Beardie lighting and setup

[MollyMoo98]

Hi everyone so I recently took care of my sisters neglected dragon and am trying to figure out lighting. I have a 100-watt basking bulb on the one side of the tank and a 60-watt nighttime bulb on the other side on at the same time. Is this sufficient for lighting or is there anything way I should be doing it? Also, any ideas for setups would be loved but keep in mind I am lower income, please.

P.s the tank is brighter then it looks in the image.
He is about 16' long and 6 yrs old
The tank is an old fashion 50 gallon

 

[kyleena29]

Glad you can take over for your sister. Too bad she lost interest in him
There should be a uvb in there. Is the basking bulb a Mercury vapor bulb?
You really should have thermometers unless you're using a temp gun. Basking spot 100-105 and cool end 75-85F.
If you're in the US you can use this for the uvb: http://www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-desert-12-uvb/arcadia-d3-12-uvb-t5-bulb-22/
With this fixture: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078Y8BFMJ/ref=asc_df_B078Y8BFMJ5500812?tag=compare99-20&creative=395261&creativeASIN=B078Y8BFMJ&linkCode=asn&ascsubtag=88c2ee5f-a14d-4e58-80b4-aa48b09ae35c
Thermometer: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digital-Terrarium-Thermometer/dp/B000MD3MFA/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1531889409&sr=8-8&keywords=reptile+thermometer

Unless you know the temps the other heat bulb may or may not be needed.
Unless the house goes below 65F you don't need it on at night.
Lighting should be on around 14 hours a day some say 16.
You could add a hammock in the other corner he might like it.
What are you feeding him now?

 

[MollyMoo98]

@Kyleena29 Hi, Thank you. Unfortunately no i don't live in the U.S So I need a long UVB light?
Would one like one of these work?
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/all-living-thingsandtrade-desert-fluorescent-uvb-bulb-41825.html?cgid=500202
or
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/all-living-thingsandtrade-tropical-fluorescent-uvb-bulb-41824.html?cgid=500202
or
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/zoo-medandtrade-reptisun-5.0-uvb-reptile-lamp-14832.html?cgid=500202
or
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/zoo-medandtrade-reptisun-10.0-uvb-reptile-lamp-14822.html?cgid=500202

As those are what my local PetSmart has.

I dont know if the basking lamp is a mercury vapor bulb we use 100 watt
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/bulbs-and-lamps/exo-terra-intense-basking-spot-light-14809.html

No, our house doesn't get below that till winter

We are feeding him Crickets 25-40 every about 2 weeks, unfortunately, we cant afford them more than that.
And collard greens, leaf lettuce, Kale, and whatever veggies or fruit are in the house every day

 

[kyleena29]

https://www.amazon.ca/Zoo-Med-26061-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00AQU8HAO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1531895915&sr=8-2&keywords=reptisun+10.0+T5
There is a T8 version so make sure it is the T5 and that your fixture fits the correct one.

I honestly feel that Arcadia 12% T5 is better but I don't know if you can get them in Canada. Perhaps someone here can chime in on that.

He is 12 years old so something must of been done right despite being neglected. What uvb were you using before?

 

[MollyMoo98]

UVB wasn't used thats why we have to get one. But when you say it has to T5 that makes no sense to me as the petstore version doesnt say T5 or T8, we dont use amazon so it needs to come from the pet store.

 

[kyleena29]

The T5 is a higher output for uv and is better than a T8. If it doesn't say on the package "T5 HO" than it's probably a T8. If you have to get a T8 it's fine but it really needs to have a reflector with no screen obstructing it. Your beardie will need to be able to get within 6" of it and replaced every 6 months vs the T5 that can be within 10" and replaced yearly or 6" with a screen. I find it strange he made it this far without uvb. Do you take him outside a lot?

 

[MollyMoo98]

No we never take him outside and I don't understand what you're talking about at all.
Will this light work?
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/all-living-thingsandtrade-desert-fluorescent-uvb-bulb-41825.html?cgid=500202

Please explain like im a child because im super new and confused.

Will this light fixture work?

 

[JessPets]

First off, KUDOS to you for trying to help take over care of the beardie. I know the whole lighting thing can be really confusing, so I will try to put it as simply as possible.

With 'tube lights', labels like t5, t8, or t12 help people determine size and brightness of a bulb. For example, a t5 light is going to be brighter than a t8 light. And if you have a light fixture for a t8 bulb, a t5 will not fit in it because they are different sizes.

Now in the reptile world, t5 and t8 also help determine the strength of UV that it puts out. UV is a type of light that helps reptiles use the calcium their body is receiving. If they didn't have this light, no matter how much calcium you fed them, it would basically all go right through them. When a beardie doesn't get enough calcium, it can cause them to be deformed, stunted growth, or other disorders, such as metabolic bone disease. Here is another good article to read if you are still confused: http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/bulbs/arcadia/ .

Unfortunately many brands do not put out very good bulbs, and much of the time the reptiles end up getting inadequate lighting.

For those of us in the US, we always recommend the ReptiSun t5 10.0 bulb. For those outside the US, such as yourself, we recommend the Arcadia t5 12%. By just copying and pasting that name into your search browser, you should find many sights that sell just what you are looking for. Chances are your local pet store will not have what you need. Since I am from the US, i unfortunately cannot point you to any specific sellers, though hopefully some others will come along and help you out some more. Hope this helped!

 

[lizardmom25]

I think you are just going to have to break down and order what this dragon needs, if not from amazon from some other retailer. Most pet stores just don't carry adequate lighting for beardies.

T5 and T8 refer to the type of bulb being used. T8 is the older style it is a bigger around than a T5 and the UVB isn't as strong. T5 is the newer style and puts out MUCH better UVB. You will need to buy a bulb and the corresponding fixture. It definitely needs to have a reflector attached.

The two brands that are reliable are reptisun and arcadia. Pretty much anything else doesn't put out reliable UVB and risks damage to your dragon's eyes or inadequate UVB and metabolic bone disease. Reptisun needs to be 10.0 and arcadia 12%

Your best bet is probably going to be this:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26061-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00AQU8HAO/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1531932578&sr=1-1&keywords=reptisun+10.0+t5

and this
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26053-Reptisun-Terrarium/dp/B00AQU8F2O/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1531932615&sr=1-1&keywords=reptisun+terrarium+hood

If you are uncomfortable using amazon, you will need to find someone else to order from.

 

[sparkybeardyandme]

Hi Molly. I understand it can be very confusing when starting out. I have had a rescue beardy for nearly 4 months now and I am still learning every day. They are wonderful pets but can be a little scary when you're suddenly presented with one and don't know what you are doing.

The reptisun 10.0 UVB from petsmart will be great.
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/zoo-medandtrade-reptisun-10.0-uvb-reptile-lamp-14822.html?cgid=500202

If you scroll down the page on the petsmart website and click on lighting guide it shows you what type of bulb it is. It is a T8, which means you would be best to get a reflector hood. It's like a hood that goes behind the light pushing all of the light in the direction of your bearded dragon.
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/light-fixtures/zoo-medandtrade-reptisunandtrade-reptile-terrarium-hood-14902.html?cgid=500114

You need to get the right hood and bulb for your viv size but petsmart do both of the ones above. You want it to cover about 2/3 the width of your viv. You will also have to change the lights every 6 to 12 months.

Also to measure your temperatures you want to use a digital thermometer with a probe like this one
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/humidity-and-temperature-control/zoo-medandtrade-reptile-terrarium-digital-thermometer-14914.html?cgid=500113

You want to measure roughly the height of your dragons back from the ground to get an idea of the sort of temperature they are experiencing.

There aren't many other options from petsmart alone so if you were able to find a way to get things online it might be slightly easier for you. If not the UVB bulb above will be fine with the reflector hood. When you are looking at a UVB bulb in the future, make sure that you always get a strip light like that one, the coil ones don't give enough coverage and can lead to problems going forward.

If you need any help with anything else ask as many questions as you need to. Also check out the care sheets and articles section as there is some great info in there.