Meet Wallace!

morgsjeids · Mar 21, 2019

Hi friends!

Meet the newest member of my family, Wallace. After months of planning, I finally took the plunge whilst on spring break back home and got my adorable, 8 inch, 3 month old leatherback beardy from a local reptile breeder/store (Reptile Rapture in Monona, WI). The moment I saw him I knew he was mine, as he peeked out of his enclosure at the store and stole my heart when I first got to hold him.

Wallace currently resides in his 40 gallon breeder with a 160 watt SolarBrite Mercury Vapor Bulb. He has two insect meals a day with about 10-12 small dusted and gut-loaded dubias (I feed them carrots and mustard greens) with each meal. I also give him a few phoenix worms just to give some variety but he is definitely partial to dubias. He is also offered mustard greens with every meal but tends to turn them down. I have included pictures of the probe temperatures but his basking spot stays around 100-110 and his cool side stays between 75-82.

He is quite the adventurous yet calm boy who seems very content with being held. He is my first beardy and also my first reptile so any advice or encouragement would be appreciated (especially as I will be transporting him and his enclosure an hour and a half back to my apartment where I attend school). I have always kept small mammals but have known that keeping reptiles was my end goal.

Here are some pictures of him, his enclosure, and a bonus sleeping position.

** A background to lessen the tank reflection is also on the way!!

KarrieRee · Mar 22, 2019

Welcome to the board and glad you are here----- first thing the UVB is that a coil you are using? If it is please invest in a different UVB -- here is some info for you --Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia).
UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. With the exception of the T 5 - once per year!
The probe is good for ambient temps -- I would suggest in investing in a infrared heat gun from Walmart Lowes Home Depot for around $10-- that will give you actual basking temps--
The dubias are a great way to go -- you can feed them squash -- apples sweet potatos -- they are not hot on greens- but your little buddy will eventually eat the mustard greens as his main diet is now bugs-- it sounds like you are off to a great start but I do recommend changing out that UVB --- depending on your screen mesh and what kind you go w/ whether the T5 or a T8 will depend on where it needs to be placed-- for the T5 and the screen is a wide screen it can go on top --- for a fine mesh screen both the T 5 and T 8 will need to go inside the tank - for the T 5 10-11 inches away from basking spot -- for the T 8 6-8 inches from the basking spot- the T 5 is a much stronger bulb than the T 8--- also the fixtures for those bulbs are different-- if your need anymore help please ask -thanks Karrie

morgsjeids · Mar 22, 2019

KarrieRee":2vs6vitp said:
Welcome to the board and glad you are here----- first thing the UVB is that a coil you are using? If it is please invest in a different UVB -- here is some info for you --Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia).
UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. With the exception of the T 5 - once per year!
The probe is good for ambient temps -- I would suggest in investing in a infrared heat gun from Walmart Lowes Home Depot for around $10-- that will give you actual basking temps--
The dubias are a great way to go -- you can feed them squash -- apples sweet potatos -- they are not hot on greens- but your little buddy will eventually eat the mustard greens as his main diet is now bugs-- it sounds like you are off to a great start but I do recommend changing out that UVB --- depending on your screen mesh and what kind you go w/ whether the T5 or a T8 will depend on where it needs to be placed-- for the T5 and the screen is a wide screen it can go on top --- for a fine mesh screen both the T 5 and T 8 will need to go inside the tank - for the T 5 10-11 inches away from basking spot -- for the T 8 6-8 inches from the basking spot- the T 5 is a much stronger bulb than the T 8--- also the fixtures for those bulbs are different-- if your need anymore help please ask -thanks Karrie

Hi Karrie,

Thanks for the info! I do not use a UVB coil, it is a 160 watt mercury vapor bulb. To my research MVBs are okay? What are your thoughts?

KarrieRee · Mar 22, 2019

I really don't know anything about mvb vapor bulbs----- I just know what people on the forum recommend here is what I had mentioned earlier-- somebody else on the forum can give you more info on those bulbs pros and cons--
Karrie

CooperDragon · Mar 23, 2019

I'm not familiar with that brand of MVB. I'd be careful using it unless you have a Solarmeter to test it's output. I don't have access to test results from that brand/bulb and I know the brands aren't equal in quality, unfortunately. The advantage of a MVB is that it's all in one for heat and UVB lighting. They need to be mounted based on their UVB output though, so they may not produce proper heat at that distance. That's why I generally prefer to use a separate heat and UVB light in the main enclosure. I do use MegaRay MVBs for travel and for basking spots outside of the main tank. Generally speaking (based on tests with the 160w PowerSun) the bulb should sit about 12-15'' above the main basking area. The 160w MegaRay is stronger with a narrower beam and should be about 15-20'' above the main basking area. Given these numbers, I'd estimate you should have the bulb around 12-18'' up, but it could vary a lot and I can't say for sure without testing it.

Meet Wallace!

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