# Looking to buy my son his (and mine) first beardy, advice appreciated :)



## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi all, im thinking of becoming a beardy owner and have looked into the housing requirements and it seems very complicated!! Ive looked at starter sets at pets @ home:whip: but only to give me an idea of whats required!

Ive looked online and so far have my eye on the following:

LX48 Vivarium

Habistat Dimming Thermostat

Exo Terra Digital Thermometer

Arcadia Controller

Exo Terra Repti Glo 10.0 (25w)

Zoo Med Repti-Basking Spot Lamps

Arcadia Reflector Dome Clamp Lamp

Zoo Med Habba Hut

Lucky Reptile Namibia Red Desert Sand 5kg

Apart from water/feeding bowls and decoration have i missed anything from the list?

cheers


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## dax (Aug 11, 2008)

hi, 

well done you for looking into it so well! 

viv - for a baby, 2.5 - 3 ft is fine, even a little smaller ie 2 foot if you plant to upgrade in a few months. 4ft is a bit big for one baby initially.

uv - you need a decent 10% ub tube, arcadia, axo terra, jbl, reptile one plus others do these, each person has do`s and dont about each but ultimatley its up to you. so long as its 10% and baby can get to about an inch of it, your fine. some will say replace in 6 months, some a year. look at small print.

heat - basking spot etc, beardies love bright light and i find a 100 watt refelctor bulb does the trick, not a 5.99 basking bulb from pet shop but a four for £2 from asda, does exactly the same. Again, some people use ceramics instead/including the basking bulb but in my opinion one or the other is needed, they do seem drawn to the light.

hide - you dont need a hide, climby branches, stones and wood will provide enough hidey space

calcium 5 times a week for baby, twice for vitamins (neutrobal etc)

small locust, size 2 crickets, mini meal worms, your set!


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## dax (Aug 11, 2008)

And no to sand!


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## dickvansheepcake (Jul 8, 2009)

wierdy_beardy said:


> Hi all, im thinking of becoming a beardy owner and have looked into the housing requirements and it seems very complicated!! Ive looked at starter sets at pets @ home:whip: but only to give me an idea of whats required!
> 
> Ive looked online and so far have my eye on the following:
> 
> ...



Answers in purple 


Jenny


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

ooooh why the no no on sand and what would i use?

Thanks for the reply


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## dickvansheepcake (Jul 8, 2009)

dax said:


> hi,
> 
> well done you for looking into it so well!
> 
> ...



Again, answers in purple.


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## twinkles (Mar 15, 2011)

wierdy_beardy said:


> ooooh why the no no on sand and what would i use?
> 
> Thanks for the reply


the sand can cause the beardy to become impacted ceramic tiles are good or newspaper(not very nice to look at the lol)


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

Many thanks Jenny, guess i'll have to get the tape measure out again for the bigger tank size 

Ok i'll ditch the sand, bulbs and hideaway and prob go with lino for floor. Can't believe im actually saving money by asking for advice i was expecting to be paying more for items i'd forgot!!


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

twinkles said:


> the sand can cause the beardy to become impacted ceramic tiles are good or newspaper(not very nice to look at the lol)


hmmm maybe ceramic tiles then as i have some left over from my bathroom  what about cutting them to fit though, bit bothered about sharp edges :gasp:

Thanks again for all replies


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## twinkles (Mar 15, 2011)

if you have a tile cutter then you should be ok,mine was cut pretty much to the exact floor size so wasnt a problem with the sharp edges etc,i didnt glue/fix mine down just so i could remove if i needed to,though i should imagine you could use silicone to fix them and run between the tiles if your worried?(anyone know if that would be ok?)
someone i knew did use use vinyl but i was worried bout the fumes with the heat etc(not sure if it would but i just worried :blush


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## dax (Aug 11, 2008)

Within an inch!!?? A 10% tube should be 8-10", and a 12%tube 10-12" from the dragon. Any closer and you can do real damage to their eyes and skin!!



i bought a uv reader and after about 3 - 4 weeks the uvb output is minimal, you have to go to about an inch of the tube to get a decent reading!


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## dickvansheepcake (Jul 8, 2009)

dax said:


> Within an inch!!?? A 10% tube should be 8-10", and a 12%tube 10-12" from the dragon. Any closer and you can do real damage to their eyes and skin!!
> 
> 
> 
> i bought a uv reader and after about 3 - 4 weeks the uvb output is minimal, you have to go to about an inch of the tube to get a decent reading!



I have helped many people whose beardies eyes have been badly effected from being too close to the UV tube, even if it is over a month old. A well known and respected breeder and member of this forum called Woodrott has experience of beardies with damage to the skin from being too close to the UV.

So I am speaking from experience. 

Advising new keepers to let the dragon within an inch of the UV is down right irresponsible and potentially putting their new pet in danger.


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## dax (Aug 11, 2008)

well then i apologise, all mine have been kept like this for about 3 years and i have never had a problem. they get as close and as far as they like.


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

Another question is what temps do i need in the tank, i know i'll need a cooler part and also will i need two separate thermometers for each end?


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## dickvansheepcake (Jul 8, 2009)

wierdy_beardy said:


> Another question is what temps do i need in the tank, i know i'll need a cooler part and also will i need two separate thermometers for each end?



You need a basking spot of 105-110f, the warm end (surrounding the basking spot) should be around 90f and the cool end around 80f.

I have two digital thermometers in my vivs. One on the basking spot, one in the cool end


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

Yep thought so, i'll get two then. thanks again!


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## dickvansheepcake (Jul 8, 2009)

wierdy_beardy said:


> Yep thought so, i'll get two then. thanks again!



Anytime! I'm always happy to help if I can 


Jenny


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

wierdy_beardy said:


> Yep thought so, i'll get two then. thanks again!


 
You can buy dual probe digi thermometers too - these are good just double check the length of the probe cables 

You can use silicone to stick down the tiles or put around the edges. Use aquarium sealant silicone as this is non toxic. Make sure it is aired properly (no more fumes) before your newbie goes in. Also you will want to heat it with the viv lamps etc to make sure all those fumes have been completely released and there is no more lurking 

HTH


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

Nix said:


> You can buy dual probe digi thermometers too - these are good just double check the length of the probe cables
> 
> You can use silicone to stick down the tiles or put around the edges. Use aquarium sealant silicone as this is non toxic. Make sure it is aired properly (no more fumes) before your newbie goes in. Also you will want to heat it with the viv lamps etc to make sure all those fumes have been completely released and there is no more lurking
> 
> HTH



thanks for the advice, arghhhh ive just binned some aquarium sealant when i got rid of my tropical tank :censor:

what about tank decoration, im looking at the bamboo found here but unsure what size to get, i am also considering getting two beardies now, do i need anything extra to do this, also is the tank big enough for two, if not i'll stick to the one!!


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi guys can anybody help with what tank decoration i need as theres a lot of choice!! ideally im wanting to order it all today and get it set up ready for the beardy next week

many thanks


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## dickvansheepcake (Jul 8, 2009)

I'd probably say to go with the standard bamboo root, although I've not got any so don't know for sure that that's the right one to go for!

As for getting two beardies, If you do not have any/much previous experience of owning bearded dragons I would strongly only recommend getting one. They are naturally solitary and do not need want or always tolerate company you see. Although if you get the pairing right (same size/weight/age and right temperament) two females may live together without problems, there is still a chance they will not get on. Whilst a more experienced keeper who fully understands bearded dragon behaviour will probably pick up on the signs of bullying/dominance before any harm is done, a less experienced keeper probably will not. The first sign of trouble many inexperienced keepers see is coming home to find a blood bath and one or two seriously injured or dead beardies. Beardie fights are not pretty!
Also if they are babies when you buy them, unless you are getting them from a reliable and very experienced breeder you probably will not know what sex they are. This means if you end up with two males you will need to separate them by the time they are six months at most as when they start to sexually mature they may well become very territorial and fight.
If you have a male and female, again they will need to be separated by six months of age at most as the male will mature sexually long before the female is at a safe age/weight to breed. Females should be around 18 months old before breeding. Also males may pester females to mate constantly when they are housed together. This can be very stressful for the female and could have a detrimental effect on the females health.


Jenny


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## greyslady (Feb 7, 2011)

I've got a large bamboo root in my tank that sits on its side creating one high and two lower resting spots (its a bit v shaped) and my beardie loves it!
He rests on the higher piece to get some nice uvb and the lower right end to bask. See how long they are compared to your tank and figure out what parts would sit where. I took a tape measure in to the pet shop and measured all the roots til I found the shape and size that was best for my set up  He's got a slate hide to help file his nails and to sleep in (he hates being exposed whilst asleep) and a couple of plastic plants that hang from the vents to cover the all the wires that come in. Thats about it for decoration and he seems happy with and looks pretty nice to me too


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

I'd go with the standard root one for now and stick to one beardy. Two beardies can cause problems and it is not unheard of females to fight as well as males. Even if there isn't fighting there can still be bullying with one getting the best basking spots etc. 

Better to have one awesome beardie setup than two ish ones - see the fake rock build habitats on here. They are awesome and might give you some ideas!


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

ok many thanks for all the reply's, it was the person in the pet shop i first asked about keeping two together and he said its fine, he did state the points you have mentioned but said because they are all the same age and have lived together since birth their should be no problems?? He had three in his tank and the two i was looking at getting were the same size so don't think one will be more dominant than the other but obviously will take your advice over my own!!

Ive ordered all the equipment today but went for a lucky reptile bleached root for decoration over the bamboo root in the end, i preferred it as it looks more like a natural desert plant. Has anybody used or seen one of these and know if they're any good, if its not i can buy a bamboo root from my local pet shop and change it anyway

thanks again


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi all, ive set up the viv now apart from the heating bulb which i'm buying tomorrow, i know you mentioned just bhuying a normal household reflector bulb but what wattage does it need to be, im thinking 110w to give me the heat, is this correct??

Many thanks


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## wierdy_beardy (Apr 5, 2011)

im also wanting to put the uv tube at the front of the aquarium above the glass doors, is this ok? Only reason being is that while looking at my beardie i dont want to be blinded by looking into the tube!!


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## memobli (Mar 15, 2011)

wierdy_beardy said:


> im also wanting to put the uv tube at the front of the aquarium above the glass doors, is this ok? Only reason being is that while looking at my beardie i dont want to be blinded by looking into the tube!!


Hi, I was told to put my tube at the top behind the lip lip of my 4x2x2 viv but after reading all the helpful posts on here and looking at the pics of other set up's i have moved it to the back and lowered it to about half way down the viv as it seems that my beardies wouldn't get enough UVB from the tube being at the top, also i think you will also need a reflector the same length as your tube to help increase and direct the UVB rays towards your dragon.

hope this is the right info as it is what i have gleaned from this great site


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