New to owning a bearded dragon and not sure how to set-up tank

[auntiedeb99]

Hi all,

A couple of days ago we turned our 55 gallon aquarium into an attractive desert vivarium. I bought a book about lizards, read several websites and decided on buying a bearded dragon. I thought I had everything ready to go when we went to get our juvenile bearded dragon yesterday afternoon. The petshop people grilled me on bearded dragon care and I went home somewhat confused. We put our new beardie into his home and had fun feeding him some crickets. After the kids went to bed, I went back on the internet to resolve the confusing issues that the petshop worker mentioned. And now I am more confused than ever.

I thought sand was a fine substrate (from both the book I got and a couple of internet sites I looked at) but apparently it can cause a fatal obstruction! I also didn't realize that I needed to sterilize all rocks and branches. And now I read that the UVB light I bought may be bad for it's eyes. Not to mention the dangerous burns caused by the heated rock I put in!

So, I want to make sure I am doing this right: I soaked the rocks in a bleach solution, rinsed well and dried. I baked the sticks and branches to sterilize in the oven. I removed the sand and replaced it with reptile carpet. The heated rock is no longer in the tank. I have a UVB light source that I am unsure of. And a 60W flood light that heats the basking branch to about 100-110F. I have a little bowl of water in the tank along with a little bowl of salad (to be replaced daily).

To clean the tank I should remove the carpet and clean it weekly, followed by disinfecting with this green spray and drying completely before adding back to the tank. Plus spraying and cleaning the inside of the tank weekly.

Does that sound right? Should I disinfect the rocks and sticks weekly or monthly?

Thanks for all the help!
Deb A.

 

[beardielover17]

Welcome to the forum! First off let me say thank goodness you looked online for further info. 99% of the books out now are a tad bit outdated as far as much of the info goes and your most reliable source of info are on forums like these. So far your enclosure setup sounds great! How do you measure your temps? You can disinfect the decor once a month unless your dragon is very messy. The only suitable UVB sources are the Megaray MVB, Trex Active UV MVB, ReptiSUN 10.0 TUBE, ReptiGLO 8.0 TUBE and the Arcadia 12% TUBE (only available in the UK). If your UVB light is none of the above, it must be switched out ASAP. If you use one of the tube UVB lights make sure your dragon gets within 4-6 inches of it to get ideal UVB exposure. If you use the MVBs then let your dragon get 12 inches from the light. Instead of the hassle of reptile carpet, have you thought about trying textured ceramic tile?

 

[renich]

It is a sad truth that many pet stores give bad info when it comes to bearded dragon care. Don't beat yourself up. I've been a victim too.

It is refreshing that you did your homework and made the necessary changes. You sound a lot like my hubby and me.

Sand is a very controversial topic. I've used. I never had any issues. But it can harbour bacteria and it is very messy. You should consider tile. It is pleasant on the eyes and easy to clean.

If you could find out the make and model of your UV light, it would help a lot. This is very important for a number of reasons. Most importantly, for your beardie to produce vitamin D that is needed to properly digest and break down food.

I'll be honest, I am a huge fan of the ReptiSun tube 10.0. It is the best on the market. It has UV reaching the farthest distances than any I know of on the market.

 

[auntiedeb99]

Thanks for the replies!

I bought the reptiGlo 10.0 from Exo Terra.

Annoyingly, our 2 gerbils chewed through the bottom on the rubbermaid tote they've been living in for 6 months on the very same day I needed to re-do the bearded dragon set-up. It has been a crazy day.

The bearded dragon seems pretty happy and active. And he's been pooping, which I guess is good. He is so easy to hold. The only other lizard I used to own were green anoles. They were easier to take care of, but hard to handle.

Thanks again!

Deb A.

 

[crypticdragons]

Unfortunately the output from the Repti-Glo 10.0 is speratic and has been shown to cause sight problems with beardies. If you are using a Tube UV the ReptiSun 10.0 is the best on the market.

 

[renich]

I am a huge fan of the ReptiSun 10.0.