New Here With Questions

[abby2121]

Yes, you said to get the linear bulb as the regular light - UVB and to get the Flukers basking bulb as the basking light. So I have to buy a linear fixture for the linear bulb and a single, 8.5 fixture for the flukers basking bulb. Removing the double bowl bulb that came with my set altogether

The linear is the UVB and the basking light is the other one

 

[KarrieRee]

Yes, you said to get the linear bulb as the regular light - UVB and to get the Flukers basking bulb as the basking light. So I have to buy a linear fixture for the linear bulb and a single, 8.5 fixture for the flukers basking bulb. Removing the double bowl bulb that came with my set altogether

Ok so yes the Zoo Med will come w/ a 5.0 bulb - replace that bulb w/ the 22" Reptisun bulb that is more adequate for a 40+ gallon tank --- the Flukers is a good basking bulb - if you cant find that bulb you can get a Exo Terra Intense bulb or a Zoo Med Repti basking bulb or a Arcadia Halogen bulb --

 

[xp29]

160 watts is very strong, I'm housing mine in a 4x2x2 and don't use anything above a 100 watt. Post a pic of your thermometer and the probe please, something seems off.

 

[abby2121]

160 watts is very strong, I'm housing mine in a 4x2x2 and don't use anything above a 100 watt. Post a pic of your thermometer and the probe please, something seems off.

I think it was....today I tested the actual surface area with a thermapen and it registered 95....still not hot enough for a baby though I think

 

[abby2121]

Ok so yes the Zoo Med will come w/ a 5.0 bulb - replace that bulb w/ the 22" Reptisun bulb that is more adequate for a 40+ gallon tank --- the Flukers is a good basking bulb - if you cant find that bulb you can get a Exo Terra Intense bulb or a Zoo Med Repti basking bulb or a Arcadia Halogen bulb --

At this point I'm kind of lost. I bought the linear light you suggested and the basking bulb you suggested so hopefully we resolve any issues. He's doing better every day btw.

 

[abby2121]

At this point I'm kind of lost. I bought the linear light you suggested and the basking bulb you suggested so hopefully we resolve any issues. He's doing better every day btw.

Vet said Dart is doing well. Apparently he's a little younger than Petco thought so he's actually eating what is normal for his age. His poop is going off to be tested for parasites but otherwise she said he looks excellent - better than most of the BD they see coming from pet stores!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, I just wanted to say that you're doing a great job and It's good to hear that that Dart is improving ! A lot of babies take a while to adjust, it affects their appetite and the relocation stress can cause a different consistency to their poo, just like stress can do to other animals and even us humans. It's usually good waiting at least a few weeks before rushing off to a vet. That gives the dragon time to acclimate and see how it's appetite picks up and how it's doing in general. We'd love to see pics of Dart and the entire set up !

 

[abby2121]

I would suggest forgetting just about everything the people at Petsmart told you. They are in the business of selling equipment and animals. The health of the animals they sell is not so much of a concern for them. If they sold you any colored bulbs, throw them out. If they sold you a UVB that is not a long tube shape, it is no good and should be replaced ASAP. Continue working with KarrieRee as far as lighting and temperature go to get everything sorted out for optimal dragon health. She's the best! Usually, once those things are on point, issues either go away, or they are much easier to pinpoint a solution for.

I am confused about how you are getting your temperatures. You mentioned a meat thermometer, but then went on to say you have a digital probe. Those are not the same thing. I'll post a link for the probe so you can see what is being talking about when someone mentions them. Zoo Med Reptile Terrarium Digital Thermometer | reptile Bearded Dragon | PetSmart

I know this can all seem rather confusing, especially if you were given the wrong information to start out with. I, and a lot of other people, have definitely been there ourselves! It's a lot all at once, with a big learning curve, but usually smooth sailing once this part is sorted out.

I'm back to vent and share my ridiculous journey to make a good habitat for my BD. I did what you said and basically started over. But his basking spot was still not getting hot enough and the UV was weak. Current set is SUPPOSED to be a linear repti-sun UV light I think output is 10 or 12 plus a double basking lamp, one bulb being 100W and the other being 150W with basking rocks under each. HOWEVER, can I vent about how difficult it is to get a working UV light fixture and bulb? Amazon has sent me THREE broken bulbs and now it looks like the fixutre itself isn't working. I've been to petsmart for bulbs and fixtures over and over but nothing seems to be able to make the linear light work for more than a day. Are these bulbs tremendously tempramental? We go back to petsmart again tonight but I'm so frustrated. I don't understand why it's this hard to get it to work. We had an older UV single bulb fixture but I was told that's too weak. Wanted to just use it in the meantime but that UV light konked out also. I'm so frustrated. I think he's starting to shed some skin and I want him to be warm enough!! Why is the setup so hard to get right?

 

[hdochow]

i haven't had issues like that so i'm not sure. i buy my arcadia bulbs from pangeareptile.com and have no issues. i do know someone was having some problems with a different fixture and bulb. i want to say it was @xp29 maybe, so tagging in case i am remembering right. it is hard to get everything dialed in sometimes, but once it is done you generally just have to replace the bulbs. your situation sounds above that though.

another thought, how old is your house? mine is built in the 40's and some of the wiring is sketchy. i've had my dad install separate circuit breakers in the electrical box for my personal space heater, and then one for the dragon set up. but on older circuits i have a lamp here and there that burns out the bulb faster than others. could it be something like that?

 

[KarrieRee]

I'm back to vent and share my ridiculous journey to make a good habitat for my BD. I did what you said and basically started over. But his basking spot was still not getting hot enough and the UV was weak. Current set is SUPPOSED to be a linear repti-sun UV light I think output is 10 or 12 plus a double basking lamp, one bulb being 100W and the other being 150W with basking rocks under each. HOWEVER, can I vent about how difficult it is to get a working UV light fixture and bulb? Amazon has sent me THREE broken bulbs and now it looks like the fixutre itself isn't working. I've been to petsmart for bulbs and fixtures over and over but nothing seems to be able to make the linear light work for more than a day. Are these bulbs tremendously tempramental? We go back to petsmart again tonight but I'm so frustrated. I don't understand why it's this hard to get it to work. We had an older UV single bulb fixture but I was told that's too weak. Wanted to just use it in the meantime but that UV light konked out also. I'm so frustrated. I think he's starting to shed some skin and I want him to be warm enough!! Why is the setup so hard to get right?

It sounds like you have had bad luck w/ domes -- what brand are you using and I would drop to single domes- I found that Thrive domes are no good -- the ones I am using now are Flukers- make sure your using domes that are suitable for wattage -- what brand of basking bulbs are you using- again I have switched to Flukers brand - if your in the states I would order your bulbs from Chewy -- Pet Mountain or Pangeareptiles
what are the surface basking temps w / those bulbs? Please use a digital probe thermometer to get them

 

[xp29]

I had to move away from the ZooMed fixtures. I have had 4 fail since the first of the year. I only caught it by accident while trying to take a video of one of my girls. I'll link the thread with the video. I switched to the Arcadia and so far they've been on point.

ZooMed light fixture issues revisited | Enclosures

I posted a thread yesterday about having issues with 2 outta 4 Zoomed fixtures. So i was going through my pictures last night and came across a video I had forgotten. Snicker Doodle had been being silly, but of course by the time i got the camera on she stopped.What is interesting about the...

www.beardeddragon.org

 

[Hbdarla]

Poop is looking like liquid or gel like black with some gel like white, not formed. Does this definitely mean parasites?

Hey Abby!
Your new baby is probably having runny poops because of the improper lighting. I know how frustrating it can be when pet store people tell you the wrong information. I would do your best to get a temp gun from Home Depot mind was about 20 bucks. Then you can check the temp every morning, afternoon and night to make sure they are at the correct temperature at 105-110 degrees. Also the person above is right about the uvb as well he will be a linear UVB (the long tube light). Bearded dragons need both uvb and high temperatures in order to properly digest food so i wouldn’t worry about parasites until you have all of the correct lighting. I’m sure once you get the lights figured out he will have healthy poops. And if not then you can think about parasites. Hope this helps! Good luck

 

[abby2121]

i haven't had issues like that so i'm not sure. i buy my arcadia bulbs from pangeareptile.com and have no issues. i do know someone was having some problems with a different fixture and bulb. i want to say it was @xp29 maybe, so tagging in case i am remembering right. it is hard to get everything dialed in sometimes, but once it is done you generally just have to replace the bulbs. your situation sounds above that though.

another thought, how old is your house? mine is built in the 40's and some of the wiring is sketchy. i've had my dad install separate circuit breakers in the electrical box for my personal space heater, and then one for the dragon set up. but on older circuits i have a lamp here and there that burns out the bulb faster than others. could it be something like that?

Thanks for the reply, I wish I could say its the wiring but the house was built in 2003 and my husband is excellent with electrical stuff so that's not it We have a power strip to handle all the lighting but I'm starting to wonder whether we need a different brand of linear light like you use - I've wasted a lot of money trying to make it work. At least his basking lights are ok

Hey Abby!
Your new baby is probably having runny poops because of the improper lighting. I know how frustrating it can be when pet store people tell you the wrong information. I would do your best to get a temp gun from Home Depot mind was about 20 bucks. Then you can check the temp every morning, afternoon and night to make sure they are at the correct temperature at 105-110 degrees. Also the person above is right about the uvb as well he will be a linear UVB (the long tube light). Bearded dragons need both uvb and high temperatures in order to properly digest food so i wouldn’t worry about parasites until you have all of the correct lighting. I’m sure once you get the lights figured out he will have healthy poops. And if not then you can think about parasites. Hope this helps! Good luck

I had a DEVIL of a time with the lighting but i think it's finally right. I have a linear UB light with 10.0 output and a double bowl fixture with two basking bulbs, one 100w andthe other 150W. His basking area is up to temp but the other side of hte cage is only in the 80's. I mean it does have a mesh top so it's impossible to keep the whole tank at 100. But the linear bulbs are a mess - we had to get 4 bulbs and two fixtures before one of them even worked!

 

[AHBD]

You don't want the entire tank at 100, 80 is good for the cool side. They all need a heat gradient, about 100-105 basking area, down to 80-82 on the cool end. It would be dangerous if it was 100 all throughout the tank, too hot.

 

[hdochow]

Thanks for the reply, I wish I could say its the wiring but the house was built in 2003 and my husband is excellent with electrical stuff so that's not it We have a power strip to handle all the lighting but I'm starting to wonder whether we need a different brand of linear light like you use - I've wasted a lot of money trying to make it work. At least his basking lights are ok

Oh well. It was a random thought. One more thing ruled out I guess. LOL!!