Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

dhill

As you can probably tell Im new to the world of reptiles and am looking at venturing into the world of Lizards...to be more precise Rankins Dragons. Im not looking at buying one until the new year now, so in the mean time Im trying to do as much research about them as possible (already have several care sheets Ive found on the net).

On all the different sites Ive found and read stuff on they all say pretty much the same thing, although some do say conflicting stuff!

At the moment Im primarily looking into a Viv for either a single Rankin but maybe a pair. But I have some questions:

1. What size Viv is recommened (Im thinking along the lines of 36"x18"x18")
2. Do I need a heat mat and a basking light
3. Does the UV light have to be a max distance of 6" from the Rankins
4. What type of thermostat would you recommened

Thats it for now, sure i will have loads more questions later lol

Cheers

jim_radley · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 7:06 pm Post subject:

1, I'd recommend a 36"x24"x24" for a pair of adults as a minimum. I've kept Trios in 48"x24"x24".
2, Heat mats should only be used for inverts, unless being used in conjunction with basking bulbs.
3, The closer the UV bulb is to the substrate, the better. The UV quality deteriorates every 6".
4, A Habistat dimmer stat should be used with a basking bulb.

Jas

Scott W

dhill · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:37 pm Post subject:

Cheers for all the advice so far, so to try and conclude an ideal Rankin setup.....

1. Viv 36"x24"x24"
2. Basking lamp with Habistat dimmer stat
3. UV lamp that is a max 6" from substrate (Repti-Glo)

The only questions arising from this is.....

1. What type of basking lamp (ceramic or spot lamp and what rating 60watt?)
2. Which UV lamp? Repti-Glo 5.0 or Repti-Glo 8.0 and im guessing a 24" one would be best
3. Would I not need a heat mat on the back wall to help raise the temp within the Viv?

Cheers again

jim_radley · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:53 pm Post subject:

With the Rankins that I have a share in, have a 100w Spot bulb with a thermostat, and a 60w green bulb that has no thermostat and is on 24hrs a day. This keeps a large viv warm and gives a hot basking area. I've just started using Halogen basking bulbs which are brilliant.
They have a 8.0 UV bulb 1" above the substrate.
Heat mats aren't needed at all.