Plans on my first bearded dragon set up.

Discussion in 'Enclosures, Heating & Lighting' started by dooneygirl09, Feb 5, 2012.

  1. dooneygirl09

    dooneygirl09 New Member

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    I am fairly new to the dragon world, and am straddling the fence on what enclosure and such to use. I am going to list the things and links I plan on using, and if you disagree or think theres something better, please let me know :) of course this is just for the hatchling or juv. once he gets bigger, i will move him to a nice 55+ I plan on keeping it decorated very little so none of the crickets can hide from it, and will watch when feeding carefully. tell me what you think. and if you know any place I can find these things cheap, bring it on

    http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4070848
    (the 40g one)
    http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...-C881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA
    (48 in)
    Light fixture for UVB light
    Just a regular hosehold light bulb for heat (what wattage do you think would be good for that size tank?)
    Light fixture for light bulb
    and of course a bowl, reptile carpet, and a log or rock.
     
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  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    Yout ideas all sound great, you've clearly been doing your research = )

    If you are looking for the most cost effective strategy, my suggestion would be to aim for the adult enclosure now, and section some off for the juvie. This would eliminate a need for new fixtures as you increase enclosure size or the need to drop a large chunk of change on two separate vivs.

    But really; these guys can grow extremely fast if fed optimally during their juvie months. Some can be ready for their adult enclosure by 6-8 months of age.

    Here are a few quick notes:
    The 40 gallon is nice because you can house an adult in it, though you ultimately want to shoot for something with another foot of length (Ideally a 48" x 18" floorspace). If you need to save up some cash for the adult viv and need some time, the 40 gallon makes for a nice...apartment to accomodate the animal for an extended stay. I know many who feel a 40 is adequate for a single adult, but I feel it is just a little too tight and they appreciate the extra floorspace. I'd also aim for a 65 gallon+ on the adult viv, as 55 gallons are only 12" in width and can be a hassle for dragons to turn around in.

    What I personally did was house my juvie in a 29 gallon and began constructing an adult viv as soon as I got him. By the time the 29 gallon got a little too tight, he was ready to be moved to the adult home. You could probably get a 20 gallon "long" aquarium or a 29 gallon (same floorspace, just taller) for cheaper than the 40, and by the time they get too small in these they are ready to take on the full fledged adult enclosure. But you can do whatever your heart desires... some people move they babies from through 3 or 4 different sized enclosures, some just use one big one sectioned off while young, etc.

    Lights: The ReptiSun 10.0 you linked to is an excellent bulb = )

    Wattage of the basking lamp: depends on the type of bulb, your ambient home temps, distance from the basking spot, etc. You'll honestly have to play around with it using a digital thermometer w/ probe or tempgun. For example, halogens run hotter than incandescents. And in the realm of incandescents, the clear bulbs run hotter than the soft whites. So nailing a wattage down based on a specific type of bulb can be very difficult. Good place to start would be 100watt bulb - set up the basking area and viv as you would like and see how hot it gets and adjust the wattage accordingly until you are in the ~105 degree basking range.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. dooneygirl09

    dooneygirl09 New Member

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    I was considering a 75. Where would you find a screen lid for that? Also, the uvb light is 48 inch long. A standard 75g is 48inchs long, right?i guess it's the lid in worried about.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    Sometimes the fixtures are the same length as the bulb, and sometimes they are a little bigger - you'll have to look into the particular fixture of interest to see if it can accomodate the size flourescent bulb you want. For example: some 30" fixtures only house 24" bulbs.

    As for the screen lid, you can try looking for an online source if the store doesn't sell that size. You are looking for one that will cover a 48" x 18" cage. Here are just a couple of sites I found quickly with a google search of "75 gallon screen cover":
    http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/236076/product.web
    http://www.reptiledirect.com/screencover75gallon18x48.aspx

    Another option you may wish to look into is non-aquarium housing. Totally up to you, but I know that taking the lights off of the screen and placing them back on each time you wish to access the cage can be a hassle. There are a variety of front opening caging options online if this is something that interests you (or you can build your own if you are handy).
    http://dragons4you.com
    http://repti-racks.com or http://pvccages.com for example.
     

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