Adequate UV on a cloudy day??

[mtiller]

Haven't posted on the forums in FOREVER,
but I do frequently browse through them to see what's new and such =p
Yesterday I took my beardie, Draik, to the exo vet in Decatur, GA (For Pet's Sake, Jason Hutcheson-great experience)
for a check up as I've noticed she's been quite lethargic, listless, and unmotivated to chase down
her prey =/ (never is a good sign).

He told me she had a calcium deficiency which I can attribute
to a lot of things: commercial dusting powder for insects (cheap junk ), low amounts of UV
(apparently lighting I had was inadequate, will be changed with new enclosure I'm making), and refusal
to regularly eat greens on Draik's part -_-. I was told to give her .3ml of a calcium syrup daily for nearly
a month, and take her outside for 5-10 minutes everyday for UV exposure. I have a problem now, since it's
been raining and cloudy every other day. Will she benefit (significantly) from the UV even with the clouds out?

 

[mtiller]

bump

 

[GoFast]

5-10 minutes a day with no clouds isnt enough so forget about 5-10 on a cloudy day. They need AT LEAST 4-5 hours of good light....How long before you can get a UVB bulb??

 

[mtiller]

Thanks for replying! Well it'll be at least another week or so...my finances aren't where they need to be right now unless I can figure out a way to use the bulb without having to buy a new super expensive lighting fixture. If I could figure out how to do this I won't have an issue at all with purchasing a new UV bulb. As for right now, I only have enough money strictly for the bulb, but no new lighting fixture when I construct her new enclosure.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, while there will be some UVB on cloudy days, if it is full cover clouds, it will not amount to much at all.
If she already has a calcium deficiency, giving her the liquid calcium with no UVB exposure will not help her get better unfortunately. She will not be able to readily absorb the calcium without UVB exposure. I am not trying to be rude, just letting you know how important it is for her health & recovery.
If there is any way that you could borrow money until pay day, etc, to try to get a bulb right now for her since the weather is not cooperating very well?

Tracie

 

[GoFast]

what kind of bulb do you have? type, brand, etc...?? Like Tracie said, UVB is imperative to the absorption of calcium and the health/recovery of your dragon.

 

[mtiller]

It isn't a matter of me not being able to afford the bulb, it's not being able to find an affordable hood/fixture that I could place the UV tube in for the new enclosure. She seems more lively but was having a hard time making it to the top of her basking rock, and now things have gotten a bit more serious in my books with that. Buying the bulb isn't the problem, but is there some way I could buy some sort of fixture to attach to the ends of the tube to use the bulb that way? Honestly guys, I'm trying to build this thing as fast as possible and I promise you I'm not lolligagging (sp?), I've had this beardie for over 5 years and only recently have I ever had a problem like this. I know her condition didn't happen overnight, and the only regret I have is that I didn't catch it beforehand and take her to the vet. So please be understanding, I'm trying to correct an error on my part...

Thanks for your time

 

[mtiller]

bump.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I understand. Can you get some pieces of wood to rig something up to secure the light into, & use something to hook around the light, as a temporary fix? Say some chain link of some sort that hooks onto the wood that you can hang around the bulb until you get a fixture?
What do you have her housed in right now, can you post a picture of the tank, maybe I can direct you more from that.

Tracie

 

[mtiller]

That's more or less what I was planning on doing with the new enclosure as the majority of it is going to be wood. I believe I'm heading out today to Lowes to buy the pieces I need and the plexiglass. Even then I still need an idea of what to use to make the bulb work.

A few weeks ago I was removing her basking rock and it slipped as I was taking it out of the cage, shattered the bottom of her 40g. -_- Right now I have her in her old 20g long. My mother attempted to buy a 40g, but she bought a 40g tall from a thrift store that was the same length as the 20g. I'll post pics when I get back from Lowes or Home Depot and Petsmart.

 

[GoFast]

im not attacking you in anyway, only trying to help as is tracie....the reason why i wanted to know what kind of bulb you have is so that I could find you a cheap fixture for it.

 

[mtiller]

Ah >.< I'm sorry if my last message seemed defensive, I truly wasn't trying to do that. Often times people present problems here and don't want to take the necessary steps towards a solution and get defensive-definitely not what I'm here for.

Well I'll be replacing my old Reptisun 10.0 for a new one. Problem is I don't know what type of fixture I can use for say..a 24-36" tube. I found some fixtures for an 18" buuuut the new enclosure will be about 3x that.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great, how did the trip to the store go, were you able to find what you needed?
That is the main problem, getting the light to work without a fixture. I can do some checking on that for you. I am not an electrician though, sorry! :lol:
It might just have to wait until you get everything else fixed, possibly. Rigging a tube bulb you would need wires with clamps etc, to carry the electricity to an outlet. You don't want any fires, either!
I know it is frustrating. How long will it be before you are done with the enclosure you are building then?

Tracie

 

[mtiller]

Well today comprised mostly of blank trips, LOTS of running around, and disappointments lol. I stopped at Wal-mart first to look at under cabinet flourescent light fixtures that I may just look into. Roughly $10 for a 24" T-8 compatible fixture. I've ordered a 24" Reptisun 10.0 bulb from pet mountain so I'll have that when it comes in.

As for the enclosure, a slight problem arose today. I assumed Lowes or Home Depot would carry some sort of sliding track for the plexiglass doors of the enclosure, but they didn't. Instead, it took me 3-4 hours to find out a long piece of whitewood (1"x2"x8') could be used if placed side by side to snugly fit the plexiglass in the groove to form a sliding feature.

Petsmart let me down today as well. Didn't carry ANY Reptisun bulbs PERIOD, and they sold the reddish beardie baby I was planning on buying to place in the top or bottom half of the dual enclosure I'll be making. If that wasn't bad enough, my mom was about to just give in and pay $109+ for a 40g tank (not even including the light and fixture) with money I had NO idea she had on her

The prices of the building materials:
-wood/lumber=$49+
-Plexiglass=$14+ (may have to change sizes, increases price )
-tile=$5
-Reptisun 10.0 24" UVB=$26+
-Flourescent Fixture=$10-26+ (got to go back to Lowes/Home Depot)

Total: $100-120+

As for Draik's health, she's become waaay more active already with the use of the calcium syrup and longer UV trips. She took a pretty well formed poo today, which (strangely enough) I'm glad to see lol. Didn't touch her greens or her supers.

 

[mtiller]

**UPDATE**
Draik is doing much better, she's more willing to run when monitored outside, took consecutive poos (it was rare for her to poo one day, then poo another the day after), standing more on all limbs, bones feeling a bit more resilient, and she's altogether more lively. I've increased the time I spend outside to about 30-45 minutes and plan on going outside multiple times a day if my schedule permits till tomorrow. (It's too hot to have us both outside, we'll quickly overheat o.o) I take her out generally after she receives her dose of the calcium syrup, I figure the UV can help with its absorption after it's taken.