# help with viv set up!



## misscroft83 (Oct 15, 2010)

Hi, I am new to reptile keeping and have decided i want to get a bearded dragon. I have bought a second hand 5 foot vivarium and a heat mat, and a uv light tube but am a little stuck on the spot light! There are so many out there and they all differ slightly and im not sure which one i should get. Its obviously quite a large enclosure to heat but does this mean i need a higher wattage bulb? 150w? or will a 60 - 100w bulb be better? I obviously need it to be on all the day (for 12 hours) and i need it to get to the right temperature but am not sure which bulb is best. I bought a habistat thermostat for the bulb but not really sure how it works (lol!) 
If the temperature gets too hot will it turn the light bulb off??? sorry i have no understanding of electrics at all so please keep replies simple and not to teckie! 
I notice that everyone gives the temperatures that it should be in farenheit but does anyone know what they should be in centigrade? 
And also, (sorry there are so many questions!) which end should i place the heat mat? the hot end or the cooler end?

I have done a lot of research on how to care for the dragon and feel confident i can look after him/her well once i've got this blasted set up thing sorted!!!



Thanks


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## windymiller (Sep 16, 2010)

You say it's 5ft but don't give measurments for the width or hight but assuming they are 2ft x 2ft or there abouts I reckon you'll need a 150 spot light bought from B&Q or similar place in a ceramic socket, maplins do them.

If it's a dimming thermostat it won't swith it on/off but will dim it so it will give off less light and less heat therefore lower the temps if needed. The probe should be fitted mid viv about 2" up from the floor. Set the temp on the stat at about 92 (33c) and go from there, tweeking to get it right.

Temps, hot end 39/40c basking 45/46c and cool end 27/28c. You shouldn't need a heat mat, if fact most people don't recommend them for beardies. As long as temps don't fall below 15c over night he/she will be fine.

windy


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## loulou87 (Sep 10, 2010)

if i were you id buy a couple different wattages and try them out till you get the right one!

Windy is right about thermostat, ideally you want a dimmer which means the light will brighten and dull to keep the temperature constant. If you have a normal stat then it will go on and off (bulbs dont last as long so its worth getting a dimmer i think its about an extra tenner). Also you need to put the probe (like a long wire with a bump on the end) in the cool side of the viv set it to around 85 and adjust it as you need to. they are quite odd because even though mines on around 88 the cool end is only 77 so dont worry if you have to crank it up a bit. i dont much understand electrics myself! 

Its worth getting your temps right before getting your beardie and a lot of the time its down to experimenting! im sure your beardie will have a great time in a 5ft viv! (dont get 2 they hate company!) 

EDIT: you dont need a heat mat, unless your viv gets below 60F at night and then youll need it on (everything goes off at night  )


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## CollaredLizardGal (May 17, 2010)

I run a 4 ft viv with collared lizards in and they have the same temps as beardies. 
I have a dimmer stat, the probe is located half way along the back of the viv near to the floor, this give me the midrange temperature and I can set my viv to about 90 degrees this keeps my collareds basking spot nice and hot (105 degrees ish, up to 115 on warm days), their cool end then stays around the low eighties (perfecto). I have the stat on a timer that turns on in the morning at about 7.30 and off at about 5.30 (i follow natural photo periods and adjust my timer accordingly ie, during the summer on for longer) I do have a heatmat but it is not turned on, and I only intend to use it if the winter turns particularily harsh, just to keep them up over some of the winter, however I am planning to brumate them (sort of like hibernating) from Jan - March so that I can get babies next breeding season. YaaaY!! 
I use a 100w bulb to heat mine, if you are struggling to get the temps with 100 or even 150w bulbs then you could always go to having two basking spots and cool in the middle etc. 
As long as you get the temperatures you need - who cares how you get there right? 
Enjoy - I bet your Beardie will lurve having all that space to run around in!! Thats one lucky dragon lol

PS Go with one dragon then you don't have the issue of having to separate them as they get older - it is a problem a lot of people find out unfortunately too late usually- If you want to have something that likes and thrives in a group check out the collareds!!There are some tohers that do better in groups too. Mine are in my album if you are curious! lol


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## misscroft83 (Oct 15, 2010)

Thanks for that guys, Thats a lot of help. What type of digital thermometer is best to take accurate temperature readings and where could I get one?


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## Falcon-uk (Oct 29, 2010)

Hi , I am quite new to reptile keeping but ill pass on my opinion on this , I purchased one from my local pet shop and paid £11.00 for it and yes it does the job but i have just purchased one from EBay and it is far superior with a lot more features like outside temp and upper and lower temp alarms and i have paid less than half price to the one I purchased from the pet shop , unsure yet if it will last but on the face of it , It looks heaps better.

Hope this helps


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## misscroft83 (Oct 15, 2010)

When the basking spot light comes on in the morning it is extremely hot I presume this is to create the right temp in the rest if the viv as the sensor is in he middle near the floor, but for a bit the basking spot is far too hot for the lizard to enter is this normal? Will it be extremely hot for an hour or so first thing? Or is there something I'm not doing right?


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## Fudgepig (Jan 13, 2011)

Hi, im new to this too. haven't got bd yet but have the same problem with the lights when they first switched on. did you get any replies to this problem?


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## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

misscroft83 said:


> When the basking spot light comes on in the morning it is extremely hot I presume this is to create the right temp in the rest if the viv as the sensor is in he middle near the floor, but for a bit the basking spot is far too hot for the lizard to enter is this normal? Will it be extremely hot for an hour or so first thing? Or is there something I'm not doing right?


It's normal, think about it like this..(going to try explain without babbling too much)

The ambient temperature (the air) is say 15c at night, when the bulb kicks in at say 9am, the bulb has to heat up the air where the thermostat probe is, upto whatever you have that set to (say 32c)..

So, if you have the probe on the cool side, the basking spot, and warm side will warm up very hot, because the bulb will be on full to heat up the air around the cool side (where the probe is) so that it can dim and regulate the temperatures.

My beardie's viv was scorching in the mornings, and couldn't figure it out, then it kinda clicked.

I moved the probe to the warm end, and so now the bulb isn't on full power for as long, meaning it won't overheat anywhere in the viv.


That help at all?


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## Fudgepig (Jan 13, 2011)

yes quite a lot thanks. my probe is in the middle, temp settles down to around 105/110 in basking spot but only gets to low 70's at the cool end. the themometors are the stick on dial ones n every1 seems to think they not very good - do i need to get digital? also where do i place them to get a true reading of the basking spot without putting it directly under the light? sorry if im being thick


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## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

Fudgepig said:


> yes quite a lot thanks. my probe is in the middle, temp settles down to around 105/110 in basking spot but only gets to low 70's at the cool end. the themometors are the stick on dial ones n every1 seems to think they not very good - do i need to get digital? also where do i place them to get a true reading of the basking spot without putting it directly under the light? sorry if im being thick



The way i do things (everyone is different!)

I only use digital thermometers (i tried the dial ones, they really are rubbish) and for the beardie, for a basking temp reading, i literally put the thermometer probe on his basking spot, that gives me his exact basking temperature. then just fiddle with the thermostat (going off what your thermometer says, not the stat) so for example, let's say the thermometer says 90f on his basking spot, you need to raise them temps up a fair bit, so keep an eye on your thermometer, and turn your stat up a little bit, wait till it starts dimming back down, read your temp (wait a fair while so you get a true reading) then adjust again until you have a good temperature, i've never had to mess with cool side temps, as with my method when the warm end and basking spot is upto temperature, the rest just sorts itself out!


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## Falcon-uk (Oct 29, 2010)

Hi , I have my probe for my digital Therm directly under the bulb so i know what the temp is at all times , Yes the dial gauges are pretty useless , I have two digital therms one under the bulb and one in my cool end , I made a stand for the Probe so that it is totally free standing as if you leave it on a rock or on the floor if gives incorrect readings , 
Hope this helps


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## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

Falcon-uk said:


> Hi , I have my probe for my digital Therm directly under the bulb so i know what the temp is at all times , Yes the dial gauges are pretty useless , I have two digital therms one under the bulb and one in my cool end , I made a stand for the Probe so that it is totally free standing as if you leave it on a rock or on the floor if gives incorrect readings ,
> Hope this helps


I've ended up putting an elastic band around the thermometer probe, attatched to the basking area, won't move, it's a cheap easy quick way to solve it : victory:


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## Fudgepig (Jan 13, 2011)

Thanks peeps, gonna get a digital one


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## lee young (Oct 14, 2009)

people have the probes for their thermostats in the middle because most good thermostats only go up to about 90, not hot enough for the basking spot. plus if the probe is just left in the basking spot it will keep getting hotter and hotter.

Use the thermostat probe in the middle, maybe a bit closer to the warm end, and fiddle with it to get the right temps. The important thing is to have a basking spot of at least 110 and a cool end of 85 max. I doesnt matter too much if the hot end gets a bit hotter, or the cool end gets a bit cooler, as long as there is a good range of temps. Once you get hot end and cool end temps right, then you can change the temp of the basking spot by moving the rock/log up or down.

If the beardie gets too hot he'll move to the cool end and vice versa. Problems only normally arise when the cool end is not cool enough or the hot end is not hot enough.

You need digital thermometers though, the dial ones are useless, and are usually wayyy out. Good luck!


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