Am I doing things right?

[beardlover]

Hi everyone Vinny recently had case of dehydration, now that problem has been solved and I'm basically over hauling her viv. I was hoping you could take the time to read over my specs and let me know if it sounds good or if there is something that may be harmful to my little girl.



How old is your dragon? about 7-8 months, not totally sure
How long have you had your dragon? 4 months
How long is your dragon? 16.5''
What is the sex of your dragon? female
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 3x2x2
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? currently paper towels. She had walnut shells but no worries, that is long gone. I'm trying to locate some slate tiles...
Do you use UVB lights? yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? MVB and Arcadia D3 reptile fluorsecent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? exo terra solar glo 160watts
How old is your UVB bulb? new
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? about 8inches
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? no
What are the basking temps? 105
What is the cool side temp? 75
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? digital with probe
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? at the top of her basking log (it's as close as she can get to the bulb)
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? I have a heat pad under the tank - yes I am aware of the dangers of burning her belly - she has enough bedding between her and the bottom of the tank to keep that from happening...also it has been the only way I have found to keep the temps in her tank up.
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. She gets salad daily (red leaf lettuce, kale, bok choy, bell peppers, shredded carrots) she gets peeled grapes, apples and strawberries every day/every other day. She also is given dusted crickets - about 30 in a day. Phoenix worms and super worms are also fed as treats.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? morning and early evening
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? yes
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? yes, Fluker's dietary supplement repta-calcium.......this is a source of vitamin D3....should I stop using this now that I have a MVB?
How many days a week do you use each of them? one feeding daily
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? yes, one to two a day
Do you bath your dragon? How often? yes, every other day
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? she has a shallow water dish - fresh water daily.
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no


She doesn't seem to have any health problems or issues - happy and healthy But I'm a believer in better safe then sorry (especially after that whole dehydration scare!)
Thanks for reading and for any input you may have

Cheers, Kristin

 

[RioReptiles]

On the calcium, I use the Solar Glo's and prefer the Calcium Carbonate phosphorus free and without D3. I like the stuff from BeautifulDragons.com or Zoo Med. Rep cal is fine too but its more grey and feels more like dirt, gritty but is still good.
The mvb is similar in intensity to the uv the sun puts out so it stimulates the D3 production in your dragon's skin, so now it could possibly get too much calcium which can be bad. It's not going to hurt if she doesn't have it for a few days until you get more.

 

[diamc]

Hi Kristin, I read over your responses to the questions and I noticed a few things that I'd like to mention.

Since you are using a Solar Glo, you don't also need to use the Arcadia bulb. MVB's give off a lot of ultra violet rays by themselves, so I suggest you don't use the other one too as that could cause at least some eye issues. When using a 160 watt MVB, the minimum distance should be 18" so at a distance of only 8" that can be very dangerous. I suggest you move it so that it is at least 18" away and retake the temperatures. Since the Solar Glo's don't throw out as much heat as the T-Rex or Megaray, you will probably need to use a lower wattage household bulb to get the temps right at that new distance. Make sure the probe is actually touching the basking site and that you are waiting about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before getting the final temp. You may also need to use an even lower wattage household bulb on the cool side aiming for a temp of about 80, maybe try a 40 watt once you get the basking temp all straightened out.

You might want to add some staple dark greens to her diet. Here's a site that shows the best ones: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html Favorites here are turnip and mustard greens, escarole, endive, dandelion and collards. It's fine to feed kale but it shouldn't be fed with the only other greens being lettuce and bok choy.

Since you're using a MVB, you should be dusting with calcium without D3 but phosphorus-free 5 days a wk, but only 1 feeding a day and with vitamins the other 2 days a wk, but only 1 feeding a day, so since you've been dusting daily with calcium with D3 and using 2 UVB's, your beardie has been getting too much. Most of us use the Rep-Cal brand products and here's the calcium you should be using now: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-health/105556/rep-cal-ultrafine-calcium-without-vitamin-d3.html

That's great that you removed the walnut shells, good job and that she is a happy beardie.

 

[RioReptiles]

From experience, I cannot get the correct temps with the 160w Solar Glo at an 18" distance. I believe the maximum distance for this particular mvb is 18" and a minimum of 12". I was actually helped and advised on getting my temps up with this bulb from another forum member here. Each type of mvb has its particular specifications set by the manufacturer for optimum performance. To be honest, I can't tell the difference between the Solar Glo 125w and 160w unless its actual UV output which I don't have a way to measure.

 

[diamc]

Yes Cheryl, it is also the strength of the UV rays that has to be considered and using another basking bulb alongside it is always a consideration.

 

[beardlover]

Diamc - - - Thank you for taking the time and replying. That helps out a lot. I stopped dusting my crickets when I switched to the MVB, today I will go track down the right stuff as well as some vitamins. and I will remove the Arcadia bulb and readjust things so her basking spot isn't so close.
That list of greens is wonderful too! Thanks Vinny is pretty open to new fruits and veg so that should (hopefully) go over smoothly with her.


I've also increased the number of baths she has (from one every day or two), she now gets them twice a day. She has been refusing to poop anywhere else...