need some help not basking alot

[frank79]

hi
my name is frank and i am for the uk.About three months ago my beardie passed away hes was eight years old is that a good age?.I was in in a store last week and i saw a beautiful beardie 14 weeks old and as you can guess hes now at home with me.He is eating well pooping love his baths all normal stuff my problem is he dose not seem too bask all that much but.He is in a 75 gallon viv tile floor with loads of things for him to do. hot end cool end all normal temps 101 to 105 in hot end and 80 to 82 cool end.I use a 100 wat bright bulb for basking and i no wat your going to say next but im using repti glo 10.0.now with the dimensions i gave is it worth me getting a mega ray or a power sun or some thing like that would that incourage him to bask more and if so what wattage.
Or any other ideas
thanks

 

[beardie parents]

Yes, 8 years is a good age, to me. I have read about some beardies living till 11, 12, even one died at 14 years old.

What are you taking your temps with? If you are using a stick on thermometer, they have been shown to be as much as 20 degrees off of the basking spot.

From what I understand, yes you could use a mega ray or t-rex mvb with that tank. I suggest calling Bob and reptileuv.com, there is a phone # on that site to call them. Ask him what wattage to get. For the 40 breeder we have, we are going to use the 100 watt, when we can anyway.

 

[diamc]

I agree that a beardie living for 8 yrs is pretty good. Sorry to hear about him passing.

It is important to make sure the temps are accurate as beardie parents mentioned. The only 2 ways to get good readings are with either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire and probe end.
So if you're not using one of those, you should make an investment in one to find out what the real temps are because that could be the reason he is avoiding the basking area.

Is the Repti-Glo 10.0 a compact bulb or a strip fluorescent? If it's a compact, please turn it off right away as he would be better without any UVB for a few days rather than being under that dangerous bulb. You can read more about the problems here: http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm
If you're using the fluorescent, the safest way to use it until you get a replacement UVB is to put it right alongside a white basking bulb and to make sure that the bulb is 10" from your beardie but not closer.

It's hard to say for sure what wattage MVB you should get for your 75 gallon as there are a lot of things that affect the temperatures like room temp, how high the basking log is, etc. If you get a 160 watt, you have to make sure that you would have it at least 18" from your beardie in the basking area and with a 100 watt, it would need to be at least a distance of 12". The Megaray and T-Rex are the best MVB's on the market. The Power Sun doesn't throw out as much heat and I've heard some complaints about them burning out after a short time. So, it would probably be a good idea to call Bob from http://www.reptileuv.com and ask him what wattage he would suggest with the height and size of your tank in mind.

 

[citrusdragon]

What stands out for me is a 3 1/2 month old dragon in a 75 gallon seems like it may be a little too big for a dragon that small. Your temps sound good, but you might try closing off part of the cool end of the cage to keep him in the warmer end a little more. Juvies like it hot as a rule, and their metabolisms go into overdrive with the heat. Eat, drink, and poop, repeat, lol. As long as he's pooping he should be fine, but I like to make sure my dragons stay on the warmer side during the daytime hours for the first 6 months to be sure.

When the dragon hits 15 inches or so a 75 gallon will be a great home.

Just a thought

Jeff

 

[frank79]

Hi
thanks for helping me guys
In replie to all posts the therometer im using are digital with wire probes and that is one in the hot end and one in the cool end also.My fluorescent uvb bulb is a strip one and i know lots of you dont rate them but it is proving difficult to get them here in the uk although im trying to see if i can get them online.I starting to think about wat you said jeff maybe 75 gallon is too big.He poops about once a day but i have noticed sometimes it is every two days i dont know if he should poop more.Could it jus be he is not getting hot enough to diegest? which would come down to basking which in turn 75 gallon is way too big?

thanks once again guys
really gratefull for your help and ideas

frank

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...It is a good chance that the UVB is what is causing the problem. I believe the Arcadia D3+12% is the UK version of our ReptiSun 10.
Good luck
Patsy