Seperate lighting question

[harmongt]

After reading about the Megaray light from reptileUV.com I had to get it and so I did.

Now I have the megaray lamp on one side and a normal heat lamp on the other and I have the temp gun so basking temp is not an issue.

My beardie seems to hate this new light. He never goes over to the megaray side. he exclusively basks under his heat lamp and then sometimes spends some time inbetween the 2 lights and I believe he does this when he does not want to bask and so he is getting away from the non uv bulb while trying to stay away from the megaray.

So is this normal? Should I be concerned? What are your thoughts, comments or advice bc I thought this was the undisputed best light out there.

 

[Embee]

Is your beardie experiencing a similar temp under the "other" basking light? What is the size of your tank, wattage of basking bulb (NOT MVB) and how close can your beardie get to the other basking bulb?

In general, it's best to make the basking area the "place where beardie wants to be." If you need supplemental light on the other side to maintain proper cool side temps (about 80) then a low wattage bulb is best and no basking surface of any kind under that light so that beardie is not confused on where to be. If he was under a tube/basking light system before, it's possible that he just used to the other light and believe this the place to be.

For us, this meant making the actual basking area (under the MVB) the highest point in the tank. We do use a supplemental bulb on the cool side (a small 45w household flood) to maintain ambient and cool side temps (85-90 and then, 78-80 on the cool end). Under the supplemental bulb, we have a small, LOW branch where beardie can go for a break (it's her, I'm thinking about pooping branch LOL), but we have a taller LARGE log for the basking area which gives beardie lots of room for spreading out and basking. No question about where to bask, IOW.

I hope that makes sense. :?

Best of luck!

Em

 

[harmongt]

Well I read on that site that it is best to have 2 basking areas one with uv and one with out. this way he can regulate his temp and uv seperately

both the lights are similar in distance from basking object and similar in temp

 

[harmongt]

also the log he prefers overall is the one he is avoiding bc it has the mega ray. I just switched the lights as an experiment and he switched basking areas. I wouldn't be as concerned if I weren't worried he might not be getting uv at all bc i took away the old florencent system

 

[diamc]

Well I read on that site that it is best to have 2 basking areas one with uv and one with out. this way he can regulate his temp and uv seperately
both the lights are similar in distance from basking object and similar in temp

Just curious, is this the info that you're referring to in the reptileuv site?

We have bearded dragons. I've been using the T-REX 160-watters as their UVB source for heat and UV rays. Their basking spot is approx. 11 inches from the bulb and they have another basking spot as close as 7 inches from the bulb. The one female used to stretch from one basking spot to the other.

We recommend our bulbs be at 18 inches for the 160watt bulbs. Because you have bearded dragons, a distance of 14 may be necessary to get the proper basking area temperatures. But because of the amount of UV that our bulbs produce we don't want to see them any closer. I also highly recommend multiple basking areas if the size of the habitat allows. But I only recommend that one of them has UVB. This allows the reptile to "Photo Regulate" judging how much UVB it needs to manufacture proper vitamin D3 levels.

In his answer, Bob was referring to a large habitat. Also, this particular owner has more than one beardie in the tank, so that's why 2 basking areas were recommended, also probably to prevent some conflict between the beardies.
What size tank are you using and what is the wattage of the MVB? How far away is it from the basking spot? Also, what type of thermometer are you using to check the temps? Are you housing more than one beardie together?
In a standard sized tank, it's important to have a basking side and a cool side in order to allow for proper thermo-regulation otherwise the beardie can overheat and get dehydrated.

 

[harmongt]

im using a radiant heat gun thermometer. you should be able to find what I'm talking about at tempgun.com

actually this could be the problem bc i don't have an area for him cooler than 88 degrees so I am going to change this right now and see what happens with his behavior.

Don't feel overly sorry for him though bc this is only the second day with this setup and I have been giving him baths regularly. the last one just an hour and half ago

He really doesn't appear to be dehydrated but that doesn't mean he is comfortable so I am going to see what happens. Thanks for the input. and if anyone else has anything to add please do.

 

[diamc]

That's good that you will be making some adjustments so he can have a cool side. The temp there should be about 78 to 82 with 80 being ideal.

What size tank are you using and what is the wattage of the MVB? How far away is it from the basking spot? Are you housing more than one beardie together?

 

[harmongt]

im not sure how big the tank is but id guess 3'x18"x18" the bulb is 100 wat but is custom made and burns hot he basks about 10-14 inches away from that where the temp is about 106 degrees. I have read that it should be between 110-120 but he seems most comfortable with a little less than that and I am afraid of him getting burned. And no I don't know how to house more than one I know they fight.

 

[diamc]

Ok, thanks for the response. A basking temp of 106 is fine but anything over 110 is too hot. Is the bulb on top of a screen or inside the tank?

I'm glad he is housed by himself, I just wanted to make sure. :wink:

 

[harmongt]

on top of a screen (but there is a sizable hole I put it over where the light melted the screen to the side of the enclosure when I was feeding him. huge temp difference between this and the last bulb I had)

 

[diamc]

Yes, MVB's are very powerful heatwise and with UV output. Make sure the bulb holder has a ceramic top and supports the wattage of the MVB to prevent it overheating.

 

[harmongt]

check and check

I didn't know I needed a ceramic one so I guess I lucked out on them being cheaper than the plastic counterparts at the hardware store.

Well its bedtime for Rufus I'll post back with how he responds to the new setup tomorrow.

Thanks for all your help Diane!

 

[diamc]

By all means, get Rufus ready for bed. I don't want to prevent that from happening. :wink:

Yes, give us an update on how he likes the changes you made. Hopefully he'll be receptive and enjoy the MVB better.