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Novice beardie keeper seeks advice

Shorrie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
Location
England (Essex).
The little tykes do better with less in their vivs. How old are your BD's? You have a UVB 10.0 or 10%, right? It should cover the basking spot as well as the basking light. Thermostats should have one directly under the basking spot and one on the cool end furthest away from the light (digital with probes seem to work best). Non-particle substrate is required for babies, adults can be placed on childrens washed play sand as long as you strain it yourself and make sure that there are no larger chunks in it.

Aleena

Yeah have a 42" 10%, it is covering the basking area, as you mentioned there is a thermometer at the basking area and another as far away as possible. I've got the thermostate probe half way between the heat sources and the cool end, does that sound okay??

Shorrie
 

Aleena

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Location
Utah
Aleena

Yeah have a 42" 10%, it is covering the basking area, as you mentioned there is a thermometer at the basking area and another as far away as possible. I've got the thermostate probe half way between the heat sources and the cool end, does that sound okay??

Shorrie
Should be one directly under the basking light... or lights I suppose in this case. It's hotter directly underneath, otherwise it may be too hot or too cool and you never know.

Oh, thermostat probe! Not thermometer. Sorry!
 

Shorrie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
Location
England (Essex).
Should be one directly under the basking light... or lights I suppose in this case. It's hotter directly underneath, otherwise it may be too hot or too cool and you never know.

Oh, thermostat probe! Not thermometer. Sorry!

Gotcha You had it right I miss read you comment, I'll move the thermostate probe under the basking lamp. The thermostate only has one probe is that a problem??

Shorrie
 

Aleena

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Gotcha You had it right I miss read you comment, I'll move the thermostate probe under the basking lamp. The thermostate only has one probe is that a problem??

Shorrie
For ease you might want to consider getting another, for now you can just put the probe under one and leave it there for 30 minutes to an hour and make sure the temp is at a good range for the age of the dragon, then move it to the other and do the same check.
 

Shorrie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
Location
England (Essex).
For ease you might want to consider getting another, for now you can just put the probe under one and leave it there for 30 minutes to an hour and make sure the temp is at a good range for the age of the dragon, then move it to the other and do the same check.

Thanks I'll look at upgrading the thermostate then when at the weekend I want things right do the 21st of July. It's when we get the dragon, I'll post some pic's as soon as we get beardie home!

Shorrie
 

Aleena

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Utah
Thanks I'll look at upgrading the thermostate then when at the weekend I want things right do the 21st of July. It's when we get the dragon, I'll post some pic's as soon as we get beardie home!

Shorrie
Will be looking forward to seeing them!
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
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Messages
4,493
Location
North America
Reading these posts, I think you 2 are confusing each other between thermostat sensors & thermometer sensors ;) .

Personally, I have never used one, but thermostats are good if night heat is required because the night ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60s F (17C) to control a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter). But for daytime or Basking Spot heat, I wouldn't use one to control the Basking Bulb. Once the proper temp is reached it would shut off the bulb, once the temps drop a certain amount, it would turn it back on. The Basking Bulb would be going on & off throughout the day, like turning the Sun on & off, which in my opinion does nothing but confuse the BD.

The majority of us simply play with the distance & wattage of the Heat\Basking Bulb from the basking spot until the proper temps are achieved in our normal ambient daytime room temp. Once that is found, it should not have to be adjusted much at all after that, but still should be monitored.
 

Aleena

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Location
Utah
Reading these posts, I think you 2 are confusing each other between thermostat sensors & thermometer sensors ;) .

Personally, I have never used one, but thermostats are good if night heat is required because the night ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60s F (17C) to control a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter). But for daytime or Basking Spot heat, I wouldn't use one to control the Basking Bulb. Once the proper temp is reached it would shut off the bulb, once the temps drop a certain amount, it would turn it back on. The Basking Bulb would be going on & off throughout the day, like turning the Sun on & off, which in my opinion does nothing but confuse the BD.

The majority of us simply play with the distance & wattage of the Heat\Basking Bulb from the basking spot until the proper temps are achieved in our normal ambient daytime room temp. Once that is found, it should not have to be adjusted much at all after that, but still should be monitored.
That's kinda what I was wondering if that's what Shorrie was talking about.
 

Germ

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The way I am understanding it, is that he does have 2 thermometers, both with sensors, one mounted at the Basking Spot & the other at the furthest point from the heat bulb which would be his cool side. Along with this, he has a thermostat sensor mounted half way up the wall in the middle of the enclosure, but I don't understand what that controls. Sounds like he does have the thermometers in the correct areas, though.
 

ThDude

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
487
Location
Virginia
a basking rock or two is really all a bearded dragon needs when you first get it, mainly with babies this is what is done.

once you have had it for a few weeks you can ad things like logs, leafy stuff and decoration
 

Shorrie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
Location
England (Essex).
So I have the thermometers in the righ place, the instructions that came with the pulse thermostate said place half way along the enclosure, what do you guys think, I think it would make more sense to have at the hot end. Surely this would allow the air more time/space to cool.

Shorrie
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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What heat source are you going to use the thermostat to control? I have been in the hobby for over 10 years & have never found a practical need or use for one, other than possibly to control night heat if required. I have noticed that the majority of Thermostat users are from the UK, I'm thinking that someone there, is feeding & selling you folks unnecessary & impractical equipment for this application.

The only reason that I can think of is if there are such drastic heat variations of the ambient room temps throughout the day in the homes, that it is necessary to keep stable environment temps & controls a CHE to do this & not the lighting or basking bulb.
 

Shorrie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
Location
England (Essex).
You might be right, to be honest most of the research I did was web based and appeared to be from the Uk, perhaps they're on a commission. The temp does drop a bit at night especial during winter. I was going to use it to regulate the night/day temp. You referred to a CHE wIthout sounding like a idiot what's that?
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
4,493
Location
North America
Personally, I have never used one, but thermostats are good if night heat is required because the night ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60s F (17C) to control a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter). But for daytime or Basking Spot heat, I wouldn't use one to control the Basking Bulb. Once the proper temp is reached it would shut off the bulb, once the temps drop a certain amount, it would turn it back on. The Basking Bulb would be going on & off throughout the day, like turning the Sun on & off, which in my opinion does nothing but confuse the BD.

The majority of us simply play with the distance & wattage of the Heat\Basking Bulb from the basking spot until the proper temps are achieved in our normal ambient daytime room temp. Once that is found, it should not have to be adjusted much at all after that, but still should be monitored.
This is a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) - screws into a regular light socket (Should be a porcelain or ceramic socket) & provides heat with no light emitted. Generally used for night heat if the night ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60s F (17C).

CHE003.jpg
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
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Location
North America
;) That is what the packaging & advertising calls them, so for people to be able to find what they are looking for, that is what we call them. :D

I have lots of those "DUH! :confused: " moments, so don't feel bad. ;)
 

Shorrie

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
Location
England (Essex).
Germ, Sorry I haven't answered Your question, I'm using the thermostate to regulate the CHE, as a top up/night temperature regulator. Just in case the viv temperature drops, I've pretty much got the day time temperature (hot and cold ends) spot on. My real concern is how much our temperature can vary in England, it's July and the colonel in chief thought about putting the heating back on a few nights ago. If we gave anymore rain might have to think about building myself an Ark.

More importantly we went to see a couple of breeders at the weekend. Ellie picked out our latest addition to the family, he's a handsome looking young male and she's named him Brian. We will be picking him up next Saturday on her Birthday.

Regards all
 
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