water dragon setup help

[fogeater]

im about to aquire a water dragon soon but a little confused about setting up the heating and lighting, where to place which bulb at which place etc. i currently have a reptile one 50watt basking blub, ceramic heater 50 watts, a thermostate, one reptile one 10.0 uvb and a exo terra glass terrarium 60cm long, 60cm high, 45cm deep. could someone please tell me how to create a hot and cool spot in this small tank and the best way to mount the uvb light. i have a t8 tube fixture but unsure of how to install it, should i place on top of the mesh, would there be enough uvb getting through? thanks

[sewell]

(28-01-2013 03:17 PM)fogeater Wrote:  im about to aquire a water dragon soon but a little confused about setting up the heating and lighting, where to place which bulb at which place etc. i currently have a reptile one 50watt basking blub, ceramic heater 50 watts, a thermostate, one reptile one 10.0 uvb and a exo terra glass terrarium 60cm long, 60cm high, 45cm deep. could someone please tell me how to create a hot and cool spot in this small tank and the best way to mount the uvb light. i have a t8 tube fixture but unsure of how to install it, should i place on top of the mesh, would there be enough uvb getting through? thanks

Hi there. Great news on getting the water dragon - careful they are Houdini's of escaping. How old is the water dragon?

To create a hot and cold end you place the heat lamp at only one end of the tank (in your case you could probably get away with just a basking bulb this time of year and the uvb. Depending on how cold it gets.)

Mesh blocks out some uvb rays so does not give its best on top of mesh in the cage would be best if possible - maybe some wire and tie it??

Also, you will probably have to invest in a much bigger cage in about 6 months or so time as they can get rather large. Males up to 1.5m in length sometimes.

[darbyshire]

Before I tell you how to set everything up I will start with the first problem. The terrarium is too small to house a water dragon. Water dragons grow quite large so in a few years you will be purchasing a new terrarium, so it is better to get a large terrarium first. The size terrarium you have will be difficult to create hot and cool spots because the heater will heat the whole terrarium up along with the basking lamp. Water dragons grow to over 60cm long and they also need an area where they can go into the water and cool off. I would consider getting a different species of lizard such as a leopard gecko which would be more suitable for this size terrarium.

Thanks,
Jamie

[gavin]

I would not waste my time with the UV Lamp. If you are going to mount it anywhere do not put it on the outside of the mesh, it will reduce further what little UV they provide. Your animal will be 10 times better off if you have an outside cage they can bask in occasionally when the weather permits. I went all out and brought a UVB solar meter, the tube type lamps you get from the pet stores are pathetic. In terms of your basking lamps etc it all depends on how big the hose is and where you have their basking areas in relation to the lamps. Recommendations are no closer than 30cm to the basking spot, but you will find the animals will self regulate how long they stay under lamps, and how close to the center of the spot they sit. If its too hot they will simply move to the outer edges of the spot area. Your day time spot lamp should be set up towards one end of the house, that way if its too hot they can move down the other end where it is cooler. During summer my temps can get into the high 30's and animals will just heat up and move away. Your night lamp wants to be central so it's not going all the time. With the Water Dragons you can set that night temp to 16/18 Degrees and they will be fine. In summer a vent on the house can prevent them from over cooking during the day when the spot lamp is going.

[fogeater1]

i have already purchased a new terrarium 150 long 70 tall and 50cm deep, this should probs fit it for a couple of years. Another question is feeding. I have bought some meal worms, can i use this as a staple diet or would crickets work better. If im am to use crickets where can i get cheap ones, insect direct sells 100 small crickets for $44!!! Where do you guys get your live foods, pets shops only sell flies. I see in pet shops using fluker's medley treat for their water dragons? can i use this? one more thing is supplements, i have flukers calcium without d3(would with d3 be better) and fluklers reptile vitamins, how often should i offers these, a schedule? do i mix them? Thanks for all your reply guys