? about my viv

[mrbeardie]

just got the reptisun 10.0uvb and have been having trouble on where to mount it in the tank so that he can have good basking spots. ill post up a pic and explain it
anyways in this pic the branch i have in there sits pretty close to the stick and when he's on top of it he can pretty much touch it with his face. will it burn him or anything if he does? should i move the stuff around again until he wont be able to touch it?

 

[AndyT]

I think that may be a bit too close to him. 6-8 inches away is optimum distance from the UVB bulb. I think he can get UV sickness or something from it being too close for an extended period of time. Sorry, I'm not an expert on this, but other people should be able to help more. Nice enclosure by the way! Where did you get that wood?

Andy

 

[Buggsy]

yes it is far too close, the safe distance is indeed 6-8" away, is there any way to trim the log so it sits lower down, or mount a plank of wood across the top and have the bulb directly above?

 

[ashlee1228]

it is too close, but as an extra precaution I have a screen top for a 10 gallon tank that sits across the width of the viv only where the lights are; this way if for whatever reason the lamps or fixtures somehow fall or get bumped they will be stopped by the screen and not Norbert's head, it also ensures he cant get out (i should have named him Houdini).

 

[mrbeardie]

I think that may be a bit too close to him. 6-8 inches away is optimum distance from the UVB bulb. I think he can get UV sickness or something from it being too close for an extended period of time. Sorry, I'm not an expert on this, but other people should be able to help more. Nice enclosure by the way! Where did you get that wood?

Andy

yeah i read up on that and moved some stuff around. ill post up some pics so you guys can see and give me feedback.

also i got the sticks in the desert in AZ where im from. they are dried up cholla cactus's

 

[mrbeardie]

yes it is far too close, the safe distance is indeed 6-8" away, is there any way to trim the log so it sits lower down, or mount a plank of wood across the top and have the bulb directly above?

yeah i moved them around a little bit so its not directly under it. thanks for the suggestion

 

[mrbeardie]

it is too close, but as an extra precaution I have a screen top for a 10 gallon tank that sits across the width of the viv only where the lights are; this way if for whatever reason the lamps or fixtures somehow fall or get bumped they will be stopped by the screen and not Norbert's head, it also ensures he cant get out (i should have named him Houdini).

yeah i moved some stuff around. the uv light is mounted to the cage so its not going anywhere and the other two lights sit on top of a screen so theres no way the can fall through or he can get it

 

[Trogdorpheus]

With the setup you have shown in your OP, all you really need to do is change which side of the tank that stick is leaning on.

Anyway, being that close... your most immediate concern is gonna be blinding your dragon. That's like staring into the sun for hours on end, not exactly easy on the eyes. I know you fixed the setup, but I thought I'd just let you know why it was necessary.

 

[AndyT]

Its great that you were able to fix it so fast! I want one of those dried up cholla cactus's more than anything in the world.

Andy

 

[mrbeardie]

With the setup you have shown in your OP, all you really need to do is change which side of the tank that stick is leaning on.

Anyway, being that close... your most immediate concern is gonna be blinding your dragon. That's like staring into the sun for hours on end, not exactly easy on the eyes. I know you fixed the setup, but I thought I'd just let you know why it was necessary.

well i mounted the light on with double stick tape so its not moving at all ha i tried to and it wont budge. i just move the sticks around and zip tied some of them together and now he sits about 4-6" under it when hes on the branches. thanks for the info i def do not want to blind my dragon!

 

[mrbeardie]

Its great that you were able to fix it so fast! I want one of those dried up cholla cactus's more than anything in the world.

Andy

yeah i love those branches. if i feel that he needs a change in his set up i just go out into my back yard (which is literally the desert) and find some new ones, spray them off really good and make sure theres no bugs or anything moving before i put them in. the only downfall to them is taking them out whenever i feed him crickets because they will crawl in there and not come out

 

[AndyT]

Yeah the crickets would be a problem. Well worth it, though. If I'm ever in AZ I won't leave until I've collected a few.

Andy