please help me...im scared for my beardie

[stangbanger]

nope. 130* F.

 

[stangbanger]

like i said, with the increased temps his bowel movements are better (i didnt have to force him to poop like i usually do)...he is more active...his colors are much better (no more black in his beard)....he is a completely different dragon....i feel that the 105* i was providing before was detremental to his health, and its evident by the changes he has undergone once the heat was turned up

heres him basking at 130, by choice, nobody put him there...im now providing a gradient between 76 and 130 degrees in each of my tanks

he was actually more centered on the heat also before i started bothering him with my camera...then he finally got up and turned around to face me so he didnt have to keep turning his head to see me...these pics are after he readjusted

 

[Drache613]

Hello,


At the temperatures of 130-160, that can kill your dragon. Does he actually bask directly under the 130 for prolonged periods of time or intermittently?
At those temperatures, he could suffer a fatal heat stroke since his entire tank is going to stay too warm to where he wont be able to thermorgulate properly.
In the wild, they have been show to bask for very short periods on rocks that were measured by a temp gun to be 120 or so, but, for such short periods of time though. Then, they are off & running again, to shaded areas. They are small animals & do not need extreme heat like that to get to their preferred optimal temperature zone. It doesn't even get that hot in Australia where they are from.
I can only recommend, as it looks like you are going to keep the temperatures higher. All I can say is that no animal or reptile stays at those temperatures safely. I doubt any vet would recommend those temperatures either. That is why the recommended safe temperatures are 95-110.
It can also cause dehydration by expediting fluid & electrolyte loss which is the opposite of what your desires are, which are to keep him hydrated.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[stangbanger]

Hello,


At the temperatures of 130-160, that can kill your dragon. Does he actually bask directly under the 130 for prolonged periods of time or intermittently?
At those temperatures, he could suffer a fatal heat stroke since his entire tank is going to stay too warm to where he wont be able to thermorgulate properly.
In the wild, they have been show to bask for very short periods on rocks that were measured by a temp gun to be 120 or so, but, for such short periods of time though. Then, they are off & running again, to shaded areas. They are small animals & do not need extreme heat like that to get to their preferred optimal temperature zone. It doesn't even get that hot in Australia where they are from.
I can only recommend, as it looks like you are going to keep the temperatures higher. All I can say is that no animal or reptile stays at those temperatures safely. I doubt any vet would recommend those temperatures either. That is why the recommended safe temperatures are 95-110.
It can also cause dehydration by expediting fluid & electrolyte loss which is the opposite of what your desires are, which are to keep him hydrated.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

he thermoregulates fine. i have a gradient of 76 to 130. if he wanted to bask at 100, he can bask at 100....the only spot that is 130 is directly under the light, which is where he chose to go.

ive seen results of people who have kept and bred dragons for years under these temps with nothing but success with them. dragons dont need to bask all day, his branch that he likes to lay on is around 90 degrees, its in the mid-high 80s in his warm hide, and its 74-76 in his cool hide

also - ive seen temps of 120-150 here in ohio, so i have no doubt it gets those temps in the australian desert.....his ambient air temps are in the high 80s (hot) and mid-high 70s (cool) and his humidity is 30-34%



if he shows any signs of being too hot (such as retreating to the cool side, failing to bask, etc) then i will turn it down....but as of now, he is doing much better

i was hesitant to even post it on this site due to the care sheet mentality often found on large sites like this with many members (no offense to anyone)

and i too used to get after people about too high or too low temps etc

but after speaking to someone who has had great success with them keeping them this way and reading some research links he showed me to back up his findings, i decided to try it out....and the results speak for themselves....i will continue to watch him closely and see how hes doing

 

[stangbanger]

Also Drache - I do value your opinion, and I made sure to use a bulb that wont overheat my entire tank.

I will watch him closely for at least a week to see how it does, then re-evalute and decide whether to adjust the temps back down or leave them up.

I've seen both methods argued for, and seen good results from both. But I think an important part of keeping reptiles is finding out the specific needs of the ones you are keeping and setting them up the best way you can to keep them healthy.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

No where on earth, not even in death valley does it get 160, except for on a surface temperature possibly of rock, etc. The overall measuring of a basic temperature of 130-160 is just not safe.
I have never seen anyone on here advocate such high temperatures before. I will not support that as it is not safe & many new keepers would cook their dragons.
By the way, it is not "sheet mentality" it is years of research by experienced keepers, breeders & vets who have selected these so called "safe temperatures" that most people adhere to. Please exercise caution with these temperatures.
What type of thermometer are you using?


Tracie

 

[stangbanger]

im only talking surface temp of a rock...my air temps are only in the 80/90s

go tell people who keep monitors that 130 degree surface temps are wrong, and see the response you get.....sure, a beardie isnt a monitor, but to say that nowhere on earth sees those surface temps and that all reptiles will die a quick death laying on them, is outrageous. (btw - vets and monitor experts, recommend up to 150* for surface temps to aide in proper digestion....why would vets recommend surface temps of 130-150 for monitors if nowhere in the world gets that hot, especially monitors native to australia where bearded dragons can be found in the wild)

like i said before - my air temps are in the 80s and 90s on the hot side, and 70s on the cool side. my basking temps range from 90-130 depending where my lizard lays, and my cool surface temps are in the high 70s to low-mid 80s.

youre acting like i said my ambient temps are 130 like i put them in the oven or something. my temps are the same as any temps in any of your guys enclosures, with the addition of a small spot that is 130, which the beardie can fully navigate his tank without touching even once.

i have a digital probe, and an IR

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Ideally, the ambient temps really only need to be 85 at the highest. They can become heat stressed if they are too high.
Monitors are very large & take a good deal more heat to warm them up to their ideal body temperature. To my understanding, surface temperatures that are recommended normally are not higher than 140, but for dragons, they do not have heat sensors on their stomachs which makes them vulnerable to thermal burns on their undersides.
Nowhere in our tanks reach those temperatures, they just are not necessary.
Since this is no longer an ER thread, I will move it to the Enclosure area where you can more fully debate others for temperatures.
I have just seen way too many heat injuries resulting from too high of temperatures, etc.

Good luck.

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from ER to Enclosures