Someone please help me understand

[HeyyItsNay]

Hello! I adopted a juvenile (I think) beardie about a week ago. Her/His name is Gizmo. She is about 8-9in long including her tail. I’m the beginning she would eat regularly. I would feed her crickets with tweezers because they were too small to hold on to and she would eat no problem. I’ve never seen her eat salad but I’ll put it in her terrarium and a few hours later it would be all over the place.

She/He recently has stoped eating the crickets. She/he has been sleeping on the cool side of the terrarium and she/he has been scratching at the glass a lot. I woke up this morning to turn on his/her UVB and basking light and gizmo had shoved his/herself in between his/her cool hide and sensed to be sleeping. So I went to pick him/her up to put him/her on the basking spot but gizmo started panicking and went crazy. Gizmo started scratching at the glass trying to climb of of the terrarium... is there anything I can do or am doing wrong?

To sum it up, she’s stopped eating how she used to, she gets excited over mealworms but not crickets. She’s almost always sleeping on the cool side of the tank. Finally she’s panicking and scratching at the glass trying to get out. But when my boyfriend holds her in his hands (he’s really warm) she will just lay there and sleep and sleep.... I’m panicking and nothing I google will help....

 

[Akire]

Hello, I'm sorry you are having trouble with your new beardie. Keep in mind, it takes a while for the enclosure to warm up when you first turn on the lights. Being cold blooded, beardies will be very tired until the enclosure warms up a bit. So I wouldn't move her to her basking spot right after turning on her lights. Give her an hour or two to wake/warm up. You probably just startled her which is why she freaked out. They can be a bit skittish at her age, it's instinctual and will go away with handling and maturity.

So we can get a better idea of your set-up and what might be wrong, please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Thanks!

*What are your temperatures? Basking spot and cool side.

*What are you measuring your temps with? (dial thermometer, temp gun, digital probe, etc)

*What brand of UVB are you using? How long are the lights on each day?

*How big is the enclosure? What do you use on the bottom?

*What do her poops look like? No strong odor and not watery?

 

[HeyyItsNay]

Her basking spot stays between 80-90 during the day and the cool side is about 75-80. I have a Zilla round thermostat. It measures humidity and temp. The humidity has been around 35-40% which I think is high and I can’t figure out how to get it down to 20-25. The UVB is a 10.0 I believe and it’s on 8 hours off 16 for the first two weeks to get her adjusted then I’ll switch it to 12-12. She’s in a 20 gallon until she gets just a tad bit bigger and then she’ll move into her 40 gallon. I just feel like she’s too small for the 40 right now. I have reptile carpet as a substrate. They’re normal I think..? Solid, dark with the little white tip. They do smell yes but I thought it was just because all poop smelled.

 

[Gormagon]

Her basking spot stays between 80-90 during the day and the cool side is about 75-80. I have a Zilla round thermostat. It measures humidity and temp. The humidity has been around 35-40% which I think is high and I can’t figure out how to get it down to 20-25. The UVB is a 10.0 I believe and it’s on 8 hours off 16 for the first two weeks to get her adjusted then I’ll switch it to 12-12. She’s in a 20 gallon until she gets just a tad bit bigger and then she’ll move into her 40 gallon. I just feel like she’s too small for the 40 right now. I have reptile carpet as a substrate. They’re normal I think..? Solid, dark with the little white tip. They do smell yes but I thought it was just because all poop smelled.

Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of bearded dragons!
Gizmo's basking temps should be around 100° to 105°
Humidity can range between 40% and 60% safely
Her UVB should stay on during the day along with the basking light for 12 to 15 hours a day. Keep in mind that a good quality uvb is a must, as those coil compacts don't provide proper uvb and can cause severe eye issues. I use a linear tube type which are highly recommended, mine is a Reptisun 10.0 T5HO 36".
It is always better to have plenty of room for the to explore, I would recommend a 2'x2'x4' vivarium. A 40 GB is the bare minimum and, very cramped.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Her basking spot stays between 80-90 during the day and the cool side is about 75-80. I have a Zilla round thermostat. It measures humidity and temp. The humidity has been around 35-40% which I think is high and I can’t figure out how to get it down to 20-25. The UVB is a 10.0 I believe and it’s on 8 hours off 16 for the first two weeks to get her adjusted then I’ll switch it to 12-12. She’s in a 20 gallon until she gets just a tad bit bigger and then she’ll move into her 40 gallon. I just feel like she’s too small for the 40 right now. I have reptile carpet as a substrate. They’re normal I think..? Solid, dark with the little white tip. They do smell yes but I thought it was just because all poop smelled.

Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of bearded dragons!
Gizmo's basking temps should be around 100° to 105°
Humidity can range between 40% and 60% safely
Her UVB should stay on during the day along with the basking light for 12 to 15 hours a day.
<<<< my gang have the lights on for 16 hr per day.
Keep in mind that a good quality uvb is a must, as those coil compacts don't provide proper uvb and can cause severe eye issues.
<<< 26W UVB200 globes are OK , but a T8 or T5HO 10%-12% UVB is better.
I use a linear tube type which are highly recommended, mine is a Reptisun 10.0 T5HO 36".
<<<< I'd stear clear of Zoo Med T5HO tubes for now, there have been issues with recent production runs see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=236122&p=1815225#p1815225 resulting in
>>> poor phosphor life
>>> lower output in UVA & UVB
, Arcadia T5HO tubes seem more reliable .
It is always better to have plenty of room for the to explore, I would recommend a 2'x2'x4' vivarium. A 40 GB is the bare minimum and, very cramped.

 

[HeyyItsNay]

The UVB is a T8 10.0 tube. I don’t like that the coil bulbs hurt them so I won’t use it. I adopted her a week ago so she’s still adjusting. I took her out of her terrarium for about an hour and just held her and she just slept. She wasn’t eating her crickets so I completed coated/dusted them in calcium powder so they were all white and dropped one by one in and she went nuts for it. So she’s starting to eat again. I keep a red heat lamp on her at night so if she gets cold she can just lay up on her rock. But during the day I think I might have both the day and night bulbs on so the temp will go up.

 

[kingofnobbys]

The UVB is a T8 10.0 tube. I don’t like that the coil bulbs hurt them so I won’t use it. I adopted her a week ago so she’s still adjusting. I took her out of her terrarium for about an hour and just held her and she just slept. She wasn’t eating her crickets so I completed coated/dusted them in calcium powder so they were all white and dropped one by one in and she went nuts for it.
<<< that's a v-good indication. And yes no more than 2 or 3 crickets in with her at a time, keep offering them a 2 - 3 at a time til she looses interest ==> she's satisfied / full.
<<< don't need the calcium dust caked thickly all over the crickets - I dust lightly , enough so I can there is calcium all over but it's not a thick coating.

So she’s starting to eat again. I keep a red heat lamp on her at night so if she gets cold she can just lay up on her rock.
<<<< the red heat lamp will disturb her sleep.
>>> a ceramic heat emitter like this https://www.amazon.com/BYB-Ceramic-Infrared-Emitter-Brooder/dp/B00IOBZT80/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JS3SBB8HZY40CNG54RH6
is better. Produces heat BUT NO VISIBLE LIGHT. Heats the viv by radiant heat and thermal convection (in a closed viv with a solid lid).

But during the day I think I might have both the day and night bulbs on so the temp will go up.

best to avoid using a globe that throws red light , this will make it hard for her to find her food, and will convince her it's time to go to sleep ( the light is more red just before night once the sun has dropped below the horizon ).

It is possible if it is very chilly in the room to run a ceramic heat emitter + the basking globe for heat and the T8 10%UVB tube for UVA & UVB , just be careful to avoid the viv becoming too hot (NO HOTTER than 43 deg Celsius at the basking spot).
I live in a subtropical coastal location 33 deg S , and about 3 km from the ocean, so it's never very cold here , my gang get by with this kind of set up under their hides : viewtopic.php?f=75&t=224976 ,
I run the heatpad under tiles 24/7 and set the thermostat to hold at 36-37 deg Celsius for my beardies, and they love their nice warm beds under their jumbo Hubbahuts..

Also note for a 10%UVB T8 tube in a reflector hood the ideal distance from the tube for basking is about 6 inches ( no mesh between it and the basking spot). See viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611

 

[HeyyItsNay]

So should I just ditch the red light completly and go straight to a ceramic heat emitter? Because the red light is not a bulb like the ones we have in lamps, it's like the small 50W lights in a small reflector lamp.
I live in the PNW(Oregon) and we are starting to get into our colder time of year so its cold all the time. I was thinking about getting an Under the Tank heating pad but should I put it under the reptile carpet or under the glass completely? And then where in her terrarium is it best for the pad to go?
As for my T8 tube, I have a wire* mesh lid that comes standard with the tank. It sits on top of the lid at the same height as the heat lamps. Should i push the lid forward and have the UVB bulb be "bare"?

 

[EllenD]

First off yes, you absolutely must mount a 10.0 T8 UVB tube under any mesh lid, they aren't strong enough to penetrate the mesh and still get enough UVB light to your beardie. Some people buy 3M Command Hooks, some poke holes in the mesh and use large zip ties to strap the UVB tube fixture to the underside of the mesh lid, directly over the basking spot. Also, the basking spot must be within 6-8" of the unobstructed (bare) UVB tube. They emit little to no heat so it won't hurt your beardie, only help him. Also, please be sure to replace the T8 UVB tube every 6 months like clockwork, because T8 tubes stop emitting any UVB light at all at 6 months, even though the tube isn't burnt out and still lights up. It's best to write the date you got it on the UVB tube itself with a sharpie.

Yes, get rid of all red or any other colored bulbs of any kind, they only cause additional issues for bearded dragons. They confuse them as far as what's day and night, and their tank should always be pitch black at nighttime because any light will disrupt their sleep.

My best advice to people if their bright white basking bulb isn't getting the temperatures within the correct ranges during the day is to buy a higher wattage bright white basking bulb. Regular halogen indoor flood bulbs come in a very wide variety of wattages, they present many more options than specialty reptile basking bulbs do, and are much less expensive too. Beardies get all of their heat from above, from the natural sunlight in their natural environment, so your goal should be to replicate natural sunlight as closely as possible inside his enclosure. This means having his heat coming from above, in the form of a bright white basking bulb, and the bright white basking bulb should be right alongside the UVB tube, with both directly over his basking spot, so he gets both at the same time while on his basking spot. So you really do not want to give a bearded dragon heat from underneath him like other reptiles. Also, in my experience, under-tank heat mats do not do much at all for raising the ambient temperature of the enclosure anyway, and heat rocks tend to cause burns on their bellies. So the best way to get the tank temperatures within the correct ranges DURING THE DAY is to buy a higher wattage bright white basking bulb, and then move it either closer or further away from his basking spot (do not move the UVB tube as it must be within 6-8" of the basking spot).

If his tank stays at 65 degrees or above at nighttime then he's very comfortable and needs absolutely no nighttime heat source at all, he wants it to be pitch black and much cooler at night than it is in the daytime to sleep comfortably, just like the desert. So down to 65 degrees at night he's a comfortable, happy dragon. If his enclosure happens to drop below 65 degrees at night (your home would have to be below 60 degrees for this to happen) then you need to buy a very low wattage Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE), which screws into a normal lamp but only emits heat, no light. But realize that if this is necessary, which it probably isn't, you're only trying to raise his nighttime temperature to around 65 degrees or so, any hotter and he won't be comfortable to sleep.

 

[HeyyItsNay]

How am I going to have the UVB and the basking bulb both on the basking spot. She has a corner walk up type of perch for her to lay on while basking and if I were to put the UVB bulb on the top/back of the terrarium the basking light would not be above the basking spot, it would be at the front of the terrarium.

 

[EllenD]

I was assuming that your Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB was a long tube, probably 18" long, which is a very common length and type of UVB tube. Your beardie needs a proper temperature gradient and needs to get both the UVB light and the bright white basking light and heat at the same time while on his basking spot. Having a UVB light that is in a totally different area serves no purpose and is very counterproductive to the purpose of him basking after he eats. Typically they automatically go to the spot with the brightest white light and the most heat after they eat, because they know they need to do this in order to digest and process the food they just ate, and to absorb the vitamins and minerals in the food they just ate. But they also know that they need the UVB in addition to the bright light and heat to do this, and often you'll see them trying to get close to the UVB light if it's not mounted correctly. So you should have your tank set up with one side being the Hot Side, which contains and surrounds his main basking spot that is directly under his bright white basking bulb and his UVB tube (usually people will attach the T8 UVB tubes to the underside of the mesh lid with long zip ties), then the opposite side of the tank is the Cool Side, which may or may not have a much lower wattage, secondary bright white basking light if the ambient temperature on the Cool Side is lower than 75 degrees. Typically the long UVB tube will cover the entire length of the Hot Side and then also pass a bit into the Cool Side, depending on how long their tube is. This is also why it's very important that your long UVB tube fixture has a metal reflector in it behind where the UVB tube sits, so that the UVB light is reflected all of the large tank, not just directly underneath it, like compact or coil UVB bulbs.

As far as setting his lighting up correctly on the Hot Side of his tank and over top of his basking spot so that he gets both at the same time while basking, and so that the basking spot is the correct temperature for him while he's basking (between 105-110), since you have to attach the long tube fixture to the underside of the mesh, what most people do is center the bright white basking light on top of the mesh and directly above the basking spot, and then they attach the long UVB tube fixture to the underside of the mesh right beside the spot that the basking light sits. As long as your UVB tube fixture has a metal reflector behind the UVB tube, it's okay if the UVB tube is right next to the basking light and the basking spot instead of directly over top of it. This is why the reflector in the UVB tube is so important, and it's also why you need to have a basking spot/platform (the best thing to have is a long, wide branch or piece of wood) that offers him a range of distances from the lights to bask, and also allows him to get under BOTH the basking light and the UVB tube, depending on what he wants to do. So most people set up a long, thick branch or piece of driftwood, mopani wood, etc. that can be set up on the Hot Side of the tank to go on a diagonal up and across the Hot Side, and that will allow your beardie to get within at least 6-8" of the UVB tube

The bottom line is you must have a T8 UVB tube mounted inside the tank and under the mesh lid, and be sure to mount is across the Hot Side and right next to his basking spot. If you have your basking light in a dome fixture sitting on top of the mesh lid, just set them both up so they run right alongside each other, basking light on top of the lid, UVB tube under the lid, both basically over top of his basking spot. You may have to change his basking spot from a corner position (I'm assuming you're using a hammock or something else mounted up in the corner as his basking spot?) It's much better and easier to get his lighting set up correctly for him and to ensure he's getting everything he needs by just going outside and finding a thick branch or small log to use as his basking platform. You just need to wash any wood you get from outside very well in hot water, then pre-heat your oven at 250 degrees and then bake the wood for 45 minutes to kill everything that might be living in it or on it....best way to get free tank decor...