momof2boys":ee1dd said:
Okay... There are two Repti Glo 5.0s... It' is a compact top, with compact bulbs that look like the CFLs you put in a lamp, and it lights more than half the vivarium.
Ok, I'm getting a clearer picture now. I was envisioning linear TUBES, which confused me as I wasn't aware that the ReptiGlo 5.0 came in such a fashion. When you said that they covered most of the tank, I figure they must be long linear tubes. Apologies. That said, *compacts* are another matter altogether. You will MOST DEFINITELY want to rethink the compact bulbs. They have been immeasurably troublesome for dragons (this was the exact issue with our initial tank set up). Here is a thread/
with link that will explain it better than I can: [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=65424 f=1 ]. I also strongly encourage you to do your own research on the matter. If you use the search engine at the top of the forum pages in "ER" "HEALTH" or "BEHAVIOR" forums, you will find a lot of *evidence* with regard to the issues these compact bulbs can cause. Our dragon did very well under hers for a few weeks, but then started struggling. Appetite down to nil, sleeping more and more, eye issues, and ultimately, her growth slowed to a stop. *sigh*
The other part has the basking light, which I put a normal household bulb 100w into for now. It might be a bit hot, as Beardie has been doing a bit of gaping, but not much, maybe once or twice. As I've not been able to get to the store, I have check the temperature with a very fancy meat thermomter .... I realize this is NOT accurate!!! But it gives me an idea, and is actually suprisingly accurate about ambient temps in the house and outside. So with the black light the baskingspot was about 80 degrees, with the 100w regular light bulb it is just around 100 so I think it's okay while I go back to the store.
May I ask, what is the size of your tank? A 100w can work nicely in a 40 gallon breeder or above, but anything smaller, and you're likely to have too high of basking temps, possibly dangerously high. If you can tell me the size of your tank, I can likely help discern a good wattage for the size of enclosure. I understand that you aren't exactly "trusting" the meat thermometer which is good (it's not ideal, but I understand the need to improvise :mrgreen: ), however, does it give you the ability to gauge temps DIRECTLY under the basking bulb? This is the only way to truly know what is going on for beardie while basking, and it's rather crucial information. With a digital with probe, the probe should be left on the basking surface for a full 45 minutes before reading temp... for future reference.
The dragon seems very active, happy, eating an enormous amount more than I expected...
This is good to hear.
Let's see if we can help your dragon continue her/his active demeanor. Yes, baby dragons CAN eat! They should be offered live feeders 2-3 times per day, as many as they will eat in 10-15 minutes. Make sure feeders are no larger than the size between beardie's eyes. Dust 5 meals per week with calcium, and 1 - 2 with multi-vites. Indeed, many healthy babies will consume [easily] up to 50-100 live feeders per day. :shock: :wink:
So why isn't the ReptiGlo 5.0 good? What does that 5.0 mean? Why is a single 8.0 better than two 5.0s?
The number is a model number more than anything else. And what makes one model/bulb better than another is how that particular model/bulb is made.
Please refer to the above thread link/WITH LINK for further details. Additionally, the 5.0's are compacts which immediately puts them into the category of "unsafe." When it comes to UVB lighting, it's best to
AVOID all COMPACT and COIL bulbs. There isn't a single compact (or coil) out there that has been proven safe (ReptiGlo, ReptiSUN or otherwise), and in my few short months here on the board, I've participated in more threads than I can count where these bulbs have created health issues for beardie (including my OWN).
The ReptiGlo 8.0 is a single linear tube, and the only ReptiGlo tube that
hasn't created health issues for beardies, however it's just "ok" in terms of UVB emissions. The ReptiSUN 5.0 linear tube also falls into this category. The ReptiSUN 10.0 linear tube however, is an excellent bulb. It is safe, and also offers beardie's the strongest UVB emissions available in tube UVB lighting. It is important however not to confuse the Repti
Sun 10.0 linear TUBE with the Repti
Glo 10.0 linear TUBE however, as the Repti
Glo tube has also been associated with health problems for beardie--see this thread for more details:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=101703&p=793076&hilit=ReptiGlo+10.0#p793076. (I post this mainly because the names of the bulbs are so similar, and it's so very important to know the differences between them.)
I have a friend who wants to get a BD and I told her to just hire a really good reptile expert to come install the whole shebang because this is really truly driving me crazy. I don't think any of my three puppies (who are now 13, 9, and 5) were this much of a nightmare to get set up. Though the BD is sleeping well! Which is more than I can say for a puppy, ha ha.
Ah, I don't know if a reptile expert coming out to set everything up is necessary, but I suppose it would be nice.
For me, I wished I'd just found this place earlier, and had done a lot of reading here first,
before buying beardie. When our dragon was struggling, I found this place quite by accident, and while all the information seemed overwhelming at first, within a few days of researching and reading, I became quite well aware of the places where we went wrong with our first enclosure, and how I might go about changing them for the better health of our beardie. That said, within hours of changing our compact light out for a ReptiSUN tube, our beardie changed... eating more, more active, etc. The change was too dramatic to ignore.
If it helps, you are far from alone. If you spend some time reading on the boards here, you will find not only how true that is, but also excellent information on the different lights, the issues they can cause and also, the lights that are helpful and safe for you dragon, and how to go about setting them up in the tank. Again, I'd be happy to PM you a
care sheet if you'd like... and feel free to fire away questions. We're happy to help, as most of us have 'been there' as well.
The best, and hang in there!
Em
