Messed up temps, HELP!

[xdoomedsoulx]

I got Spike yesterday from a young family who obviously didn't know much about beardies but he seems healthy and happy, if a little skittish (maybe from rough handling, or lack of handling). He came in a 4 foot wooden viv. He now has a basking light and a Reptisun 5.0 (mum stopped off at the petshop for me, they didn't have any 10.0 tubes, so we had to make do.)

The problem is, I don't have a thermostat or thermometer yet so I'm flying blind. Does anyone know of a temporary fix until I can get a thermostat and thermometer? I'm thinking I could turn his basking light off when he starts to gape (he doesn't really move to the cooler side of the viv). He starts gaping pretty quick though, so I'm really worried it's too hot for him.

I know this is long winded but I'm really worried so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[AHBD]

The nice thing about a large viv is that he can escape the " hot zone" if he needs to. Is your basking bulb a tight beam ? You can always use a regular household bulb [ yes, and many people do ] that way the heat is not so concentrated on one spot. A 75 - 100 watt should be fine in a large tank, and you want to have his basking log close enough to the 5.0 UVB, about 7- 8 " for him to benefit. Don't get too worried....as you've stated, he seems happy + healthy, and no doubt will continue to be . Even so, you do want to be sure about his temps., and don't want it too cool, either. At times 2 basking bulbs work out better in a very large tank, like 2 60's or a 60 + a 75.

 

[xdoomedsoulx]

Thanks for the fast reply!

I think 2 bulbs would be too much for him. He's in a room that faces the sun most of the day, so it gets really warm in here anyway. I'd have him out in the sun, but he's skittish and loves to bolt without warning. To add to the problem, I think it's going to take a while to get a thermostat, as the petshop here sells beardies, but not what you need to look after them :evil:

 

[AHBD]

O.K, ....very important detail, the tank is in the sun. Depending on what state you live in and whether or not you have air conditioning also factors in. So in a hot room, just use a lower watt basking bulb.

 

[xdoomedsoulx]

I didn't word that very well at all, apologies.

The tank itself is not in the sun, but the room he is in gets pretty warm on it's own. And I'm in the UK and i have no aircon, cause we Brits never need it :lol:

 

[Robin79]

We have a 2ft by 4ft viv and use a 60 watt bulb which keeps their temps between 95 and 105 degrees which they're fine with. We have a large willow about 9 inches below the basking bulb and a rock slightly further away in the corner so they have several basking options. Keep a close eye on him but he will know when he is hot nough to want to move =] I'm still quite new to my beardies but you end up worrying about everything lol. Also try to get a digital probe thermometer rather than the stick on ones that are inaccurate =]

Hope everything goes well.

 

[xdoomedsoulx]

I'm getting him a digital thermometer and a new thermostat tomorrow or Saturday. I feel a little guilty I wasn't prepared for him, but I had him within 20 mins of taking the call.

As for him bolting quickly I'm not sure what to do. He is always very alert and never seems to relax. When he runs, it seems to be out of fright, and he'll fight me till he's in his tank. Maybe he'll calm down in time, but he's 4 years old they told me.

 

[Robin79]

Sounds like you're doing as much as you can for the little fella =] Try not to handle him too much for now and just let him get used to the sight of you, he'll be stressed from the change of environment so wont want to be bothered to much. Keep a close eye on his feeding over the next few days and make sure he's in good health then hopefully he will settle.

 

[xdoomedsoulx]

Oh the feeding isn't a problem, he loves stalking his livefood. He's not eaten many greens but when he did he pounced on them. First thing i did was book him in at the vets on saturday, as they had a coil UVB (now GONE!), and one of his eyes is a little watery.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[Robin79]

Hope he's doing a bit better now, let us know how everything goes at the vets =]

 

[xdoomedsoulx]

He's looking happier today, he's got the hang of his hot/cool sides of his tank (I don't think he had a choice before), and eating like a pig! I've thankfully managed to find somewhere 15 minutes from me (of all places!) that sells habistat thermostats and hopefully digital thermometers. Just so my mom can read this, can somone please confirm that I need a dimmer and not a pulse thermostat?

Thanks for your interest