Daily routine, lighting and heat, Undigested food with coccidia… am I doing it right?

[Rowdy Rex]

I have attached pictures of it all… his lighting, his heat, my cleaning supplies, his diet. What am I missing, what is wrong and/or what do I add?
Back story of Rex…
-Got him Jan 27th from stupid pet supplies plus. (I know, I won’t be buying from a chain store ever again!)
-Took him to the vet feb 3, weighed 28grams, has coccidia. Got meds, (SulfadiVet, 1ml) gave them to him I think 4 days before members here said he is too young and to not give him the meds. Stopped the meds immediately!
-Fast forward to today, he weighs 43grams and seems to be getting used to our routine. He now knows that when I get the Tupperware container it’s dinner time and comes running! It’s pretty cute!
Ok so here has been our daily routine…

7:00am- lights on (ZooMed ReptiSun 10.0 T5 HO 24” UVB, Reptizoo Intense Basking spot 150w in a ReptiZoo 8.5in deep dome dimmer, Par38 Flood light 80w in a Reptizoo 5.5” deep dome dimmer), he’s in his hide on the cool side, doesn’t come out immediately. I give him his salad that is collard, mustard, turnip, dandelion greens, (occasional basil, cilantro, butternut squash and his favorite, carrots!) I give him fresh water.
8:00am- I check his temps, basking ranges from 100°-108°, cool side 70°-78° usually. Warm side I struggle with, highest I have gotten it is 86°. Right now it is 84°. I could only get it this warm with the 80w flood light I have added and I had to put things on top of the enclosure to get it to hold more heat.
Next few hours I just check on him, his temps, check for poo…
12:00ish pm- I feed him about 10 small dubia roaches sprinkled in calcium powder.
3:00ish pm- son comes home from school and will get him out and they play video games together for about 30min to an hour.
(Between 9am and 2:00pm he usually already pooped. He poops on his branch usually so I get it out, scrub it with hot water and chlorhexidine in the bathtub, then I spray f10 all over it, I have it dripping with f10! I have recently added the Quaternary Coccidial so I spray that also! Then I let it air dry. I get out the old paper towels, spray his enclosure with f10, I wipe it all down and then I spray f10 again and let it air dry. Replace the paper towels and put everything back to normal.
5:00ish pm I feed him 10ish Dubia’s or 10ish meal worms depending on my mood I guess. I will sneak some pieces of salad in there, sometimes he falls for it. LOL.
7:30pm his lights are out and it’s bedtime. He goes to his hide on the cool side.

-does everything seem right to you guys? Is the lighting ok like that or should I do something different to get more heat?

Today his poop was completely Undigested from this morning salad. Is that the coccidia or could it be from his lights? Should I put the UVB inside the enclosure? It is about 14 inches away from where he basks right now. Are those other lights I am using ok or should I do something different?
Money isn’t an issue so just tell me what to buy and I will buy it!

Thank you all in advance!

 

[Rowdy Rex]

That’s the light setup right now. Back corner is the 150w basking in the 8.5 dimmer dome and the one in the front I am using mainly for heat, par38 80w flood light in 5.5 dimmer dome

 

[KarrieRee]

That’s the light setup right now. Back corner is the 150w basking in the 8.5 dimmer dome and the one in the front I am using mainly for heat, par38 80w flood light in 5.5 dimmer dome

How are you getting the surface basking temps? do you have a digital probe thermometer? the UVB can stay on the screen but I would get it to 8-10 inches from basking decor piece - and I would try and get your cool side of the tank up to around 80ish during the day- Undigested food is usually a basking temp issue- you have good disinfectants going - I was told F10 should not be used on bricks or coarse material - so you took him off the medication? Are you still treating for coccidia?

 

[xp29]

I have attached pictures of it all… his lighting, his heat, my cleaning supplies, his diet. What am I missing, what is wrong and/or what do I add?
Back story of Rex…
-Got him Jan 27th from stupid pet supplies plus. (I know, I won’t be buying from a chain store ever again!)
-Took him to the vet feb 3, weighed 28grams, has coccidia. Got meds, (SulfadiVet, 1ml) gave them to him I think 4 days before members here said he is too young and to not give him the meds. Stopped the meds immediately!
-Fast forward to today, he weighs 43grams and seems to be getting used to our routine. He now knows that when I get the Tupperware container it’s dinner time and comes running! It’s pretty cute!
Ok so here has been our daily routine…

7:00am- lights on (ZooMed ReptiSun 10.0 T5 HO 24” UVB, Reptizoo Intense Basking spot 150w in a ReptiZoo 8.5in deep dome dimmer, Par38 Flood light 80w in a Reptizoo 5.5” deep dome dimmer), he’s in his hide on the cool side, doesn’t come out immediately. I give him his salad that is collard, mustard, turnip, dandelion greens, (occasional basil, cilantro, butternut squash and his favorite, carrots!) I give him fresh water.
8:00am- I check his temps, basking ranges from 100°-108°, cool side 70°-78° usually. Warm side I struggle with, highest I have gotten it is 86°. Right now it is 84°. I could only get it this warm with the 80w flood light I have added and I had to put things on top of the enclosure to get it to hold more heat.
Next few hours I just check on him, his temps, check for poo…
12:00ish pm- I feed him about 10 small dubia roaches sprinkled in calcium powder.
3:00ish pm- son comes home from school and will get him out and they play video games together for about 30min to an hour.
(Between 9am and 2:00pm he usually already pooped. He poops on his branch usually so I get it out, scrub it with hot water and chlorhexidine in the bathtub, then I spray f10 all over it, I have it dripping with f10! I have recently added the Quaternary Coccidial so I spray that also! Then I let it air dry. I get out the old paper towels, spray his enclosure with f10, I wipe it all down and then I spray f10 again and let it air dry. Replace the paper towels and put everything back to normal.
5:00ish pm I feed him 10ish Dubia’s or 10ish meal worms depending on my mood I guess. I will sneak some pieces of salad in there, sometimes he falls for it. LOL.
7:30pm his lights are out and it’s bedtime. He goes to his hide on the cool side.

-does everything seem right to you guys? Is the lighting ok like that or should I do something different to get more heat?

Today his poop was completely Undigested from this morning salad. Is that the coccidia or could it be from his lights? Should I put the UVB inside the enclosure? It is about 14 inches away from where he basks right now. Are those other lights I am using ok or should I do something different?
Money isn’t an issue so just tell me what to buy and I will buy it!

Thank you all in advance!

Everything sounds pretty spot on. At 14 inches though, I would probably move the uvb to underneath the screen.
Unless you have solarmeter the best you can do is guess on the uvb. If you decide to get a solarmeter the 6.5 is the better option I think. I'm going to post an excerpt from another site about the 6.2. This is why the 6.5 is more useful.

Its broadband response (typical of all UVB meters) to the entire UVB waveband, however, causes a problem if we want to compare the ability of different lamp brands to enable vitamin D3 synthesis, or to match up sunlight and lamp UV levels. Solar Vitamin D3 synthesis almost all occurs between 290 - 315nm, but the shorter the wavelength, even within this small range, the grester the effect. In theory, if one lamp had most of its UVB in the shorterwavelengths, e.g., below 305nm, whereas another had most of its UVB in the longer wavelengths, e.g., above 315nm, they could both give identical readings with a Solarmeter 6.2, but the first lamp would be much better at producing vitamin D3 than the second one.... it might even have unwanted UVB from below 290nm or even UVC, and cause skin or eye damage.

I'll also post a link to the entire artical. In case you want to read it all.

UV Lighting for Reptiles: Using the UVB Meter - the Solarmeter 6.5 and 6.2

Measuring UV and the UV Index using the Solarmeter 6.2 and 6.5 meters.

www.uvguide.co.uk

 

[Rowdy Rex]

How are you getting the surface basking temps? do you have a digital probe thermometer? the UVB can stay on the screen but I would get it to 8-10 inches from basking decor piece - and I would try and get your cool side of the tank up to around 80ish during the day- Undigested food is usually a basking temp issue- you have good disinfectants going - I was told F10 should not be used on bricks or coarse material - so you took him off the medication? Are you still treating for coccidia?

I am using a temp gun to check surfaces. I also have three digital thermometer/hydrometer probes in there. 2 are on the cool side right now checking the ground heat and one is hanging in the air. The third I have hanging in the air on the warm side. I have the probes for the dimmers sitting directly under the lights where they are shining.
I did have the basking spot higher but I couldn’t get the temps right so I lowered it. LOL. I will add to the height again. Thank you.
I will sit something on top of the cool side to get that side warmer.
I will find a new basking surface for him. A lot of people use slate, could I use that? I think slate is porous tho isn’t it?
Yes, I stopped the medication, no treatment for the coccidia. Just trying to keep everything clean. Members said he was too young for those meds.

 

[KarrieRee]

I am using a temp gun to check surfaces. I also have three digital thermometer/hydrometer probes in there. 2 are on the cool side right now checking the ground heat and one is hanging in the air. The third I have hanging in the air on the warm side. I have the probes for the dimmers sitting directly under the lights where they are shining.
I did have the basking spot higher but I couldn’t get the temps right so I lowered it. LOL. I will add to the height again. Thank you.
I will sit something on top of the cool side to get that side warmer.
I will find a new basking surface for him. A lot of people use slate, could I use that? I think slate is porous tho isn’t it?
Yes, I stopped the medication, no treatment for the coccidia. Just trying to keep everything clean. Members said he was too young for those meds.

Approx age please? No slate it gets too hot and will burn the feet I dont recommend it - I would work on getting decor you can clean w/ your disinfectants - I use resin decor in my tanks and they are easier to clean w/ F10 and washing in the sink - I am going to flag Tracie about the meds shes our vet tech mod on the forum she can help in that dept -- she is on late at night
@Drache613

 

[Rowdy Rex]

Everything sounds pretty spot on. At 14 inches though, I would probably move the uvb to underneath the screen.
Unless you have solarmeter the best you can do is guess on the uvb. If you decide to get a solarmeter the 6.5 is the better option I think. I'm going to post an excerpt from another site about the 6.2. This is why the 6.5 is more useful.

Its broadband response (typical of all UVB meters) to the entire UVB waveband, however, causes a problem if we want to compare the ability of different lamp brands to enable vitamin D3 synthesis, or to match up sunlight and lamp UV levels. Solar Vitamin D3 synthesis almost all occurs between 290 - 315nm, but the shorter the wavelength, even within this small range, the grester the effect. In theory, if one lamp had most of its UVB in the shorterwavelengths, e.g., below 305nm, whereas another had most of its UVB in the longer wavelengths, e.g., above 315nm, they could both give identical readings with a Solarmeter 6.2, but the first lamp would be much better at producing vitamin D3 than the second one.... it might even have unwanted UVB from below 290nm or even UVC, and cause skin or eye damage.

I'll also post a link to the entire artical. In case you want to read it all.

UV Lighting for Reptiles: Using the UVB Meter - the Solarmeter 6.5 and 6.2

Measuring UV and the UV Index using the Solarmeter 6.2 and 6.5 meters.

www.uvguide.co.uk

I am going to have to read that! Thank you! I’ve watched some YouTube videos about uvb trying to understand it more.
I also think I should put the light inside. This basking temp took me forever to get it to what it is.
Do you recommend a certain meter more than the other, brand wise?

 

[Rowdy Rex]

Approx age please? No slate it gets too hot and will burn the feet I dont recommend it - I would work on getting decor you can clean w/ your disinfectants - I use resin decor in my tanks and they are easier to clean w/ F10 and washing in the sink - I am going to flag Tracie about the meds shes our vet tech mod on the forum she can help in that dept -- she is on late at night
@Drache613

3 ish months old. We are just guessing because of him being from a chain pet store. He is now 43 grams as of last night. He was prescribed SulfadiVet 1mg everyday for 21 days.
Resign would be so much easier to clean and lighter also!!! I will order him a new one today!

 

[KarrieRee]

3 ish months old. We are just guessing because of him being from a chain pet store. He is now 43 grams as of last night. He was prescribed SulfadiVet 1mg everyday for 21 days.
Resign would be so much easier to clean and lighter also!!! I will order him a new one today!

Let's let Tracie weigh in on the meds

 

[xp29]

I am going to have to read that! Thank you! I’ve watched some YouTube videos about uvb trying to understand it more.
I also think I should put the light inside. This basking temp took me forever to get it to what it is.
Do you recommend a certain meter more than the other, brand wise?

There are some other brands, but I THINK they work like the 6 2 There are even some that work in conjunction with a digital multimeter. But I think there is some math involved. I don't personally understand the technical stuff so I just went with the 6.5 rather than trying to learn it all.

 

[KarrieRee]

I am going to have to read that! Thank you! I’ve watched some YouTube videos about uvb trying to understand it more.
I also think I should put the light inside. This basking temp took me forever to get it to what it is.
Do you recommend a certain meter more than the other, brand wise?

With a wide hole screen the UVB can stay on top you want the basking decor directly below it 8-10 inches

 

[Fawah54]

I'd suggest getting a UVI reader. Got this one from Amazon, wasn't too much $ and worth it to me to knowing exactly what I've got.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4DXNVJT

For instance, I have the Thrive 40g Size:36"L x 18"W x 18"H
I had the 36in Reptisun 10.0 HO T5 UVB.
He's about 8 inches from it.
Reader showed only 5.8 UVI (lights on top of the lid), and that was if he pressed himself against the back of the tank.
I could of raised him up but then it would have been too hot I think.
Got a
TEKIZOO UVA UVB 125w (tried the 80w, wasn't enough) running in conjunction with the Reptisun.
It gives off both UVA and UVB.

Where he's at right now the reading is 102F-105F surface temp and 7.6-8.1 UVI if he gets on the branch it's closer to 9 (a bit high but he does go there for a little while after eating, they know .

At 7am both the Reptisun and TEKIZOO come on and tank heats up. At ~4pm the TEKIZOO cuts off.
At 7pm both lights go out and the ceramic heater kicks on, I let it drop to 75F at night.
Trying to mimic real conditions as much as I can, lots of sun/heat during day then sun goes down so does the heat and UVI.

From what I've been reading they need it cooler at night, it promotes better digestion and basking in the morning.

Routine. Lights on. When I come in the office I don't mess with him (he give me a few head-bobs to let me know "Hey, I'm just waking up and haven't had my coffee"

I put his salad in there, almost like clockwork, tank hits 85F ambient and he has some salad. Basks a bit, then its the dubia roach/cricket dance (surfing the glass).

Then its lots of handling/petting, he's never once showed an aggression doing it this way.


Dusting wise I do:
Reptivite without D3 Sat and Wed.
Repti Calcium without D3 Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri.
Repta Calcium with D3 Phosphorus free (forgot to mention, this is only the 1st and 15th).

I can be more specific about my setup if desired.

 

[Mercelani]

So much information written here I thought my eyes were gonna pop out of my head reading this. I’m now questioning sooo many things…

 

[Rowdy Rex]

I'd suggest getting a UVI reader. Got this one from Amazon, wasn't too much $ and worth it to me to knowing exactly what I've got.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4DXNVJT

For instance, I have the Thrive 40g Size:36"L x 18"W x 18"H
I had the 36in Reptisun 10.0 HO T5 UVB.
He's about 8 inches from it.
Reader showed only 5.8 UVI (lights on top of the lid), and that was if he pressed himself against the back of the tank.
I could of raised him up but then it would have been too hot I think.
Got a
TEKIZOO UVA UVB 125w (tried the 80w, wasn't enough) running in conjunction with the Reptisun.
It gives off both UVA and UVB.

Where he's at right now the reading is 102F-105F surface temp and 7.6-8.1 UVI if he gets on the branch it's closer to 9 (a bit high but he does go there for a little while after eating, they know .

At 7am both the Reptisun and TEKIZOO come on and tank heats up. At ~4pm the TEKIZOO cuts off.
At 7pm both lights go out and the ceramic heater kicks on, I let it drop to 75F at night.
Trying to mimic real conditions as much as I can, lots of sun/heat during day then sun goes down so does the heat and UVI.

From what I've been reading they need it cooler at night, it promotes better digestion and basking in the morning.

Routine. Lights on. When I come in the office I don't mess with him (he give me a few head-bobs to let me know "Hey, I'm just waking up and haven't had my coffee"

I put his salad in there, almost like clockwork, tank hits 85F ambient and he has some salad. Basks a bit, then its the dubia roach/cricket dance (surfing the glass).

Then its lots of handling/petting, he's never once showed an aggression doing it this way.


Dusting wise I do:
Reptivite without D3 Sat and Wed.
Repti Calcium without D3 Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri.
Repta Calcium with D3 Phosphorus free (forgot to mention, this is only the 1st and 15th).

I can be more specific about my setup if desired. View attachment 97001

Awesome! Thanks for all of this info! Since I have changed everything to resin, I have changed the setup a little. I’ll have to post a photo of what all I have in there for him now. It’s a mess but I wanted him to have as many options as I could for the distance to the UVB until I am able to wrap my mind around all that information with it. The closest he can get to the uvb is 8 inches, if he goes up to the end of his branch. I also changed from a 150w basking bulb to a 100w. It was making his basking surface too hot when I switched to the resin. Now it is staying at 107°-109° with the temp gun. His air temps I have gotten to 88°. I added some more things in there to try to hold more heat. It’s been a struggle keeping the heat in. But I feel like it is better than it was.

He has been more active the last few days. He will go from his branch, to his basking spot, to his log. His poo has been solid and food is being digested. Still pooping 2 times a day! (It is so exhausting cleaning this enclosure! LOL!) He is now 60 grams!!! So he has gained a good amount of weight this week!

 

[Rowdy Rex]

So much information written here I thought my eyes were gonna pop out of my head reading this. I’m now questioning sooo many things…

Haha. It gets overwhelming! Especially, all of the UVB information!