# Building a custom viv for a Bearded Dragon.



## Martha.Kirby (Oct 4, 2009)

Hey, 
So i've been thinking and researching and I would like to customise 
a vivarium for a bearded dragon.

So..I was wondering whether anyone could help with a few questions..
I've looked on ebay, and i can get a MASSIVE vivarium for very cheap :mf_dribble:

I was thinking, is it better to get just the one beardie, or are they happy in a pair, obviously not two males but what is the best? ( considering i'm gonna have a huge vivarium)

I know that beardies aren't the experts at climbing, but it is still o.k to have a few platforms with easy access right?

I was thinking for the background a sort of grand canyon affect (not quite as extreme..) using polystyrene and then grouting followed by painting. Is there a certain type of grout or paint i should be using?

Are waterfalls a good idea?

And finally what is the best lighting/ bulbs to use, and where should they be placed?

Any help is greatly appreciated. :2thumb:

Oh and of course any suggestions, ideas and designs 

Thanks!


----------



## Arcaned (Jul 25, 2009)

Hi Martha.Kirby,

Some people say 2 males fight, i had 2 males both from babies and the same clutch and they never fought. It was only the fact i wanted a female that i traded 1 of the males in at the petshop. If you want to breed then a male and female will be ok. Either option you choose it might be a good idea to have another setup at hand incase any fighting does occur. Or the other option is to have just 1 beardy.

My setup at the moment has platforms and my beardies make use of them. They can climb onto the platforms without any problems so platforms are a good idea.

I used normal wall grout and none toxic paint. I wouldn't think it would matter as long as you allow a couple of days for the paint to fully dry before placing a beardy in the viv. Keep the viv open to allow all of the fumes to escape.

Im unsure about waterfalls but did want to add a feature in my viv. I know you can buy Exo-Terra waterfalls which have a picture of a beardy on the box but i would do some research on this first.

Lighting - a UV light that goes the full stretch of the viv would be ok and a heatbulb wherever you want the basking spot to be. Iv got my heatbulb above a platform but also made a cutout in the platform below the bulb to prevent the heat from melting the platform. There's a few good options you can use but it's down to your personal preference. As long as the heat bulb isn't in the center of the viv it should be fine. Allow a hot -> cool gradient in the viv.

My viv at the moment - http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/habitat-pictures/347224-my-setup-opinions-welcome.html

A great help which Excession posted - http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/habitat/319709-how-i-made-my-first.html

Hope that helps and goodluck with the design and building


----------



## Pagananaka (Jul 3, 2009)

From things seen on here waterfalls are great for bacteria and increasing the humidity in the viv. Which you do not want with a beardie viv. 

And lot on here will say only get a single beardie but it is personal preference but like Arcaned says just av second viv ready just in case.....

Still trying to finish my viv then will look round for my beardie/s?? :lol2:


----------



## Martha.Kirby (Oct 4, 2009)

Thanks for your replies, what about 2 females? 
Oh and what size bulb or whatever its called should i get for the heat?
Thanks


----------



## Pagananaka (Jul 3, 2009)

60W to 100W spot seem to be a popular choice. Think idea is to try one,monitor temps and if necessary go higher (or lower) depending on results....

At least thats how I understand it....

As for 2 females, depends on age of beardies (as difficult to sex when babies) and some say whether thay av grown up together (as it were, hope this makes sense)

Look around forum there a number of opinions, experiences etc. 
Sorry cant be of more help...

There are loads of experienced beardie owners here tho so there wont be a shortage of advice......


----------



## joe_oasis (Nov 25, 2008)

I keep a male and a female together, its personal preference really some people say never keep them together and others say its ok, so its up to you.
i have my beardies in a 6ftx2ftx2ft and what i use to heat it are 1 160w powersun located in the center of the vivarium and 1 250w clear day light bulb (on a thermostat) i dont bother using heat mats for night because my house is quite warm and plus because it is on a thermostat it wont drop into low temperatures,
Here are some pics the only thing thats different is that i dont use the uv strip light anymore


























Oh yer as for a waterfall i wouldnt bother to be honest as they get really dirty and cleaning is a real pain, plus the humidity is another factor to consider


----------



## Martha.Kirby (Oct 4, 2009)

Ok thanks, Nice vivarium there 
OK one last question (then i promise i won't ask any more :whistling2: )

What percentage or UVB light is required? if that makes any sense...

Thanks :2thumb:


----------



## Arcaned (Jul 25, 2009)

If you live near a Tesco, nip in and grab the pack of 4 reflector spotlight bulbs, they do the same job as the Repti bulbs at a fraction of the cost. I paid £2.10 for 4 bulbs and got 3 boxes for stock. I have the 60watt bulbs which keep the heat at 110F at the basking area and this is in a 3ft viv. Bulbs blow frequently so it's best to have a backup. 

As for the UV bulb, i use a Repti Glo 10.0 which is 20w giving off 33% UVA and 10% UVB. This was recommended to me at the petshop and cost me £14.95

Hope that helps


----------



## Pagananaka (Jul 3, 2009)

I will be getting is the Arcadia D3+ 12% tube, 48 inch as my viv will be 6x2x2...

And using a spot like Arcaned mentioned... The powersun sounds great but is a tad expensive but will possibly be an 'upgrade' for me in the future....

To be honest I would love 2 beardies but am undecided at the moment still weighing the pros and cons....:flrt:
But as always it is an individual choice.....:lol2:


----------



## Martha.Kirby (Oct 4, 2009)

Ok, thanks will buy that then. 
You really have to be careful, because some pet shops try to sell you things 
for double the price you could find somewhere else! :devil:


----------



## Arcaned (Jul 25, 2009)

Martha.Kirby, everyone is out to make profit, especially petshops. Repti bulbs are £5.95 and £6.95 where i go, Tesco do 4 of the same bulbs (unbranded) for £2.10. 

The guy in the petshop told me there all just heatbulbs and don't give off any UV so i don't think there will be any difference no matter what bulbs you buy. I had an outrage of bulbs blowing nearly every 2 weeks which is why i went for the cheaper option :notworthy:


----------



## niliano_05 (May 7, 2009)

i use bulbs from local electric shop store 70p! i use 100w mainly cos my viv is 2foot high by 4 foot and 70 wasnt enough.
waterfalls causes humidity which cause respiratory problems so waterfalls are a no no
UVB D3 Arcadia bulb length of it depends on size of viv mine covers majority of the length of the viv and works perfectly (these need to be changed every 6 monthes)

i used to have my lil rankin in with my beardie (male and female) but have now moved apart due to health issues.
Having 2 beardies is isnt a problem you can be lucky or unlucky, male and female togethor is a good choice but beardies cant be sexed until 1 year old so you could get some trouble with a pair of juvi's because some say you can sex them i have found that this is not accurate atall. The one beardie is easier to keep up with and she seems to love it in the viv on her own, it is said beardies are communal animals but again sometimes this is true and again sometimes it isnt its just pot luck in a way. Id reccoment just the one they do eat ALOT and food bills are high (well for me anyway).

hope this helps


----------



## Arcaned (Jul 25, 2009)

I thought beardies could be sexed around 6 months? I managed to sex mine ok at that age.

I was also told that the bulbs need to be changed yearly, it's pretty expensive if it's every 6 months as i can't find them cheaper than £22.95 each.


----------



## Hewitt (Aug 8, 2009)

Martha.Kirby said:


> Hey,
> So i've been thinking and researching and I would like to customise
> a vivarium for a bearded dragon.
> 
> ...


 
Hi Martha.

Beardys can climb and mine seems to enjoy it, my viv has 3 platforms for him to climb on (i'll post pics at the bottom of the post) just make sure there is enough room for them to turn round and get down safely.

Waterfalls are a big no no with Beardys, you should only have a small waterdish in with as they would have little to no access to water in the wild, let alone any waterfalls.

Here's piccys:










I used polystyrene for the back wall and the side walls fo keep heat in and i used styrofoam for the platforms, i also cut out shapes from the styrofoam and stuck them on the back wall and side walls for a rocky effect. And the bit under the right platform is also styrofoam. i used support under the platforms made from plywood to add a bit more support for the little guy when he's older (you cant see them in the pics). Once it was all set it place i coated the whole thing with tile grout (several layers) then i used a water based varnish to seal it. To add a nice rocky texture, after the first coat of varnish i mixed in some exo terra red sand to the varnish and did 3 more layers, adding a bit more sand each time.

As for lighting i used one main spot for overall heating in the middle of the viv which is hooked up to a dimmer thermostat to control temps and on the basking spot i used a metal halide light and a small low watt bulb for a localised heat to enhance the basking spot temps. I didn't want to put any UV tubes in my viv so i had to get a metal halide because it's much easier to fit (no reflectors or anything) and it has a much higher UV output than standard UV tubes which is better for the dragons health and also brings his colours out alot more. To top it all off i fitted 2 T5 lights at the very top for overall lighting of the viv.

By the way the size of my viv is 5ft long x 2ft wide x 3ft high and it took 2 weeks to get the frame built and about 4 or 5 weeks to get the inside done (most of it is just airing it out and wating for things to dry).

Good luck with your viv and feel free to use any of my deisgns or ideas if something tickles your fancy, i won't get arsey about it


----------

