Is My Enclosure Inadequate?

[Em Lynch]

I brought this up on another post but i feel it needs it's own attention here on the Enclosures section.
Below is the extraction i wrote on the other thread, i need advice on what is best to do, i'm not ignorant i know a lot about Bearded Dragon care as i'm constantly researching! i just want some pointers as to how i can explain to my mum that a larger enclosure is needed and some advice on what would be best to buy with the limited space i have.

I feel quite distressed lately with her enclosure set-up i'm not happy with it at all. Its the enclosure she came in when i got her (here it is

i have it without the stand, its very small (60 litre...thats 14 Gallons!!) Its the only enclosure she's ever lived in and i really want to upgrade so she has more space and the temperatures are even but my Mum is against getting her a new enclosure because the one she's in is "fine" and she has time to run around and stretch her legs "when i take her out to explore" I'm trying to follow the rules and keep her properly the very best i can but surely the living conditions she's in at the moment aren't appropriate.
She seems content the way she is but i'm not entirely happy with the setup. This is what i'm working with...

My vet recommended a different form of lighting to the white basking light she had originally as she is susceptible to photo-kerato conjunctivitis after being over-exposed by blinding white light with her previous owner for over a year so i bought the red light and her eyes are much better and there is no irritation caused by it, i am however remaining constantly vigilant in looking for any signs of distress and if i was able to provide a larger enclosure i would be able to position a proper basking light the right distance from her and she could live comfortably with it.​

 

[Germ]

BDs are notorious for hiding health issues until too late. That enclosure is definitely inadequate & appears to have the equivalent floor space of a 10 gal or less & would have similar harmful shortcomings. I fail to see how you could possibly have the 20 degree F heat gradient mentioned in your other post on sleeping. That appears to be a very undersized adult BD for 15-17 month old. What is it's length nose to tip of tail? The very, bare minimum size that it should be kept in is a 40 Gal. offering minimum of 4 square feet of floor space.

BDs thrive on bright white light, usually the brighter the better. Photo-Conjunctivitis is generally caused by a UVB bulb that a BD can get too close to, or one that is emitting harmful rays in the UVC spectrum, not from the white light. In this case, quite often a brighter UVA (White Light) is recommended to cause a Pupillary Response, causing the pupils to be smaller, therefore allowing in less of the harmful rays.

What are you using to take the temps with as no thermometers are visible?

The long & short of it is, that poor BD has to get into a larger, properly setup enclosure as soon as possible, like yesterday. Everyday in that enclosure will shorten it's overall expected lifespan, there is no doubt.

 

[Germ]

Your explanation of her never being in the dark, always that close & under the bright light, 24/7/365, when with the previous owner is quite understandable to have caused possible eye damage & your choice of a red light for daytime heat in that tiny enclosure was likely a good one.

 

[Em Lynch]

BDs are notorious for hiding health issues until too late. That enclosure is definitely inadequate & appears to have the equivalent floor space of a 10 gal or less & would have similar harmful shortcomings. I fail to see how you could possibly have the 20 degree F heat gradient mentioned in your other post on sleeping. That appears to be a very undersized adult BD for 15-17 month old. What is it's length nose to tip of tail? The very, bare minimum size that it should be kept in is a 40 Gal. offering minimum of 4 square feet of floor space.

BDs thrive on bright white light, usually the brighter the better. Photo-Conjunctivitis is generally caused by a UVB bulb that a BD can get too close to, or one that is emitting harmful rays in the UVC spectrum, not from the white light.

What are you using to take the temps with as no thermometers are visible?

The long & short of it is, that poor BD has to get into a larger, properly setup enclosure as soon as possible, like yesterday. Everyday in that enclosure will shorten it's overall expected lifespan, there is no doubt.

First of all, i did realise there is no way she should be anywhere near a bright white light when its mounted so close to her face thanks for noticing that my choice of the red light was a good one it was intentional.
She had a compact UVB for a short while before i got her which worsened the conjunctivitis, and a white bulb mounted low in her enclosure with so climbing space.

The enclosure above was almost completely set up by her previous owner (i added the UVB strip light, the red light and her shelf.) I am not happy with it at all and I will do my best to fix it to be suitable for my poor girl. My main problem is my mum being completely unreasonable when it comes to investing in a new enclosure, i am in a delicate position but i know what needs to be done.
I can't drive so any new enclosure would have to be approved by my mum and she would have to make a purposeful trip to my local pet store (which to her is a very unreasonable request) I'm very frustrated. I have a 3ft aquarium in my back garden that could make a good potential home, correct me if i'm wrong Germ? It is virtually new but won't fit in her existing space in my living room so an argument will probably ensue with my parents as to where it will go.


She is undersized as her previous owner didn't provide her with any UVB lighting or calcium supplements at all. I am told she was hatched between October and November 2010 and have also been told her growth is stunted. I provide her with dusted crickets a few times weekly now and she has daily access to UV.
She is 10 1/2 inches from head to tail and weighs 230 grams (she only weighed 115g when i got her)

- I take my temps with an infrared pointer thermometer, and i have a temperature detector hooked up to a Habistat which controls the red light

I will show your reasons for why she needs a larger enclosure to my parents so they can understand how serious the situation is and come to agreement something has to be done. I hate that enclosure i would be more than happy to see it go, i can't stand seeing her in it any longer.

If there is any more information i can give you feel free to ask

 

[Em Lynch]

At first i was under the impression she never had a UVB bulb until i looked through his photos on Facebook and saw a compact uv bulb sitting a few inches from her face!! when questioned he said he had used it for just over a month until it blew then he switched back to a normal light bulb.

 

[Germ]

I have a 3ft aquarium in my back garden that could make a good potential home, correct me if i'm wrong Germ? It is virtually new but won't fit in her existing space in my living room so an argument will probably ensue with my parents as to where it will go.

- I take my temps with an infrared pointer thermometer, and i have a temperature detector hooked up to a Habistat which controls the red light

The 36" aquarium would be 300% better than it is in now & if it happens to be 18" deep across the bottom it would do for a full size adult BD. If her growth is permanently stunted, she doesn't grow anymore (she may grow some, likely not a lot or to normal size, once properly housed) & she remains a very small dragon, a 12"x36" floor area, would be adequate to house her permanently.

Good Luck with Mum.

 

[Em Lynch]

it is 18" deep, it is perfect except the space it has to fit in i have a feeling her growth is permanently stunted, she is the survivor of three unfortunate dragons this man happened to get his hands on. She killed and ate the other dragon who was kept in the exact same enclosure she is in now (can you imagine two in there?) he barely fed them so she started to eat the other dragon out of desperation. The other one died from lack of heat one cold winter, he could only afford to run one viv so the other dragon died of the cold

As i was saying, she's gaining weight but i think her overall growth has climaxed and this is how big she will remain permanently

 

[Em Lynch]

Mum is going to be the biggest obstacle but i'm willing to argue for Willow's living space she deserves it...and more to the point she needs it!

 

[Germ]

One of my rescues, I thought the same, was 15" when I got him, about 1.5-2 yrs old at the time, but is now 17" with proper care.

 

[Spikeleebd]

that enclosure would be good for some type of gecko but not a bd please get him out of their. it saddens me that his/her owner would sell you her/ him with an enclsore with him in it that just go es to show you how stupid people can be. I hope that you can provide him/her with the perfect enclosure thank you for asking information

 

[Em Lynch]

good news everyone mum appears willing to take me to my local reptile store tomorrow so i can buy a new viv! the 3ft one won't fit in the allocated space so we are going to aim for around 2 and a half foot which will fit. I'll update tomorrow letting you know how things go.

@Spikeleebd: her previous owner has no idea how to care for animals, he is a disgrace and continues to mistreat animals i'm in the process of taking legal action against him

 

[Aleena]

Yay for mum! The reptile world thanks her for making Willow a happier and healthier BD. I am so happy you were able to convince her. Persistence for a good cause is always a good thing.

 

[Em Lynch]

Thanks Aleena, I have a feeling an argument will ensue tomorrow when i choose the ideal size viv for Willow and decide we are definatley leaving the reptile store with it :L but i'm not compromising for my mum, Willow will get her ideal viv

 

[Em Lynch]

I'm within half an hour of leaving to go to the reptile store and mum is acting very defensive about a potential new viv now the time has come (she normally reacts this way with me buying new things) but i'm going to push and my sister is with me for back-up encase mum tries to talk me out of it and gets angry, fingers crossed all will go well! i'll know within a few hours if this is going to go as planned

 

[Germ]

Good Luck!!!

 

[Em Lynch]

Good news i've just spent the last 3 hours setting up Willow's new viv! there was very little resistance from my parents and all is well! Willow was asleep by the time it was complete so she has been moved in without even knowing

here it is (excuse the red light it has since been replaced)

the substrate is washed child's play sand from Toys 'R' Us so no problems there.
It is a great improvement to what she had before i hope you all agree the viv measures 45 inches long

 

[Germ]

Wow, Very Nice! But doesn't appear that the UVB is anywhere near the basking spot . And the heat bulb is unprotected.

 

[Em Lynch]

how would i go about protecting the bulb? and would you hover the UV right above that basking log?

 

[Germ]

The UVB must be above the Basking Spot, because once you get the temps right, that should be where it spends the majority of its time, basking, & that is where it should be receiving the benefits of the UVB & be able to get within 10"-12" inches from it. Just so you know, there is not near as much UVB emitted from ends of a tube as there is from the middle. This is just a suggestion, you could move the heat lamp to the middle, just in front of the UVB fixture & move the basking log below them both in the middle by the back wall, turning the 2 front corners into the cool sides. You would likely have to rearrange the raised walkway. The heat bulb may be far enough away, but it should really protected by a wire cage of some kind so your BD can't possibly touch it with it's tail or any other part, but it does look like it may be ok, it's a small BD.

 

[Em Lynch]

I will get a protector for the bulb i think just incase, she's never came close to touching the bulb before but it is a risk so i'll address it. Thankyou for the information regarding the UV! i will definitely move it so that the middle of the UV bulb is above her basking spot, she's been deprived of UV for most of her life so she needs all the calcium and D3 absorption she can get!