Confused - Help

[shorthome]

I recently purchased a bearded dragon for my son, we were sold a exo-terra viv (45x45x45), with a compact top. The lamps we were sold was a repti glo 10 UVB coil lamp and were given a 50w bulb for the other lamp. When we asked about having the correct lamps and equipment in terms of a basking lamp and daylight lamps we were told we had what we needed. Also advised the tank was ok for a single bearded dragon.

Reading some forums I am confused and worried that we have the right equipment. We realise we will have to upgrade the size of the viv later but I am concerned that we have the right lighting and heating equipment. We have a heat-mat secured to the underside of the viv, above that we have the reptiglow 10 lamp. The other side of the tank we have the other 50w daylight lamp. Neither of which seem to be giving off a huge amount of heat when you put your hand into the viv. The bearded dragon lays on the substrate in the vicinity of the heat-mat, he seems to be happy, in that he seems to be gapping.

He doesn't seem to be climbing to bask, he stays in the one spot mostly. Can someone help, we also read that the coil lamps cause harm to the bearded dragons? ???

 

[zebraflavencs]

Here's help !
Okay you were right to question that light and the viv. Any coil/compact has horrible health issues concerning dragons.

Dragons sense heat and uvb from above, so you can remove that heat pad. If temps drop below 60-65*F at night, then this is what you need:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/...44/zoo-med-ceramic-infrared-heat-emitter.html

The correct size viv for a single adult dragon (minimum size that is) would be a 36" x 24" x 24.


With that amount of inches high, I would recommend a Mega Ray :
http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
You will want a ceramic fixture that is rated for around 200*F to be safe, and no dimmers on this one, it will burn it out!
Allow 4 days to "burn" in the mega, during these several days the excess gasses from production burn off, creating high heat indexes, so if you can do this outside the viv, and away from human eyes, that would be awesome!
This provides heat and light, so all you would need, if that, is a second bright white light. You will need a minimum of 12-20" away from the dragon for the best useage of the uvb and heat for basking. Just keep an eye on temps.

Speaking of temps, how are you measuring ? A round or flat stick on ? Nope again ! You will want to pop on over to your local Wally world and head on over to the garden center. You will be looking for a digital therm with humidity readings called Acu-rite, cost is around $12-14.

This is the calcium to be used 5 days a week on the salad and first insect feeding ( got a link for that too, in a bit):
http://www.petmountain.com/product/...cal-ultrafine-calcium-without-vitamin-d3.html

Here is that link to choosing healthy foods for your dragon:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
Daily feeds are in Green, treats 1-2 times a week in Black. Ignore the rest.

Now did this terribly intelligent lad also sell you calci sand or reptisand for the substrate ? If so, nix on that as well. This stuff gets wet and turns into a cement like substance, blocking up the intestinal tract. If the dragon is less than 2 years old, you would be better served using, paper towels, non adhesive shelf liner, or textured ceramic tiles ( slate for example).

If the dragon is over the 2 year mark, you can use ( though most of us stick with the tiles, why cast fate if you don't have to ) play sand rinsed and sifted ( for pebbles and any other foreign items ).

Still with me ! Fantastic ! These are the basics for healthy dragons. Fix whichever issues need fixing, and you are set !
Hope this helps out !
Janie.

 

[crypticdragons]

Janie pretty much set you up here. I hope you arent too overwhelmed.

 

[shorthome]

Thanks for the help, not to overwhelmed, just plain angry. Hope I haven harmed the beardie in anyway. The equipment i was sold wasn't cheap either and it is clearly not right, feel a bit of a fool - not happy!!

I assume the viv will be ok for a little while, he is about 8-10" at present and I will change the substrate. You were correct he sold me sand, even after asking him if sand was the correct substrate, being concerned about what i had read. Just shows that I should have stuck to the research I had done. Thanks again for the help, much appreciated

 

[renich]

It is a sad truth that pet stores often give incorrect information. And there is so much conflicting information out there. That is the reason my husband and me started our site. Our own personal notepad to keep track of all the info out there.

I'm glad that you sought help and Janie was able to explain proper care of these guys for you.

I didn't notice an answer to the temp question. What are you using to measure your temps?

Here is a link to a listing of general information when it comes to caring for bearded dragons. Give it a read and feel free to ask any questions.

And welcome to the forum!

Bearded Dragon Care

 

[crypticdragons]

if your tank is 45" x 45" x 45" than that tank will be fine for a full grown adult. Only problem i see you having is heating it. You will probably have to use a high wattage MVB such as a Trex 160watt and may even need to add a secondary heat source. best way to measure heat is with a digital probe thermometer that you can purchase at walmart or a tempgun from tempgun.com
both are the highest level of accuracy. temps are probably one of the most important parts of bearded dragon care. That care sheet is very well detailed on the information needed.

 

[zebraflavencs]

We all started out, usually with the wrong information. Only about 6-9 months ago I was in your position. Now I return the favor those did me then, to you now.

You haven't had him under that light long enough to do lasting harm. So rest assured there.

If you don't see poo from him during the next few days after removing sand, then offer some unsweetened applesauce with a drop or two of mineral oil, slightly warmed. This will help anything pass that might be lodged.

So once again, you found us, we know you are trying your best. No beating your self up, or we'll have to send you a group hug.... Some of us hug really hard, so let's avoid that
Let us know how things are going. Pictures are always welcome. Should you have any information you want to check for accuracy, well we are here for that too. Stick around, friend, we are only enhanced with you on the team.

Little hugs,
Janie.

 

[shorthome]

Just got from the petstore, somewhat financially lighter, but "bob" has got a 36" viv and proper lamps( SunGlo tight beam 50w, and a reptiglo 10uvb tube), temps are up to about 85degF and rising.

Sorry didn't answer a previous question, we have a digital thermometer measuring the temp in the basking area, will get another one for the cool when they come back into stock.

Bob looks happier, gaping and his head is up looking around, no poops yet though - never though I'd say this, but I hope they will come soon. He was only in sand for two days so hopefully he isn't impacted.

Thank you all for your help!

The manager in the shop was very embarrassed by the way - had a full refund for the viv i bought and the coil lamp - result!

 

[renich]

I'm glad the pet store was accomodating with their mess up.

Are you giving Bob daily baths? I would give him a 20 minute soak in water. It should be as warm as baby bath water. Don't be alarmed if Bob doesn't like it at first. Most dragons don't. you can gently massage his tummy to help him poop. Between the warm water and the movement of swimming, he should pass his poop in no time.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Reptiglo ? nope they sold you the wrong tube. You want the ReptiSUN 10.0.
Janie.

Sorry !

 

[shorthome]

Oh heck, the reptiglo is all they had there, I got it thinking that it was better than the coils I had before. He seems a lot happier under this set-up, should I change this immediately or can I do this at the time they need to be changed? What is the recommended life-cycle of these tubes - 3-6months?

 

[shorthome]

I will start with the baths, he has passed a poop now, he had a bask for about 45 mins then the magic happened. he seems much more lively and is eating his veg also. Steep learning curve, but think we are getting there, thanks everyone!

 

[renich]

The ReptiSun is hard to find in stores around here (MD). I've ordered online. Here's a link to a store:
s a link:

ReptiSun 10.0

 

[zebraflavencs]

if you can return it now, then go ahead. You can order the Sun here:
You can use either a credit card, debit card with Visa/MC or Paypal. A few more days to 2 weeks isn't going to make that much difference going without uvb.
Janie.

 

[shorthome]

The store only had the exo-terra brand (repti-glo) so even if they would take the lamp back they don't do cash refunds , so for the moment i am stuck with the repti glo, from what you have said that should be ok though, right?

Apologies, but I don't want to sound as if doubt what you say at all, after all you have all got us this far, but i don't understand. Both the reptiglo and reptisun claim to output uvb, the reptiglo however advises that it should be used in conjunction with reptiglo 2.0, which as far as i can tell is a uva lamp. Is that the difference? Is that the reason why the reptiglo is not a good idea?

Sorry for being a pain!

 

[renich]

You are not being a pain. It is a lot to take in and so much incorrect info is out there.

The ReptiGlo 10.0 does not emit enough UVB for bearded dragons. They require strong UVB to thrive. If you go to the manufacturer's web site you will see that the types of reptiles the ReptiGlo 10.0 was produced for are snakes and not lizards.

The ReptiSun 10.0 is the best bulb on the market. It emits UVB the furthest distance. So, if you have a tube that stretches your entire viv, your beardie will get the needed UVB from wherever he is.

UVB is essential for bearded dragons to produce calcium and Vitamin D. These are needed for digestion of their foods.

Don't give up. Once you get the basics down, you will be a pro!
And if they don't give cash refunds, I'm sure there will be other things you can purchase (crickets, furniture, etc.).

 

[shorthome]

Just ordered a ReptiSUN 10 lamp - I hope my bank manager is in a good mood, or at least keeps bearded dragons.

Generally though I think we are getting there, the Max temp reached yesterday was 90degF in his basking spot and it dropped to 75degF during the night. He seems much more alert and active straight away, hes ahs pooped but his appetite does not seemed to have increased though, he is not eating anywhere near the amount of food we have read about - some places were quoting 50 crickets/day, he is just not interested, he has eaten probably about 10-15, although he was only being fed 5-6 once a day in the petstore.

The reptiglo lamp is suspended inside the viv at the moment and he has taken to lying on it, will this be ok with the retisun lamp? I read it gives off more heat so I guess not.

 

[zebraflavencs]

On it ? Or under it ?
You can use a higher wattage house hold bulb to bring those basking temps up to 105*F, then you will see a bit more eating. Have you turned off the glo yet ? It is better in the long run to have NO uvb then Bad uvb.
Janie

 

[shorthome]

He lies on it! He climbs up the back wall of the viv and lines on it, he won't be able to much longer as he only just fits into the gap now, I have it as close to the screen as can get it, but he squeezes hiself inthere. The lamp is not hot, less than his basking light, but not sure if this will be ok with the reptisun lamp or if I will have to rearrange things - I guess I'll find out hot it is when i get it - just seemed a bit weird

Thanks for the tip on the household lamp, that will save my bank manger a bit of stress.

 

[renich]

No, it is not a good idea for him to lie on top of the UVB. He's not getting any of the rays on top of the bulb. Beardies have a hard time detecting heat on their bellies too. So, it may not seem hot to you, but it may be a bit too hot for him.

See if you can get the basking area up to 105-110F. Increasing the basking bulb will help with this. You can use a normal household bulb.