Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm starting to put together a cage for our first beardie. (I won't buy him/her until I've got his home set up and working properly.) I plan on using a 20gal long for now and will move him up to something bigger later in the year. I know what to expect to spend on the tank...and how to look for bargains on those.

The lights though...my goodness...those are expensive! If I understand right...I need a flourescent-type of fixture for a long UVB bulb that sits on top of the screen. In addition to that, I need a heat lamp to provide a basking spot. The long light-fixture at Petco was like $35 and the UVB bulb was $40! I went to Wal Mart and saw a flourescent fixture for the kitchen that was $6. Would a UVB bulb fit into a standard fixture like that? Could I use something like that on top of the cage? It's not under a little "tent" like the pet-store model, so maybe not enough light would be directed into the cage? Also...can you find the bulbs cheaper any place else?

ALSO...(sorry for being so full of questions!)...I know they require a consistent light cycle, so all lights have to be turned off at night. My basement gets down into the low 60's at night. That seems a bit too chilly, even if they do like a night-time drop in temps. Should I go with a ceramic bulb or a red bulb to create the basking heat and leave it on at night? Or should I get a heating pad to place under the tank to maintain some warmth after dark?

Mostly...I'm looking for whatever advice you can offer on the most economical way to put together a fun and comfortable home for the little guy/gal.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

here's a few pointers to cut the inital costs - saved me a fortune so i could buy a better lizard!!

1. go to home depot or somewhere similar and get a clamp light fixture (the metal dome) for a fraction of the price for the same thing at a pet store. then buy normal halogen spot bulbs (last longer, burn warmer, and cheaper than reptile spots, with very little difference in effect)

2. you should be able to obtain a basic fluorescent fixture also from home depot then buy the reptisun 5.0 or 8.0 strip bulb from the pet store. i bought the actual 5.0 bulb & fixture from petsmart because there was actually very little difference in price on this one.

3. get a basic timer and plug the lamp and fluorescent strip though it - you'll get a reproducible 'day' that you wont need to worry about. go for 10 - 12 hrs on per day.

4. grab a 99c clay pot from the garden centre, and chisel it in half, and voila two hides! be sure to boil and bake it clean. not only does it act as a hide but as a basking rock too

5. if your basement is low 60s, your baby will appreciate a heat pad under the tank. you can buy the adhesive reptile heater pad, or go to walmart and buy the medical heat pads. they are cheaper, generally larger, and most have variable heat setting that the reptile ones dont.

6. substrate for a baby can be shelf liner, paper towel or even newspaper - much cheaper than expensive substrates and a whole lot safer for the little ones. even adults are best on shelf liner or basic playsand.

welcome to the forum, good luck with the dragon - we'll be hoping for pictures soon.
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Ross

1.0 Bearded Dragon (Fuego)
2.1 Roommates (require more cleaning up after than the dragon)

Just a few things I think I could add to the prior post. Make sure then the dome fixture is a ceramic one, costs a few bucks more then the plastic socket but when you need a basking site over 100 degrees, u need a ceramic socket. Plus those halogen bulbs are a very good heat source, just be careful. I had a 90 watt elevated at least 18" and my basking spot still got over 120 degrees so I had to elevate it even further. Another thing like the prior post stated is a florescent fixture from home depot as well. Just make sure the fixture can handle t8 bulbs. I would suggest getting your UV bulbs online. I just picked up 2 18 reptisun 8.0's for 10.49 ea. after price match from lllreptile.com below is a link to the bulbs. They price match any price other sites may have and they beat them by 10%. I used reptiledirects price for the price match to get the 10.49 ea. Ive always had good service and fast shipping with them.

Hope this helps you out a lil.
patrick
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2.0.0 Veiled Chameleons (Eros & Himeros)
1.1.0 Senegal Chameleons (Francois & Fifi)
0.0.1 Pigmy leaf Chameleon (Franklin)
1.0.0 Sandfire red/gold Beardie (Whitey Ford)
0.1.0 Brown Basilisk (Leroy, I know shes a girl!)
0.0.1 Chinese Water Dragon (Maggie May)
0.0.1 Marbled Gecko (Chalmers)
1.0.0 15 year old Eastern Box Turtle (Radar)

Coming soon
Female Bearded dragon names Sissy from the Mid Michigan reptile rescue. I pick her up on Saturday the 13th!

ment reptiglo, heres the link
Link

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2.0.0 Veiled Chameleons (Eros & Himeros)
1.1.0 Senegal Chameleons (Francois & Fifi)
0.0.1 Pigmy leaf Chameleon (Franklin)
1.0.0 Sandfire red/gold Beardie (Whitey Ford)
0.1.0 Brown Basilisk (Leroy, I know shes a girl!)
0.0.1 Chinese Water Dragon (Maggie May)
0.0.1 Marbled Gecko (Chalmers)
1.0.0 15 year old Eastern Box Turtle (Radar)

Coming soon
Female Bearded dragon names Sissy from the Mid Michigan reptile rescue. I pick her up on Saturday the 13th!

Thank you very much!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Thank you for the warm welcome and the great advice! It'll probably be a week or two before I'm ready to purchase the beardie...but I'll surely have some pics to show soon after!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

You can purchase a Mercury Vapor Bulb from RepileDirect for about $35.00. It is a "all in one" basking and UVB bulb and is warranteed for a year. If you should choose to go that route, keep your invoice reeipt, box and make sure to send the warrantee back in. It's actually much less expensive since the flourescents have to be replaced every 6 months.
You will only need the ceramic based dome light for this (10". No flourescent fixture or bulb.
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www.classylizard.com

Thanks! I was/am actually considering that. I asked veronicag about it in the next thread up. I guess I asked her specifically because it was her website that brought the question to mind. My question is...would that bulb be TOO intense or hot for a 20g-long? On the LLL site, it says that those bulbs are not intended for small tanks. Any thoughts on this? (I know I would LOVE to just have one bulb to deal with instead of the florescent and a heat lamp...but only if it's the best thing for the dragon!)

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

To tell you the truth, I prefer the 2 bulb set up. Those bulbs will get really hot but I like being able to control my heat source and UV light separate, in case the heat is to intense, I can make adjustments a lil easier that way. Also, changing a 10 bulb ever 6 months is less then $25 a year, and a halogen bulb you get at home depot, at least the one I got was only 10 bucks and has a 4 year warranty! One of those bulbs is gonna be way too hot for a 20 gallon, you only need a 50-75 watt heat bulb for a 20 gallon. a 20 gallon should only be a temp cage, and should only be used for the initial few months, it will outgrow the cage quick.
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2.0.0 Veiled Chameleons (Eros & Himeros)
1.1.0 Senegal Chameleons (Francois & Fifi)
0.0.1 Pigmy leaf Chameleon (Franklin)
1.0.0 Sandfire red/gold Beardie (Whitey Ford)
0.1.0 Brown Basilisk (Leroy, I know shes a girl!)
0.0.1 Chinese Water Dragon (Maggie May)
0.0.1 Marbled Gecko (Chalmers)
1.0.0 15 year old Eastern Box Turtle (Radar)

Coming soon
Female Bearded dragon names Sissy from the Mid Michigan reptile rescue. I pick her up on Saturday the 13th!

Thanks for the info! That helps. And yeah...the 20 gal is just for when he's little. I have plans to get a much bigger one later in the year.

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

I have a 100 watt MVB on a 29 gallon tank, and it's not too hot.
In fact, I had to have a vertical branch so the beardie could get close enough to reach proper basking temp.
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www.classylizard.com