Wrong UVB cause slow growth?

[Sierra1167]

Okay, so I already felt guilty because I haven't had the funds to change Drago and Vlad's uvb bulbs from the ReptiGlo coil type. Well, since Vlad is growing much slower than Drago, I was thinking the bulb may have gotten old since I had used it for my frogs previously and I couldn't recall how old it was. I stopped and got a 10.0 to replace it until I can afford the correct tube type. I came home to change it and the old one was a 5.0!! I don't know why it didn't occur to me before and now I feel like such a bad beardie mom. Could this explain his slow growth? Even though it's not the tube type, will at least being a 10.0 help change things for the better now?

 

[thegreybush]

I wouldn't sweat too much over this. I use a 10.0 coil without any problems. I did my research on them and I'm not convinced of enough clear and present danger to the dragons health and they are able to get within 6 inches when they want.

 

[Sierra1167]

Thank you for the reassurance. I am hoping that now that it is a 10.0 instead of a possibly deficient 5.0 it will help his growth become more consistent with his age. Drago has always had a 10.0 and he is over an inch longer than Vlad. I know they grow at different rates but the difference between the siblings seems significant to me. They have almost identical set ups with the exception of the UVB bulb.

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from Enclosures to Health]

 

[coastergirl946]

Coil bulbs are not good for bearded dragons or any reptile. Coil bulbs are also known for causing conjunctivitis in bearded dragons. For the first couple of weeks they put out way too much UVB, and this can burn retinas causing pain and possible blindness. After that, the UVB output drops down to almost nothing, essentially leaving you with nothing more than a regular lightbulb. I would highly recommend using the ReptiSun 10.0 tube instead.

 

[thegreybush]

Please provide some reference to a recent article?

 

[tempusfugit]

Please provide some reference to a recent article?

I tried to Google but the dozens of forums all saying coils cause eye problems are making it hard to find...

 

[thegreybush]

That sounded rude. I'm asking for something other than forums. Forums tend to have regurgitated and outdated knowledge. I know that there were issues back like 4 years ago? Has this been fixed by the manufacturers perhaps? Were the eye problems only happening in a small percentage of the population?

Is this information still up to date?

Why does nobody ever ask these questions?

 

[tempusfugit]

That sounded rude. I'm asking for something other than forums. Forums tend to have regurgitated and outdated knowledge. I know that there were issues back like 4 years ago? Has this been fixed by the manufacturers perhaps? Were the eye problems only happening in a small percentage of the population?

Is this information still up to date?

Why does nobody ever ask these questions?

Do you have any proof they are safe? Nobody asks these questions because there are other reasons a reptiSUN tube is better, and only marginally more money.

 

[thegreybush]

So you don't know.

So at this point in time I'd say I have more firm evidence than you do that this is outdated (Since I use them in 3 different enclosures all housing dragons with no eye problems and good health?)

If you can provide me something that is recent and reliable knowledge I'm all for reading it.

 

[rush96]

my friend has been using coil bulbs for over 5 years on many different beardies and yes all 6 of them are still alive today and have suffered no problems due to them what so ever

 

[randommonks]

That sounded rude. I'm asking for something other than forums. Forums tend to have regurgitated and outdated knowledge. I know that there were issues back like 4 years ago? Has this been fixed by the manufacturers perhaps? Were the eye problems only happening in a small percentage of the population?

Is this information still up to date?

Why does nobody ever ask these questions?

at the risk of ostricizing myself from this useful community, I would have to agree with you that most forums just repeat knowledge that they heard from other people. I personally use the fluorescent tube for UVB but I use the Reptiglo, which I have not found any complaints about online. I've had some people tell me that the Reptiglo could potentially cause problems, but I think that they are talking about the coil bulb, which many members of this forum connected to the problems that their beardies were having. I think individual research is very important when deciding proper care for your BD, but remember that there are people here that do speak from personal experience. There are some good websites that have somewhat scientific data that compares the UV output of different types of bulbs. You could try looking at that, and seeing if that changes your opinions at all.

 

[thegreybush]

I understand where the concerns have stemmed from with the coil bulbs. I just want to point out, though, that the incident was back in 2007. There is a fantastic post that I'll link here that I think needs to be checked out. It has the perfect data to back up everything stated in it and, to point out again, it is just over a year old. The arguments suggest that the problem is not an issue anymore. Please check it out. It's long, its going to take a few minutes but its perfectly laid out.

http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=112482

From my own experience the coil Reptiglow 10.0 bulbs are not harmful and have actually caused a noticeable improvement to my bearded dragons' health. I am not suggesting that the tube bulb is not better because of ergonomic advantages, but I am merely giving some reassurance that the coil bulb will more than likely work just fine for the recommended 6 months, though the box it is sold in suggests it can last up to a year. Placement would be a factor with that as well.

 

[TASTIGER]

from my expirence with reptiglo and reptisun coils they both cause eye problems and slow growth. mine stayed the same size and were so lethargic until i changed to the reptisun 10 tube after that they grew so fast and were so much more active

 

[thegreybush]

Coil bulbs are not good for bearded dragons or any reptile. Coil bulbs are also known for causing conjunctivitis in bearded dragons. For the first couple of weeks they put out way too much UVB, and this can burn retinas causing pain and possible blindness. After that, the UVB output drops down to almost nothing, essentially leaving you with nothing more than a regular lightbulb. I would highly recommend using the ReptiSun 10.0 tube instead.

To further my point above I want to reiterate that this is just not fair to our supply manufacturers to make a general statement like this without the current information and data to support the claim. There are more than one coil lamp you can choose from. The big scare was a result of one brand and was 4 years ago.

Are tubes better? In a longer tank, probably. Compared to a centrally located coil in a 30 gallon tank, probably not. If you position the coil lamp in the basking area in the long tank you probably won't notice a difference either.

There's just a lot that makes this response a concern.

I ruffle feathers to keep things fresh and well informed. Not to take the "I know all" stance.