Beardies

I am really interested in getting a dragon and I have some questions. I joined and asked in the bearded dragon forum but the person that did answer isn’t really answering my question.

So for the basking light. My idea was, I have the double dome I’m not using now and the CHE. I’m afraid of getting the temps too high while I’m at work and a set dimmer doesn’t seem so reliable for fluctuations throughout the day, and the facebook people say not to dim over 20%. Also if I had the light on the automatic thing it would go off and on all day. So if I had a little bit lower wattage, like 75-100, basking light and then put the CHE on a herpstat automatic thingy. Would that be okay? That way the light is always on in the day (obviously I would turn off at night) and the CHE would assist with keeping it in range without going over.
Does that even make sense? Because over there they’re just giving me a roundabout answer I feel like. I work 7:30-5:30 and I don’t want to cook the lizard on accident. Or is there a specific wattage that would for sure give me those temps and stay in an acceptable range.
 
:unsure: I’m not sure if I can help, but I’ll, sure try.
Just like our chams, beardies need gradients of temps too as in a cool side and a hot side. This is one of the many reasons that they need at least a 4’ long enclosure. If it gets too warm for them, they can go find a more comfortable spot more to their liking. Beardies also like/need it hot. I can never remember the exact range for babies, but it is something absurd like 100-110F. Adults need similar, but just a tad cooler. I keep mine‘s basking area around 90-100 with it usually 94-95. My enclosures are tall and I keep the lights on top of the screen, so I use 100w and 150w bulbs in a dimmable fixture. I had Spike set up to a herpstat, but after one of the many power fluctuations it started beeping and I never reset it. I just keep a close eye on his temps and manually adjust as needed. There really is little fluctuation unless I change his basking area. I recently learned that hammocks are bad for them, so took them out and gave a basking platform instead which is shorter. It wasn’t hard to adjust his light for the right temp - just a little monitoring. Of course, he’s either decided it’s almost time to brumate or he’s holding a long grudge about the hammock, so he’s been staying where it’s cool.
For uvb, I use a 24” long Arcadia Pro T5 with a 14% bulb. I pretty much keep it so he can get some uvb as he basks, but he also has uvb if he wants to be a bit cooler and then he has the cool area with no uvb that he mainly uses to stomp around and use for what I guess is beardie zoomies.
 
MissSkittles said:
:unsure: I’m not sure if I can help, but I’ll, sure try.
Just like our chams, beardies need gradients of temps too as in a cool side and a hot side. This is one of the many reasons that they need at least a 4’ long enclosure. If it gets too warm for them, they can go find a more comfortable spot more to their liking. Beardies also like/need it hot. I can never remember the exact range for babies, but it is something absurd like 100-110F. Adults need similar, but just a tad cooler. I keep mine‘s basking area around 90-100 with it usually 94-95. My enclosures are tall and I keep the lights on top of the screen, so I use 100w and 150w bulbs in a dimmable fixture. I had Spike set up to a herpstat, but after one of the many power fluctuations it started beeping and I never reset it. I just keep a close eye on his temps and manually adjust as needed. There really is little fluctuation unless I change his basking area. I recently learned that hammocks are bad for them, so took them out and gave a basking platform instead which is shorter. It wasn’t hard to adjust his light for the right temp - just a little monitoring. Of course, he’s either decided it’s almost time to brumate or he’s holding a long grudge about the hammock, so he’s been staying where it’s cool.
For uvb, I use a 24” long Arcadia Pro T5 with a 14% bulb. I pretty much keep it so he can get some uvb as he basks, but he also has uvb if he wants to be a bit cooler and then he has the cool area with no uvb that he mainly uses to stomp around and use for what I guess is beardie zoomies.
Click to expand...
So do you have both lights going at the same time or just switch them out as needed? I feel like I would be switching it out often because when I get home my house is already like 75 and we don’t have A/C. Winter it will be a little cooler because my heater is so expensive. I don’t remember what bulb is in my Cham enclosure but that’s holding temp in the range I need. It’s either 60 or 75 watts.
The enclosure I was going to get was going to be the 120gal from dubia. Did you mount your uvb inside or is it on top of the mesh? I guess since I already have the other stuff I could try with just the light and see where it goes. I think I have a 100w already too.
 
Throwingstones said:
So do you have both lights going at the same time or just switch them out as needed? I feel like I would be switching it out often because when I get home my house is already like 75 and we don’t have A/C. Winter it will be a little cooler because my heater is so expensive. I don’t remember what bulb is in my Cham enclosure but that’s holding temp in the range I need. It’s either 60 or 75 watts.
The enclosure I was going to get was going to be the 120gal from dubia. Did you mount your uvb inside or is it on top of the mesh? I guess since I already have the other stuff I could try with just the light and see where it goes. I think I have a 100w already too.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure what you mean by both lights. I have only two lights for each of my beardies - basking and uvb and both are on a 12 hour schedule. I don’t use anything else for them. Both basking and uvb lights sit on top of the screen. I had tried placing just uvb light inside the enclosures, but for some reason that I no longer remember, I didn’t like that.
Although living in Hell Florida I run the ac most of the year and maintain house temps of 74-75. When it freezes over gets surprisingly cold I keep the heat at only about 72.
I keep going back and forth about getting one of the Dubia enclosures for my girl. It looks so similar to how the Zen habitat enclosures are assembled that I think it has to be as sturdy, but for a fraction of the cost. An FYI - my male has a Zen and since he really enjoys looking out the window, I replaced the back panel with clear acrylic.
 
MissSkittles said:
I’m not sure what you mean by both lights. I have only two lights for each of my beardies - basking and uvb and both are on a 12 hour schedule. I don’t use anything else for them. Both basking and uvb lights sit on top of the screen. I had tried placing just uvb light inside the enclosures, but for some reason that I no longer remember, I didn’t like that.
Although living in Hell Florida I run the ac most of the year and maintain house temps of 74-75. When it freezes over gets surprisingly cold I keep the heat at only about 72.
I keep going back and forth about getting one of the Dubia enclosures for my girl. It looks so similar to how the Zen habitat enclosures are assembled that I think it has to be as sturdy, but for a fraction of the cost. An FYI - my male has a Zen and since he really enjoys looking out the window, I replaced the back panel with clear acrylic.
Click to expand...
I misunderstood and thought you were running the 100 and 150 at the same time along with the uvb.
I was also considering the critter condo from diy cages but I didn’t think it would be easy to add another light or something. And I already have the 24” uvb fixture anyway and I can just get a stronger bulb. Are you doing like an additional led light for just basic lighting? I’ve seen some suggest that.
 
MissSkittles said:
I’m not sure what you mean by both lights. I have only two lights for each of my beardies - basking and uvb and both are on a 12 hour schedule. I don’t use anything else for them. Both basking and uvb lights sit on top of the screen. I had tried placing just uvb light inside the enclosures, but for some reason that I no longer remember, I didn’t like that.
Although living in Hell Florida I run the ac most of the year and maintain house temps of 74-75. When it freezes over gets surprisingly cold I keep the heat at only about 72.
I keep going back and forth about getting one of the Dubia enclosures for my girl. It looks so similar to how the Zen habitat enclosures are assembled that I think it has to be as sturdy, but for a fraction of the cost. An FYI - my male has a Zen and since he really enjoys looking out the window, I replaced the back panel with clear acrylic.
Click to expand...
Also supplements. I don’t know why it seems so confusing for me. I have the herptivite with beta carotene that I got in the beginning of Cham life but never used, and I have the reptivite with d3, calcium with d3 that came with the Cham and I don’t use, and of course the calcium without d3. I’m reading on the forum you only do the supplements on one of the feedings per day and then the Facebook group says every feeding with this type of schedule below. I think it’s just confusing because do I do it every feeding or just once.
 

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Throwingstones said:
Also supplements. I don’t know why it seems so confusing for me. I have the herptivite with beta carotene that I got in the beginning of Cham life but never used, and I have the reptivite with d3, calcium with d3 that came with the Cham and I don’t use, and of course the calcium without d3. I’m reading on the forum you only do the supplements on one of the feedings per day and then the Facebook group says every feeding with this type of schedule below. I think it’s just confusing because do I do it every feeding or just once.
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I do a similar schedule. Mon, Wed & Fri I use calcium without D3, Tues & Thurs I use calcium with D3 and on Saturday I use Repashy Calcium Plus. Sunday I use nothing or just calcium without D3. It does seem like a lot of D3 and made me very uncomfortable for a long time. Then there’s the bugs. Babies need to eat 80% insects and 20% salad and it’s the opposite for adults - 80% salad and 20% insects. It seems simple enough, but it took me a while to feel like I was doing it right. Every day I give a salad and on Wed & Sat I give insects too.
For salads I try to use two different greens - mustard, turnip, dandelion, escarole, arugula, watercress and collards. Usually I add a little something with color like shaved butternut squash or carrot, bell pepper and then some yellow summer squash. Everything tells to give fruit rarely, but I like to give a few small pieces a couple of times a week - blueberry, raspberry, mango, grape. I cut into small pieces they can easily eat. I give a mist with water, sprinkle the supplement and then a light dusting with bee pollen. Usually they both enjoy their salads and often empty their dishes. I do not provide a water bowl. I have tried it a couple of times (up to a few months) and not once was one drop drank.
 
MissSkittles said:
I do a similar schedule. Mon, Wed & Fri I use calcium without D3, Tues & Thurs I use calcium with D3 and on Saturday I use Repashy Calcium Plus. Sunday I use nothing or just calcium without D3. It does seem like a lot of D3 and made me very uncomfortable for a long time. Then there’s the bugs. Babies need to eat 80% insects and 20% salad and it’s the opposite for adults - 80% salad and 20% insects. It seems simple enough, but it took me a while to feel like I was doing it right. Every day I give a salad and on Wed & Sat I give insects too.
For salads I try to use two different greens - mustard, turnip, dandelion, escarole, arugula, watercress and collards. Usually I add a little something with color like shaved butternut squash or carrot, bell pepper and then some yellow summer squash. Everything tells to give fruit rarely, but I like to give a few small pieces a couple of times a week - blueberry, raspberry, mango, grape. I cut into small pieces they can easily eat. I give a mist with water, sprinkle the supplement and then a light dusting with bee pollen. Usually they both enjoy their salads and often empty their dishes. I do not provide a water bowl. I have tried it a couple of times (up to a few months) and not once was one drop drank.
Click to expand...
Are you feeding multiple times a day and if so, are you doing the supplements on just one of those feedings? Or are you just feeding once a day? I read something like the babies get fed like ~4 times a day and then it goes down to 1-2 as adults.
 
Throwingstones said:
Are you feeding multiple times a day and if so, are you doing the supplements on just one of those feedings? Or are you just feeding once a day? I read something like the babies get fed like ~4 times a day and then it goes down to 1-2 as adults.
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😂 Spike is fat enough and Electra isn’t too far behind. I feed just once a day and lately as they are slowing down and not eating well, have no worry about skipping a day. Both are full adults at 4 years old. I don’t think I ever fed Spike more than twice a day when he was a tiny baby. I gave him salad, which he didn’t eat much of. He just about ate his way through all of my roaches and all of my other feeders. I used to also give him pupated black soldier flies and he loved running and jumping around to catch them. Hard to believe it’s the same dragon - now he won’t even take 1 step to catch a cricket and will wait until it gets closer or I catch it for him.
I’m pretty sure I very lightly dusted all or most of his bugs at every feeding. It seems like a lot, but with how fast they grow, they need them.
Oh, yes. Be prepared to blink and he’ll have grown up. I was not at all expecting Spike to grow so big so fast. 🥺
Thankfully I don’t have to go to pet stores often, as this is what I had to walk by the other day. It was adorable how they were all lined up and I just wanted to buy them all (and give them each their own tank). The 6+ tanks of the other beardies of varied ages/sizes were just as tempting.
71581253686__753B7004-E87A-4866-847E-B9127620E96E.jpeg
 
MissSkittles said:
😂 Spike is fat enough and Electra isn’t too far behind. I feed just once a day and lately as they are slowing down and not eating well, have no worry about skipping a day. Both are full adults at 4 years old. I don’t think I ever fed Spike more than twice a day when he was a tiny baby. I gave him salad, which he didn’t eat much of. He just about ate his way through all of my roaches and all of my other feeders. I used to also give him pupated black soldier flies and he loved running and jumping around to catch them. Hard to believe it’s the same dragon - now he won’t even take 1 step to catch a cricket and will wait until it gets closer or I catch it for him.
I’m pretty sure I very lightly dusted all or most of his bugs at every feeding. It seems like a lot, but with how fast they grow, they need them.
Oh, yes. Be prepared to blink and he’ll have grown up. I was not at all expecting Spike to grow so big so fast. 🥺
Thankfully I don’t have to go to pet stores often, as this is what I had to walk by the other day. It was adorable how they were all lined up and I just wanted to buy them all (and give them each their own tank). The 6+ tanks of the other beardies of varied ages/sizes were just as tempting.
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So cute! I ended up buying the dubia enclosure and stand last night. I’m really excited I can put hats on them😂 I was looking at the morph market and thinking about doing that when I have everything set up. We don’t have an actual pet store here and the closest is 2 hrs away.
How high is your basking platform? I think the highest I saw ready made was like 6”. Is that high enough for them to get the right amount of uvb or should I build my own at the right height? I have a place in town that sells stones and bricks and whatever.
 
Spike isn’t looking like he’s going to be coming out of brumation any time soo. 🥺 I miss my big poopy-painting boy.
IMG_5552.jpeg


Electra was brutal in her teasing. One day she’d be looking sleepy and then be wide awake and normal for a couple of weeks. Then one day she just went into her hide and hasn’t come out in a couple of weeks. She was supposed to be the back up beardie for when Spike was brumating. Instead I just have two cute rocks that I check are ok every few days. 😞🥺
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