Humity level too high and temp too low pls help.

[Radioflyr]

I have the recommoended heat lamp and UVB bulb from the pet store but the relative humity is 80%!!! and the temperature is about 73 which is also pretty low, I also have a 6x6 inch heating pad under the cage that he usually sleep in that corner at night. My problem is his cage is in the basement where I live now and I need to figure out how to lower the humidity and raise the temp. Greg seems to be lathargic and uninterested in eating. he also is becoming a darker color. So if any one has any help for me that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[spurlee01]

A couple of questions to help us help you:
How big is your cage?
What watt basking bulb do you use?
What type and brand of UVB do you use?
Do you have any standing or running water in the tank?
What are you measuring temps with (stick-on, digital w/ probe, temp gun)?
Where are you measuring temps?
What are you measuring humidity with?
If you are measuring with any type of stick-on these can be off by 20* for temp, and I would guess humidity is about as bad. If you are in the US, you can get a digital thermometer that also reads humidity for $12 at Walmart (it's called Acurite). Measure temps in the cool side, warm side, and directly under the bulb where your beardie basks. Here are where temps should be: 78-82 cool side, 85-90 warm side 95-105 basking. 40% humidity tops.
Don't use a heating pad under the tank, if you need it put it on the side, but its better not to use one at all.
Sara

 

[Radioflyr]

A couple of questions to help us help you:
How big is your cage? 12 inches wide 12 1/2 inches deep 36 inches long
What watt basking bulb do you use? 75w sunglow bulb
What type and brand of UVB do you use? reptiglow 10.0
Do you have any standing or running water in the tank? I have a pretty big water dish. Is there a getter way to privide him water?
What are you measuring temps with (stick-on, digital w/ probe, temp gun)? Stick-on
Where are you measuring temps? cool side
What are you measuring humidity with? stick on.

It gets pretty cold at night when I turn the lights off so i have a stick on heating pad underneath the basking side of the cage. at night is it dangerous for the temp to go below 70 degrees?

Also i do live in the US so I will go pick up one fo those Acurite thermometers from walmart to get more acuate readings by the end of the day.

Here are few pictures of the cage so you can understand the lay out better.
the basking lamp is on the left of the cage and the UVB bulb is in the center of the cage and on the right hand side I have no lights just a water bowl.

 

[spurlee01]

Definitely let us know what readings you get with the new thermometer. Run a search through this website about Reptiglo 10.0. It has caused some problems, but I'll let you see that for yourself. You may need to get a 100w bulb for your tank. At night, the temps should not drop below 65*F. If they do you actually need a ceramic heat emiter, not a heating pad. I had to take my water bowl out because my humidity was to high. Does yours actually drink out of the water bowl? Most don't, they get hydrated through their vent at bath time.
Sara

 

[Radioflyr]

I have seen him drink out of it before yes. But usually only durning or right after I put fresh water in his bowl. I never see him climb into the bowl though should I be gving him a bath or spraying him with water to hydrate him?

Also how much do ceramic heat emiters cost because being in the basement it usually gets pretty cold.

How long do you leave the water bowl in your beardies cage before you take it out?

Whats a alternative brand of uvb bulb I can pick up?

 

[diamc]

Hi there, we're glad you found the forum. Your beardie is a real cutie but it looks like his eyes are very irritated and since he is also lethargic, please turn the coil UVB off right away. He will be better off without any for a few days, rather than continuing to use that dangerous one. Here's some info you can read about the coil/compact UVB's. [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=65424 f=1 ]

The thermometer you're using can be off as much as 20 degrees, so you can't go by the temperatures you're getting at all. Walmart does have the AcuRite thermometers for about $12.00 and they also have a humidity readout that would be more accurate. I suggest you get a thermometer right away. They're in the area where the outdoor plastic thermometers are sold. Your tank is only a little over a 20 gallon, so it's going to be hard to get the appropriate basking & cool side temps. A 40 gallon breeder tank would be much easier and would also give him more room.

By looking at the top of his head and his eyes, he is dehydrated. So, giving a warm bath with enough water to cover his front legs would be a good idea. A 15 to 20 min bath helps to hydrate them. Be sure to put a washcloth down on the bottom of the sink or container to help him feel more secure.

I suggest you remove the water dish and replace with something smaller if he is indeed drinking from it. Having it in all day will only raise the humidity more.

What substrate is on the bottom of the tank? Is it calci-sand or crushed walnut shells?

We have some more issues to discuss but wanted to send this info now so you can read about the important issues so far.

[Moved from the Enclosure forum to here since it was concerning some serious health issues]

 

[Radioflyr]

So far this is what I can check off the list.

---I picked up a AcuRite thermometer. and Im starting to record the temp of the 2 sides of the cage.
---I unplugged the harmful UVB and went to the the pet store to see if I could find a safer bulb. But it was already closed so I will try to work on getting a better one tomorrow.
--- I have him stitting in a bath in from of me at my computer right now actually and he really isnt used to it so I dont know if he is enjoying it or not but getting him hydrated is definatley a priority.

And it is crushed walnut shells. I had a more coarse blend a couple weeks back before I got the new UVB light. but when I picked up the new light I also picked up new crushed walnut shells with seem to eb a considerable amount finer this time around. How can I help resolve the eritation to his eyes? could the new finer ground walnut shells be causing this?

 

[spurlee01]

In my opinion, you will probably see a significant change pretty quickly without that UVB (at least that is what others have experienced). A saline solution without any chemicals can be dripped into his eye to help with the irritation. Loose substrate, such as crushed walnut shells, has a couple of problems. First it can harbor bacteria. Second, if a beardie accidentally ingests it, they may have trouble passing it and become ill. Third, it raises humidity because it absorbs then releases moisture. I am currently just using papertowel with my girl and plan to switch to tile when she gets her "big girl" viv. My boyfriend uses repticarpet with his guy and other choices are newspaper and nonadhesive shelf liner. Let us know about the temp and humidity readings you get with that. You may have to order your new UVB from http://www.petmountain.com. Your guy will be okay without UVB for 1-2 weeks while it is shipped if need be.
Sara

 

[Radioflyr]

I cant help but to feel bad and think that I have been neglecting him as far as being under edjucated about how to really care for him. But I would like to see him get healthy again and improve his living quality. with the heat lamp on It seems to be about 91-92 degrees on the warm side of the cage and about 77-78 on the cool side. The humitity has dropped a great deal since I have taken the giant water bowl out and is resting at about 44% which is still a bit high.

As far as the walnut shells the girl at the pet store who could talk for hours about her beardies and sudjested the walnut shells over anything. Im not exactly sure about tile or the repticarpet or what exactly the pros and cons so I will be lookign into thta over the next few days. As far as the walnut shells are concerned though are they doing more harm than help?

 

[Embee]

I agree with Sara that ordering a UVB light online is a better bet. The quality bulb you will want is not always easy to find in store, and when it is, it's marked up terribly! :? The ReptiSUN 10.0 TUBE is a good and safe bulb and can be found here: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html. Being that he's been under a coil lamp, the break he will get while you wait for a the new UVB light will likely be a good thing.

Humidity up to 50% is fine, so it looks like you're in business there. Indeed, removing the water dish can make a big difference... did with us as well.

As to the substrate, I totally concur with dumping the shells. If you don't want to make any decisions now, you can always plop in some paper towel for now. Indeed, solid substrates are not only safer (no impaction risk), but also cleaner.

Best of luck!

Em

 

[Embee]

with the heat lamp on It seems to be about 91-92 degrees on the warm side of the cage and about 77-78 on the cool side. The humitity has dropped a great deal since I have taken the giant water bowl out and is resting at about 44% which is still a bit high.

Remember, leave the probe on the basking surface for a full 45 minutes before reading temp.

I cant help but to feel bad and think that I have been neglecting him as far as being under edjucated about how to really care for him. But I would like to see him get healthy again and improve his living quality.

Stick around, read through the forums here... it won't take long before you have a grasp of it. Most of us here giving advice? We were exactly where you are just a few short months ago. Hang in there.

The best,
Em

 

[Radioflyr]

I really appreciate all the help and advice I have been given today. I just want to say thanks to everyone who posted and lent me their knowledge.

As I sit here I cant help to be bothered about another important aspect of getting my beardie healthy again. He is about 9 months to a year old and I have been feeding him mostly crickets his entire life with some fruit and veggies thrown in every now and then. But I want to get him on a more healthy diet. how many times a day should I be feeding him and what quantity? I have been feeding him about a dozzen crickets a day but after reading through the forums a bit I have seen people sudjesting 3-4 dozzen a day for babys. what age group does my guy fit into and what can I feed him to get him healthy again?

 

[Embee]

I really appreciate all the help and advice I have been given today. I just want to say thanks to everyone who posted and lent me their knowledge.

As I sit here I cant help to be bothered about another important aspect of getting my beardie healthy again. He is about 9 months to a year old and I have been feeding him mostly crickets his entire life with some fruit and veggies thrown in every now and then. But I want to get him on a more healthy diet. how many times a day should I be feeding him and what quantity? I have been feeding him about a dozzen crickets a day but after reading through the forums a bit I have seen people sudjesting 3-4 dozzen a day for babys. what age group does my guy fit into and what can I feed him to get him healthy again?

As your beardie is still a juvie, you want to be offering live feeders 2-3 times per day, as many as he will eat in 10-15 minutes. Healthy growing beardies can eat up to 50-100 live feeders per day. Are you dusting with calcium and/or vites? Take care to dust 5 meals per week with calcium with D3, 1 - 2 meal per week with vites. I can give you specific links to those products as well if you wish. Crickets are a good staple source. Are you gut loading them then, with protein (either cricket food or beardie pellets), water gel, or veggies, fruit? If you would like to vary the live feeders, you can also try phoenix worms, dubia roaches (both can be used as staples), and for supplemental feeding: butters, silks and horn worms are all good. Offer greens/veggies/fruit daily (some prefer first thing in the am, so it can be left in for beardie to nibble as he wishes). The following is a link to an EXCELLENT food source list for dragons (do's and don'ts): http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html.

Being that his diet has been spare, may I ask: what is the exact size of your dragon, tip of tail to nose? It's difficult to tell from the pic. Also, being that he's been under the coil lamp, his appetite may have been affected, and it will very likely take some time to catch up once you have the ReptiSun tube in place. Offer live feeders as advised, and beardie will most likely incrementally increase the number of feeders over time.

I wanted to say also, as Diane mentioned that you will want to look into a larger tank (we found ours on Craigslist, after a couple of weeks of checking in daily), as smaller sized tanks are more challenging to heat properly, and as your beardie grows, you will want a minimum size of 40 gallon.

Hope that helps a bit!

The best,
Em

 

[Radioflyr]

I fed him fresh corn, cucumber, and apples this morning along with a dozen or so crickets that were calcium powdered. He seems much happier today after the bath last night and a few hours not being exposed to that UVB lamp. That nutrition guide ws extremely helpful Seeing what I can and shouldnt not feed him. Again thanks for all the help. Ill be going to the pet store today to see if I cant find a new UVB lamp.

Also He messured 13 1/2 inches. is there a chance for him to get bigger?

If anyone has any more advice or questions feel free to reply ill be checking in every few hours or so.

Steve

 

[spurlee01]

Be careful with corn, it is on the feed rarely list at beautiful dragons. I only feed the green and black ones from that list. Beardies usually finish their growing by 12 months, but grow a little bit up to 18. I would start feeding him as much protein as he wants 2-3x a day as mentioned above to try to stimulate growth. They can catch up to a reasonable extent. As for temperatures, have you taken a reading directly under the bulb with the probe resting on whatever basking surface you have? This will be your basking temp would should be 95-105 for proper digestion.
Sara