Reptile & Amphibian Forums

it seems like the concensus on the boards is that babies should be on paper towels or something similar, my question is why. do the babies sit there and eat the sand, or is it that they need a harder surface to walk on cause they're not coordinated enough to walk on the sand yet? Is there any issues outside of feeding that you would not want babie to juvy beardies on sand substrate (washed playsand)?

Also about the hiding places, should they be cooler than the rest of the tank? Mine is the same temp as the rest of the tank between 87-92 with the UTH on, and around 84 without the UTH on, is this too hot do they need something cooler? Or is it just so they feel safe? The temp ranges in the tank are as i said before with UTH on 87-92 on one side and >105 for the basking spot and around 92-94 under the basking spot, are these gradients enough? And do i need to have room for the beardie to go in and out of the hiding spot from both sides or just one way?

I will get pics uploaded as soon as i shrink them and figure out how to do it

Thanks

pic1

pic2

pic3

pic4

pic5

That's a real good set up.

Although, those plastic temp strips don't really register the right amount of heat.

If you have the money go buy indoor/outdoor digital thermometers from K-MART or WalMart they're like $8.99
-----
2 Mali Uromastyx-Ares & Apollo
2 Bearded Dragons- Draco & Hades
1 Saharan Uromastyx-Iris
1 Leopard Gecko-Kalypso
1 Tokay Gecko-Sid Vicious
1 Tarantula-Peter Parker
1 Amazon Red Head Parrot-Pancho
1 African Gray Parrot-Keya
1 Dog-Cheeka
3 Fish-no names
1 Beta Fish-also no name
1 Zebra Finch-Beeps

Are those strip thermometers in the tank? If so I would go get rid f them and get an indoor/ outdoor digital thermometer at Wal-Mart for $15-$20 or you can get one of those temp guns that a lot of people are using. The strip thermometers aren't that accurate in my opinion & neither is that coil one in the corner of your tank. As for the substrate question: Younger Beardies tend to be more aggressive & inaccurate when going after live prey. They will miss & grab a mouth full of sand instead of a cricket or worm. It will not take much sand to impact a little Beardie so paper or shelf liner is what the majority of people tend to use. Some people still use sand & don’t have problems but I personally would no risk it. Even for my adult Beardie the feeding side of the tank is shelf liner.

Lance
-----
1 female bearded dragon named Lenny
1 female bearded dragon named Jewels (RIP 1/14/05)
1 male mali uro named Milo

Lots of people keep babies on sand successfully. There are also lots of people that will tell you that it's a big no-no to keep them on sand. Really it's up to you. Paper towels work well too. They can be kept healthy on both substrates and plenty of others too.

Regarding hiding places and temps., I feel it is best to have a gradient of temperature within the enclosure and, if your main concern is not keeping it as simple as possible, you can offer multiple hide spots at different temperatures. They will hide under paper towels as well.

I like a range of 65-70 on the cool end and 115-125 on the hot end. Sometimes this can be hard to achieve. I think 105 is a little cool regarding the hot end and that 85 is too hot on the cool end. The animals will definitely use a wider range of temps than that given the choice.

Good luck,

Ian

Thanks for the comments and tips folks i appreciate it. I'm just using those strips temporariliy until my temp gun comes in, i just wanted to get an idea of what temps i had going.

I had no idea that my cooler side should go that low, i'll tweak a few things and see if i can't bring things down, it will be tough since i have a large 150W light heating spot and ambient temp of tank that is messing up the low side. we'll see

The next thing i need to do is get me a beardie

I hope your other beardies are as cute as the last one i missed out on Ian

Thanks again folks

I'm not sure how big your cage is - but I would venture a guess that you don't need 150 watts to heat it. One thing that works well is to cover the screen top. You can do it cheap with aluminum foil, sheets of plastic, wood etc. Or you can go get a piece of acrylic cut the same size as the top with a hole cut out for the light to sit in. By covering the top, all your heat and moisture does not exit the tank (or much slower). You can probably cut that wattage in half or better. That will also probably give you a wider temperature gradient within the cage too.

Also, I have to recommend a point and shoot infrared temp gun. They are an invaluable tool for us herpers. Those strip thermometers are really crappy. The indoor/outdoor ones are ok, but there is no comparison to pointing and shooting and getting an instant read of the temperature of any spot in the enclosure in an instant. I believe you can get one from Pro Exotics for as little as $25.

Good luck with everything and I'm sure you'll get a nice beardie. There are lots out there...

Ian

Hey,
Your tank looks good. I have a similar set up in a 20 gal for my 10 inch baby (sort of). My temps range from 105 to about 80 on the cool side. A good rule of thumb for wattage is no more than 100 watts per 10 gal.
Additionally, I have always kept my little Bender boy on sand. I always fed him on it and never had any problems, but I watched carefully to make sure he wasnt getting mouthfuls of sand. Better safe than sorry, get him a little plastic bin to feed him in and let him live in his sandy little world.
Set up looks great, cant wait to see pics of your little monster when ya get him!