careful with those clamp lamps , very common for them work loose and fall.
A Komodo lampstand is a much better way to hang a basking globe and dome reflector :
Better still is a solid timber lid and hanging the basking globe from underneath this.
Onix is about 15 inches long so the internet tells me that he is approximately five months old. I got him when he was about 6inches long from Petsmart. I’m not 110% positive he is a boy but when using a flashlight it appears that he has the two oval spots above his vent. So we assume he is a boy. We have no other dragons so I don’t think it’s eggs.
<<< NO , she's is not gravid / pregnant , she's way too young .
Lighting:UVB- Zoomed Reptisun 10.0 T5H0 florecent tube(22in)
Basking: Zoomed repti basking bulb 100w inside an aluminum "clamp lamp" from Walmart. Both lights are brand new less than 3months old. & no there’s no plastic on either of the lights.
Substrate: Zoomed Eco carpet for 40 gallon tank
Temps: warm side 90degrees cool side is about 80-85 degrees (still measuring it) and basking spot is 106.1.
Yes his mesh lid is what his lights are on/above. I’m aware it does filter out some of the uvb but I’m not sure it’s that bad because the basking spot is high and the
uvb light sits directly over top of the tree as you can see.
<<<< please arrange to move the UVB tube's reflector hood UNDER the mesh lid , the mesh IS blocking 40% of all the UV emitted.
<<<< please arrange it so her basking spot is NO MORE THAN 11 inches from the 10% T5HO tube , refer to this : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611
you are aiming for 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm @ the basking spot and approx. 100 microW UVB elsewhere, and a minimum of 14 hrs per day available (even in winter) for him to be able to bask and take UVA and UVB irradiation as needed.
>>>> Please invest in some MDF sheet or 1/2 inch thick plywood to place over top the mesh lid to hold the heat generated by the basking globe in the viv , ypu will find you'll need a lower wattage basking globe if you have a mostly solid timber (insulating) lid.
I use a digital thermometer with a probe(Zoomed brand) ,
>>>> worth getting a brace of these : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4x-LCD-Digital-Temperature-Thermometer-Fridge-Freezer-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Reptile-/391259141696?hash=item5b18dcb640:g
one for each zone and for the basking spot and you can then see the temperatures at a glance .
His health has been pretty great since I’ve gotten him. He usually eats like crazy and is always active.
You are exactly correct about the location of the hardness in his belly. If you’re looking down on him it’s his left side, so no it’s not where his digestive tract is. And it’s not like rock solid or anything but it just feels like, not as soft as usual, like much firmer. He last had a bowel movement today and it looked pretty normal (much better than the last two he’s had because the last two were a little runny but still had a semi normal consistency aka not diarrhea just not as firm as usual)
The slow down period has been for a little over a week and the temperatures outside here in Kentucky have been super low like even in the negatives but my house has stayed super warm. I keep my heat blasting so I wasn’t sure if the dragon could still tell that it is winter because of how warm I keep the house....#1- he is eating but went from eating like 40-50 crix a day plus greens to like 5-10 ish (it varies) crix a day and still a pretty decent amount of greens so it’s mainly been a huge decrease in crickets
<<< don't offer the veg until she's had at least one big meal of live insects , I found my gang were pigging out on the greens and veg and lost interest in their insects (but at 5-6 months old) they NEED nearly entirely live insect protein to grow and develop properly , will never get enough energy and protein and fats (yes they do need some fats as it's mobilises the vitamins and minerals in the bloodstream) from a heavily veg diet.
They do seem to slow down a bit at about 6 months old , they are no longer frantic eating machines and pubity sets in. My Toothless was BBing and headnodding at Rex (5yr old) and Peppa (his sibling) about then.
<<< they can tell , even if the live in a climate controlled house and never see the outside world .... they pick up on the barometric pressure and seem to know it's winter.
Please keep her warm over winter and keep the photoperiod long ( min 14 hours , I recommend 16 hours per day) so she will be encouraged to stay active and awake and feeding and growing.
>>> I'd invest in a thermostat and a ceramic heat emitter to keep her viv warmer than 22 degC overnight , the CHE will also help the basking globe keep the temperatures warm too over winter if the room where her viv is gets cold .
#2- no
black beard at all
<<< that's good.
#3-not really acting like he’s in pain but not really sure what that would look like. The only unusual thing is he’s been laying at the bottom of his enclosure instead of basking 24/7 like usual.
#4- he’s had a normal bm today but yesterday’s and the previous day were both a little runny and smelly but today’s seemed normal and better
#5- I gave him a
bath and gently rubbed down on his belly and kinda in a circle-ish motion around the lump but it didn’t seem to bother him too much. He just kinda let me. Didn’t squirm or puff or anything. Just closed his eyes as if it felt good or something. He usually closes his eyes when we pet him etc so that’s what I’m basing that off of.
<<< i find 0.3 - 0.4 ml of olive oil given orally by syringe gets my gang pooing usually the next day or day after.
keeping a warm viv overnight ( > 24 degC , I'd aim for 26 - 28 degC for month of so help him clear his system ) also helps with the digestion and boosts their metabolism and immune systems too.
