So frustrated with temps – need help

[Teabug]

So long story short, we adopted our beardie 12 days ago. She's had problems with pooping; another very kind poster has helped me with that. We figured out temps weren't high enough, so I've been changing around the lighting.

The original owner had 100 W basking bulb. I added on a 60 W to a smaller basking lamp. This had her at 95° at the basking spot -- still too cool for a-year-old beardie. I sent my husband out this morning to get a 125 W; they only had 150. He bought that and lo and behold, we got her tank up to 102. She became more active, started eating her greens, and even pooped!

Well a few moments ago I looked over and saw smoke coming out of one of the lamps! It was the one with the 150 bulb. It had burnt right through the mesh screen.

So now not only am I worried about exposing my dragon to melted plastic, but I've no idea how to maintain a decent temperature with the right bulbs without burning my house down! Does anyone have any advice or input?

 

[diamc]

Oh dear, what a scary sight that must have been seeing smoke coming out of the lamp. :shock: What type of dome were you using? With a bulb wattage that high, you will need to use a deep dome with a ceramic top. You have to make sure the dome can handle that much wattage so read about the maximum wattage it can handle. Here's a picture of a deep dome and a link to one from Amazon that ships very quickly.
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Deep-Fixture-Black/dp/B000QFVYEU/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390436923&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=deep+dome+with+ceramic+top%2C+9%22%2C+250+watt

I suspect the dome you were using was just aluminum without a ceramic top. You should be able to get one of these from a local pet store but it will probably be more expensive.

Hope this helps. Let me know how you make out.

 

[Teabug]

Hi! It does have a ceramic top, but yes, I think it's aluminum, and definitely not deep enough -- that was the problem.

The one you posted looks perfect... but I'm concerned about how many reviewers said it shorts out and causes fires. A little scary. I wonder if it's just a problem with that particular company's version, or if it's a common issue with all deep dome light fixtures?

 

[diamc]

I have been using the deep dome lights with the ceramic tops for over 12 yrs and have never had any issues with any of them. I have even used mercury vapor bulbs in them as well as ceramic heat emitters.

At Amazon, there seems there is always some negative reviews and I do tend to think that some people exaggerate or perhaps make things up to get attention perhaps? There have been SO many things that we have gotten through Amazon that showed some bad reviews and we were very pleased with the products.

 

[Teabug]

Ok, a good point. And I like to hear from folks who've had personal experience with a product.

Will order it for the beardie now (or as my husband calls her, "The Money Pit."

You can disregard my other paranoid post in the other forum, lol.

 

[diamc]

Good that you will be ordering it for "the money pit." lol

I really don't think you'll be sorry. What did you end up doing for now?

 

[Teabug]

For now I have the 100 and 60 watts back in, but put a blanket over the other half of the enclosure. Is that bad? It seemed to keep the heat in a bit.

I may buy another 100 in the morning while I'm waiting for the new fixture to arrive.

 

[diamc]

No, it's not bad to put a blanket over the other half as long as it's not close to any heat sources. Do you happen to have a 75 watt standard household light bulb on hand? If so, you could put that in one of the clamp lamps and see how the temps are. Just a thought, should be higher than 95 I would think.

 

[Teabug]

Hi Diane!

So we've had this girl pooping three days in a row. WIN! I did order the lamp, and in the meantime, put another 100 watt in the second lamp. Temps are around 99 in the basking spot now, so better.

She is laying flat on her stomach now, which worries me. I know that's normal for nighttime, but I thought that was a bad sign during the day?

(If I can find some way to obsess about the beardie, I will.)

Thank you again for all your help!! Laura thanks you too.

P.S. I ordered some Phoenix worms, and because NY's weather sucks right now, they arrived mostly dead. Can I still feed them since they're "fresh"? Or is that bad for her? Laura eats anything bug-wise, she's not picky.

 

[diamc]

Hi there.

That's great that she's pooped 3 days in a row. You got the temps up a little too so that's good. Hopefully you'll get the lamp for the order very soon. So now you have 2 - 100 watt heat bulbs in? Are you using a lower wattage bulb on the cool side or is the temp there already 78 to 82 degrees? If lower than that and you're not using a lower wattage bulb on that side now, you could try using a 40 watt bulb on the cool side & that should help raise the basking temp up a little too. Another option is to raise the basking log or rock up a little to try to get the basking temp to 102 or so.

Is she laying on her stomach during the day right on the basking spot?

PS: Believe me, I know all about the NY weather as we live about 45 min south of Albany, very cold & even snowy today. Just curious, where do you live? Are you sure the phoenix worms are all dead? Are they hard & crunchy or are they still soft? Sometimes it takes a little while for them to warm up & start moving.
There is a member on this forum who had great feeders and I have been using her for quite a while. Great customer service & feeders with decent prices. Here's the link to her website: http://www.lindasgonebuggie.com She has some cups of assorted feeders for $5.00 too including hornworms (a favorite here), butterworms, crickets, superworms, etc. You might want to check it out. :wink: And, here's one of her For Sale threads: [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=203695 f=2 ]

 

[Teabug]

Wow, she has great prices and variety, thanks for the link! We live in Putnam County. Not as far north as you – still el crapola weather. The Phoenix worms are still soft, but not moving. The company is sending me a new batch since I'm a new customer and the worms were held at the p.o. No idea why they didn't make it.

Temp on the cool side is around 80° without a lamp there, so I haven't fussed with that. Both hundred watt lamps are on her basking spot at the moment. That's a good idea about raising her basking log...

Yes, she's lying right beside her log near the basking spot on her stomach. I just turned out her lights for the night; I guess I'll see how she is in the morning.

Thanks again!

 

[diamc]

You're right, that's the exact way to put it, "el crapo weather." :lol: What you can do is hold a few in your hand and run them under warmish water to see if they come to life. When they are alive, they wiggle a LOT. Worms can go dormant when they get too cold so try the water & give them a little time as they're might still be hope. Good that they're sending you a new batch too.

Has she been laying in that particular area all day? Is her beard and/or tail darkened in color at all? Did she eat today? Was she active when you had her out of her tank? Has she had a bath in the last couple of days?

Let me know how she is in the morning.

 

[Teabug]

Thanks for the worm advice, I will give that a try!

She wasn't there all day, no. When I left at 1:30 she was on her basking spot. When I returned at 4, she was lying down and remained there til lights out. I didn't notice a color change. She ate her bugs fine and a little greens. Took a bath. A pretty normal and good day til I got home.

Will let you know how she fares, thanks. Have a good night.

 

[diamc]

This is the time of yr for them to slow down. If her lights on left on for 12 hrs or longer, might be a good idea to cut them back to 10 hrs to see if that makes a difference.

Good to hear that she acted fine otherwise.

You have a good night too. Thanks.

 

[Teabug]

Hey,

So she seems fine. I'm going with your idea that the days are shorter and she's ready to bed down earlier. Right now, I have the lights on 10 1/2 hours.

She's still pooping, still eating well. I am starting to relax.

So I looked at Linda's site and was thinking of ordering hornworms on your suggestion. At three to four inches long though, don't they cause impaction problems? Do you have to chop them up first? blech.

Thanks!