New member 👋🏼

[blue11]

Hi!

I am also using a T8, and it sounds like your guy can get w/in a good range of it right now … and I think the most important thing with the T8 besides the correct distance/closeness is that the bulb has no barrier between it and the dragon (screen, glass, plastic, etc)

When I got my girl 12 years ago, T8’s were pretty much the standard / the norm back then - the suggested fixture to use (at least that’s how it felt to me, it seemed that the T5’s hadn’t quite made their fantastical way into the forum yet as the best to use)

When I had her custom enclosure built
in 2011 with all the light fixtures wired and mounted inside - I had it customized with a T8 fixture. If I was to have gotten her in the past several years, I would have had the enclosure wired with a T5 (but ya know, T8 was kinda the “thing” at the time)

Your dragons enclosure measurements are kinda similar to mine and it seems like your guy will be able to be within good range of the UVB if you do need to stick with a T8. I either use a Reptisun 10 or an Arcadia 12, and put a fresh one in every 5 or 6 months.

Zuki is so incredibly beautiful - I’m glad you are here, and it sounds like he’s a happy guy. If you ever wanna talk about having an older beardie (the changes we see / all the things we kinda need to do differently) - please feel free to message me, etc - sometimes finding info on actual changes in dragon care when they are over the 11 year mark can be a challenge. But either way, no matter what - you’ll find a whole bunch of knowledgeable and just down right nice people on this site that are mostly all about helping each other out

WELCOME TO YOU AND TO ZUKI !!!!

 

[BDZuki]

Hi!

I am also using a T8, and it sounds like your guy can get w/in a good range of it right now … and I think the most important thing with the T8 besides the correct distance/closeness is that the bulb has no barrier between it and the dragon (screen, glass, plastic, etc)

When I got my girl 12 years ago, T8’s were pretty much the standard / the norm back then - the suggested fixture to use (at least that’s how it felt to me, it seemed that the T5’s hadn’t quite made their fantastical way into the forum yet as the best to use)

When I had her custom enclosure built
in 2011 with all the light fixtures wired and mounted inside - I had it customized with a T8 fixture. If I was to have gotten her in the past several years, I would have had the enclosure wired with a T5 (but ya know, T8 was kinda the “thing” at the time)

Your dragons enclosure measurements are kinda similar to mine and it seems like your guy will be able to be within good range of the UVB if you do need to stick with a T8. I either use a Reptisun 10 or an Arcadia 12, and put a fresh one in every 5 or 6 months.

Zuki is so incredibly beautiful - I’m glad you are here, and it sounds like he’s a happy guy. If you ever wanna talk about having an older beardie (the changes we see / all the things we kinda need to do differently) - please feel free to message me, etc - sometimes finding info on actual changes in dragon care when they are over the 11 year mark can be a challenge. But either way, no matter what - you’ll find a whole bunch of knowledgeable and just down right nice people on this site that are mostly all about helping each other out

WELCOME TO YOU AND TO ZUKI !!!!

Oh my days! Such a lovely reply to my message! Thank you for being so kind & welcoming. It really does help.

I will definitely ask more questions. Right now I want to try ruling out things one by one. He must be around 11 as my partner got him 2 years before getting his spaniel, Cody who’s 9 this year (they grew up together & have the most amazing relationship although now Zuki is a bit more fragile, we don’t leave Zuki on his own when he’s out of his viv, he’s always on one of us for half an hour or so before lights out.
Thanks again for your lovely response & all the info is a great help

We’re in South Wales, UK btw

 

[xp29]

A beardie and his dog
I love those pics

 

[BDZuki]

A beardie and his dog
I love those pics

They’re so funny together! Zuki definitely is in charge! He used to chase Cody & lick his fur Cody would dart off out of the room then come back as if it was a game. But considering their size difference, Cody was so gentle with him. Cody is a therapy dog too.

Zuki’s T8 will be available to pick up Thursday

 

[xp29]

It's weird how beardies are, they seem to love and do well with any creature that isn't another beardie lol.
As long as Cody don't step on him it's probably good enrichment.

 

[BDZuki]

It's weird how beardies are, they seem to love and do well with any creature that isn't another beardie lol.
As long as Cody don't step on him it's probably good enrichment.

Haha No competition except for cuddles Although Cody is partial to a grasshopper or two

 

[xp29]

Lol funny

 

[Pancake151]

Hey guys, just joined this forum & hoping to have some advice to help me care the best I can for our old beardie, Zuki.

I would say, I’m not a total newbie but still not 100% sure we’ve got things right for Zuki. His story, he is now around 10-11yrs old, I moved in with my other half in 2020 & he had taken over looking after Zuki after his son left home etc. I very quickly became besotted with him & wanted to know more. His viv set up I think is 2x2x4 but I haven’t measured it exactly, it looks like it could be 1.5x1.5x4. He had 1 Arcadia UV 5% tube at the back & 1 Arcadia UV 10% at the front that had gone out. He also has a 150w GLS basking bulb. I noticed he was slowing down a bit so replaced his 10% tube that had blown & he became a lot more active again in his viv. He fed on locusts and morio worms with rocket salad and kale. We’d dip his live feeds in calcium powder. (Not sure of the brand we got)
Fast forward to summer 2022 - he still has the same bulbs but I have now found out they needed changing ages ago I feel awful. Not only this, Zuki has gone through 2 traumas, where I accidentally stepped on him & vet clarified I’d cracked maybe a few ribs but nothing internal was damaged thank heavens. He then developed tail rot & had hit partially amputated in September last year. Vet confirmed he has stiff joints too in one rear knee & his front left arm The vet advised us to rearrange his viv so he doesn’t have to climb high but I’m worried he now isn’t close enough to his basking lamp?

We hand feed him & I syringe water into him or when we give him a little bath (after he has pooped in his viv) he does drink himself.

For the last 3 weeks I’ve noticed he isn’t moving much at all, he basks & gapes etc but if we left his light on he wouldn’t move out of it, he would stay there & vice verse if we placed him in his hide at night, he wouldn’t move to the basking spot when daylight starts again the next day. He is still interested in food as when I put the morio worms in front of him he sees them and goes for them (his aim is now shocking so hence we feed him with plastic tweezers)

I am now online shopping & am looking at purchasing him 1 Arcadia 12% T8 uvb light to replace the old ones (5% & 10%) Would this be the correct thing to do or shall I keep his original set up and replace the same lights?

I’m really hoping he is not sick & just needs the UV replaced He loves a snuggle too out of the viv & often his beard will go black when we put him back in, so that could be a sign?

I am having some financial problems at the moment so I wouldn’t be able to purchase a new viv if this one is too small, so I’m just hoping I can get the right advice to get the right set up for him. I have also read I will need to purchase Repashy calcium Plus LOD supplement if I purchase just the T8 light?

Just adding on his temps, the basking area is around 39/40°C, cool side 26-29°C

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, sorry it was a long one.

I’m very very very late… but anyway

Welcome to the forum! And he is one chunky man, he’s lucky to have you, he looks just amazing and happy! He’s beautiful too!

 

[BDZuki]

I’m very very very late… but anyway

Welcome to the forum! And he is one chunky man, he’s lucky to have you, he looks just amazing and happy! He’s beautiful too!

Thank you for the lovely welcome Haha It seems he is a chunk, everyone is quoting that. He has roamed a lot out of his viv during the summer months, he’s been to the park with us too on occasions. He’s slowed down a lot now so I’m just ruling out things Have just been let down by PetsAtHome So waiting again for a new UV tube coming this week hopefully!

Will update his condition as and when

Thank you again for the lovely welcome & comments on Zuki x

 

[BDZuki]

Hello everyone. So Update, I’ve been let down twice by 2 different shops I purchased the light from but after lots of searching have found a Reptile shop in the next town who have the one he needs so we’re going to pick it up this afternoon & set it up for him

 

[xp29]

Thats great!!

 

[Rocky2022]

LOVE IT. Based on that beard and position, you can tell who runs things

 

[BDZuki]

LOVE IT. Based on that beard and position, you can tell who runs things

Haha He’s definitely training me

His new bulb is in, the shop owner who owns bear dies himself said we’ll hopefully see his activity increase in a week or so. Just having some temp issues now, it’s a bit too hot at his cool end, but we took out the old leafy branches we had in there. Is there anyone who could suggest some greenery that could shade the cool end a bit? He has a huge hide that side of his viv too that he can go under

 

[KarrieRee]

Haha He’s definitely training me

His new bulb is in, the shop owner who owns bear dies himself said we’ll hopefully see his activity increase in a week or so. Just having some temp issues now, it’s a bit too hot at his cool end, but we took out the old leafy branches we had in there. Is there anyone who could suggest some greenery that could shade the cool end a bit? He has a huge hide that side of his viv too that he can go under

Did you upgrade to the T 5? If so are you mounting it in the tank? Distance would be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor piece- also please get your surface basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer and go from there as far as wattage of bulbs - are you looking for live greenery or fake? the nutrition website has plants etc at the bottom of it that can suggest what you can put in the tank
Nutrition Content

 

[BDZuki]

Did you upgrade to the T 5? If so are you mounting it in the tank? Distance would be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor piece- also please get your surface basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer and go from there as far as wattage of bulbs - are you looking for live greenery or fake? the nutrition website has plants etc at the bottom of it that can suggest what you can put in the tank
Nutrition Content

I got the T8 as his tank is 1.5ft high not 2ft. We are putting him 6-8” from the T8. We have digital probes each end, one under his basking spot level with where his back is, it’s sitting at 39°-40° but this is quite low down, because he hasn’t been active we didn’t want him trying to climb too high, is this okay? His basking bulb is 150W, am I right in thinking that’s producing too much heat for the size tank?

Probably looking for fake plants, we did have cuts off of real ones that dried up but we’re shading the cool side, but that was with the old UV lights in, we’ve not replaced the plants now his new one is in. Thanks for the website link