New Viv+MegaRay (pics) Comment Please!

[annieoakley123]

This is my first bearded dragon and Im wanting to make sure i have the right set up. Right now i just moved her into her new 40 breeder enclosure. I just got the megaray MVB and a 60 watt light for additional light on the cool end. In the pic you can also see a middle fixure, that is for my night heating since it gets cold in my house. Temps are reading 112 on the basking spot and 79-80 on the cool side. Both temp are measured with digital probes. The distance from basking spot and the MVB is 12 inches. She is on a non-slip shelf liner and has some branches and a log (basking spot).
Just wanted to know what you thought out my enclosure and if the temps are okay. She is 3 months old and i have had her for about a month. Also any previous experiences/tips with the Megaray also appreciated!!!! Also she is closing one eye and the other (not both at the same time) im hoping shes just adjusting to the new bright light. ?????

New spot...and lamp stand....now getting 108 temp! yay

 

[tat]

MegaRay bulbs are the best I have ever found...they are the ONLY thing I will use with my critters!!! One thing I found that was weird was during the "burn in" time for the megarays, I would experience a weird sensation in my hands or arms when I reached in to pick up one of my beardies and the light was on. This only happened when the bulb was brand new and after the bulb had been on few weeks it stopped happening...but it IS something to take notice of. All my megaray bulbs have done this to me when they are first lit. I make sure to turn them off now if I have to reach into the cage, even if its for something really quick. Seems to me that if they do something to my skin that I can actually FEEL, then maybe the extra precaution of turning them off is worth it!! NO SKIN CANCER FOR MEE!! One thing I would recommend is that you add 2 tubes of florescent lighting to your viv. Daylight is MUCH brighter than we think it is...and these animals are used to a LOT of lumens. You can get what ever Kelvin rating you like...I would say maybe the 5000k color range would look best, but thats up to you. (the higher the K rating, the more blue the light is....5000K is supposedly noon time sun, and I have seen them selling a 6500K bulb that calls itself "daylight" though i am guessing it might be a tad TOO blue) These bulbs are not specialty bulbs, just the ones you can find at the hardware store. Florescent is an inexpensive way to add light. Lowes or Home Depot should have everything you need...and they can just sit on top of your cage like your other lights do. Looks like you've got a great start..and its so good to hear you are using a mega ray bulb!! I'm sure your baby will be happy!!

 

[LJean]

He looks so little in his big cage. Nice set up.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello,

I think your set up looks nice. I would like to comment on a few things though. Your basking temp seems a tad bit high, you might want to try lowering the temp to 110. 105-110 is best for the babies for basking and 80-85 for their coolside. As for adding more light as suggested by previous poster, I think yours is plenty bright and in MO you don't need to add any more. You mentioned you were heating the tank at night, are you using a bulb or CHE(ceramic heat emitter)? I don't know what your temps are at night, but as long as they don't fall below 65 degrees, then you are fine. The reason I asked about the night time heat is that beardies do well in complete darkness at night, so using a CHE(provides only heat, no light)is best.

Dawn

 

[annieoakley123]

thanks everyone. I never heard of CHE before. I have a read light and i have heard that it can disturb their sleeping but shes doing fine with it, shes always out like a light. Unfortunatly last night was a bit colder for her. I will need a higher wattage night bulb. I would want to get a flouresent light to run along the tank but lights on the top are such a hassle. Im going to get two stands or at least one for my megaray. I also messed with the temps a bit. I knew it was getting too high so i lifted it up a bit and last night it was in the 106 range so prob today it will be around 110. Man, these beardies are a lot of work to get set up!!! hehehe.