Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[Firework*]

Hello! I'm new here.
I adore reptiles. I currently own 2 rescue bearded dragons, but I've owned and fostered other small and large lizards in the past. My male dragon is Izod, and he wasn't too horrible when I got him 5 years ago, but still a victim of improper care and diet. My female dragon is Mango, and she was severely unhealthy. At 2 years old she was about the size of a 3 month old. I don't know how she lived so long in those conditions. All the joints in her feet are fused, and the joints in her legs have limited mobility, which I why I kept her instead of re-homing her. X-rays also suggested she has partial deformity in her spine. Nonetheless, she has managed to grow quite well in the years I've had her. She's got a super appetite!

Izod - Male - Roughly 6-7 years old.

Mango - Female - Roughly 7-8 years old.


I wish I still had the time to foster and own more reptiles, but I'm a college student. The up side is that I'm working towards becoming a herpetologist, so one day I'll hopefully be around lots of reptiles. My main goal is to specialize is the conservation and captive care of member of the family helodermatidae.

What kind of bearded dragons are they?

[GrumpyCinnamonster]

Just regular Pogona Vitticeps. If you mean their morphs, then I was told that Izod came from a breeder that bred snow x sandfires, but I honesty have no way to guarantee that. It's just what his previous owner said. Mango I have zero info on. Her previous owners most likely just bought her from Petco or Petsmart, or a local pet shop. In general, I just say Izod is yellow and Mango is orange/red.

[Firework*]

Okay thanks

[void.]

Hello guys. (:
I am looking into buying a Bearded Dragon. [and definitely getting one]
This will be my first ever reptile, so basically I'm a new reptile mommy! (:

I'm definitely nervous I won't get the lighting right.
ReptiSun UVB 10.0, largest that will fit the cage and a basking light, correct?
Is it really necessary to mount the light on the inside of the top? I will if needed.
and, would it be okay to use Zilla Green Terrarium Liner?
It kinda looks like carpet to me, but I'm just paranoid.

Thank you. (:

[Firework*]

I have two bearded dragons and they are also my first reptiles (Unless you count a lizard that i caught in the woods and put in an empty fish tank for a night). That is correct but I just use a infrared 10.0 of the same brand on the basking spot then on the opposite side of the cage I have to UVB and then another reptile light. My lights sit on top of the cage. It is important to have a screen top so that the air is fresh an all. The most important thing for the light (Besides the UVB) is that the temperature is right. On the cool side of the tank it needs to be about 85 degree f and on the basking spot about 105-115 degrees f.

[Raviolli]

Hello guys. (:
I am looking into buying a Bearded Dragon. [and definitely getting one]
This will be my first ever reptile, so basically I'm a new reptile mommy! (:

I'm definitely nervous I won't get the lighting right.
ReptiSun UVB 10.0, largest that will fit the cage and a basking light, correct?
Is it really necessary to mount the light on the inside of the top? I will if needed.
and, would it be okay to use Zilla Green Terrarium Liner?
It kinda looks like carpet to me, but I'm just paranoid.

Thank you. (:

*cracks knuckles* Alright x3 I will be happy to answer your questions so here we go.

The ReptiSun UVB 10.0 is perfect to use for a dragon, Zoomed produces are the best to get for lighting. That light will last you 6 to 12 months before you NEED to replace it. The UVB light itself eventually stopped working even though the light is still bright. As for the basking light. Although the Exo Terra company is cheaper it does not give off UVA which is what you want.. So go with the Zoomed, they last longer and are healthier. Also!! Remember that dragons are dessert animals and their tank should be hot in their basking area, I am not sure how hot it gets in your area but it might be a good idea to have a heat lamp as well.

You don't need to clamp the lights most people just place it on top of the lid or even hang it from the roof depending on the size of the tank and where it is in your house but do not place it over any glass or on plastic (Mainly the basking and heat lamps). Glass actually breaks down the rays from the lights and you wont get as high of a UV..

If your dragon is a baby liner is highly recommended because they aren't too smart and can eat some of the sand which can (not saying it will happen) cause impaction. For older ones I personally find sand to be easier to clean and look more natural. If you go this route just make sure to give them a warm bath once a week or so to help keep them regular.

Any other questions feel free to ask. Reptiles is my job :3

[void.]

That's cool! Do you have any stories about them I can enjoy?
I've read it's smart to have it mounted inside, because the screen blocks off parts of UV waves.
I shall ask my dad to think of a way to mount it.
I have my basking light picked out, so no worries
and, I'm getting a Zilla Fresh Air Screen Cover along with a Zilla 40 gallon tank. (:
Is that good for a baby, and for when it grows?
May I ask how you can tell the temperature of those things?
I'm nervous about that, now. >.<;
To help me, do you have any pictures of your set-up?
That'd help a lot, more than you can imagine.
What about if it is okay to use Zilla Green Reptile Terrarium Liner?

[Raviolli]

That's cool! Do you have any stories about them I can enjoy?
I've read it's smart to have it mounted inside, because the screen blocks off parts of UV waves.
I shall ask my dad to think of a way to mount it.
I have my basking light picked out, so no worries
and, I'm getting a Zilla Fresh Air Screen Cover along with a Zilla 40 gallon tank. (:
Is that good for a baby, and for when it grows?
May I ask how you can tell the temperature of those things?
I'm nervous about that, now. >.<;
To help me, do you have any pictures of your set-up?
That'd help a lot, more than you can imagine.
What about if it is okay to use Zilla Green Reptile Terrarium Liner?

Stories... Let's see... I remember this one time at my work (pet store) we had a kid come into the back and dump all 5000+ crickets on the floor. So we blocked off the whole fish department for a few hours and released all of the beardies, who ran around crazy eating them all. Had some pretty fat lizards after that lol. Or watching a beardie investigate new things, they lick everything to see what it tastes like! I have so many stories about them I could go on forever.

I haven't heard anything about the screen cutting up the rays like glass does and a Zilla tank there isn't really any safe way of hooking it up inside the cage without a chance of the lizard touching the hot lamp. That I can think of anyways. If you can create something that works for you go for it! But its just as easy to sit it on top and my chameleons are perfectly fine with it sitting like that on their cage.

You can get thermometer and hygrometer, you do not need both because beardies are not highly picky creatures when it comes to humidity but too much of it might cause discomfort. There are digital and just regular ones. I love my digital on because I find it to me more accurate with the readings and you can move it but with a beardie I do recommend two. One for the hotter side of your tank and one for the cool end so you know if you need to cool it down a bit.

The size of the tank you have is suggested for babies as well as adults in the pet industry but in my own option a larger tank for adults is way better. This type of reptile can get up to two feet long which is almost the same size as the tank which isn't fair for them. Mine was in a 75g fishtank when I had it or you can always see about getting a custom made one to fit your house and financial standing.

Don't be nervous! Bearded Dragons are perfect starting pets although they do tend to eat a lot they are very hardy little guys.

Zilla Green Reptile Terrarium Liner, like I said before, is perfectly fine to use some people find it easier to use than others. Its all about how it works for you and your lizards own needs.

I don't own a Bearded Dragon anymore and lack on any images of my old set ups. But I can help you think of your own ideas on how to set it up. Beardies LOVE to climb on things and the higher they are the happier they seem. Having a large rock pile that they can bask on seems to be a favorite as well as something to hide under. I always used large logs and thick rocks stacked on top of each other to make different caves all over the place. Along with some green fake plants or a fake cactus or two.

[GrumpyCinnamonster]

Hello guys. (:
I am looking into buying a Bearded Dragon. [and definitely getting one]
This will be my first ever reptile, so basically I'm a new reptile mommy! (:

I'm definitely nervous I won't get the lighting right.
ReptiSun UVB 10.0, largest that will fit the cage and a basking light, correct?
Is it really necessary to mount the light on the inside of the top? I will if needed.
and, would it be okay to use Zilla Green Terrarium Liner?
It kinda looks like carpet to me, but I'm just paranoid.

Thank you. (:

It's great that you are asking questions and gathering information! Too many people just jump into buying reptiles without realizing how difficult their care actually is.

This is a great website for understanding UV.
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/aboutus.htm

If you go the route of separate light sources for UVA and UVB, then ReptiSun 10.0 is the best you can get for UVB. They can be expensive in stores, if you can even find them. I order mine online every 6 months from http://www.bigappleherp.com/. $25 each, beats my local Petco's price of $50 each. I use ZooMed's(makers of ReptiSun) basking bulbs. The brand of basking bulb you get does not matter as much, as long as it is producing the correct heat. Be sure you are measuring this with at least a digital probe thermometer. Dials and stick on are not accurate. Unless your tank is isn't deep, then I don't recommend mounting it inside the tank for safety reasons. Placing the UVB fluorescent over wire does reduce almost 1/4 of the UVB the lamp puts out, but you can significantly fix this with reflectors. Even without reflectors, I've rarely seen a dragon have trouble getting enough UVB by having the light above wire. Your dragon should be able to get within 8 inches of the light.

Reptile carpet is perfectly safe for bearded dragons and recommended. I personally use ceramic tile though($0.30 a tile), because they are easy to wipe off, and hold heat. Unlike the other commenter, I never recommend loose substrate, or at least never bark and sand. The natural habitat of bearded dragons would be hard, compacted clay. It doesn't matter the age, all dragons are at risk of impaction on sand, and it just isn't something necessary for their care. Health and safety always comes before how pretty your tank is. if you want a more natural looking tank, then it's not the expensive or hard to make a false rock habitat, which gives your the natural look, without risking ingestion of substrate. http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/falserock/

I don't know what size Zilla's 40 gallon is, but make sure it is 36(L)x18(W/D)x16(H). This is the bare minimum you should keep a dragon in. The extra inches on the width/depth make it more comfortable for a growing dragon.

To measure the temperature in your tank use a digital probe type thermometer on each size of the tank. Alternatively an accurate temperature gun can be used. As an example of a digital probe: http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Deluxe-Thermometers-Humidity-Gauges Those round kind, and the strip kind that stick to the cage are horribly inaccurate. You risk burning your reptile or not providing enough heat.

Here is an old photo of my male's tank. Not much has changed though. He's go himself a second hammock now, I replaced the UVB fixture with Big Apple Herp's fluorescent fixtures, and I got a new thermometer/hygrometer also from Big Apple Herp, since the old thermometer on his hammock just died on me one day. Ignore the strip in the top left corner. His previous owner put it there, and I have no idea how to get it off/would rather ignore it. The other half of the lid top is on the floor(I had just opened the tank to feed him)


You didn't ask, but I highly recommend checking this website out for the nutritional content of food, and what you should never feed you dragon.
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

[void.]

This is helping so much!
The tank is that exact size. (:
O'm going to use All Living Things Basking Bulbs, if that's fine.
Where do you get tile? It looks very nice.
My PetsMart does have Clay Substrate available...
but, just to be on the safe side.
I'll look into that false rock habitat after I get home.
I'm going to get a thermometer, too
and, I love how you gave me that Nutrition thingy-list.
Any additional advice/recommendations/long posts about them would be most appreciated.

Thank you. (: