Nights are getting colder...

[OviDear]

I never thought San Diego could get so cold, even though I've lived here my whole life, and yesterday my house got to 70 degrees before I went to bed! I'm wondering if Trex needs a heat source for the winter (I don't want him to brumate since he's very old and I have no idea what to do with a brumating dragon) and if I can use a heating pad? (like the zoo med one)

 

[HylianHealeys]

70 degrees at night is fine unless your beardie gets sick. As long as your basking temps are nice and hot during the day, he shouldn't suffer any ill effects.

If you do decide to provide a heat pad just in case, use a small Fluker's or Ultratherm brand under his hide, and use a thermostat like the Jumpstart.

 

[Trollsbabydoll62]

Hi, this is my first post but I am also concerned about the cold nights in San Diego area. My dragon is going to be a year old this month and his eating habits have changed. He no longer will eat crickets at all. His daily salad ends up all over his enclosure, after taking a couple of bites. My apartment is getting down to the low 60's lately at night. I'm putting on the heater in the room he's in, but I am afraid he's not getting enough heat. Planning on getting aCHE when I get paid this week but am wanting to know if he will be okay till then. Thanks.

 

[HylianHealeys]

Hi Trollsbabydoll62, welcome to BeardedDragon.org! For future reference, when you have a question, please make a new post rather than hacking an existing post. This is basic forum etiquette.

About your bearded dragon, can you tell us more about your setup?
- What are your temps during the day? (basking, ambient, and cool)
- What do you use to measure temps?
- What kind of UVB are you using, and how old is the bulb?

 

[Trollsbabydoll62]

So sorry about that!! I'm not really competent on my computer or the etiquette. His temperatures are around 100 degrees in his basking area and 80-85 on the cooler side. I use a temp gun. I know he has out grown his cage and am replacing it in a couple of weeks. We spend a couple of hours hanging out thru out the day. His uvbis a compact reptisun10.0. He is more himself today, gave him a bath and took him out on the patio to dry in the sun. He still won't eat much of his salad and no crickets. He will eat the superworms as much as I give him. But I try to use those sparingly, most people say they are not good for daily feeders. Thank you for the help, and again, I apologize. The bulb was bought in July , when I got him.

 

[HylianHealeys]

Since his appetite has decreased, has he started sleeping more as well?

I would recommend bumping up your basking temp to about 105-110 degrees. Bearded dragons like it hot. It's also best to use a tube-style fluorescent UVB, rather than the compact, as the compact has a limited range of exposure (meaning less UVB for your beardie), and there are reports of compacts causing eye problems. The Reptisun 10.0 HO and Arcadia Desert 12% are both excellent tube fluorescents.

 

[EllenD]

I agree, his appetite is probably lacking because of the compact UVB light. Even the Reptisun 10.0 compact/coil is inadequate for a Bearded Dragon, and if they are under inadequate UVB light for a while, eventually it catches up with them and they lose their appetite and start becoming lethargic. And if you have a mesh lid on your tank that is blocking the compact UVB light, he's pretty much not gotten any UVB light, as the mesh lids block about 40% of the already too weak UVB light.

I highly recommend that you order him a long tube UVB light and a matching length tube fixture ASAP, as eventually the next step in this is that he starts developing Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), which is very common with dragons under compact and coil UVB lights. I always recommend either the Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube (usually the 22" is best, it comes in 16" or 22") or the Arcadia 12% T5 UVB tube. The T5 UVB tubes are the best available, cost the same as the much weaker T8 tubes on Amazon.com, and the T5 tubes only need replaced once every year and can sit on top of the mesh lids as long as the basking spot is within at least 11" of the tube, where as the T8 tubes need replaced once every 6 months, must be mounted underneath the mesh lid too, and must be within at least 6" of him to be effective.

I'd really get the UVb light and fixture replaced as soon as you can, as this will become a much larger, more expensive issue...

 

[HylianHealeys]

the T5 tubes only need replaced once every year and can sit on top of the mesh lids

Only once a year? I thought even the T5 Zoo Med bulbs still degraded to the point of replacement after 6 months. Where did you find that data? I would love to have a look.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah T5 bulbs are great. The T8s are older and degrade more quickly. Best bet is to measure with a Solarmeter. I have a T5 Arcadia that is going strong over 3 years now...

 

[OviDear]

Can you guys not post on here anymore, my question was answered.