# Bearded Dragon Vivarium Advice!



## MrSaucyBeans (Dec 13, 2013)

Hey everyone, my name is Saucy and i'd like some beardie advice. Recently my pet snake passed away due to a freak accident he inflicted on himself (And no, it wasn't my fault in the slightest before people point fingers) which deeply upset me as he was so healthy and was never in bad condition once in his whole life. Infact, people would praise me everytime they saw him commenting on his health and wellfare. I have wanted to get something new for my vivarium to aid the mourning and give me a new responsibility. I've experienced owning a snake and i now feel like i'd like to give a great life to a bearded dragon. 

I've done plenty of research, but due to the nature of my tank (36 inches by 15 wide by 16 high) i know it's only just barely big enough for an adult beardie (I'd get it as a baby) but i know that it is certainly large enough to sustain and provide a good home, even if it's just a few inches too short.

Now, regarding set up i'd like too know what you think of the bulb holder/protective cage in the tank. When i put a basking bulb in it is it too low into the tank and will cause damage due to it being quite close to the floor, and thus being close to the beardie or will it be alright? I think it'd be fine if i just put a small log underneath it so allow it to sit just beneath the lamp. 

I've got plenty of accessories and logs etc left over from when poor calcipher passed away, but i will also need to acquire a UVB strip lamp of which i'm going to buy a 28-30 inch one (Depending on what i can find) so it covers most if not all of the tank, as well as a reflector guard to reflect the light downwards. 

I have looked plenty online at temps etc, but every site is always a few 'c off of eachother, so i'd like some advice from you guys. At night, my house doesn't get very cold and i do have a thermostat to track the temps from the middle of my tank (If the middle is like 80'c then the top end is probably 95 for example) meaning the cold end is the likely 75 ish. So what i would do is find a median where the thermostat is set to the exact temperature where it will be hot enough on the hot end, medium in the middle and cold enough in the bottom end to allow for regulation, much like for my snake. I figure i will just leave the thermostat on at night but provide plenty of dark hiding areas so the beardie isn't disturbed by the light, as i feel there is literally no more room in the tank for a ceramic bulb without stuff getting out of hand and a bit rediculous. 

I don't want to have to buy a new tank, as the whole point is to make use of my old tank in calcipher's name. Im sure it's what he would have wanted, bless him. I've seen some pretty dang poor set-ups for beardies but the beardie is thriving, healthy as can be and happy due to proper care with what the owner has, so i'm sure i can do it. 

So, as a summary -

Is my bulb holder/protective cage too low into the tank and will cause burning? (I personally can't imagine so as it's roughly 9 inches from the bottom of the cage to the viv. bottom.)

Is a 28-30 inch strip UVB light for a 36 inch tank the right length?

Do i REALLY need a ceramic heat bulb when i can just provide plenty of dark hides and continue to thermostat it over night baring in mind most basking bulbs just aim the light straight down, meaning the cold side of the tank shouldn't have much light?

Does anyone know any 28-30 inch strip UVB lights AND holders AND Reflectors for the exact sizes?


Thanks guys, i look forward to a reply!


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

That size viv will be no good for an adult beardie I am afraid. Recommended size is 
4 x 2 x 2.


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

edit: ok seen the pics, its a wooden enclosure, that's fine, it will do the beardie for maybe 9 months, after that you will want to upgrade, unless its a particuly small indivdual

the UV should provide a gradient, in the same way as the heat, so you don't want to cover the entire enclosure with UV

Using a UVB tube and a Ceramic heater is a great way to provide a Heat, UVB and Light gradient - in a 4x2x2 enclosure this will provide the right conditions for the beardie to regulate everything himself

The UVB (Desert, 10-12%) should be on a timer, 10hrs a day, and should be attached to the side of a 4x2x2, so should be about 18-22inches long (check out the arcadia website for more info and details) - on the same side as the heater, so the beardie can bask properly - but be sure to provide a hide on the warm side so it can be warm without UV if it wants

(edit: the UV tube should fit the side of the enclosure, not the width, so if you use the 36inch, measure up the sides and ignore the 18-22 I suggested above - but I would highly recommend using a 4x2x2 straight away)

Ceramic on a thermostat, probe directly below it, and set to a temp of ~115f/45C, that's the temperature of the substrate directly below the heater

At night, the temp should drop to about 26-28C, how you achieve this is upto you, the simplest way is to use a Day/Night thermostat and simply use the ceramic, if your house is warm enough (26C) then you can just use basking lamps during the day on a timer and thermostat - if your house is warm enough, otherwise you will need to provide some kind of heating at night, so you might aswell just go with ceramic + UV, for simplicity


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## MrSaucyBeans (Dec 13, 2013)

*


CloudForest said:



edit: ok seen the pics, its a wooden enclosure, that's fine, it will do the beardie for maybe 9 months, after that you will want to upgrade, unless its a particuly small indivdual

Click to expand...

*


CloudForest said:


> Then this is fine, i just don't currently have the cash to buy a new enclosure right now, so i'd rather just get it and upgrade later as i'll have to sell this tank eventually anyway.
> 
> *(edit: the UV tube should fit the side of the enclosure, not the width, so if you use the 36inch, measure up the sides and ignore the 18-22 I suggested above - but I would highly recommend using a 4x2x2 straight away)*
> 
> ...


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I think the above answers are adequate so I won't go over the lighting / heating again but I too want to emphasise that 36x15 is not big enough for an adult bearded dragon. You say you don't want to buy a new tank so you probably don't want to upgrade - please don't go ahead and buy a bearded dragon.

There are plenty of lizards you could keep in a tank that size. The bearded dragon won't even be able to turn around without hitting his tail on front or back.


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## MrSaucyBeans (Dec 13, 2013)

Athravan said:


> I think the above answers are adequate so I won't go over the lighting / heating again but I too want to emphasise that 36x15 is not big enough for an adult bearded dragon. You say you don't want to buy a new tank so you probably don't want to upgrade - please don't go ahead and buy a bearded dragon.
> 
> There are plenty of lizards you could keep in a tank that size. The bearded dragon won't even be able to turn around without hitting his tail on front or back.



Guess i'll have to look into selling my current tank and buying a 4ft by 2ft enclosure. Do you do deliveries to pembrokeshire by any chance? I'm not an irresponsible pet owner, so you don't need to concern yourself with me buying an animal i'm not able to take care of. Thanks for the advice.


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

basking lamps are fine, but you also need to ensure that the temps are warm enough at night; because beardies quire UVB lighting there is no need for a basking light to provide light, you might aswell just use a ceramic heater, for simplicity, combined with a day/night stat, that solves both day and night temps in one simple solution

UVB should go on the side wall of the enclosure, same side as the heater, to create a basking spot, yes near the ceiling of the enclosure within the limits as outlined for the UVB product you choose (it could go on the ceiling aswell, if it will provide a basking spot at the right distance to be effective, and as long as it provides gradient thru the enclosure so the beardie can get warmth+UV, warmth without UV - i think you will have trouble providing the required temp and UV gradient in a 36 inch enclosure..)

you don't need a Ceramic heater and a Basking Bulb, just the UVB tube and the Ceramic will do fine

Ceramic bulbs come in E27 fitting, which is the same as most Basking Bulbs


if money is an issue, then I would recommend you wait and save up some cash for a while, you really should have some emergency cash on hand anyway, should it need to goto the vet, vet bills can quickly mount up for even the simplest of problems


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

just one thing, night time temps
Absolutely no need to have them as high as 26-28, anywhere between 17-20 is fine, to hot and they will not sleep.
I have never heated the beardie vivs at night,no matter what time of year
PS, i also dont put guards on bulbs for them,if they can reach the guards they will hang from them and burn


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

if the warm spot is 26C, the cool end should be room temp...that's all I was trying to say, sorry for the confusion!


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

CloudForest said:


> if the warm spot is 26C, the cool end should be room temp...that's all I was trying to say, sorry for the confusion!


Yeh,but the warm end when the heating is on should be 35+


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## MrSaucyBeans (Dec 13, 2013)

Yes but not at night it shouldn't be that hot, right?


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

nelly1 said:


> Yeh,but the warm end when the heating is on should be 35+


we are talking about night temps

day time basking area temp should be 45C

lets not confuse things lol


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

MrSaucyBeans said:


> Yes but not at night it shouldn't be that hot, right?


yep exactly, either switch off the heater, as many do, or provide a lower gradient


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

CloudForest said:


> we are talking about night temps
> 
> day time basking area temp should be 45C
> 
> lets not confuse things lol


My first post was about the 26-28 night time temps
No need for them that high
If the heat is turned off at night you will not have a hot and cool end.
So long as the house is not freezing no heat at night will be fine


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

MrSaucyBeans said:


> Guess i'll have to look into selling my current tank and buying a 4ft by 2ft enclosure. Do you do deliveries to pembrokeshire by any chance? I'm not an irresponsible pet owner, so you don't need to concern yourself with me buying an animal i'm not able to take care of. Thanks for the advice.


Don't worry I don't think you're irresponsible - an irresponsible person wouldn't be asking for help and advice before buying  Research and figuring it out is just an important part of things.

We do deliver so if you need a viv or setup quote just chuck me a PM with your postcode.


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## richwhite (Jun 5, 2012)

Unless keeping it in a shed you don't need night heat. My viv used to be in the floor next to a window and was fine. Also beardies seek light for heat and as ceramics aren't lit the dragon will not know to bask under it. 

All you need is a uv tube (36" in a 48" viv) running along the width, and a light bulb. 12 hours in the winter and 14 in summer. Job done. 

Use a ceramic at night if the tank gets very cold but if it stays above 15C then don't worry about it


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

nelly1 said:


> My first post was about the 26-28 night time temps
> No need for them that high


 seems to me you are going backwards and forwards for the sake of a pointless argument which is only going to confuse anyone who reads it.


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