Bearded Dragons

Tom

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Is anybody familiar with these UVB tubes and what are your experiences with them?

12% UVB + D3 Reptile Lamp. T8

And Any thoughts on the Deep Heat Projector?
Who makes the 12% bulb? I'v never heard of a 12% T8. Are you sure its not an HO T5?

In any case, the only way to know what any UV bulb is doing is to put a meter under it. Solarmeter 6.5.

I have no experience with the deep heat projector either.

I love the idea of feeding him in a separate container. I do this with lots of animals and there are many benefits to doing it that way.
 

CarolM

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A Deep Heat Projector like here?

Thank you Mark.
 

CarolM

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Who makes the 12% bulb? I'v never heard of a 12% T8. Are you sure its not an HO T5?

In any case, the only way to know what any UV bulb is doing is to put a meter under it. Solarmeter 6.5.

I have no experience with the deep heat projector either.

I love the idea of feeding him in a separate container. I do this with lots of animals and there are many benefits to doing it that way.
I thought it was arcadia. But maybe not.
I researched the solarmeter 6.5 and at over R4000 it is way out if my price range at the moment. So it will just have to be swopping the light out every 6 months for now.
 

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Tom

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I thought it was arcadia. But maybe not.
I researched the solarmeter 6.5 and at over R4000 it is way out if my price range at the moment. So it will just have to be swopping the light out every 6 months for now.
I don't know that bulb. T8 bulbs don't produce a lot of UV, so I don't think you will have to worry about too much UV, but without a meter, there is really no way to know if the bulb is making enough UV. If you are using real sunshine on a regular basis, as well as a calcium powder with D3 to dust your insects and greens, I think you will be fine.
 

CarolM

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I don't know that bulb. T8 bulbs don't produce a lot of UV, so I don't think you will have to worry about too much UV, but without a meter, there is really no way to know if the bulb is making enough UV. If you are using real sunshine on a regular basis, as well as a calcium powder with D3 to dust your insects and greens, I think you will be fine.
Okay perfect. Thank you Tom
 

EllieMay

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Plan for gradients throughout the enclosure, especially in regard to temperature.

You're used to dealing with tortoises. One of the biggest differences in mindset between terrestrial turtles/tortoises and lizards is that the lizards can take better advantage of vertical space. Three dimensions instead of two. Additional levels or long branches that stick up at one end (placed at an angle) are likely to be appreciated.
@CarolM
And don’t forget the hammock! Mine loved his...

I think someone already said this, but if you feed crickets, only feed what they can eat. They will chew on Phoenix!!!
 

EllieMay

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Who makes the 12% bulb? I'v never heard of a 12% T8. Are you sure its not an HO T5?

In any case, the only way to know what any UV bulb is doing is to put a meter under it. Solarmeter 6.5.

I have no experience with the deep heat projector either.

I love the idea of feeding him in a separate container. I do this with lots of animals and there are many benefits to doing it that way.
I always did that with my Red tailed Boa... I wanted to make sure he never mistook my incoming hand for feeding time. He never did:)
 

CarolM

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@CarolM
And don’t forget the hammock! Mine loved his...

I think someone already said this, but if you feed crickets, only feed what they can eat. They will chew on Phoenix!!!
I am only feeding roaches, as I don't like the stuff I have read about the crickets. Roaches are much more nutritious than the crickets anyway. I need to find a hammock and then I need to find a space for it in the enclosure.

I am planning to make a background with ledges etc for him to climb. I will be using egg trays to do it. You blitz broken up egg trays with water, then squeeze the water out and then mix it with glue. It makes a paste like substance which you can then mold into shapes that you want. I will use cardboard as the standing piece and then mold the egg tray paste into shapes on the cardboard. The glue will be aquarium silicone. this will either work well and look fantastic or it will be a flop and I have had a learning experience and will then make another plan. :D
 

KarenSoCal

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The glue will be aquarium silicone. this will either work well and look fantastic or it will be a flop and I have had a learning experience and will then make another plan. :D

Let me get this straight...you use regular cardboard egg cartons from the store. You cut them up, drench them, squeeze the extra water out, and then add aquarium silicone to the wet cardboard? And that will stick to a piece of cardboard?

This is great! I'm fascinated!
 

CarolM

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Let me get this straight...you use regular cardboard egg cartons from the store. You cut them up, drench them, squeeze the extra water out, and then add aquarium silicone to the wet cardboard? And that will stick to a piece of cardboard?

This is great! I'm fascinated!
That is the idea. I did it to make these faces, but I also added in cement mix and used wood glue (I am replacing the wood glue with aquarium silicone as it is safe for animals). I am going to use the same concept and try it out. I will loose nothing other than the cost of the silicone and gain a lot of knowledge.

1595489896891.png
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1595489940408.png
 

KarenSoCal

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I will do the same thing more or less just use a different glue (to make it safe for Phoenix) and I won't be using a balloon. I will do the cardboard pieces sticking out to make the ledges etc.
Really cool, Carol! I especially like your little tortoise sculpture! I look forward to reading about Phoenix. I just got a blue tongue skink about a month ago. My first lizard!

Lots of pictures, please! And tell about taming and getting to know each other.
 

CarolM

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Really cool, Carol! I especially like your little tortoise sculpture! I look forward to reading about Phoenix. I just got a blue tongue skink about a month ago. My first lizard!

Lots of pictures, please! And tell about taming and getting to know each other.
LOL, Phoenix is our first lizard as well. Please share a picture of your lizard. and how you keep him etc. Jarrod my son has just been spending a lot of time with Phoenix. He handles him daily. Luckily Jarrod is still doing his schooling from home (he is only expected to go back on the 31st of August ) so he has had lots of time available. What he did in the beginning was to just sit in front of the enclosure so that Phoenix could see him all the time and learn that he was not a threat. He did everything on the floor in front of the enclosure. Then he started handling Phoenix and it seems to be working. Phoenix is getting used to us handling him. He is still young though so he tends to try and jump out of our hands more than a older one would. But as long as we handle him everyday and show him that we are not a threat then we should be good.
 

KarenSoCal

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LOL, Phoenix is our first lizard as well. Please share a picture of your lizard. and how you keep him etc.

This is Thistle...
20200714_110828.jpg

I'll maybe never know gender, but I've assigned her female. I've been making progress with her. She settles right down when I get her out of her enclosure. It's the getting out that's tricky. She would prefer to stay in, so she does what she can to discourage me. At least she's not still biting me. She has power in those jaws! In order to make it easier to catch her, she only has a bit of substrate on about 1/4 of her cage. And her furnishings are spartan. When she comes to me willingly I'll be able to fix it nice.

I must be very careful when she's out. I have a little dog who would love to get at Thistle, so I keep her up on me, or let her walk around on the kitchen counter. When the weather cools enough to put the dogs outside for a while, I'll be able to let her do more.

It's a process, and has a steep learning curve. But I have been amazed by how similar the conditions and food are for both torts and skinks. Thistle likes her veggies. She picks them out of the meat first!

It will be fun to do this together! Get Jarrod in it too!
 

CarolM

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This is Thistle...
View attachment 300910

I'll maybe never know gender, but I've assigned her female. I've been making progress with her. She settles right down when I get her out of her enclosure. It's the getting out that's tricky. She would prefer to stay in, so she does what she can to discourage me. At least she's not still biting me. She has power in those jaws! In order to make it easier to catch her, she only has a bit of substrate on about 1/4 of her cage. And her furnishings are spartan. When she comes to me willingly I'll be able to fix it nice.

I must be very careful when she's out. I have a little dog who would love to get at Thistle, so I keep her up on me, or let her walk around on the kitchen counter. When the weather cools enough to put the dogs outside for a while, I'll be able to let her do more.

It's a process, and has a steep learning curve. But I have been amazed by how similar the conditions and food are for both torts and skinks. Thistle likes her veggies. She picks them out of the meat first!

It will be fun to do this together! Get Jarrod in it too!
oh my Thistle is gorgeous. And I love what I see in the picture as well. Looks like she has nice things to play with.

I will see if Jarrod wants to join and talk Bearded Dragon as well. Would be good for him. They all think that I am crazy, because I take what people say here over what I generally read. The thing is I trust the people on here more than I trust what is out there. Either way research is good.

Phoenix is not too interested in veggies at the moment, that is why I want to get him to eat more of it. He is supposed to be eating more insects than veg at his age, but I would like him to eat a little bit more veg than he currently is. However he is coming out of brumation so maybe that is why he is still not too interested in food.

Jarrod says that Phoenix loves eating the Dubia roaches but is not too interested in the Turkistan ones. But the Dubia roaches are all babies still and I need them to become adults and breed, so that we can get a nice colony going. So Jarrod needs to feed Phoenix more of the Turkistan ones and leave the Dubia raoches alone for a while. I hope that I am doing the right thing and as yesterday he was not interested in eating at all. Jarrod was worried about it, but I told him that if Phoenix is hungry he will eat the Turkistan roaches eventually. I don't want a picky lizard, having a picky husband is enough thank you. ?

Do Skinks like toys as well? Jarrod wants to get Phoenix a little ball and teach him to play ball with him.
 

KarenSoCal

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oh my Thistle is gorgeous. And I love what I see in the picture as well. Looks like she has nice things to play with.

I will see if Jarrod wants to join and talk Bearded Dragon as well. Would be good for him. They all think that I am crazy, because I take what people say here over what I generally read. The thing is I trust the people on here more than I trust what is out there. Either way research is good.

Phoenix is not too interested in veggies at the moment, that is why I want to get him to eat more of it. He is supposed to be eating more insects than veg at his age, but I would like him to eat a little bit more veg than he currently is. However he is coming out of brumation so maybe that is why he is still not too interested in food.

Jarrod says that Phoenix loves eating the Dubia roaches but is not too interested in the Turkistan ones. But the Dubia roaches are all babies still and I need them to become adults and breed, so that we can get a nice colony going. So Jarrod needs to feed Phoenix more of the Turkistan ones and leave the Dubia raoches alone for a while. I hope that I am doing the right thing and as yesterday he was not interested in eating at all. Jarrod was worried about it, but I told him that if Phoenix is hungry he will eat the Turkistan roaches eventually. I don't want a picky lizard, having a picky husband is enough thank you. ?

Do Skinks like toys as well? Jarrod wants to get Phoenix a little ball and teach him to play ball with him.

Here's a pic of her current enclosure. It's 4ft x 30" x 2ft. To help with the taming, I divided it in half. When she's ready, I'll remove the barrier and make it look nice.

I don't know if she likes toys. I'll have to try something. Most of the time she's buried under substrate or in her hide. I think she's hiding from me.

20200704_131302.jpg20200627_151208.jpg
 

Maro2Bear

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Let me get this straight...you use regular cardboard egg cartons from the store. You cut them up, drench them, squeeze the extra water out, and then add aquarium silicone to the wet cardboard? And that will stick to a piece of cardboard?

This is great! I'm fascinated!

Kind of sounds like paper Mache (but with glue) -

 
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