Lighting/heat issues

Reptilelady · May 19, 2018

Hello everyone,
Its heating up out here in CA. I have noticed when using the mega ray bulb in the later afternoon my beardie hides. I did a small experiment of turning off the mega ray and using just the heat bulb. He was not hiding at all. My conclusion is that I feel that the mega ray bulb in the later afternoon heats up in the enclosure to warm, he simply avoids the bulb. The way I have it configured in the 4ft x 2ft x2ft wooden enclosure is I have on the hot side is his mega ray bulb and on the other half of the enclosure I'm using a 24" T5HO reptisun linear to light it up overall and if he does decide to go on the cooler end he will still be able to benefit from getting UVB. The issue I'm having is that too hot in afternoon. As you know using the mega ray bulb if raising up or down your also affecting the UVB levels. Do I just turn off the mega ray or should I just go back to the long 36" linear fluorescent tube that I have still for him? Any suggestions/thoughts? Trying to get this figure out before actually summer hits and it'll be in the triple digits. Thanks so much.

rjaimz1 · May 20, 2018

The light on the hot side the basking light is needed for daytime (12-14 hours on and 12-10 hours off) having the correct temperature for a Bearded Dragon's digestion is important for their well-being.
young Bearded Dragons prefer 105-110 degrees F. while older prefer 100-105 F. That's for the surface of the basking area. They should also have access to a cooler area across the tank from the basking spot, and this is called the "cool side". The cool side should be 70-85 degrees F. for all ages. Night time temps in the 70's is good and necessary as long as it does not drop below 65. i recommend a temp gun which you can get at a pet store or online to keep an accurate read on the temps within the enclosure. Here are a few references to assist you in lighting.
http://reptile-centre.com/bearded-dragon/vivarium-setup
http://beardeddragontank.com/the-ultimate-bearded-dragon-lighting-guide
http://www.beardeddragonowners.com/care-sheet.html
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Lizard-Care/Correct-Lizard-Temperature/

kingofnobbys · May 21, 2018

No hotter than 40 degC for any dragon see this for why : viewtopic.php?f=5&t=233516

If you are in the northern hemisphere you are moving into summer , and in some places it can very hot during the day , a word of caution here - please run the basking globe so it's NOT at the max acceptable temperature at the basking spot on normal summer days, it only takes a day unexpected heatwave conditions for the temperature in the viv to become extreme (the heat in the room will close to the 100 degF max , add the heat created by the basking globe on top and you will likely come home to a dragon who can no longer move (is heat stoked) or even already dead. Hence the lower maximum basking spot temperature I have been banging on about for ages (I know people who have lost pets due to vivs becoming too hot , in the wild a lizard can likely find a cooler place , a lizard trapped in a very hot viv has no escape).
A few hours exposed to temperatures at 44 degC (110 F) or higher WILL KILL a bearded dragon.

Also worth considering in hot weather (warmer than 36 degC in the room) turning the basking globe off , and just running the compact or T8 or T5HO UVB.
You can't control the temperature output from a MVB using a thermostat. You might find it beneficial if you know it will be hot from 10am to 6pm to set a timer to turn off the MVB during this very hot part of the day.

Reptilelady · May 26, 2018

kingofnobbys":1g5cgpqk said:
No hotter than 40 degC for any dragon see this for why : viewtopic.php?f=5&t=233516

If you are in the northern hemisphere you are moving into summer , and in some places it can very hot during the day , a word of caution here - please run the basking globe so it's NOT at the max acceptable temperature at the basking spot on normal summer days, it only takes a day unexpected heatwave conditions for the temperature in the viv to become extreme (the heat in the room will close to the 100 degF max , add the heat created by the basking globe on top and you will likely come home to a dragon who can no longer move (is heat stoked) or even already dead. Hence the lower maximum basking spot temperature I have been banging on about for ages (I know people who have lost pets due to vivs becoming too hot , in the wild a lizard can likely find a cooler place , a lizard trapped in a very hot viv has no escape).
A few hours exposed to temperatures at 44 degC (110 F) or higher WILL KILL a bearded dragon.

Also worth considering in hot weather (warmer than 36 degC in the room) turning the basking globe off , and just running the compact or T8 or T5HO UVB.
You can't control the temperature output from a MVB using a thermostat. You might find it beneficial if you know it will be hot from 10am to 6pm to set a timer to turn off the MVB during this very hot part of the day.

Thanks, Kingofnobbys for the advice. I am going to try to get a timer for the megaray since he is up and basking underneath it in the morning, then around the afternoon starts to heat up so I will time the megaray to turn off during those hot hours. Smart thinking. That was the other issue, Cant put the Megaray bulb on a thermostat so I'm like ehhh what do i do? Right now the weather hasn't been too terribly hot so haven't need to change anything but once summer hits which is around the corner I want to be prepared and actually have everything ready for him.

Lighting/heat issues

Reptilelady

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rjaimz1

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kingofnobbys

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Reptilelady

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