I Think The Tank Light Is Hurting My Beardie... PLEASE HELP!

[AntiqueGem]

Hello Everyone,

I recently bought a new light fixture for my beardie to keep him warmer for the winter. I was told by the pet store that this is one of the best lights you can have but I think it's hurting him. I bought him the R-Zilla Halogen/Fluorescent Light Combo and about 4 days after I started using it he stopped opening his eyes. He only opens them for a few seconds and then closes them again, more so his right eye. I have looked to see if they look infected or if there is any discharge of any kind and so far there appears to be none. I tried to feed him his cricket but he seemed like he couldn't see them. Is it possible that the light is making him go blind? He always goes for his cricket when he's in him feeding tank. He seems to just lay around the last couple days and I think it's because he's getting weaker from not eating so I need to know if I need a new light ASAP so I can get him better. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I've had a lot of issues with my beardie and he's my first one and I want to get him better. The light was supposed to help him not make him worse. Please help....

Thanks in advance for any input.

This is his tank with night bulbs on...

With the day bulbs on...

This is the light I bought. It has two blue bubs and two red bulbs...

 

[apbgv]

I know there have been some issues with lights I would recommend using a reptisun 10.0 or a MVB. So I would pull the lights you are using now. Good luck.

 

[peera]

YES, it's hurting him. Remove the light pronto. The exact same thing happened to me because I bought this horrible bulb before I found this site. It took my boy about 2 weeks to fully get back to normal after only 3 days of exposure to this bulb. Get the ReptiSUN 10.0 tube (It's expensive in stores, but only $20 on http://www.petmountain.com)

Also, unless your house temps are dropping below 60F during nights, no heat source is nessisary and can actually be detrimental to their health because they're not getting a cool down period. It looks like you have a red light, which other reptiles can't see, but dragons can, so it's probably throwing off his sleep. If you really need heat at night, get a Ceramic Heat Emitter. It's like a bulb that only gives off heat, not light.

How are you taking your temps? I don't see any type of thermometer in the pictures.

How old is your dragon and what kind of particle substrate is that? No particle substrate is recommended if he's under a year, and over a year the only safe particle is washed and sifted silica free play sand.

 

[NegativeCreep]

I had a different light fixture, but I had the same bulb. Take it out, it is harmful. My beardies eyes are still a bit screwed from it, I believe. Take that expensive fixture back to that store. Get you a reptisun 10.0 and a basking light. That is all you need.

 

[Narwhal72]

There is no UVB produced by the Halogen lights. The fluorescent light produces the UVB. Which fluorescent light are you using and does the box have the UV Index graphic on it? It is possible that you have one of the original Desert 50 lamps in the fixture which were bad and were recalled in September 2007. If the box for the lamp does not have the UV Index graphic on it it would be an older lamp. These older lamps produced UVB in the lower wavelengths which can cause photokeratoconjunctivitis. If you remove the dragon from the UVB it will heal in a few days to a week. You should be able to return the lamp to your dealer and exchange it for a new one. The dealer should return the lamp to their distributor. The new lamps which have been in distribution since August 2008 are perfectly safe for your dragon and have a spectrum very similar to the Reptisun lamps.

Temperature management is critical to any reptiles care. You may need to adjust the wattage of the halogen lights you are using to maintain correct temperatures. 75 or 50 watt bulbs are usually best for daytime basking. 25 or possibly 50 watt night lights are best for night time viewing and heat management. There is also a black night light if you don't want the red look. This produces mainly heat with a minimal amount of red/purple visible light.
I would recommend using the following combination from left to right (with the timer on the left) on your cage. 75 watt daylight, 50 watt red, 50 watt daylight, 25 watt black or red. This will put a warm basking spot on the left side of the cage and a cooler area on the right side of the cage allowing the dragon to thermoregulate.

Andy Hudson
Central Aquatics
Research and Development

 

[AntiqueGem]

I'm worried about the heat because I live in a basement and it gets quit cold. I was having trouble getting his tank above 30-40F at night let alone during the day. Could the red light be irrating his eyes because he can see it? I didn't know that most reptiles couldn't and he could. He does seem to perk up a bit more with the daylight one on. I have little stick on themometers but I'm loking into a prob one. I have one on either side right now so I can see the difference beteween the warmer and cooler side of his tank. My beardie is close to 3 years old now and he has washed playsand as his substrate but i'm not sure if it's silica free.

I looked at Pheniox's eyes this morning and I'm not sure if he is starting to shed around his eyes or if they are starting to discharge. I know he looks like he's about to shed his tail soon so I'm not sure if that's what it is.

The flourescent light i'm using is a T-5 flourescent. I'm at work so I can't check the box so I;m not sure if there is a UV index graphic on it. I will have to look when I get home. If it is one of the recalled lamps would this be causing the irratation? if I switch to a new one that was released in August will it still be okay or should I get the ReptiSun 10.0? I wasn't even aware there was a recall, you wuold think the pet store would have pulled them :x Right now all the bulbs in the tank are 75 watt, there is actually only one red at the moment since my cats knocked the light off his tank and it broke so he has three bulbs total at the moment. I will look into maybe using the sequence you suggested Andy if I can't find a ReptiSun or if the fixture is a recalled one. Right now the bulbs are pretty well the same.

I know I have alot of questions guys but your input is helping, I want my beardie to get better soon.

Thanks

 

[Narwhal72]

Reptisun does not make a T5 lamp. Only Zilla makes a T5 at the moment. T5's use less mercury, are more energy efficient, and produce a higher light output than T8 lamps. They use a mini pin lamp end and are not interchangeable with larger diameter T8 lamps. The only choice you have at the moment is the Zilla lamps but I expect that will change with time as more manufacturers embrace T5.
Judging from your description it appears as if you have an old lamp. Most vendors returned their lamps a year ago but you still have a few out there that either didn't know about or ignored the product advisory.

If you just remove the current T5 lamp from the fixture the beardie should be back to normal in a few days.
With a basement as cold as yours I would probably run 75 watt daylight lamps and a 50 watt night light on the far right side to create a cooler gradient.


Andy

 

[Narwhal72]

The red light does not irritate eyes either. It just means that it doesn't get very dark for the dragon at night which may disturb their circadian rhythms. That really hasn't been studied or proved by anyone though.
Andy

 

[peera]

As far as I'm concerned, the "theory" that a night light is more of an irritant than anything else to a dragon has been proved by both my own and other people's direct experience. When there was a red light on my oldest, he was very easy to wake up simply by walking into a room, and tended to be a rather grumpy boy during the day. Since I stopped using the night light, his sleep has very obviously improved. I never have to worry about waking him up once lights are out, and his appetite and mood during the day have both vastly improved.

 

[AntiqueGem]

I thought I should give everyone an update since your posts were very helpful in figuring out how to help my beardie. I removed the T5 light bulb from his light fixture on Christmas Eve and he has since very slowly been opening his eyes for longer periods of time. Yesterday he was finally up and moving around,and has been eating more then he was. His eyes were open and didn't appear to be bothering him. I have taken the light back to the pet store I bought it from and informed them that it was recalled in September 2007. They gave me another one in exchange and took the old one. I belive this is a new one from after the recall but I'm still scared to put it in his fixture. I'm sure it will be fine

Thanks Again,
Serena