So why does my new dragon close her eyes while basking so often?

[Bioactive]

She has no infections or anything wrong with her eyes but I notice that even when she is wide awake she will open her eyes a little wide then close them really slowly and hold it there for anywhere for a few seconds to minutes at a time without opening them. Another weird thing I want to ask is sometimes she will act really hungry but when I offer food she gets mad and runs away. To be fair she is new maybe she just really stressed out from the new environment but it’s strange because she eats normally in the morning.

 

[KarrieRee]

She has no infections or anything wrong with her eyes but I notice that even when she is wide awake she will open her eyes a little wide then close them really slowly and hold it there for anywhere for a few seconds to minutes at a time without opening them. Another weird thing I want to ask is sometimes she will act really hungry but when I offer food she gets mad and runs away. To be fair she is new maybe she just really stressed out from the new environment but it’s strange because she eats normally in the morning.

It sounds normal for the eye thing -- they will go thru relocation stress so her eating maybe off for bit till she acclimates to the tank and her surroundings -- but lets go over your lighting in the tank to be sure nothing is off there please tell me what your using for a basking bulb and UVB if you have the boxes that would be good or post pic of the lights themselves -- are you taking basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer?

 

[Bioactive]

It sounds normal for the eye thing -- they will go thru relocation stress so her eating maybe off for bit till she acclimates to the tank and her surroundings -- but lets go over your lighting in the tank to be sure nothing is off there please tell me what your using for a basking bulb and UVB if you have the boxes that would be good or post pic of the lights themselves -- are you taking basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer?

Oh sure! Ok so I don’t really have the boxes anymore but i can go over what I have i know what they are. So for UBV I have a 24” linear light 17 watt (I think that’s 10% output) that’s 2/3 of the length of the tank. It’s also 10.0 extra output because I have it on top of the mesh screen. For basking I have a 100 watt thrive bulb in a regular dome (no dimmer) and then I have a ceramic heat bulb with a dimmer switch that I use on low during the day but raise it for night when I turn off the other lights because it gets pretty cold in the room at night in winter. Also yes I use a temp gun but my only worry is I don’t know if it’s truly accurate because I bought it in store and not on a site where I could see reviews or anything. Oh and one last thing I got 2 hydrometer/temp checkers that go on either side of the tank and after a little use I don’t think I trust that they work so I have a digital version on the way that got good reviews.

 

[KarrieRee]

Oh sure! Ok so I don’t really have the boxes anymore but i can go over what I have i know what they are. So for UBV I have a 24” linear light 17 watt (I think that’s 10% output) that’s 2/3 of the length of the tank. It’s also 10.0 extra output because I have it on top of the mesh screen. For basking I have a 100 watt thrive bulb in a regular dome (no dimmer) and then I have a ceramic heat bulb with a dimmer switch that I use on low during the day but raise it for night when I turn off the other lights because it gets pretty cold in the room at night in winter. Also yes I use a temp gun but my only worry is I don’t know if it’s truly accurate because I bought it in store and not on a site where I could see reviews or anything.

The 17 is a T 5 or a T 8 and what brand ? Fine mesh screens will block 30% of those rays so if its a fine mesh its going to need to go inside the tank - the T 5 or T 8 is going to tell me distance for that bulb -- if your temps are dropping below 65 at nite you do not need the CHE -- they like cool and dark to sleep -- it helps them metabolize their system -- please get the digital probe thermometers they are most accurate -- you want 2 of them - one for the cool side of the tank and one for the basking side -- is that Thrive bulb a coil one or a regular basking bulb that is solid

 

[Bioactive]

The 17 is a T 5 or a T 8 and what brand ? Fine mesh screens will block 30% of those rays so if its a fine mesh its going to need to go inside the tank - the T 5 or T 8 is going to tell me distance for that bulb -- if your temps are dropping below 65 at nite you do not need the CHE -- they like cool and dark to sleep -- it helps them metabolize their system -- please get the digital probe thermometers they are most accurate -- you want 2 of them - one for the cool side of the tank and one for the basking side -- is that Thrive bulb a coil one or a regular basking bulb that is solid

I believe it was a T8. Also noted on the night temps. The digital probe thermometers are on the way they will be here in 2 days. The thrive bulb is not coil it’s a regular solid bulb. Uh for brand I think it’s called reptisun I heard those are reliable and usually last around 6 months. Also am considering putting UBV on the inside but I’m not sure how the best way to do it would be and I don’t want it to fall at all. The tank is pretty small (40 gall) because she is young so I can’t use chains. I will be upgrading to a 120 when she gets to big for this one.

 

[KarrieRee]

I believe it was a T8. Also noted on the night temps. The digital probe thermometers are on the way they will be here in 2 days. The thrive bulb is not coil it’s a regular solid bulb. Uh for brand I think it’s called reptisun I heard those are reliable and usually last around 6 months

yes it must go into the tank place a piece of basking decor under the UVB approx 6-8 inches make sure there is NO clear plastic cover over the bulb and T 8's do need to be replaced every 6 months I recommend 5 -- I also recommend upgrading the UVB to a T 5 you will need a different fixture tho - the bulb is skinnier than the T 8 -- they are better suited for bigger tanks -- and yes Reptisun is a good brand along w/ Arcadia 12% bulbs as well

 

[KarrieRee]

I believe it was a T8. Also noted on the night temps. The digital probe thermometers are on the way they will be here in 2 days. The thrive bulb is not coil it’s a regular solid bulb. Uh for brand I think it’s called reptisun I heard those are reliable and usually last around 6 months. Also am considering putting UBV on the inside but I’m not sure how the best way to do it would be and I don’t want it to fall at all. The tank is pretty small (40 gall) because she is young so I can’t use chains. I will be upgrading to a 120 when she gets to big for this one.

Use this its real good its like a Velcro strap cut into strips and wrap around your fixture -- I use it for my T 5's

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[Bioactive]

yes it must go into the tank place a piece of basking decor under the UVB approx 6-8 inches make sure there is NO clear plastic cover over the bulb and T 8's do need to be replaced every 6 months I recommend 5 -- I also recommend upgrading the UVB to a T 5 you will need a different fixture tho - the bulb is skinnier than the T 8 -- they are better suited for bigger tanks -- and yes Reptisun is a good brand along w/ Arcadia 12% bulbs as well

Ok thanks I’ll do every 5 months then. I’ll check again to make sure that’s all correct about it being a T8 but if it is than I’ll upgrade to a T5 as soon as I can the UBV linear fixture was given to me so it’s not a big deal if I have to buy a different fixture. Thank you