Good basking spot solutions for beardeds?

[Lizard_Mom]

Hi All,

I have 2 beautiful bearded dragons that we are absolutely in love with. They are outgrowing the basking spots we currently have given them. We provided both a wood "playgym" from a pet store and a rock basking spot we fashioned ourselves that has an overhang so they have a hidey/cools spot.

What is aggravating us is that the crickets find hiding spots everywhere... even little holes in the wood playgym that we didn't know were there - and between the rocks we have sitting on top of one another. Even the medium-sized crickets chirp so loudly at night that we can't stand it. We have stopped feeding them crickets and migrated to worms/pellets/greens because of it. Occasionally I give them the tiny crickets that don't know how to chirp yet.

I would like to find a larger piece of wood that would accomodate 2 adult-size beardeds and NOT have hiding holes for crickets. Anyone have any luck finding any such thing? None of the pet stores near me have anything suitable and I can't find anything significant enough on the net.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Lizgirl]

Finding good reptile stuff is difficult. I have had the most luck with stuff that I find on the beach or along the river. Of course, you need to clean the wood before introducint it to your cage as it may have mites or other creepy crawlies that aren't nice to reptiles. I think submerging the wood in a mixture of vinegar and water will kill most bacteria and drown most creepy crawlies. Try a cup of vinegar to 1 gallon water mixture.

I have one bearded and have gone completely away from crickets to greens daily and 1-2 pinkie mice once a week. I hope this advice helps.