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Would any goons recommend an enclosure for a Beardie? I'm still in the research phase of possibly getting one and I want to get an enclosure that would be big enough and fulfill all of the lil dragon's needs. I found these but I'm not sure if they are big enough still https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-bearded-dragon-kit
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Apr 15, 2022 22:22
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40 gallon should be good for a single beardie. I have 2 adults in 1 and they get along fine.
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Apr 15, 2022 22:30
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In the UK we tend to do wooden vivariums and go wide and tall for bearded dragons. Obviously not the right country but these guys are the absolute kings in the UK, and this is their recommended set up page. https://snakesnaddersonline.co.uk/setups-%26-kits Must watch video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZDlMJEgwJQ
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Apr 15, 2022 23:25
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I've decided on this enclosure as of right now: https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/habitats-and-decor/terrariums/exo-terra-natural-terrarium-reptile-habitat-5147552.html and I'm probably going to go the tile route for the flooring but I am unsure what heat lamps would be best if anyone can recommend a good set that will fulfill my dragon bud's needs.
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Apr 19, 2022 05:05
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you need UV lights running along one end, and a 100w/150w heat lamp. The single best purchase you can make is a day and night pulse thermostat - I have this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MMIJSDS you plug the UV in one socket and your heat source in another. Then set it for your day and night temps (obv), it then feeds though only the wattage you need, which massively extends the life of your bulbs which ultimately means it pays for itself. For example, my day temps in Gunther's viv are 30c and the 100w ceramic lamp is only feeding in 1% power to maintain it, so that ceramic lamp will last 100 years which is nice because it was £40. Don't skimp on the lamp holders, you are going to need a ceramic lamp holder and a guard for it as well. It's often *a lot* cheaper to find a reptile place doing a full kit, it's not the vivarium that'll get you, it's all the stuff you have to put in it - wood, I once spent £120 on wood.
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Apr 19, 2022 08:11
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On the light and heat subject, as I get this whole tortoise thing planned out for my girlfriend I've been stuck on that subject for a bit. Right now I'm planning on getting a large plastic storage bin and doing a semi-closed type setup with a CHE on a thermostat for evenings(she likes it cold) and a BR30 floodlight over a rock for basking. For UV exposure I'm thinking that a cement mixing tub with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage and chicken wire on top in her tiny back yard would be enough if she can get it out there for a couple hours most days? There would obviously be a hide in it and then a couple plants for shade in there too. Does that sound like a decent starting setup until we have a house and can build some real enclosures? This is probably going to be for a baby Hermann's by the way but that's not set in stone yet.
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Apr 19, 2022 16:57
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I dunno lights for reptiles at all, but I do know natural sunlight rules for them. You want more plants over less. Keep the humidity up, which plants help with. Will help prevent MDB/pyramiding along with proper light and calcium. And if they're edible plants? Even better.
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Apr 19, 2022 18:30
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Oh poo poo. I went to feed my mojave female ball and she gave me the stinkeye cause she is sitting on eggs and she does not want me looking.
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Apr 30, 2022 03:41
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So rather than do 47 posts in a row I decided to do one big herp update  First of all if my kids ask this is skiffy and not the magically aged skiffy 2 now known as Grump - few days after we got skiffy 1 I noticed that there was a big gouge running along his carapace, vet said it was formed in shell and if I had the option to swap with the breeder then to do so asap. As far as I'm aware, OG skiffy is fine and the breeder is still grumbling about it. Grump This is a lie:     (he's stuck on top of the block inside the den)  Guenther Columbian rainbow snake, nothing really to report he had his first shed with me and it was perfect, he's a greedy sod and an A plus snek. He's not my Snek though, I got given a new Snek and I'd like to formally introduce the thread to… Megatron Now Megatron was a very sick boy when I got him, he had got into a pickle with his regurgitation. I followed the 14 day plan and he's kept 3 meals down now, plus he he absolutely snatched his mouse like a good boy for the first time last feed. Only minor thing is that he's on pinkies which are a mite too small for him so I'm going to talk to An Expert before the next feed. I have glamour shot   The only other pictures I have need explaining, there is a chickcam which he started watching so I leave it on for him at night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amepMAGiZgo we call this once "ambition"  I took these for scale and yes he did exactly what you think he was going to do but missed.   /snek! learnincurve fucked around with this message at 15:55 on Apr 30, 2022 |
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Apr 30, 2022 15:52
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You know, in my 22 years of owning snakes, I've been bitten by hognose, balls, corns, and Brazilian rainbow boas; the worst was my corn snake Hex, who bite my middle finger at the base, then wrapped all five feet of herself around my hand. I had a rather cool looking bleeding glove there, but trying to get her off resulted in her almost biting my other hand, so compromise: I got her a mouse, which she laid into instead. The funniest bite was my ball python Alien, who was getting prepped for his food box; his head was by my thumb, and I remember watching him slowly open his mouth and just slid half of my thumb in, before releasing it and going back on his way. Broke the skin around the cuticle. To this day I got no loving clue what that was about.
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Apr 30, 2022 17:32
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The guide I read about corn snakes had on the cons list; "can be nippy when they are young, you may need to get a friend to help you out"
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Apr 30, 2022 17:50
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Cowslips Warren posted:You know, in my 22 years of owning snakes, I've been bitten by hognose, balls, corns, and Brazilian rainbow boas; the worst was my corn snake Hex, who bite my middle finger at the base, then wrapped all five feet of herself around my hand. I had a rather cool looking bleeding glove there, but trying to get her off resulted in her almost biting my other hand, so compromise: I got her a mouse, which she laid into instead. Previous reptile rescue volunteer, not current owner but I'm surprised the hognose didn't hurt more tbh! I think I either had a bad reaction or let him chew on me too long, but the one hognose bite I got swelled up my hand really bad and hurt like heck.
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Apr 30, 2022 20:08
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So my daughter is the Lizard/Reptile Queen. Has has a crested geko, and some other geko, and just recently got a small boa from her uncle. This summer she is inheriting a bearded dragon from a friend of the family. Is there anything special I need to be concerned with the bearded dragon? I don't have anything to do with the reptiles, but my daugthers uncle told to use sand on the base of the cage for one of her lizards, and it had a prolapse and had to take a forever nap, as I know bearded dragons and expensive can someone point me too some best care and practices for bearded dragons? I want to make sure my daughter has the proper information.
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May 5, 2022 23:28
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JohnnyQPublic posted:So my daughter is the Lizard/Reptile Queen. You'll need a pair of good clippers + guards to keep the beard under control.
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May 6, 2022 00:39
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Desert Bus posted:You'll need a pair of good clippers + guards to keep the beard under control. I'm trying to figure out if you enjoy giving punny advice or you're just too lazy to type out justGoogleit.com. JohnnyQ, it's been a while since I've had bearded dragons, the biggest thing I can remember is that you want to keep on top of their UV lighting, and keep their temperature hot. Obviously you need thermometers on both ends of the cage, but that's the biggest thing. A cold wet beardy is not going to be happy. Also when they are younger they need more protein, and as adults need a lot more veggies. I used to use the mixed greens you get at most grocery stores for that. Anapsid.org is a no frills pretty decent web page but I'm not sure if it's been updated in a while. When I had mine, I had a few that were very good with being handled and a few that just didn't like it. But compared to crested geckos, leopard geckos, and most lizards, they seem to do better with handling overall. Do you happen to know anything about tank size, age of animal, anything like that?
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May 6, 2022 00:53
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Cowslips Warren posted:I'm trying to figure out if you enjoy giving punny advice or you're just too lazy to type out justGoogleit.com. Yeah I'm just an rear end in a top hat who likes to make bad jokes lol. Sometimes I have good advice and sometimes I just can't help myself.
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May 6, 2022 01:44
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Always nice to discover a new moult. My Green Bottle Blue spiderling obliged while I was away on holiday. Been about a week now and here he/she is, replete with fresh colouration, enjoying a nice juicy locust.
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May 6, 2022 12:34
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So my local place does these amazing videos, this one is how to handle a grumpy snake, the forum won't link time so fast forward to 3:38 for the most amazing ominous hissing ever caught on camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xC5ANNNwA4
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May 7, 2022 18:29
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When my neighbor traveled (often) over the past few years she had me watch her Russian tortoise and I grew very attached and did a lot of research about how to best care for them and souped up the habitat, etc. Now it's several years later and I am thinking about getting a Russian tortoise of my own within the next six months to a year. When researching, I did find many different perspectives on the little things involving caring for a Russian tortoise, but a really good setup I had with my neighbor's is TWO ZooMed wooden enclosures (the big ones with the arched entryway from the sleep side to the light side) put together to make one big enclosure. I want the enclosure to feel as much like the wild as I can, so maybe real plants and rocks to climb strewn about. Some questions: -- is TortoiseTown a good place to buy? -- Is cypress mulch the best bedding? -- Any myths/good advice in general? -- Which bulbs/UV light setup do y'all recommend?
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May 7, 2022 18:53
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First of all you *need* ceramic light fittings (because of fire) and what you want is separate UVB light strips (attached to L shape wood hung above the table) and UVA bulbs (clip on ceramic holder). UVB means they can can absorb food properly and UVA is your heat source, the problem with combined bulbs is that for efficancy you want the highest wattage UVA bulb you can find and then to use a manual dimmer switch or ideally a pulse thermostat to turn it down, which will massively extend the life of the bulb, *but* if you have your UVB combined you will never be able to turn the heat down at all without making it useless. I use tortoise soil 2/3 of the table and then a mix of edible bedding and hay inside his hide and at the entrance to it and that's where he's fed so there won't be risk of eating soil when he throws his food around. They won't climb or try to escape is the biggest myth.
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May 7, 2022 19:23
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Man created the Bulldozer. God saw man's most perfect creation, thought "I can do better." and created Tortoises.
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May 7, 2022 20:00
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learnincurve posted:First of all you *need* ceramic light fittings (because of fire) and what you want is separate UVB light strips (attached to L shape wood hung above the table) and UVA bulbs (clip on ceramic holder). UVB means they can can absorb food properly and UVA is your heat source, the problem with combined bulbs is that for efficancy you want the highest wattage UVA bulb you can find and then to use a manual dimmer switch or ideally a pulse thermostat to turn it down, which will massively extend the life of the bulb, *but* if you have your UVB combined you will never be able to turn the heat down at all without making it useless. Do you have any particular go-tos for lighting in terms of actual products? Knowing just what to buy for my setup has always been the trickiest part for me. My neighbor's tortoise would constantly try to climb out and bang against the glass, and when I get a wooden enclosure without a view of the outside, it completely stopped.
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May 7, 2022 21:35
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We have had our Russian tortoise, Oval, for about 30 years now. She is the biggest I've ever seen, about the size of a dinner plate. Imported back in the 90's from the wild, and almost moved our move from New Mexico back to Arizona; she had dug down under the house and came out right as we did our final walk-through. We see her maybe two times a year: before winter kicks in (winter here is like 65*) and spring, which is about over. Other than that, during the hot summer months, she has some underground place to chill. Now I understand 99% of that does not apply to Russian torts not living in Phoenix. I would not worry about rocks so much but stuff to dig in, and lots of grass is good.
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May 7, 2022 21:38
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fawning deference posted:Do you have any particular go-tos for lighting in terms of actual products? Knowing just what to buy for my setup has always been the trickiest part for me. First of all tortoises hate glass, if they can see out the sides they will go mad trying to get out, a fix for that if you have a vivarium is to get duck tape and black out the sides to just above head height so they can't see out These are short and very light so great for hanging above tables - the new Arcadia pro range: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcadia-Pro-UVB-Kit-ShadeDweller/dp/B07R54KX6C My bulbs are Exo Terra but the Arcadia and Komodo bulbs are also fine, the key is that you just massively extend the life by running less wattage though high watt bulbs This is my thermostat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MMIJSDS/ It's a pulse day and night, two plugs, one for your UVB strip that just turns it on and off at set times and the other feeds though power to your bulb/ceramic heater as it needs it, one set of temps for day and then one for night - my snake is tropical nocturnal so I have a ceramic heater instead of a bulb.
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May 7, 2022 21:55
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Don't Russian tortoises need humidity at a pretty high level? If they're outside in the dry heat of Arizona that's probably hard on them. Mine would be an indoor setup but I'm happy to pull grass and edible flowers and weeds from my big backyard for feeding.
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May 7, 2022 21:56
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learnincurve posted:First of all tortoises hate glass, if they can see out the sides they will go mad trying to get out, a fix for that if you have a vivarium is to get duck tape and black out the sides to just above head height so they can't see out Thanks so much for this! I certainly know about tortoises hating glass. My neighbor's was so stressed out and I just decided to spend my own money and get a wooden enclosure he couldn't see out of. Solved the problem completely.
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May 7, 2022 21:58
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For humidity with herps in open top or wooden vivarium you give them a moss box (hide filled with wet spagnum moss) at the basking end and put wet moss in the sleeping area.
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May 7, 2022 22:01
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fawning deference posted:Don't Russian tortoises need humidity at a pretty high level? If they're outside in the dry heat of Arizona that's probably hard on them. No, they don't need high humidity. I believe Indian stars/radiated do, and I know red-foots do, but Russians don't.
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May 7, 2022 22:08
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I just handled Megatron for the first time because he ate two pinkies on thursday without regurgitating and he was good as gold, lots of tasting the air but not even the slightest sign of aggression or mistaking my finger for a pinkie, just "oh hey outside the glass!". Guenther (brown rainbow boa) is getting better as well, at the start he's still doing the thing all rainbow boas do when they are nervous which is to constrict really hard round your arm with the back end and then go loooong with the front end, like ok mr pointy calm down lad.
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May 8, 2022 10:47
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learnincurve posted:the forum won't link time so fast forward to 3:38 Specifying a video start offset Some video sites allow you to specify a point in the movie where playback should begin. All of the examples below will start playback at 3 minutes and 8 seconds into the movie (that's what the "3m8s" means). code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xC5ANNNwA4&t=218s Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 23:56 on May 10, 2022 |
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May 10, 2022 23:54
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Long story short I'm at least temporarily taking care of a bearded dragon that got abandoned and seems to not have been treated all that well. He is super friendly but I've never taken care of a reptile before and want to make sure that unlike his previous owner, I treat him right. Is the warning about compact UVB bulbs in the OP still valid 7 years later? The lamp housing he came with is a two-bulb deal that houses conventional-shaped bulbs. From the OP It sounds like the 10.0 bulbs that are desired for a desert-dweller like a bearded dragon are generally a few feet long, he's currently in a maybe 40 gallon tank, maybe 30. Would there be bulbs small enough to keep a good temperature gradient in his tank? I also set up his terrarium by the window so part of it gets direct sunlight in the afternoon, he seems to love basking there but are there any safety precautions I have to take there? I positioned it so that there's still a shady spot if he gets too hot, but the thermometer shows it staying under 100F which from what I've read is safe for a basking spot. I live in a town small enough that the pet stores don't carry herp supplies, I'm going to drive out of town to the nearest Petco after work and get some reptile sand to replace the green carpet-y thing that is currently in there, potentially get a better bulb, and basically do anything else that is urgently needed for his health/safety. I'll probably post some pictures of the setup in the morning so people can hopefully spot anything else that needs to be taken care of immediately.
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May 11, 2022 08:21
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The latest in UVB are Arcadia T5 pro which come in extremely compact sizes and although this isn’t the exact one you want they do do them in desert https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcadia-Pr...ps%2C107&sr=8-3 I’ll be honest, they are so light I just glued the entire unit to where I wanted it rather than use the tiny screws.
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May 11, 2022 08:38
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Okay, I'll see if I can find that or the Reptisun from the OP at the local store. Actually, reading it again, do I want the UVB bulb to go the full length of the terrarium? Is it UVB bulb and light bulb full length of the terrarium, heat lamp only in one section?
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May 11, 2022 09:04
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Okay, I'll see if I can find that or the Reptisun from the OP at the local store. Actually, reading it again, do I want the UVB bulb to go the full length of the terrarium? Is it UVB bulb and light bulb full length of the terrarium, heat lamp only in one section? I have Strong Opinions on how long UVB should be from my uromastics days, half length of the housing maximum. Basically you want a dark shady end and a light end for several reasons. Firstly it's just more comfortable to have the lights turned down when you are trying to have a nap, secondly one long strip simulates the midday sun, and they don't make tiny baseball caps and shades so you want them to have a dark area they can settle their eyes on while they soak heat and uvb
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May 11, 2022 12:14
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Ordered guenthers 48x 24 x24 and was all like "well this is it set ups for both snakes at all ages  ", told friend I have baby corn to "oh but you can have my old corn snake set ups" to about 30 seconds of "oh no but I shouldn't" so here I am +3 vivariums and +1 snekglencora Hunting the prey  Trial  Error  Sucesssss  e: I should point out that this is a rescue snake if anyone is wondering about her weight, house policy is and always has been if you buy two animals then the third must be a rescue learnincurve fucked around with this message at 13:49 on May 11, 2022 |
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May 11, 2022 12:48
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Okay, I'll see if I can find that or the Reptisun from the OP at the local store. Actually, reading it again, do I want the UVB bulb to go the full length of the terrarium? Is it UVB bulb and light bulb full length of the terrarium, heat lamp only in one section? Forget the reptile sand, just get play sand from Home depot. Any idea what his diet has been?
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May 11, 2022 15:41
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Looks like Zilla omnivore mix. Here’s the setup, the cardboard is because the terrarium is half mesh, half open, and I’m worried about him climbing out or the cat climbing in, although she’s happy to sit on my lap while he’s on my shoulder. You can see the light rig, that has both the UV bulb and heat lamp in it. There’s also not much to stimulate him in there. https://imgur.com/a/k2sJgSC
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May 11, 2022 16:23
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What he's in right now won't murder him to death right away but it's most definitely emergency housing. Chicken wire would be a short term anti-cat solution. He needs elevation and things to climb over for sure, you need to be able to tell what the temps are on his basking spot as well. Plus, you want a pulse thermostat to adust the lights for you, doesn't have to be fancy pants with a digital readout - habistat do a decent cheap one and petsmart should have that brand. Honestly the best thing you can do is get him out of the fish tank and into a vivarium/terrarium with side opening doors - check your local second hand places like facebook, craigslist and ebay, people tend to keep the expensive bits like the heat and lights when they go up a size and sell the box bit for a fraction of what they paid for it. Reptile housing is generally interchangeable it's just the size of the box which determines everything else. You are going to have to take a trip out to petsmart for live feed which is a first concern, and they may have full set ups at a discount so that's worth checking out, but yeh, it needs upgrading for sure but not getting enough UVB tends to cause long term damage and so long as he's getting enough heat and eating you don't need to check on him every 5 in a panic
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May 11, 2022 17:55
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There are thermostats on each side, so I can see what the temperatures are, thankfully. I'll get the pulse thermostat, I live in a pretty cold climate so I want to make sure that he stays plenty warm. As far as live feed, how often should I feed him crickets (I assume?) because the Petco is about an hour away so if possible I'd prefer to keep that to a once or twice a month trip assuming I keep him, which I kind of want to do if I can at this point. I dated a woman who had a bunch of lizards last year and IIRC she had the live feed mailed to her. Just five minutes he was happily munching away at his feed while staring at me, so he's eating and he's lively most of the time. Is there a good crash course for beardie owning out there? I never really had any interest in lizards but nobody else could take him on short notice and I really like him.
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May 11, 2022 18:28
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at the risk of sounding like I’m encouraging laziness, how well do beardies take pre-killed bugs? I’ve had good success supplementing my turtles’ pellets with the Flukers canned worms and crickets
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May 11, 2022 18:46
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