Temperature & light

Hello there!

We just adopted Alf from a family that didn't want to keep him anymore...he's our first reptile and we're trying to learn how to take care of him. He came with an aquarium that's 6' by 2', and approximately 2' tall. They gave us three lights (one black for the night, a fluorescent one and a blue heated one) but, since the aquarium is huge, I was wondering if Alf gets enough heat or if we should buy another heated light. Tomorrow I'll go buy a thermometer to keep the temperature checked. Shall I buy a particular kind of thermometer?
Any suggestion about lights and temperature for my beloved Alf?

Thanks a lot,
Laura

Hi Laura,

Thanks for taking Alf in, do you know how old he is? That is a huge tank for a dragon and not easy to heat and light. He needs a UVB light (full-spectrum sunlight), that's very important. And the basking temp would be different depending on his age. There's a great care sheet that covers all that on here, to the right, and the Newbie's guide to Lighting help is great info.

Mainly you need a good tube UVB light that covers at least 3/4 of his tank, which means a long one in your case. It needs to be inside his tank about 8" from his basking spot along the back of the tank. I can't tell you how to mount it inside, as I use a different kind of light (see next paragraph). I use 40 gallon breeder tanks, a bit smaller of a tank, easier to heat & light. They're 3' long by 18" high by 18" wide, but then if he's an adult, the one he has gives him lots of space to run around.

The best type of thermometer is either a temperature gun or an Accurite digital temp guage with probe (I think you get these at any garden centre at Walmart, Lowes, like that). The temp gun would be more accurate. You'd want to use it on the basking spot (what is he using for the basking spot and how far is it from the mesh top?). I use mercury vapour lights in deep domes on lampstands, so don't use a mesh top. Maybe you could send me a picture? And I can send you a picture of my set up, too, if you'd like. Once all that is figured out, the rest is easy

As for temps. Depends on their age. If he's over a year old, then 100F to 102F is fine, if he's younger, then 105F would be fine. So let me know his age.

What is he eating and is he getting supplements? He should be getting his bugs dusted with a good calcium without phospherous (RepCal has a good one with a pink label) and also any type of vitamin/mineral powder. If he's over a year old, then 3 meals of bugs a week should be dusted with calcium, 1 meal per week with the vit/min. This is very important because they don't make their own calcium (like us) and needs it to develop strong bones. The vit/min is also necessary as they don't get everything from their food. He should also be getting greens, veggies. Here's a great list of food for dragons http://www.beautifuldragons.com. If you check out their store, they sell a good temp gun, but you can also get one in pet shops (more expensive).

They don't need any light at night. If your house is less than 65F at night, then a ceramic heat emitter is best, heat without light. They need dark at night to sleep properly.

Not sure if I covered everything but would need more info on Alf, his age, weight, what he eats, etc to figure out if anything is missing.

One more very important thing, they need warm baths, at least 3 a week, for hydration. Warm water and soak for at least 20 minutes. I soak mine every 2nd day (I have 5 dragons, 1 female, 4 males). Even if Alf eats lots of greens and veggies, he still needs baths. Dragons soak water up thru their vent. Their skin should be supple (meaning if you pinch it, it goes back into place). It's very important for their health.

So congrats again and get back to me about what you might need to know more about. And welcome to our forum!

Deb

Hi Deb!

Thanks a lot!!!
Alf is between one year and a half and two years old (that's what I was told). I checked the temperature and it was pretty low both in the basking spot (90F) and in the rest of the cage(70F), so I bought a second 150W heated lamp and positioned it next to the other (not attached), so to heat the right side of the tank and leave the left one a little bit cooler. Tomorrow I'll buy a strip light fixture for the UVB (now he has a fluorescent light bulb). The lights are on the mesh top, which is a little less than 2' (kinda 16" from his head). We live in northern Canada, so temperature might drop at night, even inside the house
Tonight we're gonna give him a nice warm bath
I'll send you pictures of the tank.

Thanks again!
Have a great evening!
Laura

I've just sent you an email with some pictures

Hi Laura,
I got your email, thanks so much for the pictures. You need to get rid of the sand right away, it's deadly for dragons. It is full of bacteria and causes impaction (they lick everything & that sand will harden in his belly & cause illness) I can tell by looking at him that he's dehydrated, so daily baths for at least 2 weeks, so he can absorb water, then every 3 days will be ok. The piece of wood in the dark should be used as a basking platform, so move it under the basking lights, that way he can climb it to get the proper temps. It's perfect for him to climb, which will help. The temps will also help him digest and the new UVB light also helps digesting and makes sure his bones stay strong. Make sure that's inside his tank, maybe someone in Enclosures will know how to help you with that.

Until you get rid of the sand, you'll need to feed him in a separate container so he doesn't absorb any more sand. What bugs is he eating right now? And what greens/veggies. All of this is important to keep him healthy.

I also live in Canada, near Vancouver, BC. Whereabouts are you located?

So moving that log over will also put him higher so the basking lights on the mesh tank will be above him. You might find, with him higher, that you don't need the extra light, so you can move it over to the dark area so that can get warmer for him, as the cool side should be about 80F

So that's all for now, except did you have the calcium and the vit/min powder? Alot to absorb when it's your first beardie. I felt the same way when I got my first dragon, Sweetie.

Hi!

Thanks a lot for your suggestions!
We'll get rid of the sand as soon as possible and try to find the best option for tiles.
He seems happier with an extra heated light and the basking spot changed as you suggested. I'll try to get the new UVB light tomorrow.
He's eating finely chopped organic veggies (Swiss chard, carrots, zucchini, peas) and we're trying to find out what kind of fruit he likes (apparently he dislikes strawberries). He also gets freeze-dried crickets and worms, which I dust in calcium and vitamin D, and fortified pellet for juvenile bearded dragons.
He's getting a bath daily and seems to enjoy it; while he's bathing, he tends to drink some water too. We keep a kind of container with water in the terrarium and we're trying to understand if it's better to keep it in the colder area.
We live in Edmonton, Alberta

Have a god one!
Laura

He should be getting fresh worms but we'll get that sorted after the sand is gone. So far he's doing much better, how did the bath go last night? Keep up with the baths, as he needs the hydration. I'm so glad that basking log is working!

Hi!

He loves bathing and soaking in water he stays in his "bath tab" fifteen minutes or so and when he's ready to leave, he just gets out of the water and tries to get back to his terrarium.
I'll keep you posted!

Thanks a lot!
Have a good one!
Laura

Glad things are working out. Did you get the UVB tube Reptisun 10.0?

Mine like their baths, too.

Hello,

That's what I got. I think Alf is about to shed, as his tail is getting whiter. He has a good appetite and really enjoys his baths

Good to hear!