Bearded Dragon Shopping List

[elevatethis]

I'll be the owner of a baby bearded dragon in a couple of weeks, and I plan and getting the cage all set up before I bring him/her home.

I've got a 20gallon long that is the former home of Amber, who now resides in a 40g breeder. She's got all the stretching room she'll ever need. The beardy will get its own once it grows out of the 20L.

Heres what I've got in my cart from Reptile Direct:

Repti-Sun 5.0 UVB
8.5" Light fixture w/heat bulb
Repti-Carpet
Water dish
Food bowl
Herp hotel basking ledge/hide spot
medium sized exo-terra cave
misc decorations

Walmart list:

18" strip fixture
temp guages

Question: What should the wattage be on the bulb that I get? I know that beardies need ~110 degrees in the basking spot, I just don't know what bulb to get. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Anything I am forgetting?

[SatanicIntention]

I have heard that those ReptiSun UV lights don't last long at all. Maybe WalMart has one that lasts longer and you get your money's worth. It wouldn't be too fun having to spend $10 on a bulb every month. Or how about one of those long ones that looks like a fluorescent light but it's a UV one? I've seen them at pet stores. Have fun with the beardie!

[elevatethis]

Don't last long as in they burn out or stop producing UVB light?

[SatanicIntention]

Both. I "think" WalMart might have something more heavy duty that would last longer. I am pretty sure that the UV has a time limit on how long it will be produced from the bulb.

Just found this site while doing a little search for ya.
http://www.uvheat.com/

[JLC]

I've read that the UVB bulbs gradually stop producing the UV rays over a span of time, and should be replaced every six months or so. You can't find them in WalMart or other discount stores...at least, not that I've ever seen. They're pricey...but if you keep an eye out, you can catch them when they go on sale, either at local stores or your favorite Internet retailers.

Here is my favorite reference for beardies:
Beautiful Dragons
It has an awesome list of what to feed or not feed your dragon, as well as an excellent article about those UVB bulbs and how they should be used.

As for the heat bulb...you may have to do a little trial and error to find the right one. The best thing to do is to aim a little high and then use a light-dimmer switch to control the temps it puts out. I'm using a 75 watt basking bulb and keep the dimmer switch turned ALMOST all the way up for about 115* hot spot.

You'd also be doing yourself and your dragon a favor if you went to the hardware store and got a 24hour timer. Plug both lights into it and set it for a regular light cycle. I do 14 hour days and 10 hour nights. Some people try to follow the seasonal light patterns. They do best with a predictable and consistent light cycle...and a timer makes that very easy to keep up with.

[elevatethis]

Ah yes the timer, I forgot about that, but probably would have remembered once I plugged everything in, lol. Thanks for the heads up.

I'm glad it looks like my list is complete. Should the UVB buld extend the full length of the enclosure?

[JLC]

As much of it as is practical, yes. I've got a 24" bulb over my 20gal enclosure.

[elevatethis]

OK, I'll make sure to get the 24" bulb. Will a standard Wal-mart fixture work with the repti-sun bulb?

[JLC]

Yes, I think so.

Something else that comes to mind...I'm not sure if you included this under your "misc decorations" or not...but you'll want to be sure and include something he can climb on. They enjoy some climbing, and they need to be able to get up close to that UVB bulb as well.

[elevatethis]

Yes the herp hotel is a bid ledge looking thing which they can climb to bask. I also plan on putting in a few pieces of the coated driftwood and maybe even some grapevines. I need to make sure that they will not tip over though.