Megaray and temps - conflicting advice, help!

[emmini]

I have recently installed a Megaray bulb, and whilst the outside temps were still warm (ish) I was getting temps of around 103/80. Now with it cooling down outside, I'm struggling with the temps, particularly in the cool end. My dragon has been unwell with one thing after the other for the last 3 months (hence getting the megaray to try and perk him up) and he's spent nearly every single day during those months going to bed at lunchtime, generally right up the cool end. Now he's pretty much clear of everything that's been wrong with him, but he still goes to bed around lunchtime, and doesn't want to get up in the morning unless I get him up and put him on his basking rock. On my last trip to the vet he asked what the cool end temp was, and when I said it had dropped to around 75 he said it should be at least 85 and that I needed an extra form of heating in the cool end. I rang the man I buy my stuff from to see what I needed, and he said that with a basking temp of 95-100 he had the perfect gradient and wouldn't go as far up the cool end as he could, if he didn't want that temp. He said that as an adult male, he's probably gone straight from wanting to sleep from being poorly, to wanting to brumate and that I didn't need an extra form of heating as long as I had that basking temp so he could warm up if he wanted to. He said that 85 would be far too hot (which agrees with the general opinion on here). Now a few days later, I'm noticing that it's taking a really long time to reach even those temps as it's getting colder every day, and even after the lights have been on a couple of hours the cool end is still around 72 and basking around 90/95.

By mid afternoon the temps have risen to the 75ish/100, sometimes a bit more. It seems that the megaray just takes hours to heat up. I'm a bit stumped as to what to do, and who to listen to regarding the cool end temps. Why does the vet insist on 85 as a cool end? This seems far too much. I have a ceramic heater up the hot end for night time, but if I raise the temp on this during the day it's going to make the hot end too hot. So do I need to install another ceramic heater in the cool end, perhaps on a timer so it's only on for a couple of hours, or do I leave it as it is as he's still got the choice of a reasonable basking temp if he wants it? Is he purposely choosing the cool temp for brumation, or am I causing the brumation by it being too cold? I'm confused, hope someone can advise me as I think the problem is only going to get worse as the weather gets colder and colder.

 

[LJean]

I think the cool is end if fine as long as it is in the 70's.

 

[akingsley9000]

Hi,

I'm not sure why the vet would want to to have a higher temp on the cool side. 75 is fine, especially for an adult. If you feel you need to boost the temps on the basking side abit, you can add an ordinary household bulb and put it next to the MVB. It won't need to be a very high wattage, maybe a 50. This will also boost the temp on the cool side a little bit - but not more than a coupe of degrees.

 

[emmini]

Thanks both of you for your replies. I'll stop fretting then, leave it as it is and just assume he's brumating or just plain lazy!

 

[npedersen]

I think your fine also. I'm thinking brumation. . .

Nick

 

[diamc]

I may have missed it, but could you tell us the age of your beardie? Also what type of thermometer are you using to check the temps? How far away is he from the megaray when he is on his basking area and what wattage did you get?

 

[emmini]

Hi Diane, he's 2 in January. I've got both a digital thermometer with a probe, and also a temp gun. They both give slightly different readings but not too far out. The distance between the bulb (160w) and the basking area is 22" and he's roughly 2" high. I have now shut one of the vents in the cool end and that's brought the temp up a bit in the cool end but he's still being very lazy. The sleeping started when he first got ill around 3-4 months ago (he's been treated with several antibiotics and different worming treatments) but now everything has cleared up apart from one kind of worm whose name I can't remember! I just get worried about leaving to him to brumate as he's been through so much and I don't want to just assume that it's brumation rather than starting yet another bout of something! Tracie went through everything with me during his illness, but I can't relax and just let him sleep!