Will this bulb be okay? (Plus petstore rant)

[MurderVictim]

The Zoo-med basking spot? 50 watt.

I went to a reptile place today...Well, it was more of an exotic pet place. Like fish, spiders, scorpions, and lizards. I originally went in there to see if I could get more crickets there at a time than at Petsmart. And to see if they had better lighting options. I knew what I wanted...But left very unhappy.

I knew what I wanted. I wanted a Reptisun bulb, or at least some sort of bulb that was made to give off UVB. But the guy there insisted that the bulb I ended up buying was better. That it provides enough heat AND UVB. And that anything over that amount of wattage is way too much for a baby. I went with it because...well, everyone was standing around me: the guy, my mom, and my friend, saying that I should try it. So I went with it.

I honestly don't know why I listened to that guy...First off: What did I see in the beardie cages? Heat rocks. What did he pressure me into buying? A heat rock. I DO NOT WANT TO USE A HEAT ROCK! But of course, my mom wanted to listen to a petstore person more than me, instead of seeing how uncomfortable the idea made me. I can see the risk with using them...And I don't want to take that risk. I don't care if they work fine for the beardies at the store. Right now, it's staying in the bag. Sorry mom, but you should've listened to me. I'm not using it.

He was also saying something about...With the branch decoration I have, if my baby is laying at the top, trying to get as close as he can (which is...4 inches away from the screen? 5?) then that's not good. He's not warm enough. ...What? The thermometer was reading 100, well over that until I dimmed the lamp a little. With the bulb I have in there now, he's not as close, but at most the temp is 96 degrees.

And second: He got highly disturbed when I said that I was reading stuff online. Including on this site. He said everything online is wrong....And I shouldn't trust sites like this one. While I agree that you can't believe every little thing you read online, there is still great info out there, if you have common sense and read several sites to compare. Especially here. I'm sorry...Just because you work in a store that's been in business for three/four decades, doesn't mean you know everything. (And, haven't bearides only been tame for about twenty years? Maybe a little more?) The babies were kept on sand, plus with heat rocks in there. And the adult didn't look happy. Was twitching and freaking out when I first walked in. I'm still new to all this...But I doubt that's normal. But perhaps I'm wrong?

So yeah...I don't want to go back there. I don't like being pressured into something. I don't like being told that the way I'm getting info is all wrong and that I should be getting it from that particular store.

So...Sorry for such a long rant. Anyone able to answer my question for me as well? Like I said, I knew what I wanted, but unfortunately my mom had the money, and she didn't want to listen to me. Will this bulb be okay for at least a week?

 

[saleen89559]

Personally I would have walked out of the store without buying anything, even in front of my family.

Lets put the facts on the scales and weigh them....

1 Pet store owner, who from your description is very ignorant, arrogant, and self absorbed about what HE only thinks is right.

vs

30,000+ members on Beardeddragon.org who have posted about their countless life experiences with their pets, visits with Vets, and direct collaborations with breeders and manufacturers.

I think we all know the answer to this one. I visited a local pet store myself today and was disgusted with how their beardies and other reptiles are kept, you can view that rant in the Beardie Rescue board.


You were very much right about him being wrong and your mom and family members pressuring you because a pet store owner "conned" them into his usual BS session just so he could make a quick buck on you.

Return the crap he pressured you into buying and get what you need, I'd put my foot down with your mom and if you want, show her this site more thoroughly. Maybe she will see the truth in it. By the way, the heat lamp bulb is okay, but it gives off ZERO UVB Rays. Its purely a heat lamp, nothing more.

 

[MurderVictim]

(Oops, sorry. Didn't know I had posted this in the wrong place.))

Yep, I was thinking I was just conned, too. He even said that beardies shouldn't be misted. :/ That one really threw me off. How else is he supposed to get water? He won't drink from a dish, and I don't want to stress him out by giving him a bath so soon. He needs to be misted. Earlier he quite enjoyed it, lapped up as much as he could.

I'll talk to my mom tonight and see if she can go ahead and return those things for me. Since she knows she crossed a line with me, and now knows how much I hate that heat rock and how nervous I am about that bulb. Personally, I don't want to ever walk into that store again. And I don't even think it has what I'm looking for. So, I'll head to Petsmart, pick up a UVB bulb until I can get the money for a reptisun fixture.

*sigh* I know this is only my second day with my beardie, but it feels like I can't get a grasp on anything, no matter what I'm told.

 

[saleen89559]

You're doing fine, just take your time and listen to the "real good" advice given on this site. BTW, add me on Yahoo Messenger and I'll help you more directly.

 

[OgleRpets]

Technically your beardie doesn't need to be misted and is never to young for a bath. Depending on the size of your beardie, you can get a small bowl, tupperware, rubbermaid (ect) put down a washcloth and then only fill it up with warm water to your beardies arm pits and let me have the time of his life. :mrgreen:

 

[MurderVictim]

Well, that guy made it sound like misting my beardie would kill him. He was like: "No, no, no! Do not mist him!!" over and over.

I gave him a bath about half an hour ago, just for five or ten minutes so he could get a feel for it. He didn't like it much, but all his stress marks went away. (Is that a good sign?) Then spent about ten minutes drying him off. I don't think I did a very good job, so I'll give him another one in a couple hours after he's had time to eat and bask. When he was in the bath, he opened his mouth up at me...He didn't hiss, or puff up his beard. So...Was he threatened? Or just opening his mouth because he wanted to?

Oh, and I feel MUCH better now. We went down to Petsmart and got a Reptisun bulb. I guess it's the tube shape? Or...I don't know. All I know is that I got a wire lamp to put it in, since it wouldn't fit in my other lamp. And the bulb I got yesturday was taken out for the one I first got, which provides better heat.

So, he ate and is now basking. And even went to the bathroom while me and my mom were out.

 

[MrWhite]

sounds like you're well on your way to having a nice happy beardie.

Misting can be good if your guy is not eating very well and not getting enough fluid from his live feeders. They get most of their fluid from their food (live feeders and greens). Bathing them will also help with their hydration. I mist and bathe my guy more often during times of shedding to help ease the irritation of the shed. The problem with misting is that it increases the humidity in your enclosure.

 

[OgleRpets]

A wire lamp? I'm confused the tube should be like this one on this site
http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent-bulbs/11442-504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-bulb.html?utm_source=gcs&utm_term=11442-504983

 

[scubasteve25]

sounds like he might have gotten a reptisun coil bulb. either that or im mistaken in what i read.

 

[MurderVictim]

Actually, I got a compact bulb. I couldn't get the tube bulb and fixture for it, so this was the best I could do. I'll save up and get the fixture in hopefully a couple weeks. But since I read that the compact bulbs don't give off enough UVB, every day I've been taken him outside for some natural sunlight a couple times a day for at least an hour. It's nice and sunny, so I'm going to take advantage of that.

 

[scubasteve25]

it would have probably been better to skip the compact all together, and just take him outside for some sun. i wouldnt wanna chance the complications involved in using a compact. the vet bills and possible health problems are not worth it.

 

[MurderVictim]

What kind of health issues? And okay, I'm just worried that I won't be able to take him out for as long as he needs it.

 

[scubasteve25]

a little real sunlight goes a long way. their eyes can get hurt, swell up, swell shut, lethargy, loss of appetite. just all around not good for your beardie, if youcan get him outside in some real sun for 15-20 mins a day while it's not super hot it will do him a world more good than the compact bulb will

 

[FBradshaw]

What kind of health issues? And okay, I'm just worried that I won't be able to take him out for as long as he needs it.

Compact bulbs tend to leak UVC and have an extremely high UVI. They are known to cause conjunctivitis, a severe eye infection. A week without a UVB lamp wont hurt your beardie and you're far better off without one than with a compact or coil type.

Also your basking spot for a baby should be between 100 and 110 degrees so you may want to turn that back up just a little bit.

And yes, not everything you read online will be correct even if it is the opinion of a majority. I try to sort out what is just personal opinion from what I read and then see what kind of results I get from what I actually do. I personally use 2 things most members of this board will tell you is an absolute no-no(sand as a substrate and repti-glo 10.0 tubes) with absolutely no problems.