Newb question

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So my newly acquired 4 year old bearded dragon (Chubbs) has been flat out on the floorof his tank for the last few days kinda hiding out underneath his hammock. I’m wondering if this is normal. We got him about 2 weeks ago. He basked on his perch and his rock most of the time before this new thing started that he is doing. He is still eating, albeit mostly crickets and worms (I have to trick him to eat veggies and fruit) He seems alert but I’m just wondering why he is on the floor. There is a heating pad in the general area where he is sprawled out. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been worrying about this little fella since we got him as I’m sure it was an upset for him to come to a completely different home with strangers, pets etc.
 

Claudiusx

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Hi there,

Can we get some details on your setup to make sure there isnt anything environmental that might be affecting chubs?

What uvb light are you using? And what is the distance of bulb to basking site?
What is your basking surface temp?
Your cool side temp?

How long have you had Chubs? He could simply be going through a bit of relocation stress. But it's good to make sure your husbandry is proper for him.

Sometimes when it gets a bit too got in my tanks, my guys just lay around like that.
You might consider removing the heat pad though if he seems to only be lying on it.

-Brandon
 

Mom2Chubbs

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Hey! Thank you for the reply :)

It is a T8 18” uvb bulb. I would say the bulb is about 8 inches from the basking site and it is sitting on top of the metal grate as you can see in the picture. The temperature reading in the basking area at the time of the photograph is 101.5F and it ranges between 90-105 depending on whether the sun is coming in the window or not. The last few days it has been hotter in his tank than usual. I was worried about him not having enough heat but I guess not knowing what his norm was before makes it hard to gauge what he may be reacting to. I don’t actually have a thermometer in the cool side so I am unsure of the temp on that side. I will have to purchase one for that purpose.

When I first got him, he only had uvb coil bulb and lamp fixture which I didn’t think covered enough area in his tank so I bought the hood fixture. Maybe he is adjusting to that?

Love to hear any input or insights. Thank you

Ashlee
 

Mom2Chubbs

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I forgot to mention, he has been with me now for since September 4th. He is four years old on October 21st. Only had one previous owner.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi ashlee,

You could temporarily place the probe on the cool end to get the cool side temp.
You want to be careful having the tank in front of the window. If the sun shines through it, it can very easily raise temps too high too quickly.

Would you be able to mount your t8 under the mesh? Perhaps with zip ties or something? 8 inches is an ok distance but only if it's not obstructed. The mesh cuts down on some of the uv output.

I would watch the cool end temp just to make sure there is a spot to cool down at, especially in front of a window :)
Otherwise, your setup sounds fine! :D

-Brandon
 

Mom2Chubbs

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Ok good to know. I am moving him soon to another area in the house that will be more temperate. I will definitely try the zip tie idea! Thank you, that’s brilliant!

Tomorrow when his light is back on and he’s awake I will check the cool side temp.

Thank you!
 
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