# Is this a good starter kit for a Bearded Dragon?



## Hermit (Jul 10, 2010)

We are looking to get a baby bearded dragon for my son for his birthday next month. We have done a lot of looking at various vivariums and 'sets' most of which seem overpriced. However, we found the sets at Geko Zone Bearded Dragon Reptile Sets which seem to tick all the boxes (big, nice design and not a bad price). Before I commit can I ask for some opinions from the forumites?


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## RedDragon619 (Jan 1, 2010)

Hermit said:


> We are looking to get a baby bearded dragon for my son for his birthday next month. We have done a lot of looking at various vivariums and 'sets' most of which seem overpriced. However, we found the sets at Geko Zone Bearded Dragon Reptile Sets which seem to tick all the boxes (big, nice design and not a bad price). Before I commit can I ask for some opines from the forumites?


it looks cool but the 1 thing thats missing is a stat, u will need 1 so that the spot bulb dosnt get to hot as at this time of year it could easyley over heat and thats not good :whistling2:
Microclimate B1 Dimmer Stat Thermostat 600W | Net Pet Shop

u can get them cheaper, u just need to shop round : victory:

hope this helps :2thumb:


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## Hermit (Jul 10, 2010)

Oh I thought it did have a thermostat...?


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## RedDragon619 (Jan 1, 2010)

Hermit said:


> Oh I thought it did have a thermostat...?


opps lol i hadnt been up long when i looked at this and miss read it lol sorry.
u will need a thermometer aswell 2 keep an eye on the temps etc

lol sorry again :blush:


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## lazydog (Dec 18, 2009)

It does have a stat a Lucky Reptile one
which is a on off stat


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## RedDragon619 (Jan 1, 2010)

ud want a dimmer stat for basking spot bulb tho


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

RedDragon619 said:


> ud want a dimmer stat for basking spot bulb tho


agreed...... along with some thermometers


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## Hermit (Jul 10, 2010)

Thanks - will aks some questions to the shop...


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## paraman (Oct 27, 2007)

Hermit said:


> Thanks - will aks some questions to the shop...


 
You might want to ask them about heater guards as well, a spot is really hot to the touch, a ceramic will burn instantaneously. A guard will save you from scars and your animal from horrible burns.


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## sarahreeves (Oct 6, 2010)

*please dont buy this... dangerous to reptiles*

*do no buy these items or from geko zone...
They are extremely dangerous for reptiles*

i bought the complete set up back in april, it includes the digital thermostat which is recommended for bearded dragons and my bearded dragon managed to swallow the metal thermometer part of it...

Long story short, he had to have 3 operations to remove it, £700 vet bill, scar along his belly and a traumatic time for us his owners. We are just thankful that he survived.

We have sent all the evidence and details to gekozone with no reply, they ignore our calls, emails and letters

save yourself the time, money and trauma 
-go and buy a habistat one

please believe me its not worth the £20 saving

if you want more info or think you might be able to help us get some compensation from gekozone pleasepleaseplease email me i have pictures, vet letters etc 
its been over 3 months now since the accident.


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## Hermit (Jul 10, 2010)

sarahreeves said:


> *do no buy these items or from geko zone...*
> *They are extremely dangerous for reptiles*
> 
> i bought the complete set up back in april, it includes the digital thermostat which is recommended for bearded dragons and my bearded dragon managed to swallow the metal thermometer part of it...
> ...


 
Sarah,

Very sorry for what has happened - must have been terrible for you and your beardie. 

We did end up buying a set-up fom Gekozone and so far have been very pleased with the Viv. We have already changed the thermostat to a dimming stat although only as this is better for dragons as the supplied stat is an on/off version as mentioned in one of the posts above. 

With regards your claim against Gekozone, the same thermostat is available from a lot of other stores with different branding (for example Lucky Reptile Thermo Control II Digital Thermostat + Thermometer £38.04 - Pet Zoo Online Reptile Shop & Exotic Pet Store - 180 Day Guarantee ) so your claim may be better targeted against the manufacturer. I stress that I am not a laywer (nor do I have any connection with Gekozone other than as a reasonably satisfied customer). 

It may also be better to place your thermostat higher in the viv (mine is over the UV light) whilst keeping your thermometers lower down and adjusting your thermostat temperature accordingly.

Apologies if this is not what you wanted to hear,

Regards,

Rob


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

sarahreeves said:


> *do no buy these items or from geko zone...*
> *They are extremely dangerous for reptiles*
> 
> i bought the complete set up back in april, it includes the digital thermostat which is recommended for bearded dragons and my bearded dragon managed to swallow the metal thermometer part of it...
> ...


if your beardie bit the end off a thermostat it doesn't mean a kit is dangerous and the supplier doesn't need to compensate you for it. 'Your' beardie managed to eat the end of a thermostat; it was an accident and accidents do happen... It's pretty shocking that you're trying to pass the blame on to the people you got the kit off.


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## Trezeck (Sep 13, 2010)

Abreed with the above.

I personally make sure that all the probes, thermometers , etc. are securely fitted in the vivs and are positioned in the way that my animals can't possibly get to it to accidentally ingest it.


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## berry1 (Sep 25, 2010)

+ 1 im sorry about your bearded dragon but its very careless to put a thermometer in reach of the animal would you have paracetomol near a toddler no you wouldnt if your kid swallowd to much of a tablet would you blame the makers of the tablet no you wouldnt its exactly the same with lizards but dont take this rong as im only making a point but im very sorry to hear about your beardy


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## loulou87 (Sep 10, 2010)

the red heat lamp is irrelevant- the shop will tell you its for your beardie at night but they dont need heat at night- also they can see red light- because more than likely they will tell you they cant. 
Maybe you can say to the shop if they give you a dimming stat they can keep heat bulb 
Doesnt say anything about a spot light fixture either? I guess they will give you one but best to check. 

you dont get substrate- which is good- you can use kitchen towel, drawer liner, lino, slate, tile but nothing loose because your beardie can become impacted. As a baby definately NO SAND, walneu chips, corn etc all are loose and they could beciome paralysed or die- therefore i also believe the substrate scoop to be irrelevant. 

I personally think you can get everything cheaper if you buy it seperate. to be honest you only need a viv, thermostat, uv bulb and starter from the shop everything else is house hold. a bulb fixture, a spotlight, wood for decoration, thermometer you can get off ebay for like £3 and then substrate is easy done too. i would suggest you get it seperate and it will save you money. if you need help with a compehensive list and set up instructions let me know


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## sioned_mai (Aug 13, 2010)

i agree wit the post above, you can find so many things for a vivarium on ebay or even in the equipment classified on here it will save you a lot of money. you can even get second hand viv's that are in great condition with everything that you will need aswel. one thing that no one has mentioned is a timer for the light. you can get these really cheap from your local b&q. i find it help when i like my lie ins on the weekend :whistling2:


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

That's one thing I like about the Lucky Reptile stat, it has a built-in lighting timer as well as being a stat and a digital readout thermometer all in one.


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## Frankmiller123 (Jul 25, 2010)

Don't use a red heat lamp during the day. Use a bright white one, bearded dragons need to have times and they are more active with them. Do your research.
Exclusive Dragons - Bearded Dragon Care Information Library!
theres a nicely put caresheet for you, tell your son to read it.


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

Frankmiller123 said:


> Don't use a red heat lamp during the day. Use a bright white one, bearded dragons need to have times and they are more active with them. Do your research.
> Exclusive Dragons - Bearded Dragon Care Information Library!
> theres a nicely put caresheet for you, tell your son to read it.


I'm sorry, what?? It provides heat - what does it matter what colour the bulb is?? 
If colour matters then why do some people use ceramics, eh?
As long as you can get the basking spot up to heat, then what does it matter what colour the bulb or ceramic is?


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## Reptilequeen (May 23, 2010)

To be honest the first thing I would do is check out preloved and gumtree and on here and see how many Beardies are being resold and rehomed all with the excuse "I bought it for my kids birthday a week ago and he is now fed up with it"....Im not saying all children are this flippant I myself bought my rep mad daughter 2 beardies for her 12th birthday but I run a sanctuary so I am a bit more prepared for if she ever said I cant be bothered anymore.....please dont think I am aiming this at just you I mean it for every parent out there...think wisely before buying any pet as a present for your child :2thumb:


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## Frankmiller123 (Jul 25, 2010)

Ophexis said:


> I'm sorry, what?? It provides heat - what does it matter what colour the bulb is??
> If colour matters then why do some people use ceramics, eh?
> As long as you can get the basking spot up to heat, then what does it matter what colour the bulb or ceramic is?


the red doesnt bother them, thats why people can use it when they sleep. if you use a bright white light they will be more active during the day


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

Frankmiller123 said:


> the red doesnt bother them, thats why people can use it when they sleep. if you use a bright white light they will be more active during the day


No that is not true. A bearded dragon should have complete darkness when they are going to bed as any light disturbs them. No lights should be on whilst they are sleeping, and they do not need heat at night either unless your temperatures drop below 60*F on a night.


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

Firstly ignore everything Frankmiller123 says.

Secondly I have found in my experience that starter kits tend to be a waste of money, they include things that really aren't necessary. I would purchase the things you need separately. Depending on where you are buying from, you can often get some stuff thrown in.

The basics required are a UVB lamp (10.0% REPTI sun or REPTI glo are good brands), a basking lamp (B&Q do 100W bulbs, 2 in the box for less than £3), suitable substrate (for babies I would use paper towel, or ceramic textured tiles), a water bowl (optional) and a feeding bowl, calcium powder/vitamin powder, some form of basking log/branch/brick/rock and some form of accurately measuring temperatures.

There are various care sheets on here that can advise you. Anything else you need to know then you can PM me anytime .

Good luck : victory:.


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## Frankmiller123 (Jul 25, 2010)

JackieL said:


> Firstly ignore everything Frankmiller123 says.
> 
> Secondly I have found in my experience that starter kits tend to be a waste of money, they include things that really aren't necessary. I would purchase the things you need separately. Depending on where you are buying from, you can often get some stuff thrown in.
> 
> ...


 Have a large waterbowl some people say the beardies wont use it but try it for a while and if you dont see your beardie ever using it then you can take it out ( i wouldnt) because my beardie jumps in all the time, or will drink from it. I also use repti carpet. Also for a high spot for basking use a vine ( babys love climbing) Flukers Bend A Branch.


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## Reptilequeen (May 23, 2010)

Frankmiller123 said:


> the red doesnt bother them, thats why people can use it when they sleep. if you use a bright white light they will be more active during the day


My fav Troll has come back to play....indeed listen to his advice if your main goal is to have a underweight beardie with the wrong setup and a shortened life span.....:flrt:


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## berry1 (Sep 25, 2010)

Reptilequeen said:


> My fav Troll has come back to play....indeed listen to his advice if your main goal is to have a underweight beardie with the wrong setup and a shortened life span.....:flrt:


It may not be my place to say but here it goes 
i think yous should stop picking at frank and im sorry if this causes any trouble but im just trying to point out that a few things he may of said like about bulbs may have been a mistake and i do agree with the water bowl in as when i had a beardy for 5 years she always loved having a soake and i think frank has took some of the coments very well
im not saying if hes talking c**p dont say because i think you should say but theirs making a point about some one and just being anoying 
but on the other side franks comment about the bulb not effecting beardys when their sleeping isnt good advice as i do agree that they do need complete darkness

basicaly heres my average set up & this is all i use for a 48"x24"x24"
thermometer at hot and cold end
1 100 watt heat bulb 
1 10% uvb bulb 
for substrate i use news paper (im swapping to a mix of compost & sand yes i already no plenty about that they can get impact but i always feed my reptiles in a separate tank
and thats about it ive succesfuly kept beardys, leos, a argentinean B & W tegu in this set up and its been fine for years


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## sarahreeves (Oct 6, 2010)

Meko said:


> if your beardie bit the end off a thermostat it doesn't mean a kit is dangerous and the supplier doesn't need to compensate you for it. 'Your' beardie managed to eat the end of a thermostat; it was an accident and accidents do happen... It's pretty shocking that you're trying to pass the blame on to the people you got the kit off.


I think thats actually really mean to say we are trying to pass the blame. We were told by our vet and local reptile store and many other people that we should indeed try to get some kind of compensation. 

However the money is not the main issue here, I am only telling people so that they are aware that this can happen - I wish someone had told me, perhaps then I could have prevented it from happening in the first place, after all isnt that what the forum is for?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

it isn't something that 'happens'; it's a rareity that it happened to yours. there may have been a problem with the thermostat but Gekozone sold it to you; they didn't make it.

If you need to complain to anybody about it then it's the manufacturers (Lucky Reptile). Gekozone just took a box off the shelf and supplied it to you.


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## berry1 (Sep 25, 2010)

Meko said:


> it isn't something that 'happens'; it's a rareity that it happened to yours. there may have been a problem with the thermostat but Gekozone sold it to you; they didn't make it.
> 
> If you need to complain to anybody about it then it's the manufacturers (Lucky Reptile). Gekozone just took a box off the shelf and supplied it to you.


total right we dont have a problem with you shearing your experiences as it can help people but it is very rare and unfortunate that it happend to you but you cant blame the makers as their providing you with a very good product and its up to you to put it in a safe place in your animals home :bash: :no1:


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## Nile101 (Oct 22, 2010)

Sorry to hijack this thread, but has anyone seen the iggy starter kit on that site. A 20'' viv, seriously?


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