Advice on food supplements and UVB for a bearded dragon

[ChileanTaco]

@Sue E.
I'm also very much like that. It kind of freaked me out when I found that the basking lamps are rarely available here and I just could not stock up because... sometimes, literally, 1 lamp available in the whole country! (I even asked stores if they could order me more, I would buy a box of 10, 20 lamps easily, but they said no as they might get one, if at all, from the importer.) I had situations like having one bulb in his enclosure, and knowing it lasts 2 months, and none available. Felt much safer and so much relieved when I was able to stock up a lot while traveling (bought 20 lamps while I was in Germany).

 

[Elio]

Yeah just keep them closer to him and in the tank under the screen and change frequently.

Noted!

 

[Elio]

That's fantastic
Your right the t8's need to be closer than the t5's
Make sure there isn't a plastic cover covering the bulb if you bought fixture and all. Some of those t8 fixtures come with a cover, and ut blocks the uvb. If it has one, just remove it.

Oh I had no idea about the covers. I will check if it has any as soon as I get back home. Thank you!

 

[Elio]

Just mark a date on your calendar about 5 months from now to get a new bulb, they dont last as long as the t5. T5s are good for 11-12 months, t8 about 5-6; 5 months to be sure. The light may still be on, but the uvb degrades to nothing over time.

Yup don't worry I know that much. I always kept track of that back when I had them. Thank you for the heads up still

 

[Elio]

@Sue E.
Super important! And I'd rather say: buy it earlier, just in case they are sold out, or something else might make it inconvenient or impossible to buy them.

(Mine is due in August. I will order it already next week - okay, we won't have quick delivery with "there you get anything" shopping like Amazon or "big box" pet stores, but I have to rely on one out of approx. three "mom and pop" stores can send me one if their importer got them. But even if I could order "anything" quickly, I would order it a month or so in advance. When I bought the last one, they shipped me the wrong one (weaker, for such as chameleons), so after ordering instead of 2 weeks later, I got the correct one 4 weeks after ordering initially. Can always happen, or something breaks during shipment.)

I usually always buy 2 to 3 lamps at once. But I couldn't because of my finances this time. It's a good think to have a little stock of them since as you said sometimes the stores run out.

 

[ChileanTaco]

I usually always buy 2 to 3 lamps at once. But I couldn't because of my finances this time. It's a good think to have a little stock of them since as you said sometimes the stores run out.

Makes sense. And of course I can understand if it doesn't work out.
I wanted to order two (Zoomed Tubo T5 Reptisun Uvb 10.0 Desert 55 cm) - store had only one in stock. I then checked out a platform that collects on a single website what different stores offer (we do not have such as Amazon here) - saw also it lists just one and it's from exactly that store. Was the only one that sells them right now in Chile, so I ordered... that single one, which I will have to use from August on. (They also had some knock-off "brands" which I would not trust for a UVB tube; no, I won't buy something along the lines of "Xi Cheng Happy Reptile".)
So, such things happen. Here it is normally that the few reptile stores that a) exist and b) ship to us at all have one item of every article, and once that's sold, they place an order with their importer and after a few months another single one might appear.

That one that you bought will at least be good for some time, and maybe in between you could already restock if it works out for you.

 

[Elio]

Makes sense. And of course I can understand if it doesn't work out.
I wanted to order two (Zoomed Tubo T5 Reptisun Uvb 10.0 Desert 55 cm) - store had only one in stock. I then checked out a platform that collects on a single website what different stores offer (we do not have such as Amazon here) - saw also it lists just one and it's from exactly that store. Was the only one that sells them right now in Chile, so I ordered... that single one, which I will have to use from August on. (They also had some knock-off "brands" which I would not trust for a UVB tube; no, I won't buy something along the lines of "Xi Cheng Happy Reptile".)
So, such things happen. Here it is normally that the few reptile stores that a) exist and b) ship to us at all have one item of every article, and once that's sold, they place an order with their importer and after a few months another single one might appear.

That one that you bought will at least be good for some time, and maybe in between you could already restock if it works out for you.

I fully get the struggle. One of the nearer stores now restocked and they informed me that they can place an order for certain items in my name. Hopefully I won't have such troubles anymore

 

[Sue E.]

I fully get the struggle. One of the nearer stores now restocked and they informed me that they can place an order for certain items in my name. Hopefully I won't have such troubles anymore

I just wish the pet stores would realize that beardies are a fairly common pet these days and carry a wider variety of appropriate items for them, like they do for dogs and cats!

 

[ChileanTaco]

I fully get the struggle. One of the nearer stores now restocked and they informed me that they can place an order for certain items in my name. Hopefully I won't have such troubles anymore

I tried that, also told them I would buy such as 2 - 3 tubes, 10 - 20 basking lamps... but no. They seem to place an order with their importer about a mixed delivery of "reptile supplies", and it contains one for each item, and once that's mostly sold out, place another one with their importer.

 

[ChileanTaco]

I just wish the pet stores would realize that beardies are a fairly common pet these days and carry a wider variety of appropriate items for them, like they do for dogs and cats!

I agree! Here, however, reptiles are indeed quite rare. Also other pets neither being dogs or cats. Almost all pet stores here do only have items for cats and dogs; also nothing for small mammals or birds. (Here, there are many specialized aquarium stores, however, much more than I had seen in the US, and even if I wanted to buy fancy marine pets like a sea star, I could get them literally today and would have a choice of a few stores... Seen that as we have a simple fish tank with platy (freshwater) and when buying supplies always look into the marine tanks too and have been in several stores.)

How is the situation in the US? I think at least delivery should be rather easy there, or? (Could, however, be a problem if, for whatever reason, somebody cannot buy online and/or get something delivered.)

I bought 20 basking lamps when I was in Germany, and it was easy to get them delivered there and they were available from different chain pet stores for delivery, likely also had been available in store (I rather ordered, as I really wanted many and I doubt 20+ are on stock in store, and the next pet store was some 40 km away as I was visiting my parents and in-laws there on the countryside).

The difficulties acquiring the lamps, from what I have seen in the forum, seemed to me more an issue of East European and Latin American countries.

 

[Sue E.]

I agree! Here, however, reptiles are indeed quite rare. Also other pets neither being dogs or cats. Almost all pet stores here do only have items for cats and dogs; also nothing for small mammals or birds. (Here, there are many specialized aquarium stores, however, much more than I had seen in the US, and even if I wanted to buy fancy marine pets like a sea star, I could get them literally today and would have a choice of a few stores... Seen that as we have a simple fish tank with platy (freshwater) and when buying supplies always look into the marine tanks too and have been in several stores.)

How is the situation in the US? I think at least delivery should be rather easy there, or? (Could, however, be a problem if, for whatever reason, somebody cannot buy online and/or get something delivered.)

I bought 20 basking lamps when I was in Germany, and it was easy to get them delivered there and they were available from different chain pet stores for delivery, likely also had been available in store (I rather ordered, as I really wanted many and I doubt 20+ are on stock in store, and the next pet store was some 40 km away as I was visiting my parents and in-laws there on the countryside).

The difficulties acquiring the lamps, from what I have seen in the forum, seemed to me more an issue of East European and Latin American countries.

I dont get my lamps or bulbs online. Petsmart stocks the 22"/24" zoo med reptisun t5 10.0 and my local reptile store (about 20 miles away) has the 36?"/39" that I currently use. The exotic reptile store also has fabulous healthy looking dubias and hornworms, so I pretty much only need to get silkworms online, at least until I start raising my own. The hardest thing is finding the time to do so...I already have cricket keeper cages for superworms and dubias that are gut loading now. But I have like 4 22" t5 10.0 and one 36"/39" for backups, along with a bunch of basking bulbs of various wattages, because of our harsh winters here.

 

[ChileanTaco]

@Sue E.

I assumed you were not required to buy them online.
The option with buying online, I saw it more as a second option in case of e.g. living rural, no store within a reasonable distance - in e.g. the US, as well as some European countries like Germany, buying something online seems to me to be quite easy. (I've lived 7 years in the US, and I'm originally from Germany.)
Here, I do have to buy online. There are two stores in Chile, both of them in Santiago, who have lamps - one has only the UV tubes but only sometimes, one has only the basking bulbs but also only sometimes. Shipment is quite expensive as this is almost 1500 km to us (yes, Chile is a long country and there are quite remote places). About three to four times a year I fly to Santiago, usually for work reasons, and always try to get at least basking bulbs (tube is too long for hand luggage), but only once it worked out and I got one lamp.
When I buy online, it's exactly from those two stores. I thus have to watch when they have one and buy immediately.
Also, whenever I fly to Germany (each 1 - 2 years visiting family) I pre-order some to my family to pick them up. I would also try, whenever I visit another country that has 220 V, to check before if lamps are available and order to the hotel address, but that didn't happen yet.

Bugs, interestingly, I can get quite easily, but what is available is only mealworms, superworms and dubias. (No hornworms, silkworms and such.)

 

[Sue E.]

@Sue E.

I assumed you were not required to buy them online.
The option with buying online, I saw it more as a second option in case of e.g. living rural, no store within a reasonable distance - in e.g. the US, as well as some European countries like Germany, buying something online seems to me to be quite easy. (I've lived 7 years in the US, and I'm originally from Germany.)
Here, I do have to buy online. There are two stores in Chile, both of them in Santiago, who have lamps - one has only the UV tubes but only sometimes, one has only the basking bulbs but also only sometimes. Shipment is quite expensive as this is almost 1500 km to us (yes, Chile is a long country and there are quite remote places). About three to four times a year I fly to Santiago, usually for work reasons, and always try to get at least basking bulbs (tube is too long for hand luggage), but only once it worked out and I got one lamp.
When I buy online, it's exactly from those two stores. I thus have to watch when they have one and buy immediately.
Also, whenever I fly to Germany (each 1 - 2 years visiting family) I pre-order some to my family to pick them up. I would also try, whenever I visit another country that has 220 V, to check before if lamps are available and order to the hotel address, but that didn't happen yet.

Bugs, interestingly, I can get quite easily, but what is available is only mealworms, superworms and dubias. (No hornworms, silkworms and such.)

Oh, is Chile like Europe as far as the difference in voltage from the US? Didnt think of that!

 

[ChileanTaco]

@Sue E.
Chile has 220 V like Europe. (If it would be the same as in the US, it also would not help me as getting something delivered from the US is also expensive if it works at all - then I could also as a really last resort let my in-laws send me a parcel which is expensive in the same way.)
But the thing with the voltage is really not the problem - in Germany it is easy to get those lamps. It is that reptiles are not common here, so those things are only imported in small quantities. Things for pets that are more common, like fish, are available quite well, also e.g. lamps, pumps/filters, heaters... for fish are easy to get, with 220 V of course. Those are mostly imported; I saw here supplies for fish tanks with German labels.

 

[Elio]

I just wish the pet stores would realize that beardies are a fairly common pet these days and carry a wider variety of appropriate items for them, like they do for dogs and cats!

Oh that would be lovely! I understand it doesn't bring them enough money tho, but still they should have online options