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Always Sleeping in Enclosure

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
Hello! I have a (presumably) 2 year old bearded dragon and have had him for about 4 months now. I say presumably because he was adopted and that’s what we were told, he’s definitely an adult but I wonder if he’s a bit older. Anyways he is a pretty active fellow… when he’s out of his enclosure. When he’s inside, he will sleep almost all the time if he’s not eating. If we never took him out Id think he’d sleep all day and all night! The lighting situation is fine as that is, of course, the first concern. It is summer here so we have the AC on though it hasn’t affected his terrarium temp much, his basking sits around 95F instead of 100F but that’s still hot enough from what I understand… He has UVA/UVB lighting as well of course. He has lots of things to interest him-ramps, rocks, a tree, a large water dish that can be used as a “pond,” a ball, some fake foliage, but all he seems interested in is sleeping in his hidey hole. Is he just lazy? Any info would be appreciated :)
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Hello! I have a (presumably) 2 year old bearded dragon and have had him for about 4 months now. I say presumably because he was adopted and that’s what we were told, he’s definitely an adult but I wonder if he’s a bit older. Anyways he is a pretty active fellow… when he’s out of his enclosure. When he’s inside, he will sleep almost all the time if he’s not eating. If we never took him out Id think he’d sleep all day and all night! The lighting situation is fine as that is, of course, the first concern. It is summer here so we have the AC on though it hasn’t affected his terrarium temp much, his basking sits around 95F instead of 100F but that’s still hot enough from what I understand… He has UVA/UVB lighting as well of course. He has lots of things to interest him-ramps, rocks, a tree, a large water dish that can be used as a “pond,” a ball, some fake foliage, but all he seems interested in is sleeping in his hidey hole. Is he just lazy? Any info would be appreciated :)
What is the UVB your using? Any coils are not recommended-- they are inadequate- are you taking basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer? this is the first thing that would cause him to sleep all the time- he should be out basking for at least 4 hrs per day -- coil UVB's will cause this behavior along w/ off white -- yellowish or daytime bulbs- the daytime bulbs have a coating on them that is bad for the eyes--
 

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
What is the UVB your using? Any coils are not recommended-- they are inadequate- are you taking basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer? this is the first thing that would cause him to sleep all the time- he should be out basking for at least 4 hrs per day -- coil UVB's will cause this behavior along w/ off white -- yellowish or daytime bulbs- the daytime bulbs have a coating on them that is bad for the eyes--
Thanks for the reply. This is the setup we currently have. I’m not sure if the elongated UVB bulb is deemed as “coiled,” but if it is, could you recommend a better one for me?
 

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Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
What is the UVB your using? Any coils are not recommended-- they are inadequate- are you taking basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer? this is the first thing that would cause him to sleep all the time- he should be out basking for at least 4 hrs per day -- coil UVB's will cause this behavior along w/ off white -- yellowish or daytime bulbs- the daytime bulbs have a coating on them that is bad for the eyes--
Here is the thermometer we are using as well.
 

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Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Here is the thermometer we are using as well.
Ok please shut the coil uvb off- get your dragon outside for some good uvb - let him sit in you direct sunlight for 15 min or for however long you can stand the heat - do this till you get this uvb - a 24" Zoo Med https://www.pangeareptile.com/collections/fixtures/products/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-hood this will come w/ a 5.0 bulb keep it for back up you need this bulb for a 40+ gallon tank 22" https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...y-vapor/products/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-t5
If you have a pet smart in your town go look for this one https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle.../products/arcadia-prot5-12-uvb-bulb-with-hood these are very good bulbs and fixtures- please get 2 of these https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...meters-1/products/zoo-med-digital-thermometer
Take him out every day till you get the uvb - when it comes in please post back on here and I will help you get the uvb set up for your tank- distance and placement will be determined by the screen -- the basking bulb is good- flukers is another good one along w/ Arcadia halogen
 

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
Ok please shut the coil uvb off- get your dragon outside for some good uvb - let him sit in you direct sunlight for 15 min or for however long you can stand the heat - do this till you get this uvb - a 24" Zoo Med https://www.pangeareptile.com/collections/fixtures/products/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-hood this will come w/ a 5.0 bulb keep it for back up you need this bulb for a 40+ gallon tank 22" https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...y-vapor/products/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-t5
If you have a pet smart in your town go look for this one https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle.../products/arcadia-prot5-12-uvb-bulb-with-hood these are very good bulbs and fixtures- please get 2 of these https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...meters-1/products/zoo-med-digital-thermometer
Take him out every day till you get the uvb - when it comes in please post back on here and I will help you get the uvb set up for your tank- distance and placement will be determined by the screen -- the basking bulb is good- flukers is another good one along w/ Arcadia halogen
Those are very expensive! But I will get what he needs. Can I screw then into the lamp i have already?
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Those are very expensive! But I will get what he needs. Can I screw then into the lamp i have already?
Please get one of the uvb's I posted- check your pet stores for the fixtures I posted - these uvb's are crucial to your dragons health I cannot stress this enough- at this point he's getting no uvb - he will not survive w/ out it- these are a long tube fixture-- please get a surface basking temp when you get the digital probe thermometer- you want temps 95-100 -
 

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
Those are very expensive! But I will get what he needs. Can I screw then into the lamp i have already?
Ah, I would purchase that hood one, I see it is a separate hooded lamp. Thank you so much for your insight it’s hard to find the right information online, and my vet is not an exotic specialist. Thursday I will go out and purchase, I’ve been taking him outside almost every day anyways, and he is so active and happy out there.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Ah, I would purchase that hood one, I see it is a separate hooded lamp. Thank you so much for your insight it’s hard to find the right information online, and my vet is not an exotic specialist. Thursday I will go out and purchase, I’ve been taking him outside almost every day anyways, and he is so active and happy out there.
That's because he's getting uvb- crucial to his survival - is he eating? Please shut the coil off- it's doing no good- he will probably come out and bask under his heat lamp w/ the coil off- we need to check the surface basking temps-- once all this is corrected you will see a different dragon--
 

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
That's because he's getting uvb- crucial to his survival - is he eating? Please shut the coil off- it's doing no good- he will probably come out and bask under his heat lamp w/ the coil off- we need to check the surface basking temps-- once all this is corrected you will see a different dragon--
He actually has not been eating as much as I’d like him to, though he’s fairly plump, not skinny by any means. I will shut the coil off. I will also provide updates as soon as I get the bulb and thermometers in place. :) Here’s a little picture of him. (Yes i know there’s iceberg lettuce in this picture, it was more of a prop to hold the other vegetables up so he could see them. I usually don’t feed him that, collard greens and kale are his primary leafy veggies).
 

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Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
He actually has not been eating as much as I’d like him to, though he’s fairly plump, not skinny by any means. I will shut the coil off. I will also provide updates as soon as I get the bulb and thermometers in place. :) Here’s a little picture of him.
Common they won't eat or eat very little w/ incorrect basking temps and uvb- the uvb helps him absorb/ synthesize his calcium - uvb also prevents mbd- and a ton of other illnesses internal and external - I have seen so many dragons die under the coil uvb's and most recently the 26 watt reptisun which was considered a ok one but I still do not recommend coils at all- the dragon I am mentioning was under the 26 watt for six years and is now having neurological issues along w/ not using his back legs
 

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
Common they won't eat or eat very little w/ incorrect basking temps and uvb- the uvb helps him absorb/ synthesize his calcium - uvb also prevents mbd- and a ton of other illnesses internal and external - I have seen so many dragons die under the coil uvb's and most recently the 26 watt reptisun which was considered a ok one but I still do not recommend coils at all- the dragon I am mentioning was under the 26 watt for six years and is now having neurological issues along w/ not using his back legs
Yes I knew about the possible metabolic bone disease due to not enough calcium absorption via UVB, that’s why I was worried. I’m going into vet medicine! But like I said before it’s difficult to find proper care information by just searching the web. We tried many things to get him to eat before- different feeding bugs, bee pollen, feeding him outside his tank, etc. Hopefully this will finally fix his problems, I want nothing more than for him to be happy and healthy.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,690
Yes I knew about the possible metabolic bone disease due to not enough calcium absorption via UVB, that’s why I was worried. I’m going into vet medicine! But like I said before it’s difficult to find proper care information by just searching the web. We tried many things to get him to eat before- different feeding bugs, bee pollen, feeding him outside his tank, etc. Hopefully this will finally fix his problems, I want nothing more than for him to be happy and healthy.
You will notice a change right away after it's installed in the tank-- let me know when you get it the placement and distance will be determined by your screen in the meantime keep taking him outside that's the best uvb possible - get the probes so we can get his basking temps - that is what starts the digestion process
 

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
You will notice a change right away after it's installed in the tank-- let me know when you get it the placement and distance will be determined by your screen in the meantime keep taking him outside that's the best uvb possible - get the probes so we can get his basking temps - that is what starts the digestion process
Sorry to bother you again. Is this lamp okay? It’s the only similar one I could find in a my nearby pet smart. https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/env...cadia-shadedweller-pro-7%-uv-b-kit-65057.html
If so I will order it for pickup right away.
 

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18

Katt

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
18
Are you in Canada? That is a terrible price for that bulb - in us they are $22-- try Amazon or eBay -- does your PetSmart carry the one I posted?
Yes I’m in canada that’s a CAD price. I believe this is the one you post, as it came up from “arcadia 12%” https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/env...res/arcadia-reptile-prot5-uv-b-kit-65058.html
If none of these are it I guess I will order off the website you provided.
EDIT: pet smart also tends to have abnormally high prices for these things ‍
 
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