Beardie Enclosure Problems - not basking

[Nikkideefit]

Could someone please advise me on how to better set up my beardies enclosure. I have a Arcadia 14% bulb on the left & mega Ray mercury Vapor bulb. The small lamp next to it is not being used but is sitting on top. On the right is a regular uvb light but Vet tested its output and not giving much uvb, so really just for light.

We switched him to the big enclosure at the start of January and he seems to want to go in his hut on the far right (cool side) almost all the time. What should I do differently? He also finally shed for the first time since July but it took 4 weeks and was just a tiny bit around his mouth. Please help!

 

[KarrieRee]

Could someone please advise me on how to better set up my beardies enclosure. I have a Arcadia 14% bulb on the left & mega Ray mercury Vapor bulb. The small lamp next to it is not being used but is sitting on top. On the right is a regular uvb light but Vet tested its output and not giving much uvb, so really just for light.

We switched him to the big enclosure at the start of January and he seems to want to go in his hut on the far right (cool side) almost all the time. What should I do differently? He also finally shed for the first time since July but it took 4 weeks and was just a tiny bit around his mouth. Please help!

I am gonna say hes getting too much UVB 14% bulbs are really strong and require a distance of 17-18 inches but that is w/ out screen -- If the other UVB is not putting out I would get rid of it all together and use a LED house hold bulb if you want light - I am not sure what distance the 14% would be on top of the tank - it is recommended that UVB's go inside the tank lets ask CooperDragon what he thinks on this one - I had used the 14% bulb at one time it was in the tank and the basking decor directly underneath 17-18 inches - I have switched to a 12% bulb now
@CooperDragon

 

[Nikkideefit]

I am gonna say hes getting too much UVB 14% bulbs are really strong and require a distance of 17-18 inches but that is w/ out screen -- If the other UVB is not putting out I would get rid of it all together and use a LED house hold bulb if you want light - I am not sure what distance the 14% would be on top of the tank - it is recommended that UVB's go inside the tank lets ask CooperDragon what he thinks on this one - I had used the 14% bulb at one time it was in the tank and the basking decor directly underneath 17-18 inches - I have switched to a 12% bulb now
@CooperDragon

Thank you okay maybe I’ll switch to the 12% I bought one as backup so I’ll switch it out now.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you okay maybe I’ll switch to the 12% I bought one as backup so I’ll switch it out now.

Ok sounds good - see what he does after switching it out

 

[Nikkideefit]

Ok sounds good - see what he does after switching it out

After switching to the 12% bulb and changing his set up around a bit so that his basking log is directly under and is lower than the hut I had, he is finally shedding!!!! I’m so so happy!

I used an infrared gun to check the temp of his basking spot now with the lower log and it seems to only be reaching about 90 degrees F. What type of light would be best to increase the heat for basking spot? I use a mega Ray Vapor bulb and added in A red infrared bulb that I had received with his starter cage last year, I have been using it in addition to the mega Ray for heat ever since I switched things around. I’m not sure if this bulb is okay. He has been doing well and shedding but am open to a better recommendation if you have one. Thank you so much!

 

[KarrieRee]

After switching to the 12% bulb and changing his set up around a bit so that his basking log is directly under and is lower than the hut I had. He is finally shedding!!!! I’m so so happy!

I used an infrared gun to check the temp of his basking spot now with the lower log and it seems to only be reaching about 90 degrees F. What type of light would be best to increase the heat for basking spot? I have a red infrared bulb but I have been using not sure if that’s okay. He has been doing well and shedding but am open to a better recommendation if you have one. Thank you so much!

Please get rid of the infrared bulb -- you want a clear bright white basking bulb -- you want to mimic the sun and infrared bulbs are not good for that - example of a bulb is a Exo Terra Intense basking bulb or a Zoo Med Repti basking bulb and please get 2 digital probe thermometers - one for your hot side you want surface basking temps taken w/ the digital probe - set the probe on the spot where he sits for basking -- IR guns are good to have but you want the digital probe to give you actual temps-

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

I would get rid of the red bulb and use either another basking bulb that isn't MVB or pick up a ceramic heat emitter or deep heat projector to supplement.

 

[Nikkideefit]

Please get rid of the infrared bulb -- you want a clear bright white basking bulb -- you want to mimic the sun and infrared bulbs are not good for that - example of a bulb is a Exo Terra Intense basking bulb or a Zoo Med Repti basking bulb and please get 2 digital probe thermometers - one for your hot side you want surface basking temps taken w/ the digital probe - set the probe on the spot where he sits for basking -- IR guns are good to have but you want the digital probe to give you actual temps-

Thank you so much, & for your speedy reply! I will get rid of the bulb and get one of the ones that you suggested. I do have the digital probes set up at both ends! And thank you for the tip about setting it under the spot to check!

 

[Nikkideefit]

I would get rid of the red bulb and use either another basking bulb that isn't MVB or pick up a ceramic heat emitter or deep heat projector to supplement.

Thank you so much! I am going to replace it with zoo med repti basking bulb!

 

[Rubble1212]

Not trying to nay say but zoo med basking bulbs are notoriously bad for longevity. In my opinion they produce to narrow of a beam of heat, their ridiculously priced and for lack of better words reptile branded bulbs are crap most of the time. You’ll create a much better basking area with either a halogen Par reflector bulb or an incandescent BR reflector bulb. You can save so much money, just because there’s a picture of a reptile on the box doesn’t mean it’s the best product most of reptile branded products are junk. I can literally get 12 br30 incandescent flood lights for the price of 2 zoo med bulbs. Just thought I’d try and save you money. Also zoo med and exo terra basking bulbs are not clear nor bright white. Their frosted just like most incandescent bulbs and not bright white they are soft white in the 2700 kelvin range just like halogen. There isn’t a bright white basking bulb of any kind which would be close to 5000 kelvin unless you go led and they don’t produce any heat and have a bad spectrum and I don’t think it’s the best choice to use a normal led bulb for any reptile unless it’s a jungle dawn led bar. Almost any bulb used for basking even if it’s clear see through type glass is in the soft white kelvin range around 2700. Our uvb t5 bulbs are around 7-8000 kelvin(Arcadia 12%&14%).

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Not trying to nay say but zoo med basking bulbs are notoriously bad for longevity. In my opinion they produce to narrow of a beam of heat, their ridiculously priced and for lack of better words reptile branded bulbs are crap most of the time. You’ll create a much better basking area with either a halogen Par reflector bulb or an incandescent BR reflector bulb. You can save so much money, just because there’s a picture of a reptile on the box doesn’t mean it’s the best product most of reptile branded products are junk. I can literally get 12 br30 incandescent flood lights for the price of 2 zoo med bulbs. Just thought I’d try and save you money. Also zoo med and exo terra basking bulbs are not clear nor bright white. Their frosted just like most incandescent bulbs and not bright white they are soft white in the 2700 kelvin range just like halogen. There isn’t a bright white basking bulb of any kind which would be close to 5000 kelvin unless you go led and they don’t produce any heat and have a bad spectrum and I don’t think it’s the best choice to use a normal led bulb for any reptile unless it’s a jungle dawn led bar. Almost any bulb used for basking even if it’s clear see through type glass is in the soft white kelvin range around 2700. Our uvb t5 bulbs are around 7-8000 kelvin(Arcadia 12%&14%).

I do see your point in being specific and accurate with wording like bright white, but I think in this case it is just referring to something like the ZooMed (which I agree suck on longevity, I've had them burn out in weeks) basking vs daylight bulb, which has a neodymium coating that is very harmful. I've had good luck with the ExoTerra intense basking light, but you are probably right in that you can get the same bulb that isn't reptile branded for much less at Home Depot or something.

 

[Rubble1212]

Yeah you know what’s weird I can’t understand is that Todd from lightyourreptiles.com swears by and recommended Chromalux basking bulbs which have the neodymium glass and I always heard it can effect reptiles vision I don’t know if it’s necessarily bad I think it filters out the yellowish colors in the light spectrum which I’m not sure how it effects their vision? May the daylight bulbs from reptisun or exo terra etc. are a coating on the bulb and the chromalux bulbs have the neodymium in the glass itself? I’d love to learn some more about that.

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Yeah it is fascinating and confusing at the same time. Also doesn't help that they can see colors we can't, so things that don't affect us can affect them. Part of the reason I switched to a DHP for my basking and a CHE in the middle of the tank to raise ambient temps throughout. The only light comes from the tube. My guy really seems to enjoy it. He basks longer and isn't up and down as much.

 

[Rubble1212]

I really like the DHP I am using that with my blue tongue and it’s the only heat source as well but he’s in a 4x2x2 melamine enclosure so it holds heat really well and then the Arcadia t5 12% so a lot like your setup. I’m still using a halogen with my dragon but I want to switch it out for the 80 watt DHP I just can’t figure out if it will be sufficient for the only source of heat without having a heat bulb that creates light as well? I have read a lot of stuff from John Courtney from Arcadia and who developed the DHP and he mentioned in one post from another reptile group I belong to based in the UK that species like dragons need a light source like a halogen next to the DHP to complete all the parts that mimic sun light in our enclosure. So I’m thinking I may run my halogen still and add the DHP as a second basking spot? And he always recommends halogen for heat bulbs as well for basking. I just can’t figure out what I want to do or should I say what’s best for our reptiles lol.

 

[Nikkideefit]

Not trying to nay say but zoo med basking bulbs are notoriously bad for longevity. In my opinion they produce to narrow of a beam of heat, their ridiculously priced and for lack of better words reptile branded bulbs are crap most of the time. You’ll create a much better basking area with either a halogen Par reflector bulb or an incandescent BR reflector bulb. You can save so much money, just because there’s a picture of a reptile on the box doesn’t mean it’s the best product most of reptile branded products are junk. I can literally get 12 br30 incandescent flood lights for the price of 2 zoo med bulbs. Just thought I’d try and save you money. Also zoo med and exo terra basking bulbs are not clear nor bright white. Their frosted just like most incandescent bulbs and not bright white they are soft white in the 2700 kelvin range just like halogen. There isn’t a bright white basking bulb of any kind which would be close to 5000 kelvin unless you go led and they don’t produce any heat and have a bad spectrum and I don’t think it’s the best choice to use a normal led bulb for any reptile unless it’s a jungle dawn led bar. Almost any bulb used for basking even if it’s clear see through type glass is in the soft white kelvin range around 2700. Our uvb t5 bulbs are around 7-8000 kelvin(Arcadia 12%&14%).

Thank you for the advice! I will look into getting those instead!