SuperNinjaDragon wrote:splashy07 wrote:If you do not yet have your lizard, don't purchase aspen if you are planning on an Indonesian species. Way too dry. Will suck the humidity (which they need plenty of) right out of the air. I even stopped using it for my Northerns, and they are shedding perfectly now.
I'm not getting an Indonesian species(illegal in australia), but I will reconsider the substrate. Thanks for your input
Y33T wrote:That reptile one enclosure is pretty expensive though. Its much cheaper to buy a 4ft/120x50x40 one on ebay.
You can use those Exo Terra hides as a basking spot. I use an XL Exo Terra cave as one and they absorb heat very well but its best to still provide another hide on the cool side so they can thermoregulate.
I’d rather use something else other than aspen. It can dry out their belly scales and it gets mouldy when wet. I use brunnings coir peat which you can find at woolies for just $3 a brick. Don’t buy the ones with the warning label though. The good ones show on the packaging that it’s ideal for reptiles.
@Y33T Thank you for the reccomendation on bunning's coir peat!
It's much cheaper than the aspen, however, I'm concerned that it's moisture holding abilities will harbour bugs/mould of some kind.
The tank is quite expensive, blowing over the 200 dollar range, so I'll check out ebay too, thanks for the suggestion!
I heard that a thermostat and dimmer is great for heating, but I don't know how to buy/use them. Help?
Unless you are out in Blue Mts or far SW suburbs , your new skinky pal will be fine overnight if the viv is in nice warm house over winter , my guys have 7W film style heatpad sandwiched between secondhand wall tiles under their caves , I set the thermostat at 34degC for the EBTs and the heatpads are run 24/7 , my two love their warm caves and sleep there most nights and often take siestas there during the days.
This is how I set up my heatpads :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/vi ... s#p1746469 , I'm close to the coast and Lake Macquarie so it never gets really frosty here , plus I run my aircon 24/7 in summer and winter and that keeps the climate in my house controlled.
If you in a colder area of Sydney , where it gets frosty overnight, your BT will benefit from overnight heating via either the above , or a Ceramic Heat Emitter (emits no visible light) on a dimming thermostat.
I spot clean as soon as I see a poo , change out the bedding completely for the BTs every week or two - and this helps keep things from going pear shaped.
I've built all my big vivs from 3/4 marine ply , and all my young lizards start off in rearing tubs.