Beardie newbie

[Tyzer]

Originally Posted by Sarah47

Thanks guys but I'm committed to buying the kit from the shop now.

Only problem is 3 foot is too small for a beardie they need a minimum of 4 foot i keep mine in 5 foot vivs
Wouldent be so bad if it was a baby but no way is 3 ft enough for a 18th month
They need a thermogradient

[Sarah47]

It's ok. It's good advice. I am getting the beardie from the same place. He looks in good condition. I've held him and he's really calm and friendly. Can I ask why I shouldn't use a ceramic bulb. Isn't it better to have pulsing heat rather than a dimmer. Plus if I have it on at night there's no light to disturb him. Obviously I'd turn the heat down. My house gets very cold at night so I need something

[Tyzer]

Originally Posted by Sarah47

It's ok. It's good advice. I am getting the beardie from the same place. He looks in good condition. I've held him and he's really calm and friendly. Can I ask why I shouldn't use a ceramic bulb. Isn't it better to have pulsing heat rather than a dimmer. Plus if I have it on at night there's no light to disturb him. Obviously I'd turn the heat down. My house gets very cold at night so I need something

You can use them if you like but dimmer stats are the best thing imo it turns on when the temps get too low

But please consider getting a 4 foot viv if the beardie gets to hot sometimes a 3 foot vivs isnt enough space to help cool them down which can result in overheating

[ChazzieJo]

A 3ft vivarium is too small, end of. I would love to offer a larger size than the 4x2x2 I have for my beardie but unfortunately don't have the room, the bigger the better. I don't care who disagrees, it is cruel to keep a full grown Beardie in a 3ft, You wont be able to achieve an ideal temperautre gradient which is crucial for an animal that thermoregulates, you'll also see yourself they'll look pretty cramped, fairly quickly. If you're buying a hatchling, these guys grow fast! Believe me. It's better to invest in a long term vivarium now, rather than buy one that's too small.

You need a UV strip light, the T5 Arcadias are the best on the market, the 12% is best for a Bearded Dragon, anything lower than a 10% UV is unsuitable. The UV 'bulbs' are rubbish as unless the Beardie is directly below them for the majority of the day, they're not receiving the benefits they need.

I would opt for a basking bulb, the light emitted will attract your Beardie and it's also far more natural replicating the sun. Heat mats/rocks should never be used. You can use a ceramic bulb over night but it's actually a lot healthier for your beardie to go without heating to, again, allow a natural night cool, which they would experience in the wild, the deserts these guys come from reach very, very low temperatures. Unless you live in a shed, I wouldn't worry about it being too cold for them. This needs to be set around 40-45c ideally, anything lower is too cool.

A lot of pet shops like to con good people into thinking particular set ups are appropiate for quick cash. I know a lot of good reputable shops and none of them would consider selling a Bearded Dragon to a 3ft.

[Tyzer]

Originally Posted by ChazzieJo

A 3ft vivarium is too small, end of. I would love to offer a larger size than the 4x2x2 I have for my beardie but unfortunately don't have the room, the bigger the better. I don't care who disagrees, it is cruel to keep a full grown Beardie in a 3ft, You wont be able to achieve an ideal temperautre gradient which is crucial for an animal that thermoregulates, you'll also see yourself they'll look pretty cramped, fairly quickly. If you're buying a hatchling, these guys grow fast! Believe me. It's better to invest in a long term vivarium now, rather than buy one that's too small.

You need a UV strip light, the T5 Arcadias are the best on the market, the 12% is best for a Bearded Dragon, anything lower than a 10% UV is unsuitable. The UV 'bulbs' are rubbish as unless the Beardie is directly below them for the majority of the day, they're not receiving the benefits they need.

I would opt for a basking bulb, the light emitted will attract your Beardie and it's also far more natural replicating the sun. Heat mats/rocks should never be used. You can use a ceramic bulb over night but it's actually a lot healthier for your beardie to go without heating to, again, allow a natural night cool, which they would experience in the wild, the deserts these guys come from reach very, very low temperatures. Unless you live in a shed, I wouldn't worry about it being too cold for them. This needs to be set around 40-45c ideally, anything lower is too cool.

A lot of pet shops like to con good people into thinking particular set ups are appropiate for quick cash. I know a lot of good reputable shops and none of them would consider selling a Bearded Dragon to a 3ft.

exactly thank you beardies like having a nightime drop it is good for them you cant use a ceramic during the day they detect the light for basking
A 4x2x2 is the minimum i prefer 5 feet

[tomcannon]

Originally Posted by Sarah47

Thanks guys but I'm committed to buying the kit from the shop now.

As has been said this is a shame. You will regret it. £250 is a lot of money to fork out to regret it in the end.

Place a deposit down for the BD if you are set on getting that one. Buy the viv and equipment separately online, you will have a better setup at a lower price and wont have to upgrade the viv down the line. You will then also have time to set it all up correctly before introducing the new inhabitant. The last thing you want to do is come home from the shop with your new beardy and a new viv, spend ages sorting it all out and hours and days fiddling to get everything right while completely stressing the hell out of your new pet. They need time to settle and this isn't going to happen if your constantly adjusting to get your temps correct which as said may prove difficult (although not impossible at all) in a 3ft viv.

You also have to think that if this is the setup the shop is recommending to you then do you really want to be buying from there? Fair enough if they're selling you a baby and you're informed that eventually you'll need a larger viv but as they're selling you an adult in a 3ft viv I'd be inclined not to trust their knowledge or honesty. To be fair they could just be ignorant and unaware of the proper care but c'mon, its a bearded dragon, if they can't recommend the correct care for that then again you should think twice about taking your custom there.

This isn't something you rush in to... As I've said you WILL regret your decision.

That's just my opinion, do with it what you will.

[Exzhal]

Asking advice and completely ignoring it, why do some people even bother coming on here

The set up you're buying is crap and overpriced. It won't house an adult and you can get much cheaper at many many shops, online shops or the classifieds on here if you buy everything separate.
At 18 months old your beardie will be a decent size and will be very squashed up in the 3ft viv.

If you want to see a good set up look at the link in Tom's sig above

[Sarah47]

Ok. A lot to think about then. And I'm not ignoring advice thank you I'm taking this all on board. I'm just stating that I've paid a deposit. Yes hindsight is a wonderful thing. I wish I'd come here first. I'm not going into this lightly. I've been thinking about this for a year now. I'm certainly going to get a 4ft viv.
So these T5 Arcadia UV. Where do you fit them in the viv? They look like they rest on the top but how does that work with the cabinet style viv?

[Hardy87]

I would go for a bulb over ceramic never know beardies to have ceramics more a snake thing (getting one for my ball python). As for your 3ft that's cool as a baby i had a 3 ft then upgraded to a 5ft a year later... But yea like the first post said keep reading and also watching your beardie you gain knowledge also the more you own them. Some people on here forget it's a VIEW do what you feel is right but also do it because you have done your research... People will probably swarm me for this view but i'v learnt to not always listen to people and go with my gut... Luckily i saved my beardie from dying... But also don't always listen to shops i'v received bad info from some pet shops... There is many contradictory views so just go with what you want... But i would go for the bulb over the ceramic only because i'v never heard of a beardie on a ceramic... And Enjoy

Just thought i would add I agree with no point in getting a 3ft btw because you will pay another 100 and odd for a bigger viv so you will be paying 350 in the long run.

[Exzhal]

Originally Posted by Sarah47

Ok. A lot to think about then. And I'm not ignoring advice thank you I'm taking this all on board. I'm just stating that I've paid a deposit. Yes hindsight is a wonderful thing. I wish I'd come here first. I'm not going into this lightly. I've been thinking about this for a year now. I'm certainly going to get a 4ft viv.

Did they state it's a none-refundable deposit? If not just go in and get your deposit back imo and get order your stuff from bluelizardreptiles or surreypetsupplies