bearded dragon set up questions

[abrahamavelar]

well i got a 33 breeder tank (36x13x12.5) i got a fixture and a bulb for it i got a mercury vapor bulb due that i was told by other ppl and red online that it provides bouth uva and uvb please correct me if im wrong, my first question is about heating ove read multiple thing but mainly i find that their basking spot/warm side should be between 90-100 and some others said 95-105 and some that baby bd need 110 and adults 100 which one is correct??? i would guess that the 90-100

also i was wondering about feeding and water, how deep does the water bowl has to be and also how small do you need to chop the food and can it be mix with the pellets?????

 

[GeckoCrossing]

This is the Care Sheet that I've made while keeping my Bearded Dragon.

Live Prey
Silkworms (Best), Phoenix Worms, Crickets (Gut Load and Dust) or Roaches (Dubia or Lobster to name two). NO mealworms. They are high in phosphorous which binds calcium and can lead to MBD.
Superworms and Waxworms are both considered TREATS. They should never receive more than 3 or 4 a week as they are very addictive and very fatty. And never to any dragon under 12 inches.
Mice or anything else alive, or frozen, should never be fed to a dragon.

Veggies - Best to combine a few to keep it varied.
Alfalfa Plants, Bok Choy, Cactus Pad/Leaf/Pear, Chicory, Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Endive, Escarole, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Turnip Greens.
Fruit - Once or twice a week treat, NO Citric.
Scallop, Summer or Acorn Squash shredded over the veggies.

Dusts
Calcium - Rep-Cal Phosphate free with D3, Absolute Calcium, Minerall, Calypso.
Multivitamin - Rep-Cal Herptivite, Reptivite

Feeding
Juveniles - 80% Protein 20% Greens. Feed as many crickets as they can eat within 10-15 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day. This should add up to between 40 and 200 crickets per day! 6 days a week dust one feeding with calcium (with D3, phosphorous free). On the 7th day dust one feeding with a multivitamin. Greens should be available all day from waking up until 1 hour before lights out. Young beardies won't eat too much veggies.
Adults (18 months) - 80% Greens 20% Protein. 20-50 crickets a week. Calcium dust one week then a multivitamin dust the next week.
Crickets should be no larger than the space between the eyes of the dragon. And never leave crickets in a habitat with a dragon after feeding is done. They cause stress and can seriously injure a sleeping, or even awake, dragon.
When feeding crickets you must wait at least one hour after lights come on to feed, and 2 hours before lights out should be the cut off for feeding.

Housing
0-12 inches - Minimum of a 20 gallon long.
12+ inches - 36”L x 18”W minimum. 48”L x 24”W is better. 18” to 24” in height. A 40 Breeder is perfect for an adult.

Humidity
Bearded Dragons are a desert dwelling reptile therefore require no humidity. They get their hydration from licking it off their surroundings. The best way is to give them 10-15 minute baths with a water temperature of 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit 3 or 4 times a week. Water should be no higher than shoulder level. If the dragon freaks out put a cloth or something in with him to give him purchase. Baths also help during shedding, so you can increase baths to a daily thing during sheds to help with them.

Substrate
Any non particle substrate is advisable to use for any size of bearded dragon. Using a particle substrate can lead to death due to impaction and also bacterial infection. Paper towels, Reptile carpet, non adhesive shelf liner or my personal favourite, coarse ceramic tile are good ones. Tile should be baked at 250 degrees in the oven for 15-20 minutes to kill all germs and bacteria. Just wrap it in aluminum foil.

Heat/Lighting
Bearded Dragons need a hot and cool end in their habitats. The highest point in the hot end should have a SURFACE temperature of 105-120 degrees Fahrenheit and the cool end should be about 75-85 degrees. An infrared temperature gun is best for measuring surface temps. Just point at the surface and click for an accurate reading. Can order one from http://www.tempgun.com/main.html
For UVB they will need a fluorescent ReptiSUN 10.0 UVB tube light (the best tube light on the market). They should be able to get within 4“-6” of it without being able to touch it in case of burns. And it should not be filtered by a screen or lid. Mesh lids are okay though. Coil or spiral UVB bulbs are not good. They have been proven to cause damage to lizard's eyes and even gone as far as burning them.
For a basking light you can use a clamp lamp with a halogen flood light bulb. Be careful with wattage here as the halogen flood lights give off more heat than a normal household bulb of the same wattage. Wattage of the light will vary in your house depending on drafts, AC/Heating vents or how hot/cold your room is.

Cleaning
For cleaning the dragon’s habitat use baby wipes and dry with a paper towel for spot cleaning. Once every month completely clean the habitat and all ornaments/food dishes with a steam cleaner, if you have one, or with a lemon/water solution if you don‘t.

Personally... my female beardie Blaze loved the hottest basking spot in the tank. She'd stay in the 115 area and just lay there, occasionally gaping then running off around her tank
The MVB does provide both UVA and UVB.
You don't need a water dish. Give it a shallow warm (90-100) bath every other day for 10-15 minutes.
Pellets aren't a great idea. Beardies should be fed live feeders. You can toss some pellets in with their daily salad, but it definitely shouldn't be a staple.

If anything's unclear in my care sheet feel free to ask for more details

 

[abrahamavelar]

Thanks, so if I use the mvb I dont need other lighting and at night I should/could use a che, thanks for the care sheet

 

[GeckoCrossing]

Yeah. You can use some energy saving bulbs that generate almost no heat just to lighten up the habitat. They need bright light during the day.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

MVB's in general are good bulbs, however, be sure your dragon is a safe distance from it. Follow manufacturer guidelines. Burns can result if any animal gets too close to them to bask.

 

[abrahamavelar]

Thanks, and the basking spot its 10 inches from the bulb