Help me?

[mike91383]

Hi this is mike. i just bought a bearded two days ago. His name is Ivin. He is a year and half old and is about 18 inches long. When i got them home for the first night the tank got below 65 degrees. So i purchased a heat mat to go under the tank . i put it under his sleeping and living area 11x17 mat. (tank size is 36x18x20) And swiched his lights around to the oppsite sides he is used to. is this O.K.? So the people i bought him from said he is in hibernation but in captivity they don't that. Right? I give them crikits and green the first day but he didn't eat the green. Also the last owners said he hardly eat any of his green in the last 3 months but he still had eaten crikits once a week. To me that sounds unheathly. Right? so i hand feed them some greens today and he eat them out of my hand. WAY COOL! But i don't want to feed him like that ever day. The other problem i had was to much heat during the day. Should i just have the heating mat on during the night so that it doesn't go below 65? i have not seen them poop. how long does food take to past?

 

[turtleman7]

well im kinda new too but will try to answer a few of your questions. you shouldnt use a heat mat at all, if u need heat at night use a ceramic heat emitter(produces no light just heat) kinda looks like a clay light bulb. when you hand feed him his greens let him see you take them out of his food bowl, he will get the idea. ill let someone who knows more than me to let you know how much you should feed them for that age. and they do hibernate

 

[peera]

Heat mats are a beardie no-no. They don't feel heat through their stomachs, only from above, so if it gets to hot they don't know and can get burnt. If your tank is getting that cool at night, get a ceramic heat emitter.
Switching light sides shouldn't hurt, he'll probably be taking a little while to adapt to his new surroundings anyhow.
Some beardies do brumate (hibernate) in captivity, but if he's moving around and eating it doesn't really sound like he is. This is a good article- http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/
Feeding... well, some dragons are finicky about greens, but if they're always availible and feeders aren't, they'll usually come around. http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html is a very useful site for food. At a year and a half he should be eating 30-50 live feeders per week, with feedings every other day or so.
Pooping is kind of up in the air. Good eaters will generally poop every day when they're young, but adults usually start to poop less. My older kids only go 2-3 times a week.
If you like, you can fill out these questions and we can see if there's anything else we can help you with:

What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
What are the basking temps?
What is the cool side temp?
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?

 

[mike91383]

What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
play sand
Do you use UVB lights?
100w t-rex active uv heat with a 10 inch dome orginally he had a 6 inch heat lamp with no UV
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
a 24 inch tube fluoescent(1 1/2 years old) with 40w sunglo and 25w nightglo(new)
How old is your UVB bulb?
all new but the fluoescent
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
heat lamp 10 to 12 inch
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
yes 100w
What are the basking temps?
90-105
What is the cool side temp?
63 at night 73 during the day
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
digital
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
where he can sit and at ground level
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
stop using the heat pad
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
kale,collard green, and mustard and crickets
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
morning
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
yes green only
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
HERPCARE calcium and vitamin D3 on crickets and DRAGON DUST VMF by T-REX to veggies
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
yes finally
Do you bath your dragon? How often?
twice a week
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
mist and offer watter
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
not any more since 6 month before i got him he and an other fighted the other owner separted them and then i bought him 5 days ago
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
no vet check dont even known where to look. Do U?

 

[Nasubi77]

You need a new UVB bulb..their effectiveness is good for about 6 months, so if your is 1 1/2 years, it's definitely time for a new one. The best fluorescent tube is the RepitSUN 10.0.

Your temps are a little low all around. Aim for your basking spot to be no lower than 95, but generally it's recommended to be 100-110. And the cooler side should be around 80 during the day. It's okay to drop to about 60 at night. Try adding another heat light, or use a higher wattage than what you use now.

I noticed you said you have a "nightglo" bulb. No need to use this at night, but you could use it during the day, in addition to your regular basking light, to help get the temps up.

You can use this site to find a herp vet in your area:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

 

[mike91383]

sorry i have not been able to chat lately but i have been busy. So a got a new 100 w t-rex active uv with a 10 inch dome i use to have a 6inch heat bulb w/no uv. Also i found out that the tube light was replaced in 06/08 however i do replace it with the repitsun 10.0 so he should be good to go for other 6 months

 

[turtleman7]

hi, so is your bd doing better now? i hope so. everthing sounds about right to me. i was gutloading my crickets with store bought food, but think i am going to switch to the greens i feed my bd. after reading through this forum sounds like that would be best. well hope he gets better

 

[LillyandRuby]

Hello,
Is the T-Rex a mercury Vapor bulb?
on the box does it say UVB?

 

[turtleman7]

i dont have that kind of bulb but i believe it is a mercury vapor bulb. i would think it would say on the box. does the reptisun say it on the box? sorry could be any help there. look under the encloser section of the forum, alot of people talk about those kind of bulbs.

 

[mike91383]

This is what the box have on it. T-Rex active UV Heat is the name of the product. 100 watt flood UVB producing heat lamp. all thee UVB benfits of more than 20+ Uvb fluorescent lamps + heat

bullet points
6 month limited warranty
Leasst UVB decay of any reptile lamp
UVB/UVA output at minimum distance from reptile is equivalant to midday sunshine
useful UVB/UVA penetration up to 6 feet
proven to increase appetite, activity, breeding and color
Veterarian tested, restores and mintians Vitamin D3 levels
Self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp

The increase appetite, activity, breeding and color is true to its word i have not seen him so happy and colorful before!

 

[LillyandRuby]

Ok thats what I thought but I just wanted to double check with the Mercury Vapor bulb you don't need to use the reptisun 10 The T-Rex is a great light! so if it is not to late you could return the Reptisun.