basic setup section in the Basic Bearded Dragon Care Sheet so that you fully understand what they require and can get it right the first time.
One way you can save money is by using standard household indoor Halogen floodlights for their basking light. These are cheaper than the "reptile" basking lights and can be found at most home improvement centers as well as places light Walmart.
In a 40 gallon Breeder tank a 55-65 watt one is usually sufficient to get the basking temp right because these floodlights put out a lot more heat per watt compared to the "reptile" bulbs.
Another way to save some money is by using an 18" 10.0 Reptisun or Reptiglo UV tube-type bulb instead of the coil type. You can use an inexpensive under the cabinet mount fixture for these found at Walmart for around 10 bucks and mount the fixture under the screen of the enclosure to the back and side wall glass using a hot glue gun.
By mounting it like that your dragon will get full unobstructed UV and the bulb will last the full year as the manufacture says it will. Mounted above the screen the bulb is only good for 6 months.
It also will allow you to line up the UV light and the Basking light so that both shine down on the basking spot where your dragon will spend the great majority of its time.
If you have any questions as to the proper setup or exactly how to position lighting just holler out.
Remember two things...First that most of the UV emitted is done so from the center of the light and very little from the sides. You want the light mounted so that the center portion is in line with the basking spot.
Secondly...do not forget that in order to properly and accurately get your temps right requires two (2) digital thermometers with remote probes. One probe has to be attached directly on the actual basking spot. The second probe has to be attached in the coolest spot of the enclosure. Mounting them that way will give you accurate reads and also allow you to monitor for proper temp gradients in the enclosure which are another part of correct set up.
Enjoy

 

[Germ]

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?

How to sex a Bearded Dragon
How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

 

[Bubbamedic0602]

So for an enclosure that is going to be 48"x24"x24" custom built wood bottom, back, sides with single door front and screen top what lighting would be needed?

 

[Germ]

A UVB bulb that provides a Minimum of 10% UVB is require for all enclosures & must cover the basking spot at a distance close enough to be effective. BDs also need to be able to get out of the UVB should they feel the need, in the "shade' so to speak, which generally in most setups is the cool side.

We all have to play the trial & error game with different types & wattages of bulbs to provide the required temps in each of our individual setups. There are so many variables that come into play that it is impossible to say, "Use this Bulb" an that's that. Ambient room temps, size of enclosure, venting, air flow, distance to the basking spot, type of fixture, etc, etc, will all afect what needs to be used. ANY white or clear bulb of a type & wattage that will provide the required temps in your particular enclosure will do the job very nicely. Personally I use Halogen Bulbs purchased from any hardware store, Home Depot is where I get mine. Pet Store so called Basking Bulbs are no different & severely over priced, when the equivalent or better can be purchased elsewhere for less than half the price.