More questions and help needed?

[Botha]

Hi Guys

I need help once again please:

Reminder on my setup:
Big Wooden Cage with Glass front and 4 side air vents. Well desighned. a cool side of around 65F and warmer side of around 70f during night time, a cool side of around 90f, and warm side of around 95f-98f during day (mid day). We have the spiral red infro red heating bulb and the reptisun 5 UV light. Beacuse of our very cold conditions during winter where we stay, we have had no choice but to leave the red heating bulb on at night to secure the above tempretures, if we put it off, it will drop well below 65f in the night, why we leaving it on. I know everyone on these posts recommends we need to get rid of the red infro red heating bulb, but we dont have any shops near us with other types of heaters and bulbs. So, we will have to stick with this one for now. We also have a heating pad that everyone has warned us about, but we have placed to tiles over it to insure it doesnt get hot anough to burn our berdie, yet still give a small amount of heat to help with the cold conditions. We have his water and food bawl in there, a basking place on wide rock to get him 6 inches from uv and heat bulb. and a cave to hide or climb in for cooler tempreture and sleeping. He (Rango) is eating well, has anough vitamins, veggies and live food, looks good and very healthy, has bath every second day. and seems to sleep fine in his darkened cave every night. Rango is 15 inches now, about 12 - 14 months old and we have had Him for 2 weeks now. He loves attention is not scarred of us or his enviroment. His couloring is light brown and looks very good.

1) Beardie scraching on glass, running up and down 20 minutes at a time about 6/7 times per day. I will let him out and give him some love and care, put him back and this bahovoir just continues....
Why is that?

2) Will leaving the heat bulb on at night harm him? and if so, what can I do about it?

3) He often opens his mouth (gasping) when lying on his basking rock under heat bulb, it seems to be his favourite spot.
What does it mean when tempreture is below 100f? mostly around 90f.

4) Where he is mostly very friendly and gets excited when I walk op to his Cage, sometimes, very seldom he seems to try and hide all of a sudden!! What does that mean?

Answers will be much apreciated!!

Thank you

Jacqui & Rudi

 

[Claudiusx]

1. It just normal beahvior for small rambunctious beardie babies, or SRBB for short :mrgreen:

2. this depends. IF you were to keep the bulb off at night, what temps would the tank get to? Is there any reason your using a red bulb for a basking bulb? Beardies need a white light basking bulb. A tip that isn't as well known as it should be is you can use a normal household bulb for a basking bulb as long as it doesn't give off colored light, and as long as it gets you the temps you need.

3. He is gaping. It's how they thermoregulate. What are you measuring the temps with?

4. It happens. He is still a young'in and most likely isn't completely tame thats why he hides. Over time he will start trusting you more.

-Brandon

 

[Botha]

Hi Brandon

Thank you for your reply and all your help

please mind my bad spelling!!

1) He isnt a baby anymore, over 1 years old, about 1 years, 3 months we guess and 15 inches or 37cm.

2) If we leave the Bulb off at Night, temp will drop down to below 10 degrees, or 50F. The only reason why we are using the red infrared Heating basking bulb 50W is because it was baught with the tank and beardie and recommended by Pet shop as the right bulb for beardie. The Bulb itself says it is from ZOO med laborties recommended for Beardies. Why is everyone on Beardie.org against this bulb, do you know the reason? Wouldnt a normal house bulb give dangours such as chimicals and the wrong stuff?

3) We have two digital themp thernomertors in the cage, on the cool side and warm side, giving Degrees in Celcius and F.

4) point noted, thanks

Regards

Rudi