Viv heating

[Tonyabrhm]

Hi all,

I have had my bearded dragon Borris for about 2 months now. He is very energetic and loves eating. He is around 21 weeks old. I am a tad concerned about his Viv temps. I am from England, UK and temps fall very low during the winter. His temps are currently around 29-30 hot end and 23-25 cool end. He is very active so no concern for his health and he has his mouth open at the hot end occasionally.

Is there any concern over this?

Thanks a lot

 

[sunvaar]

yes, these temps are way too low for him to be healthy. His cool end needs to be 27C and the hot end needs to be 32.5C, basking spot about 40.5C. If these temperatures aren't reached, he won't be able to digest his food properly and it can rot in his stomach. Can you provide the details of your current setup please?

Tank size
What lights you're using
What kind of thermometers
Substrate
What you're feeding him, how much and how often
etc

 

[sunvaar]

during the night though, as long as his enclosure temp doesn't go below 19C he'll be okay. Lower than that and you'll need to provide heat with a CHE, and preferably a thermostat so it doesn't get too hot

 

[Tonyabrhm]

Hi thanks for replies

It is a 4ft Viv with a hundred wat heat lamp and 2 UVB bulbs. They look like light bulbs and I has to screw them into the Viv. He has green carpet and a wooden thing for him to bask on aswell as a few other thing a to climb on. I use a digital thermometer. He eats mainly crickets - up to 30 a day with fresh veg available. We dust his crickets every other day.

Thanks for help. Really worried now. He seems really healthy I hope he is!

 

[sunvaar]

those coil bulbs are extremely bad for their eyes, and even worse there is two. You only need one UVB bulb, that should cover atleast 2/3 of your enclosure. If it's not too late, please return both of those coil bulbs and use the money to buy a Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube bulb and ballast (you can get the ballast pretty cheap from almost any hardware store)

The UVB light needs be replaced every 6 months, even though the manufacturer states it last for a year. After 6 months the UVB emitted starts to drop severely, which will hinder your beardies health.

Also, this tube needs to be hung inside of your enclosure because screen tops can filter out 30-40% of the UVB.

Have you got your temps up now? I would suggest one or two basking bulbs for an enclosure that big, if you can't reach the desired temperatures. Or you can pick up a ceramic heat bulb (gives off heat but not light) with a thermostat to control it.

Please keep us updated

 

[Tonyabrhm]

Cheers for the advice. Are they the long tube like bulbs? I'm thinking of getting him one of those heat bulbs that require drilling a big hole in the top of the viv? I'm unsure what these are called. His one seems very close as it is within the viv and the basking temps are a bit high 45C. I think that is also why the temps are off either end as it is so low down. The hot end was 38.3 and low 27C yesterday so I dont think I am off by much.

Thanks alot

 

[Tonyabrhm]

Any help anyone. I think I really need to consider changing from these coil UVB bulbs and his 100w heat lamp. Some urgent advice would be great

 

[sunvaar]

Yes, they are the long tubes

 

[Tonyabrhm]

Ok I got a 36" repti sun I think it's a 30w one. What will I need if I want to use the heat lamp that is fitted at the top of the Viv? What fittings do I need to fit the uv tube? Thanks