Calcium powder on its own or with D3 ?

[kingofnobbys]

Thanks folks.
Taterbug, i had 2 dragons, i have one that is 5, he was an unwanted pet and is doing very well and i did have, until last week, a 9 month old dragon, that i rescued, as he was not looked after too well, unfortunately, his back legs started to go and he seemed to loose his balance, i looked it up on here and from passed reading, put it down to d3 poisoning, but when i asked about it on this thread, it seems it was not. I am sad to say, the younger dragon died the other day, i woke up to find him curled up and not moving, he died in his sleep.. ! Before that, a vet i was talking to, mentioned parasites and that if their weak in anyway, they take over and kill them eventually.
My older dragon is doing well though and the light i am getting for him soon, is the one i put up in the link. He has a arcadia T8 10.0+ at the moment and his about 8 inches under it when basking, but like i said, it sits on top of a wire mesh.

Repeating myself. Replace the mesh top with a solid timber top, and mount the lights (all of them) under the top.
You'll find you'll have a better gradient + a more stable thermal climate (the warmed air in the tank will be forced to circulate inside the tank rather than just being lost as it rizes through existing mesh top) and your beardie will benefit greatly from the increased UVA and UVB flux at it's basking spot resulting from the tub being under the lid, closer and the UVA and UVB not being partly lost (up to 25%) by the mesh .
In the wild in their native range , wild bearded dragons experience EXTREME levels of UVA and UVB (a UV index > 12 in spring through to autumn , and UV index about 14 - 15 in summer), you'll never be able to get such intense UV (A & B) using MVBs, T5 or T8 tubes or compacts, even if the beardie is basking within 4" of the UV source.

 

[Arron]

Ok, thanks kingofnobbys.

 

[Taterbug]

King, I really encourage you to research modern UV practices a bit more. T5 and MVB lighting (fixture defendant) can easily exceed wild levels of UV exposure at close distances. I am pretty sure compacts can as well, since they are just T5 lights of a different shape. Not to mention potential harm to the eyes from glare and exposure to the lights. Considering many setups don't allow for much in the way of thermal/photo regulation options the advice you are giving is inaccurate and potentially dangerous to people's pets.

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/UVTool-Reptisun10T5.htm
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/UVTool-MegaRayPetCare160W.htm
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/UVTool-MegaRayPetCare100W.htm

Observational evidence (basking time and frequency) and expert opinion does not favor such high levels of UV in the captive environment. They may be in and out during mid day when the index is that high but again, wild dragons have way more options to hide/shade than most captives. Wild dragons will shuttle in and out of the sun to thermoregulate but that ties their UV exposure to temperature as well - a super high UV index at the relatively low basking temperatures typically offered could contribute to problems.
http://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150


OP; I also like solid tops but remember to take ventilation and available vertical space into consideration if you make an adjustment. Mounting lights inside can eat up space really quickly.

 

[Arron]

Thank you Taterbug, that to me is great info and i will read the links, thanks.

 

[Taterbug]

Thank you Taterbug, that to me is great info and i will read the links, thanks.

Your welcome.
The info on that site/paper is a great resource and very recently published. The main page (uvguide.uk.co) also has some older but still good information about lighting.

Some of the authors participate in the groups Reptile Lighting on Facebook and UV Meter Owners on Yahoo! The information gets rather advanced but both groups are invaluable resources.

 

[Arron]

It sure is a great help, to have that info, some of it may go over my head, but i should understand most of it.