Confused! Lighting! Heating! Conflicting Advice!

[MyBeardedLady]

I bought a 80cm Reptile One enclosure second hand (by conversions, I think its about 37 gallons?). Have done away with the reflector for the UVB as it sits on top of the mesh and I read you can loose UVB that way, so best to mount in the enclosure. The Pet shop sold me a 2.0 tube but then my husband went to a Reptile Shop yesterday and was a sold a 5.0 UVB - he was told the 10.0 is too much when mounted in the enclosure and will give them cataracts. So, for the moment we have a 5.0 mounted inside the enclosure under the lid.

In terms of the heat source, we live in Australia. It seems many of you talk in inches, gallons etc, so I suspect many are not necessarily Australian? Again, the enclosure came with a red heat globe but I have read NOT to use the red heat lamp. But then when I sent my husband to pick up a bright white basking globe as he was near the Reptile Shop (we live over an hour away from it otherwise I would have gone myself!), he was advised by the owner, who has had beardies and rescues many, that the red heat globe would be fine and we could leave it on 24/7.

We are not comfortable with a CHE as we have seen and heard how dangerous they can be combusting, and due to the location of our enclosure, it has wooden cupboards above it, which would be flammable.

An alternative heat source and basking light that we purchased was a clear Halogen 72 watt globe (from a hardware), however I don't think its emitting enough heat at this stage (we bought a thermostat) and I am aware that hatchlings (ours are approx 6 weeks old - picking them up tonight) need the temp to be around 105 F (40 c). So I was thinking of getting a 100watt globe instead.

Our current set up is:

UVB 5.0 Tube undermounted in enclosure
72 watt halogen globe at basking end of enclosure (in a mesh surround)
Basking rock (not heated) with log to climb up closer to heat
Thermostat and timer
Paper towel substrate

As we are in summer in Australia, our overnight outside temps are between 11-15 degrees (51-60) outside, so generally a few degrees warmer inside. I wasn't planning on using any heating overnight (the Australian desert is pretty bloody freezing overnight), as the breeder where we are getting them from doesn't either. As seasons change and get cooler, I would have more of an idea on what to do and will look at overnight heating options down the track.

Reptile place said to feed once a day, I've read 3 times a day!

All the conflicting advice and information is doing my head in!

 

[Pasakaina]

Hello,
Yes the information can be confusing! :? I've gone through that too.

UVB - Inside mounting is fine, many people recommend it, and I guess if it's mounted inside the 5.0 should be fine. The UV bulb is fluorescent, right? Because the coil ones don't work properly. It should also be a Repti-sun if possible, as they are by far the most reliable brand, and don't cause eye problems as other brands can.

You don't really NEED to mount inside the tank though. I'd think it's okay to keep the bulb on the screen as long as it's a 10.0 repti-sun tube, and the bearded dragon is supplemented with calcium properly. But mounting inside is fine too - no worries .

Heating - The red heat bulbs are actually fine, I use one for one of my beardies. The main problem with those is that there is a slight risk of eye problems because they don't balance out the light from the UV bulbs like the white ones do. However I have used the red type for three years and haven't had any issues. You could, technically, leave the red ones on overnight, however I wouldn't recommend this, because unlike the label states, beardies CAN see the red light, and they need cooling-off period overnight which can't be achieved if the light is left on. So the white bulb is better, but the red one is ok.

As for wattage, I have a 40 gal tank and I use a 150 watt bulb. You could buy both and keep the one that works better for you. Or switch them depending on the season. In the summer I've had to switch to a 100 watt sometimes. Or you could buy a dimmer and dim the bulb accordingly. Yes, babies need a basking temp of about 105f-110f, 115f at most, and a cool side temp of 75f-85f and 90f at the most. Adults need slightly cooler temperatures of about 95f-100f, 105 at the most, and the same cool side temps.

At night the temp can go down to 65f or so without issue I believe, as long as there is a warm up in the day, just like there is in the desert. If you find that it is too cold at night you can use a red bulb. If you're worried about not having a cooling-off period at night you can use a lower wattage at night. But try not to over complicate things.

You should be careful about the wooden cupboards. The bulbs can heat up the same way the CHEs do. :?

Feeding - babies should be fed 2-3 times per day, and should receive a diet consisting of 80% greens and 20% insects (crickets, worms). At about a year, it's 50% greens 50% insects, and go down to feeding insects once a day and greens once. And at about 1 1/2-2 years, 80% greens and 20% insects, so greens every day and insects every other day. When you feel your bearded dragon is fully an adult you could even decrease the frequency of insects even more.

Hopefully this didn't confuse you more! :lol:
Good Luck!