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mrsT
Hatchling
United Kingdom
186 Posts |
 Posted - 07/07/2010 : 21:29:30
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Just making a check list of everything we'll need for when we get our beardies!Hubby has built a 5ft viv all ready and waiting in the spare room!
Bit confused with the lighting and heating - what wattage i need etc.Can anybody help?
My list so far:
Ceramic bulb and holder - what watt would i need for a 5ft viv?
UV light - do i need a UVB and UVA,and does the bulb need to run more or less the length of the viv?Do I need a timer for the lights,or is it ok switching them on when we get up and off when we go to bed?
Dimming thermostat
Thermometers
Rocks,plants etc
Water and food bowls
Substrate
Food!
Calcium supplement
Sorry for all the questions just want to make sure i've not forgotten anything glaringly obvious! |
1 carolina corn - Jake
1 hypo lavender - Kane
1 xb dog - Zak
Location: Essex |
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eeji
The Morph Master
United Kingdom
4335 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 22:51:08
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.........
Ceramic bulb and holder and heat resistant cable and a heat reflector - what watt would i need for a 5ft viv? i'd go with 150W
UV light - do i need a UVB and UVA,and does the bulb need to run more or less the length of the viv? the highest UVB you can find, the longest that will fit the length of the viv Do I need a timer for the lights,or is it ok switching them on when we get up and off when we go to bed? switching on and off manually is fine, but a timer automates it for if you're not home or if you have a hangover and lie in :)
Dimming thermostat or pulse thermostat
Thermometers
Rocks,plants etc
Water and food bowls
Substrate
Food! lots of it!!!
Calcium supplement
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Forum - Guide to Cornsnake Morphs - Punnett Square Calculator - Breeder Directory
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2010 : 00:20:47
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As Eeji said, a pulse or dimmer stat for a ceramic bulb.
If using a reflector/spot/heat lamp that gives off visible light then use a dimmer otherwise it'll be like disco time in the viv.
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-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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LittleMick
Yearling
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2010 : 18:01:25
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| And make the thermometers DIGITAL |
0.4.0 Gerbils (Gemini, Pica, Gerty and Sasha)
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Elle)
1.0.0 Carolina Corn Snake(Elijah)
0.0.1 Emperor/Imperial Scorpion (Abbi)
2.0.0 Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters (Micro & Chippy)
Tropical fish - 6 Platys.6 Mollies.9 Glowlight Tetra.4 Pearl Gouramis.4 Apple Snails.1 Tiger Plec.2 Common Bristlenose Plecs and lots of babies. |
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mrsT
Hatchling
United Kingdom
186 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2010 : 11:49:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Kehhlyr
As Eeji said, a pulse or dimmer stat for a ceramic bulb.
If using a reflector/spot/heat lamp that gives off visible light then use a dimmer otherwise it'll be like disco time in the viv.
ooh beardie disco does sound cool....do you think i could put a small glitter ball in there too??
thanks everyone for you advice,hopefully wont be too much longer until we get them.even though they're for my hubby i'm really excited!!never had lizards before |
1 carolina corn - Jake
1 hypo lavender - Kane
1 xb dog - Zak
Location: Essex |
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eeji
The Morph Master
United Kingdom
4335 Posts |
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mrsT
Hatchling
United Kingdom
186 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2010 : 10:08:45
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| I live in Essex,so quite a way from you |
1 carolina corn - Jake
1 hypo lavender - Kane
1 xb dog - Zak
Location: Essex |
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eeji
The Morph Master
United Kingdom
4335 Posts |
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Fal
Hatchling
United Kingdom
245 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2010 : 23:03:16
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Not sure about others but Draco doesn't have a water bowl. They retain water really well with their hard skin and Beardies (maybe not all, but most) don't recognise standing water, so won't drink out of it anyway! We just bath Draco once a week (they take water through their vent [bum] as well as mouth, so if they don't drink, they will rehydrate that way) and he loves it.. turns little circles and dunks his head :) we just make sure its no deeper than his knees and baby bath warm, with a towel in the middle like an island should he want to climb out (never usually does).
Just my oppinion though, a lot of people do use water bowls, but if you do, clean out daily and have in the cool end, as the heat causes the water to harbour bacteria which will spread faster.
As for heat, we have a low wattage energy saving spotlight shining on his basking spot, with a cermaic heat emitter above the basking spot and a uvb 10.0 strip light with reflector almost the whole length of the viv. As mentioned above, digi themometers are by far the best, one at each end.
There'll always be conflicting advice on all sorts, including temps, but if you read up as much as you can, care enough about them and watch how they act/are in your viv, you'll be able to see how they're doing and they'll do just fine! :)
We have 2/3 different heights at which Draco can bask, ranging from 90c - 110c with a cool end of around low to mid 80's, that way he can choose where he wants to bask when he wants, rather than a single basking spot at one level and one temp.
By the way, this is also argued about, but are you housing them together? A 5ft Viv is really good, there's just been many cases of beardies (and lots of other reptiles) attacking each other out of the blue.. even two females that have grown up together. Querky actions like head bobbing is a sign of dominance.. so a beardie head bobbing means its dominating the other one, and arm waving (even though it looks cool) is a sign of submission, therefore the submissive one is likely to get bossed about and stressed out by the other one, which can (not definately, but maybe and worth thinking about) turn very nasty. You see many in shops housed together with missing toes, tail tips etc.. mostly from being bitten by others (sometimes because they are young and inexperienced feeders when prey is about, but sometimes because they come to blows).
Sorry, I don't wish to scare you, just give you as much info as poss and let you decide :) A lot of people house them together and have no problems. Just give them plenty of levels/logs/rocks etc.. and feed them individually so one can't eat more than the other and feel superior, observe their behavious (you prob know that dark colours = stress or aggression) and i'm sure you'll do fine and both have a great experience with them! :)
Let us know how you get on!! |
Corn Snake - Bella. Bearded Dragon - Draco. Leopard Gecko - Mojo. Cat - Neo. In our family we also have: Cali King Snake, Spiny Flower Mantis (RIP), African Lined Mantis (RIP), Ghost Mantis (RIP), four Hermit Crabs, a Budgy and a Dog - Mystie... oh and a YAMAHA YZF-R1 but she's feeling a bit neglected at the moment :( |
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mrsT
Hatchling
United Kingdom
186 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 14:01:32
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Thanks Fal,that was really helpful.still not 100% on whether to get 1 or 2.if we do go for two though and need to separate,hubby can always build another viv
With regards to the water bowl,we've seen waterfalls in my local rep shop which we like ( I know this will be more for our benefit than the beardies  ),sounds like fun giving draco a bath,and like he really enjoys it,hopefully thats something we can enjoy doing with ours. |
1 carolina corn - Jake
1 hypo lavender - Kane
1 xb dog - Zak
Location: Essex |
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Fal
Hatchling
United Kingdom
245 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 18:53:36
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Yeah I saw them and they look cool, but breed bacteria wose than a water bowl unfortunately, unless the waterfall was cleaned out and fresh water used daily.
They have been tought to drink from a rabbit or hamster bottle before, although we tried and failed lol |
Corn Snake - Bella. Bearded Dragon - Draco. Leopard Gecko - Mojo. Cat - Neo. In our family we also have: Cali King Snake, Spiny Flower Mantis (RIP), African Lined Mantis (RIP), Ghost Mantis (RIP), four Hermit Crabs, a Budgy and a Dog - Mystie... oh and a YAMAHA YZF-R1 but she's feeling a bit neglected at the moment :( |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 20:31:29
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To encourage drinking from a water bottle, try filling with a nice sweet fruit juice.
Mine used to drink mango juice from a water bottle. |
-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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Fal
Hatchling
United Kingdom
245 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 20:38:54
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| Thats well cool, we tried ice cube on top of it, so water ran down slowly and dripped, trying to catch Draco's eye - never worked, but he is a bit dim lol |
Corn Snake - Bella. Bearded Dragon - Draco. Leopard Gecko - Mojo. Cat - Neo. In our family we also have: Cali King Snake, Spiny Flower Mantis (RIP), African Lined Mantis (RIP), Ghost Mantis (RIP), four Hermit Crabs, a Budgy and a Dog - Mystie... oh and a YAMAHA YZF-R1 but she's feeling a bit neglected at the moment :( |
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eeji
The Morph Master
United Kingdom
4335 Posts |
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Fal
Hatchling
United Kingdom
245 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 20:43:24
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| We observed a Beardie in a natural setup at a wildlife park the other day. He was up a long, high log basking, when a waterfall came on into a little pond. His head tilted at the sound (he was facing away), then he turned, climbed down the log, ran over to the pond and straight in. Started turning circles and ducking its head like ours does, was awesome to see. |
Corn Snake - Bella. Bearded Dragon - Draco. Leopard Gecko - Mojo. Cat - Neo. In our family we also have: Cali King Snake, Spiny Flower Mantis (RIP), African Lined Mantis (RIP), Ghost Mantis (RIP), four Hermit Crabs, a Budgy and a Dog - Mystie... oh and a YAMAHA YZF-R1 but she's feeling a bit neglected at the moment :( |
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mrsT
Hatchling
United Kingdom
186 Posts |
Posted - 13/07/2010 : 14:19:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Fal
We observed a Beardie in a natural setup at a wildlife park the other day. He was up a long, high log basking, when a waterfall came on into a little pond. His head tilted at the sound (he was facing away), then he turned, climbed down the log, ran over to the pond and straight in. Started turning circles and ducking its head like ours does, was awesome to see.
oh wow!i do really like the waterfalls,shouldn't be too much hassle cleaning it daily.
kehhlyr - like the fruit juice idea ,would be pretty cool to train them to drink from a bottle |
1 carolina corn - Jake
1 hypo lavender - Kane
1 xb dog - Zak
Location: Essex |
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Fal
Hatchling
United Kingdom
245 Posts |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 09:25:02
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Funniest thing I saw was a skink running on a hampster wheel!! Was really funny, but year, getting your beardy to do that would be cool!
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Corn Snake - Bella. Bearded Dragon - Draco. Leopard Gecko - Mojo. Cat - Neo. In our family we also have: Cali King Snake, Spiny Flower Mantis (RIP), African Lined Mantis (RIP), Ghost Mantis (RIP), four Hermit Crabs, a Budgy and a Dog - Mystie... oh and a YAMAHA YZF-R1 but she's feeling a bit neglected at the moment :( |
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leeoc1982
Snake Mite
24 Posts |
Posted - 19/07/2010 : 12:48:48
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hi, glad to hear you’re getting a/some beardies
just to put my 10p worth in, ive been keeping beardies for a few years now, i wouldn’t bother with stats, controllers or ceramics, beardies like a strong bright bulb for heat (this replicates the sun) i use a 60w spot bulb to heat a 48x18x24 viv, u you may need a slightly higher wattage for a 5ft viv, provide them with a basking spot at around 100 degrees, a bit warmer for babies, a 10.0 uvb and some branches so they can get closer to the uvb.
as for water, ever seen a waterfall in a desert?? water isn’t neededin most occations. generally beardes do not drink from standing water they get all the fluid they need from their food, if their food intake is low however a few drips of water on ther lips may be necessary. water will only raise humidity levels which can cause respiratory problems!
as for more that one beardie in a viv, some live together fine (although there will be mating with male, females) some don’t, i talk from experience here, i was given a male beardie to put in with my female, it wasn’t pretty a second viv was purchased the day after.
hope this will help you
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reptiledanny
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1809 Posts |
Posted - 19/07/2010 : 14:27:43
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quote:
Originally posted by leeoc1982
hi, glad to hear you’re getting a/some beardies
just to put my 10p worth in, ive been keeping beardies for a few years now, i wouldn’t bother with stats, controllers or ceramics, beardies like a strong bright bulb for heat (this replicates the sun) i use a 60w spot bulb to heat a 48x18x24 viv, u you may need a slightly higher wattage for a 5ft viv, provide them with a basking spot at around 100 degrees, a bit warmer for babies, a 10.0 uvb and some branches so they can get closer to the uvb.
as for water, ever seen a waterfall in a desert?? water isn’t neededin most occations. generally beardes do not drink from standing water they get all the fluid they need from their food, if their food intake is low however a few drips of water on ther lips may be necessary. water will only raise humidity levels which can cause respiratory problems!
as for more that one beardie in a viv, some live together fine (although there will be mating with male, females) some don’t, i talk from experience here, i was given a male beardie to put in with my female, it wasn’t pretty a second viv was purchased the day after.
hope this will help you
are u advising not to use a thermostat?? |
1.1 royal pythons 0.1 hog island boa 1.0 corn snake
sig made by stapey |
Edited by - reptiledanny on 19/07/2010 14:28:01 |
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3070 Posts |
Posted - 19/07/2010 : 15:14:46
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| I was thinking that aswell, other than the very basics, i don't know much about beardies but surely a stat of some sort would still be needed. |
0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky
0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha
Location: Liverpool |
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leeoc1982
Snake Mite
24 Posts |
Posted - 20/07/2010 : 00:41:43
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| no need for a stat, just measure the temp at the basking spot, if its to hot move the branch/rock further away from the spot bulb till you get the rite temp |
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set up for bearded dragons
