Greetings from Dovah, our first dragon

[DovahDad]

Hey everyone! I've used this site as a resource for the last couple days as my fiance and I researched and then bought our first bearded dragon yesterday, so I thought I'd join.

Meet Dovah, a beautiful little leatherback. The pet store said he (she?) is about 1 to 2 months old (edited - I previously said 6, but was mistaken).

Since he's our first beardie ever, I definitely have a few questions I'm hoping the community can help us with! First, here's his setup:

• 40 gallon terrarium with mesh lid
• 150W basking light
• 24" 17 W 50 UVB tube bulb
• Ceramic heat emitter
• Zoo Med heating pad (under tank - the carpet is just a bit warm)
• Basking rock
• Zoo Med Eco Carpet
• Log hide
• Zoo Med Repti-Hammock
• Driftwood (also acts as ladder to hammock)
• Food dish
• Water dish (with Reptisafe)
• Strip of window screen attached to the wall (as another ladder to the hammock)

My main question is, what do you guys think of the lighting setup? I'm not happy with the way I've got the UVB tube light mounted. I think it's too far from the little guy, and I think the lid blocks some of the light - but I can't think of another solution:

I considered drilling holes in the lid borders to hang the light inside the cage, but there's a lot of tension on the chain that way and the fixture is heavy - don't think the lid could take it for long. Does anyone have any ideas?

Otherwise things are pretty good. He doesn't have the best appetite - relocation stress, I think - but he's put away a few crickets both days, drinks water, and ate some Nature Zone Bites. We've handled him a few times (probably too much) and he's pretty chill. No beard puffing or blacking.

Thanks for reading everyone - and thanks in advance for any ideas!

 

[SevzLight]

if you want an easier time mounting, i would suggest going to a place like kmart and buy some mounting clips (heavy duty ones) That's what I did for mine, but mine had mounting brackets. Other than that, if it's really that heavy, you can always get a reptisun uva/uvb bulb, like 150w should be just fine. It's very important that he has the right temperature, I'm hoping the surface temp for the little one is around 110 degrees. Also, I think you have a rankins dragon, not a bearded dragon. He looks pretty small for a 6 month old bearded dragon. Other than that, your setup is pretty cute, you should have come on the forum first because repticarpet is expensive in my opinion and it gets dirty quickly. What I did was went to Lowes or your nearest home improvement store and bought ceramic tiles. It's easy to spot clean and they will cut it to fit in your tank perfectly. It also files down their nails, which is a bonus.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. He is a cute normal dragon. Not rankins as they have different patterns and very rarely do pet stores carry them. How are you taking the temps? I see some stick on looking thermometer. If that is how you are taking temps those are not accurate. The most accurate way to take the temps is a digital with a probe or a temp gun. Remember the air temp is not as important as the basking surface. What is the brand of the uvb?

 

[DovaDad]

Thanks for the replies, destiny1998 and SevzLight.

How are you taking the temps? I see some stick on looking thermometer. If that is how you are taking temps those are not accurate. The most accurate way to take the temps is a digital with a probe or a temp gun. Remember the air temp is not as important as the basking surface. What is the brand of the uvb?

At your advice, I have ordered a Zoo Med ReptiTemp gun - that should tell me whether the wall ambient readings are accurate, and let me measure the basking spot. As for the UV bulb, it's "All Living Things" brand. The box says the UV index is about 3-5 at 6 to 8 inches. Right now I'm not sure how to get it that close to him.

if you want an easier time mounting, i would suggest going to a place like kmart and buy some mounting clips (heavy duty ones) That's what I did for mine, but mine had mounting brackets. Other than that, if it's really that heavy, you can always get a reptisun uva/uvb bulb, like 150w should be just fine.

I'm not sure what you mean about mounting clips, or how they would work with my fixture (see the picture). What sort of fixture are you using that works with the clips - something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-AFX-...upplies_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1S3Q1EMYH7DS1F7N7SJZ

I'm using this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U51E8E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, which holds two bulbs (unnecessarily - I got it for plants originally). I may need to get a smaller one, which I could probably mount with clips. I like the ceramic tiles idea - will look into it.

Also, I think you have a rankins dragon, not a bearded dragon. He looks pretty small for a 6 month old bearded dragon.

He is a cute normal dragon. Not rankins as they have different patterns and very rarely do pet stores carry them

Interesting that we have some different opinions on what sort of dragon this guy is! I think I may have caused the dispute - I just called the store to check their ages, and they said the oldest he could be is about 2 months, and he's probably closer to 1. That's a lot younger than the 6 months I mistakenly reported! Does this change anyone's opinion on what species he is?

 

[Taterbug]

I agree with destiny, it looks like a juvie normal P. vitticeps to me. Its very unlikely likely you would buy a rankins and not know it.

For your lighting, if you are open to some suggests.... First, I Highly recomend the T5 lighting. The bulbs are the same price and a good fixture will be about 30-40$ but they are much better and should solve both of your worries. With a good fixture you can have it further from your dragon and even outside the screen. If you go that route you need to provide more shade/hides where he can get out of the light. The T8 should be 6-8" away with no screen in the way. The lights should all be mounted overhead, not on a wall. If you have a two bulb fixture you can use a daylight bulb in he other socket to increase the brightness.

I've heard poor things about the All Living Things brand but not tested hem personally. I use reptisun bulbs, Arcadia also offers a good bulb.

I think sevzlught is referring to MBV lights? Those have a different setup and I don't think reptisun offers that format. There are a couple good brands but the setup is quite differnt and would necessitate changes to the basking light too.

It's good you got a better thermometer. Air temp is also important but usually falls inline when the surface temps are correct.

May I also suggest adding some more climbing furniture? You can bake sticks from outside to use, but especially while he is small he might enjoy more things to climb on and regulate uvb/heat from.

A word of caution for the heat mat. These devices are good for providing belly heat, but also have the risk of overheating and burning the animal or breaking the glass of the tank. Dragons can often pull up their substrate enough to squeeze in, and he may then no loggerheads the carpet to insulate the may. They can be safely used with a thermostat but generally aren't needed for dragons. Since dragons need higher daytime ambient temps and we heat them from above they aren't needed during the day, and at night it's recommended to raise the ambient temps only if needed. In such case A heat emitter is usually a good choice.

 

[DovahDad]

Thanks so much for the helpful reply, Taterbug - lots of info there.

So you recommend a T5 bulb. Would the Reptisun 10.0 be a good choice? I think I've thought of a way my existing hood fixture could sit on the lid, bringing the T5 as close as possible to the lid. That would probably do the job.

I'll definitely bake and add some more sticks/logs for the little guy, as his cage is a little boring right now. He has gotten up on the log once or twice, though he hasn't ventured from it onto the hammock.

I see what you mean about the heating pad. He could possibly get under the carpet and burn himself... We got it because his tank stays too cool without it - high 80s air temp in the basking area, even with the 150W basking light and heat emitter over his rock (thank winter in Maine). We had a space heater on keeping the room hot, but we sleep in there, it's going to get pricey, and it's a pretty inefficient way to heat the tank. Any tips for upping the temperature?

 

[Taterbug]

i use the reptisun T5 and a T5 ultrasun daylight bulb. You'll need a T5high output as the bulbs won't run in the T8 one and the high output is needed for the bulbs to run at heir fullest. With the screen and using a fixture with a Reflector 9-12" is a good distance from the basking spot. Reptisun sells a hood, but grow lights or aquarium hoods would also work as long as the wattage matches the bulb.

For heating, your biggest challenge will be the screen lid. Sometimes you can block off part of the screen but you still want plenty of ventilation. All the heat just rises up and out. Even for ambient temps the gauges can be inaccurate if that is what oh are using. I use little desktop weather station style thermometers for ambient temps. That's a lot of power so maybe it would be good to double check the thermometer is accurate. That said high 80s is probably ok as long as the basking surface is nice and warm, as this is where he will go to heat up and will have the light at his back and re warm surface at his belly. I like rock because it holds and gives off heat. Does the heat mat do much? I use them for my snakes but found it doesn't do much for the surrounding air, just the immediate area around the mat so i still give them basking lights.

 

[DovahDad]

Oh, thanks for pointing out the fixture compatibility issue - my fixture is only good for T12s and T8s, so I'll need a new hood for the T5 Reptisun.

My current setup can't get him within even 12 inches even if the bulb were directly on the cage lid, unless he got on the hammock (which he never does). The cage is about 17 inches deep. I'll need to get him a taller rock/more branches to bask higher.

This morning I did put a towel on part of the cage lid - the cool side of the cage where he never goes. It blocks some of the light on that end, but the ambient temp on the basking side is now 100 and the cool side is 87. I'll need to temp gun to come in the mail to check the basking surface, and see if those thermometers are accurate. His rock is nice and warm though, and it's his favorite spot (and also his toilet, which makes his poops easy to clean up).

The heat mat does seem to make the floor warm, and it's certainly warm when I touch the mat on the tank underside - but then I'm not sure if the carpet warmth is from the mat or the basking light/heat emitter instead (they're in the same area). Maybe tonight I'll touch the floor after his light and emitter are turned off and see what the mat does, if anything. I may stop using it due to the risk, but so far he hasn't given any indication he'd go under the carpet. I'm undecided. :?

 

[DovahDad]

Here's some more pics of the little dude - I guess I just feel like showing him off!

As you can see, he's got a lot of "stress" marks. I hope he's not actually too stressed out.

Mmm, rock is warm.

Oh, hey.

 

[Taterbug]

What's cutie! Does he usually have his one eye closed? Stress marks aren't always a bad thing, the little ones especially get them on and off - it can be from temperatures, mood, needing to poop, or just part of their camouflage among other things. It also takes some dragons a week or more to really settle in and adapt to their new homes.

A taller branch or rocks would work. I've used all sort of things, branches and rocks, bricks and pavers, cinder block halves, even flowerpots and cardboard boxes. There are also tutorials for DIY rocks out of foam and grout. An easy to make basking spot/warm hide is to use bricks as walls/legs and put a 12x12 slate tile on top as a roof. A couple stories (as long as it's stable) with give multile options and little ones are remarkable climbers/jumpers.

Hammocks are nice for them to sit on, but don't hold heat well for a basking spot, the log or a rock or something would work though.

For the heat mat, hygrofarm makes a decent thermostat and there are many marketed to reptiles too. If your room temp stays about 65 you don't need supplemental heating at night. The che should be enough to bump it up if it's too low at night. When one of my snakes moved his probe off the mat it got up in the 140 range, so it's always a good plan to control them even for species that do well with belly heat. I tape the probes down now. Hah

 

[DovahDad]

He is a cutie, isn't he. And no, he usually has both eyes open or closed, though he does occasionally shut one and not the other. Glad to hear the stress marks may not signal a real issue. He does seem pretty content overall.

I like the brick and slate house idea - it'd give him a warm place to bask near the light, and a place to hide under. I think that's the direction I'll go.

I think we'll get a thermostat as you suggest, to make sure the mat isn't on all the time. I'll just have it kick on at night if the cage falls below 65 - unlikely since he's right next to a radiator and the house stays about 68.

Thanks again for all your input!

 

[DovahDad]

Does he usually have his one eye closed?

After you asked this question earlier today, I noticed that he actually does frequently have his left eye closed. He seems to close both quite a bit, but left more than right. What could this mean?

 

[Taterbug]

It could be mean a few things. It doesn't look like it in the photo but If it looks crusty or anything it might be injured or infected. Do you know how they were kept at the pet store? If they had a substrate like sand or walnut shell it could have gotten in the eye. You could try rinsing it with a sterile saline solution. Is the pink on his snout just food on his lips?

Also, some brands of UVB can hurt their eyes, I'm not sure about the all living things and the bulb is pretty far away, but it might be a good idea to try switching the uvb off for a while to see if his eye opens more. This is why we only recommend a few bulbs, they are widly considered the safest. Hopefully you can still return the UVB bulb and just order a reptisun or arcadia.

 

[DovahDad]

If he keeps closing his eye, one more than the other, I may try to flush it out, though it doesn't look crusty I'll also plan on getting a better bulb. Thanks once again for the advice.

Yes, I believe the pink is prickly pear stains. He's got one on both his upper and lower lip, about the same location. He loves those cactus pears!