Will my bearded dragon survive lack of UVB

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aha25

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My daughter brought home a Bearded Dragon (BD) named Timmy on 12/21/20 from Pet Smart. When she bought the kit it did not include the UVB light. This week the BD was acting strange, hands and feet were shaking and he was weak. I looked up on this forum and other sites and found that all BD need UVB light. Yikes- We have not had this in place since we got him. All we used was a heating lamp that came with the original kit. So, I went to Pet Smart and got a 13 W Reptile UVB by Exo Terra (former repti glo 10.0 compact) and a 75W Infared Basking spot by Exo Terra. He started jumping around and acting erradic when the lights were first turned on him. After a few hours of the light, he still has appetite by eating meal worms but his legs and fingers are not fully functioning. Do you think he will recover from this lack of UVB? Any other suggestions to help Little Timmy. We are still on day one of getting the UVB light for him and hope he can recover.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Please take it back that is one of the worst UVB's there are --- he needs this for a 40 + gallon tank and you need it ASAP-- https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html 24" fixture it comes w/ a 5.0 bulb hang onto it you can use it as a back up
this bulb https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html 22" bulb please order this NOW as they sell out very quick -- these people are good and fast they ship Fed EX
What other things did you get in that "kit" -- you need a digital probe thermometer for actual basking temps - they need to be 105-110 --- the UVB and the basking temps are the two most important things in the tank -- NO COLORED BULBS NO HEAT MATS NO SAND PLEASE AND NO COIL UVB'S
Karrie
 

aha25

Member
Original Poster
Thanks so much for your quick reply. I will order the Reptisun hood and bulb straight away. I live in Chicago and we have a reptile special store about 15 min away. I will see if they carry this hood and bulb and if not I will order in the morning. We got humidity gauge which is at 30% and temp is at 100F with the current light. I am not sure what the floor material is made of but I will get rid of it. He is still struggling, but better now than he was earlier today.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
When you get the UVB please post on here so I can help you place it in the tank they have certain distances the bulb needs to be
Karrie
 

aha25

Member
Original Poster
So, this morning I stopped by the reptile store - Curious Creatures- and the owner was very helpful. I bought a 14" Reptisun T5 HO terrarium hood with 15 W light since my current terrarium is 10 gal. Also, bought a digital thermometer to make sure the basking side is 100-110F and the cool side is 75-80F. Measured the basking side at 105F, but the cool side is 85F. (I need to reduce this to 80F) At night lights are off and temp is 75F. I have a white light for basking and the Reptisun hood for the UVB. He did not recommend meal worms. So, I bought some calcium worms and already had small crickets. Baby BD likes the calcium worms and feeding 10 per day. No night time feeding. Giving him some liquid calcium too- putting it on edge of his mouth. He don't like it and goes a little crazy when he tastes it. But, he settles down after 10 sec or so. Timmy seems better, out of the shaking phase and arms and legs seem like there working, but still not 100%. His behavior still seems odd and he can be a little jumpy for no apparent reason. I thought he was a goner a few days ago, but seems he has turned the corner. Keep the suggestions coming.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok the 10 gallon tank is not going to last long - the optimal tank size for a full.size dragon is 75-120 gallon-- your going to need to upgrade that tank really really soon-- it is hard to keep temps in those small tank even a 20 gallon tote would be better than the 10 gallon- the 14" fixture is really a waste you would of been better off getting the 24" hood I recommended and using the 5.0 bulb on the 10 gallon- please do not listen to the pet store people they sold you something that is not going to last long- you will not be able to use it in a bigger tank--- i need you to look on that bulb in the hood and tell me what it is for bulb it will say T 5 or T 8 I am thinking it's a T 8 and those require certain distance we need to get the UVB set up correctly for best UVB
 

aha25

Member
Original Poster
The bulb states it is a T5. I can return the 14" and get the 24" Reptisun hood since it makes more sense. I don't have much invested in the current tank and start up items. Am I better off getting a 20 gal tote, so that i have better control of the Temp? I am open to the suggestions and appreciate the help.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I would do both- how long before you put him in a bigger tank--- ? You will have better control over the temps- and you can take the 24" and put it width wise over the tote-- use the 5.0 bulb that comes w/ that fixture - your distance would be 6-8 inches basking decor directly underneath--let me know what you get and we can go from there
 

aha25

Member
Original Poster
I just bought a 20 gal Zoo Med tank from FB Marketplace tonight and will clean and use Zoo Meds wipe-out to disinfect. I know its still small, but it can hopefully work a few months. Then I can find 40+ tank. I will also get the proper 24" Reptisun Light Fixture and 22" Bulb on Saturday. So, I will have teh new setup by Sat afternoon. Timmy is already starting to act more like a lizard and continues to eat the calcium worms and crickets. I had to move him and the tank out of my daughters room and put in hallway, so i could get the hot and cooler sides of the tank to work out. My daughters room runs hot on the 2nd floor of the house which made it almost impossible to stay below 80 on cool side with basking lamp on. Thanks for all your help, you kept him alive this week and I am still amazed.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Are you using the Reptisun 10 T5 correct? Can you post pictures of your tank setup & of your
dragon, too?
What type of calcium are you using for him right now? Once they develop calcium issues, it can
take a little bit of time. Getting a great UVB light in place will help him immensely so give him
some time for recovery. Is he able to walk & climb properly despite him being shaky on his feet?

Keep us posted on little Timmy.

Tracie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Make sure you use the 5.0 bulb that comes w/ the hood/ fixture -- the T 5 bulb will be too strong for the 20 gallon tank I will help you get it set up so please post on here when you have everything
Karrie
 

aha25

Member
Original Poster
So, I am going to pick up the new/used 20 gal tank. Can someone post a pic of how this tank should be set up? I am looking to get it right the first time, vs. mess up like round one. Obviously, since we got a 10 gal tank with junk starter kit for Timmy we got no clue. We can personalize it later. But, what are the basics. i have read for so many hours last night and it seems like most do it a little different. I got a large hallow/climbing rock that works as a cave and is also a high point for basking. I have a food bowl and water bowl. Will have new light for the project this afternoon. how do lights get set up since you cant overlap them on the top screen. Can basking light be in one spot and the UVB in the other. I was not sure if the UVB light expands/diffracts (or whatever the term is) beyond the points directly below the light. Plus, i know he will outgrow in a few months. Thanks again for the help. If I can get pic that will be awesome.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Here is a pic of my 20 gallon I had set up for Blaze -- the fixure is a 18" w/ a T 8 bulb which is basically what your 5.0 bulb is you can set it up the best way it works for you I have the fixture width wise w/ the basking bulb clamped on the end of the tank -- any more questions please ask you can put the UVB at the end of the tank going width wide and have the screen butted up to it w/ the basking bulb next to it so the basking area is at one end --- make sure your getting basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer - place it where he would sit for basking wait 10 minutes then get the temp
97951-9562450009.jpg
Karrie
 

aha25

Member
Original Poster
Thanks so much for the picture, it really helps. I will attach a picture of what Timmy's tank looks like tonight- 4 days after engaging with this forum and getting advice from you. New/used 20 gal tank is sanitized and set up. The temp of the basking side is only reaching 95F, so I will get a higher wattage bulb on Monday to boost the temp to 100/110. Cool side is at 78F. We put non adhesive shelf liner as a substrate, but it is not laying totally flat, so will replace it this week. I read the forum and someone recommended liner from Home Depot, but when I was at store, they had limited selection. Timmy is not eating alot - 6 BSFL, 1 cricket, and a few pieces of collard greens. Timmy is definitely more fun now that he is climbing and more active. Keep the advice coming or give any input on the tank setup.
 
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