Is this pic normal?

[Twobeardieguy]

Reptisun 10.0 is the best!!

 

[mybabymojo]

OK... Im keeping my fingers crossed that once I get the right uv light all this will clear up?

Can I get it from pet smart? Which is the best one to get at a pet store?

yep. but its not likely to be cheap.

 

[Suzie22]

OK, I am leaving in a bit to go get the uv. I did some research online before I am going to buy it and I saw there is a bunch of different lengths...which one should I get? I have a 10 gallon tank right now. Also, what do I buy to put the lights in? Is it the same brand, or does it actually come with the electric thing for the lights?

 

[Suzie22]

Well they did not have the tube lighting. I went to several pet stores and noone had the reptisun 10.0 tube. So I got the Fluker's Sun Dome with the repti sun 10.0 compact florescent lamp to put in it. Is this ok for the time being until I can order one online? I will have to order it and wait a while for it to come in. He has been without uv for a few days now, and I am affraid to wait any longer. I was planning on using this one until I order the other one and it arrives. Is this ok for now?

 

[diamc]

Well, unfortunately, the compact UVB's are very dangerous, causing all sorts of health problems. You can read more about them here: [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=65424 f=1 ] I would suggest that you take the bulb back and get either a refund or a store credit. To be quite honest, your beardie would be better off without any UVB for a wk rather than using that one.

Here's where you can get a reasonably priced fluorescent UVB in the US: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html For the hood, you can go to either Home Depot, Lowe's or Walmart and buy a standard fluorescent light. Remove the plastic covering & the bulb that comes with it, put in the UVB and leave the plastic cover off.

 

[Suzie22]

Thanks Diane. I went to that website and read the details here http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-tests.htm

It states that the light does exactly what natural sunlight does. Am I reading it wrong? If not, then how can this light be harmful if it is doing the same thing as natural sunlight? I am just very curious about this. I feel so frusterated because everytime I think I am doing something right, I find out I am doing something wrong. I just want my little guy to get better.



"The ZooMed Reptisun 10.0 Compact Lamp is described as " ideal for all desert and basking reptiles" and the 5.0 Compact Lamp as "ideal for all tropical basking reptiles". No information is available on the box or on the ZooMed website regarding any recommended basking distances. ZooMed are now including a comprehensive information sheet in the packaging of all new stock, but this was not inside any of the new boxes we obtained back in April. Hence it seemed, at first, that maybe the lamps were just being placed too close. However, we measured the output of their lamps with a broadband UVB meter (Solarmeter 6.2) and found total UVB levels not unlike those found in natural sunlight, at distances which caused eye problems in reptiles. For example, a brand new ZooMed Reptisun 10.0 Compact Lamp gave a reading of 306 µW/cm² at 6 inches. Reptiles have been recorded basking and foraging in sunlight in the wild at similar levels (up to 322 µW/cm²). The reading at 10 inches was 121 µW/cm². "

 

[diamc]

Did you read this from the same site:

How can 100 µW/cm² of light from one lamp be "stronger" than 100 µW/cm² from another?
Low wavelength UVB is more photo-active than high wavelength UVB.
To understand this, think about strong whisky and light, low-alcohol wine. Imagine that high wavelength UVB is like very light wine whereas low wavelength UVB is like neat malt whisky. You could drink one large glass of either, but the effects they would have on you would be very different. A few hours of 100 µW/cm² of higher wavelength UVB, like sunlight on a spring day, might not have much effect upon your eyes or skin, but expose yourself to a couple of hours of 100 µW/cm² of really low wavelength UVB and you would really regret it later.
But a UVB meter would read just 100 µW/cm² in both cases..............

Once again, even well burned-in lamps produce unearthly levels of UV radiation further than six inches from the side of the lamp. The new lamp with the highest output would need to be placed 16 inches above a reptile for the UVI to be below 6. Interestingly, the manufacturer's minimum recommended distance for a new Reptisun 10.0 lamp (positioned horizontally, like this, above the reptile with no mesh or reflector) is 23 - 25 inches, according to their new information sheet. This, according to our recordings (not shown on the chart) would yield a UVI of about 2.3.

The last chart in this series is that for the ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 Compact lamps. (Figure 14)

The first lamp, BJP1, caused photo-kerato-conjunctivitis in a small group of hatchling lizards which could approach to about 4 inches. Although the output of this lamp is far lower than that of a Reptisun 10.0, it it not insignificant, and the UVI climbs rapidly to hazardous levels at ditances closer than 4 inches.
The manufacturer's minimum recommended distance for a new Reptisun 5.0 lamp set up in this way is 17 - 19 inches. This would give a UVI of only about 0.8 with lamp BJP1.

The second lamp (BZC4) was of the older design, and had a lower output although it has also been in use for considerably longer, making a comparison difficult.

It is tempting to assume that all that is necessary, to enable these lamps to be used safely, is to calculate "safe" minimum basking distances with what seems to be a suitable UV Index, and ensure that these are always used. Although this approach should reduce the irradiation to a level where photo-kerato-conjunctivitis is unlikely, it may not be a long-term solution.

It is important to remember that the UV light which is producing these high UV Indices contains non-solar wavelengths. The effect of non-solar radiation on living cells is different to that of sunlight. Even using the UV Index as a guide for a safe basking distance may not be appropriate with these wavelengths in the beam. This will be considered further in the discussion.

Also, if you type in "compact UVB's" and do a search in this forum, you will see all sorts of symptoms and problems associated with that type of bulb.
I know you want your little guy to get better and that's all that we went too. We have nothing to gain except satisfaction that he has improved when using the best UVB lighting.
Are you using a white or colored basking bulb? What type of thermometer and what are the temps? Also, what are you feeding him besides the Repta-Aid? Since he is so young, he needs protein to help him grow so mixing some chicken and squash baby food together with a pinch of calcium should help give him a boost. How often have you been feeding the Repta-Aid and for how long?

 

[Suzie22]

I have not read that part. I have been telling my husband what everyone is saying about the bulbs on here, and he wanted to know why, so I showed him that website and that was his question. I guess we were both just curious.
I hope it doesnt seem like I am coming off with an attitude, We are just new to all of this, and trying to do as much research as I can so he can get better and live a long life. I know you all want the same for him as well. I appreciate everyones help, and I am sure I will have a lot more questions as time goes by.
I am using a 75w Tight Beam sun glo incandescent light for basking.
I offer him small crickets everyday, but he wants nothing to do with them.
I have been giving him reptiaid for about 3 days now...he only eats about 1cc a day. I offer it to him 2 times a day.
I am using All Living Things Thermometer and Hygrometer, the basking temps is usually at 100 and the cool side is at 80.
I just got him squash and chicken baby food today. I offered him squash, he only ate a few licks of it and then wants nothing more to do with it.

 

[diamc]

It certainly doesn't seem like your coming across with an attitude at all, just that you're confused and concerned which you have every right to be.

Does your thermometer/hygrometer look like this?

If so, those are considered round gauge thermometers and don't really give an accurate reading. The only 2 ways to get good readings are with either an infrared temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end like this:

You can get this AcuRite digital with probe at Walmart for about $12.00 and it should be in the section where the outdoor plastic thermometers are sold. The stick-on's give the temp of the glass when what you really need to know are the temps of the SURFACE of the basking & cool side. With the probe thermometer, you lay the probe end so that it is resting on (actually touching) the basking spot and place the thermometer part way over on the bottom of the cool side, wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising then the "out" reading will be the basking and the "in" reading for the cool side. It also has a humidity readout.

Is the basking bulb a white or colored bulb? What size tank is he in? Has he been basking or laying further away from the bulb?

I suggest you mix some squash & chicken baby food together & thin with a little water or Pedialyte. Add a pinch of calcium and heat the mixture up in the microwave to take the chill off as that makes it much more pleasant to them. Also, if you haven't been bathing him, give a bath every other day or every 3rd day, making sure the water is warm. Be sure to put a washcloth down in the bottom of the sink or container. A 15 to 20 min bath helps them get good & hydrated and also gives them more energy. If you haven't tried handfeeding any crickets, you might want to give that a try too to see if he'll take any.

How long have you had him? Would it be possible to post a picture of him in his tank? What did you decide to do about the UVB light? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to not leave anything out. We have to get this guy on the right track. :wink:

 

[Suzie22]

No, the ones we have are these...

EDIT~~~ Didnt see those pics of the ones I have, I only saw the other one.

His basking light is not colored. It is on the left side of his tank, and he usually lays right underneath it, except for later today, he moved a fes inches below it, which I have never seen him do before. He is in a 10 gallon tank, and just found out today (the lady at the pet store did not tell us when we first bought him, and I guess we were so excited and forgot to ask how old he was)...he is about 2 months now.
I will be going out first thing tomorrow AM and getting that thermometer at walmart.
I will be doing the chicken feeding tomorrow. I guess I just syringe that out too and put it on his nose and see if he licks it up right?
I have been giving him a bath daily (with the exception of yesterday) with warm water for about 5 minutes. I did not want him to get too cold.
After we got home from the pet store tonight, we got more lively crickets and did try and use a longer tweezer thing to feed it to him, he just moved his head and didnt look interested.
I am hoping all of this is just relocation stress. We got him on 9-11, so we have had him for about a week now. I just hate the fact that he has nothing good in his belly.
Please dont worry about asking too many questions... I am just so grateful to be learning all of this and glad that you are helping me get him better.
I will be right back with a pic of his tank.

 

[Suzie22]

A pic of him this AM trying to get him to eat the juvenille bearded dragon canned food after giving him his repti aid

The basking light is on the left, and the uv one I was speaking about earlier is on the right.

Not sure if you can see him in the following pic, but he is laying on top of his branch, the basking light is not on...shut off for the night.

Hope this helps.

 

[diamc]

I thought that was the thermometer/hygrometer you were using. The pics I posted and you posted look identical. Great that you will be getting the digital with probe tomorrow. Let me know what you find out about the readings.

That's good that you're using a bright white basking bulb as they do much better with white lights. With a 10 gallon tank, it's very hard to get a good basking & good cool side temp in the small tank. You may find out that you need to adjust the wattage down to a 60 watt and can use a standard household light bulb for that.

Yes, put drops on his nose for him to lick off, they usually really like the chicken/squash mixture, make sure you warm it up though.

If you can increase the bathing times, that would be good. I use a sink with a cloth in the bottom, that way I can add warm water as it cools off. Bath times in this household last over an hr per beardie most of the time, they love them. Sabrina loves diving in and Gizmo swims around swishing his tail like an alligator. I started bathing them when they were only a few inches long, Giz was only 3 1/2 inches when we got him and is now 19".

Some of this could be from relocation stress since you've only had him for a wk.

 

[diamc]

Thanks for posting the pictures, he is absolutely adorable, love his coloring. He seems to really like the log that he is laying on. Good that you're using reptile carpet instead of a loose substrate.

None of my beardies ever liked the bearded dragon food very much. What greens/veggies are you feeding him? In case you haven't seen it, here's a site that shows the best to feed in green print: http://www.beautifuldragons.503.xtreme.com/Nutrition.html Even though babies don't eat many of them, it's still a good idea to offer fresh ones daily in case they want to nibble on them.

If the crickets seem too fast for him, you can put them in a ziploc bag & place in the frig for a few minutes to help slow them down. Also a good idea to only offer a few at a time so they don't feel overwhelmed. Be sure to remove any uneaten ones before bed otherwise they can chew on them causing nasty sores.

An 18" hood with a Repti-Sun 10.0 fluorescent bulb in it should fit nicely right across the front of the tank. When you get that, he should be 6 to 8" from it and that way, he will get the benefit of both bulbs while in his basking spot. I really recommend that you not use the compact bulb and see if you can get a refund for it.

Let me know how he likes the baby food mixture tomorrow and how you make out with the new thermometer. You're trying real hard and we are here to help you every step of the way. :wink:

 

[Suzie22]

Thanks so much Diane... you are awesome!!

I have been feeding him a mixed salad that comes in the little bags in the food store. I think I need to offer him more dark greens though, and will be going food shopping tomorrow and printing out that list for him.

I will keep you posted on how things go tomorrow.

Finally going to sleep now...goodnight! And thanks again so much!!!

 

[diamc]

Glad I was a help to you. Great that you're printing out the Beautifuldragons list and taking it with you to the grocery store. 8)

I'm anxious for an update. :wink: