Reptisun 10.0 distancing

I upgraded my uvb a couple months ago for my juvenile beardie to the reptisun 10.0 which sits on top of the screen. His basking rock is pretty high, it's 9" from the top of his enclosure.
It actually didn't work properly, kept flickering and going out. I finally was able to exchange it a week ago.
But for a few weeks now, he has been hiding in the shade on the hor side,, or just hanging out on the cool side. It's gotten to the point where he's not fully digesting his food, and tbh he didn't look like he was feeling the greatest tonight.
I thought maybe he didn't like the temps so high at 107, so I bought a lower wattage bulb and have it down to about 98-100 now. He always seemed to like about 103 before though.
I bought two digital humidity gauges to check that, it was low on the hot side, 19% so I've been putting water on that side and it stays at 29-30 now. Its steady at 40% on the cool side. He's still not basking.
So now I'm wondering if the uvb is too close? The other forum I am on had told me that it is the perfect height. So I never thought it could be that until now.
He does take repashy calcium plus usually once a day his bugs get a light dusting. He is eating well. He only likes green things, so his diet is mainly arugula, collard greens and endives, since those are the only staples that I can find at the stores.
He's 6 months old, 20 inches long and I'd say at least 350+ grams now, but I haven't weighed him in over a week. So he has definitely been growing lol.
I don't know what to do about that one though to get it further away?? Anyone have any ideas?

I don't know how to post pics, btw. I'm new to this forum.

Hello,

To post pictures, you can click on the XIMG button here in the message box, to upload
your pictures to the image composer. Then, copy/paste the pictures to here using the
IMG to download. It is pretty easy to do.
I don't think the Reptisun 10 tube is too close though. Is it the regular T8 or the T5 high
output bulb?
Is he losing or maintaining his weight currently?
Where are you located, in the US or the UK, etc?

Tracie

Sorry, it was late at night, I had tried a couple of times to post but it kept disappearing on me haha.
It's a T5 HO bulb and it is in a reptisun hood so it does have a reflector too.
I'm sorry if I put this in the wrong area too, he is making himself sick (having undigested poops and pretty much just acting lazy) because he's not basking, so I am worried about his health. He is eating and gaining weight though. He looks bloated tbh.
I'm in Canada and there aren't any vets that I can take him to that would provide any better answers than I would get from doing my own research, and honestly the first vet I went to would do more harm than good.
We did do a "phone call" vet about a month and a half ago that wasn't very knowledgeable and gave him a wayyyy too high of a dose of baycox/toltrazuril for coccidia. The reception wasn't good either, it took me two weeks to even get them to tell me the results of his fecal and set up an appt so I could talk to the dr to get the meds (and by that time he had started to go downhill and not eat) and then when I picked up the meds they refused to give me a syringe so I could administer the meds. I did end up finding the right dosage online luckily. The dosaging amount was correct but she wanted me to give it to him for 28 days when really I only needed to give him a couple of doses. I gave him 3 to be safe.
After that I went to another vet to get another fecal done. He was cleared last week from any parasites. They are unable to take him as a patient however, because of covid they are over run with patients, and the vet is new to the practice and doesn't specialize in reptiles. Hopefully things calm down and they might be willing to take him as a patient, as they we're at least much more professional than the first vet I saw.

Your T 5 is too close if its inside the tank --- it needs to be 12-15 inches from basking decor directly underneath--- if its on top of the screen it needs to be 8-10 inches from basking decor directly underneath --- w/ undigested food its telling me basking temps are not high enough or he is eating too fast --- what is coming out undigested?
Karrie

It's on top of the screen.
The issue is he is not basking at all he is hanging out way on the other side of the tank in the furthest spot he can go from the lights.
The temps were at about 107 because of the heatwave, so I bought a smaller bulb, they are now down to 100 but he's still not basking. This has been going on for a few weeks.
I moved his furniture around this morning to see if he maybe just prefers the log that's on the cool side. I think that might be helping actually. We will see.

Ok so the UVB adjusted as well ? And he is eating --- what about pooping? See if the new arrangement of the decor has helped -- is he on the floor? Or do you have him on a stand or dresser?
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG at the top of the message box then click on he pic it should post -- please post pics of him and his tank and lighting
Is he hydrated? How are you taking your temps? NO stick ons they are inaccurate
Karrie

Can you see the images? They are there when I click that link but I don't see how I can get them to post directly in this thread lol.

When the pics come up in the image loader click on the pic you want to post in your message box you will see a bunch of letters that is the image and it will come up as a pic in the message box
Karrie

I'm hoping this works..
If it did, this is how his enclosure was at first. He stayed in the middle like that for about the first day then I stupidly moved the light a little closer and he decided to go sit way on the far left, and that's where he sits every day since.
I have a probe thermometer and a temp gun and the humidity/temp digital monitors as well.

The stick was new the day I took that first pic, that's why I wondered about moving things around to see if he'll bask more if it's closer to the lights. This is how I just set it up this morning.
He sat on the floor for a little while on the hot side, then moved over to the cool side again.
I checked the temps and they were too high on the stick so I raised the lamp about 6 inches higher onto a hook. Had him out for a little cuddle and put him back in, now he's (for now) sitting in the middle.
Fingers crossed he likes it like this. It hasn't been long enough to get a good temp but think it is about 107 on the far right and about 100 where he's sitting.
I do have one of those light dimmers but I find it is so hard to get good temps

And here is a pic of him.

That old image he was too close to the UVB --- the tank looks a lot better the way it is set up now -- he looks like a juvenile I would get basking temps on a gradient heat a piece of decor will do that something like this https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/habitats-and-decor/habitat-decor/thrive-driftwood-reptile-decor-54734.html?cgid=500116 this is an example - this piece has different ways of setting in the tank - I use two of them in my two tanks and my dragons utilize them very well - here is a pic of Blaze and the way I have it laid in there
if you can get your basking temps to range from 95-110 he will pick a spot of where he likes to bask -- in the mornings mine go to the hottest point then they move to a cooler temp -- they lay under it they lay on top they lay in between the floor piece and they stand against it -- see how it goes and hopefully he starts basking like he should
Karrie

Sorry just realized you can't see the lights from the pics.. The stick at the highest point actually gets a few inches closer to the uvb than the rock did, I will have to somehow get it up even higher if I leave it like this
The rock was 9" from the top of the enclosure and with the light at the back got similar temps to what I'm getting now with the stick.
The stick has a nice gradient from 98-104 and... He's back to hanging out on the far left. I don't know what else to do.