First time Dragon owner

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Ryanps

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Hey there everyone! First time dragon owner and got him today! Kids are wanting to name him/her spike but we are working on something a little more original. Looking forward to this new adventure! We have decided that the name is now hunter!
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CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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Welcome to the forum! Hunter looks happy and healthy. I like the setup you have - looks great. Please let us know if you have any questions about Hunters care and feel free to share stories/photos of your adventures!
 

Ryanps

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Original Poster
Thank you! I was actually wondering if having a Arcadia 14% T5 34” in a reflective ballast on top of mesh is providing enough uvb to him. It’s about 18” to the floor and just under 14” to his favorite basking spot.
-Ryan
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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A 14% Arcadia is pretty powerful, and an excellent bulb. That is likely providing plenty of UVB (you can double check with a Solarmeter, but they are not cheap tools). The mesh top is also intercepting some of the UVB and bringing the optimal output a bit closer - which is good in this case.

As long as Hunter is able to move away from the bulb (set it a bit toward the front or the back of the enclosure) and find some shade and areas away from the bulb, he will if he wants to. It's important to create gradients to give them options - they don't bask all of the time.

Observe his behavior over time. If he basks a lot right under the light, he is probably enjoying it as it is. If he is avoiding the area right under the light, try raising it up a few inches and see if he changes his behavior. I do the same with temps. The recommended temperature zones are a good starting point, but they have individual preferences that you can discover over time and cater to, to an extent.
 

Ryanps

Member
Original Poster
Thank you very much! I’m pretty sure he is good with it because he will bask under that light from time to time when not under his heat lamp. I was instructed to buy one that ran the entire length of the enclosure and have since read a bunch on here that it shouldn’t be that long. With it being on the top though I just have it offset a bit so he has about a quarter of his tank with little to no uvb. I never thought there would be so much to learn when I decided to get Hunter but it’s been fun so far. Today was our first handling session and it went quite well I would say. Thank you for the input!
-Ryan
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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I've used both a full length and a partial length UVB tube. They both work. It's just important to create a gradient and have an intense UVB area that is large enough for your dragon to bask under evenly. With a full length bulb, just cheat it a bit forward or backward in the enclosure and the gradient will be created along the depth of the enclosure. With a shorter bulb, the gradient is created along the length. No problem either way.
 
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