Help please… Anyone know what this bulge above the shoulder is?

[Sadie]

My son and I modeled his terrarium setup using the "Light & Shade Method" described in the Arcadia Reptile article located at the URL below. My understanding is the T5 HO bulb(s) provide full-spectrum visible light plus UVB, while the ceramic heat emitter(s) provide heat; all of which are required to facilitate the D3 cycle (see URL below). If I'm understanding correctly, your suggestion is the bearded dragon needs additional full-spectrum visible light, right?

Light & Shade Method - https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/light-shade-method

D3 Cycle - https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/d3-cycle/

As a tangentially related follow-up question, do you think the problem area on my son's bearded dragon looks like a contact burn (i.e. from touching a heat source) or an overexposure burn (i.e. from too much UVB)?

Thank you.

To me it looks like a over exposure burn but I could be off - UVB's are not hot enough to burn unless they are in contact a long time - a ceramic heater will burn really bad as I have touched them and they get super hot burning instantly
here is some info on the basking bulb and why and what you should use --

Bearded Dragon Heating Guide

What type of bulb makes a good basking bulb? Why do I need one? A basking bulb is essential for keeping your bearded dragon warm and helping it regulate its body temperature. Basking helps beardies to digest their food and maintain their metabolism and immune system. Experienced bearded dragon...

www.beardeddragon.org

heat emitters do not emit enough surface basking heat to start digestion - your spectrum for your UVB can be a gradient like what you mentioned - if the UVB rays are too strong and they have the option of going to a lower spectrum that is good - if the rays are too strong and they dont have that option they wont bask as long as they should --

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your dragon's shoulder, are you getting him to the vet for analysis?
The Arcadia D3 14% tube is a very good & strong UVB light, so he is definitely should be getting adequate
UVB exposure.
We are all just trying to be sure everything is all correct for your little dragon here.
What are your basking temperatures currently? It is recommended to use a bright white light in combination
with a tube UVB for overall brightness & warmth.

Tracie

 

[NERVOUS]

Hello,

How is your dragon's shoulder, are you getting him to the vet for analysis?
The Arcadia D3 14% tube is a very good & strong UVB light, so he is definitely should be getting adequate
UVB exposure.
We are all just trying to be sure everything is all correct for your little dragon here.
What are your basking temperatures currently? It is recommended to use a bright white light in combination
with a tube UVB for overall brightness & warmth.

Tracie

Hello Tracie,

Thank you for your message. The shoulder appears to be getting better, albeit slowly. I've reached out to a local exotic animal vet in my area. Unfortunately, no appointments until mid-September... So, it's going to be a couple more weeks. In the meantime, the bearded dragon continues to behave "normally" in terms of eating, basking, sleeping, etc.

As for your question, basking temperatures range from 95F - 120F (on the hot side of the enclosure) and there's a cave (on the cool side of the enclosure) where temperatures drop down to the low 80F range. It was impossible to get basking temperatures to the recommended range using bright white lights (i.e. incandescent bulbs); which is why we switched to a pair of ceramic heat emitters. Is there another type of bulb that will provide the necessary heat in addition to supplemental bright white light?

UVB setup includes a 24" Arcadia Pro T5 fixture fitted with a 24" Arcadia Reptile D3+ Dragon 14% bulb. This setup is currently providing a range of UVB from 3.0 - 6.3 (as measured by a Solarmeter Model 6.5R).

Basking temperatures range from 95F - 120F (on the hot side of the enclosure). This gradient of temperatures exists in a canopy of driftwood with multiple basking spots. The cool side of the enclosure includes a cave, where temperatures are in the low 80F range.

 

[Sadie]

Flukers basking bulbs--- Exo Terra Intense basking bulb-- or Arcadia Halogen -- those are good white lights for basking- NO daytime bulbs or colored or off white yellowish bulbs please --

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How are things going? That's great his shoulder looks like it's getting better now. There are so many
vets booked up & not taking any appointments for a month or longer.
Did you replace the ceramic heat emitters or are you just using one, along with a low wattage of basking
light? He definitely needs a bright white light to increase activity & keep up appetite, etc.
Where does he usually bask, at which temperature? Just making sure he doesn't burn himself because
the 120F is a bit high. I would try to stay in the range of 95F to 110F max.

Tracie

 

[NERVOUS]

Hello,

How are things going? That's great his shoulder looks like it's getting better now. There are so many
vets booked up & not taking any appointments for a month or longer.
Did you replace the ceramic heat emitters or are you just using one, along with a low wattage of basking
light? He definitely needs a bright white light to increase activity & keep up appetite, etc.
Where does he usually bask, at which temperature? Just making sure he doesn't burn himself because
the 120F is a bit high. I would try to stay in the range of 95F to 110F max.

Tracie

Things appear to be progressing in a positive direction, albeit very slowly. It's odd (to me) how slowly the issue is going away given how quickly it appeared.

Anyhow, in hopes of resolving any potential lighting issues I've ordered an Arcadia Halogen Heat Lamp (100W) and an Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar (34W). The plan is to use the Halogen Heat Lamp to replace one of the ceramic heat emitters and add the Jungle Dawn LED Bar to the existing Pro T5 fixture.

Typical basking spots measure 95F - 105F. I rarely see him basking in the highest elevated basking spots where temperatures reach 120F.

 

[Sadie]

Things appear to be progressing in a positive direction, albeit very slowly. It's odd (to me) how slowly the issue is going away given how quickly it appeared.

Anyhow, in hopes of resolving any potential lighting issues I've ordered an Arcadia Halogen Heat Lamp (100W) and an Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar (34W). The plan is to use the Halogen Heat Lamp to replace one of the ceramic heat emitters and add the Jungle Dawn LED Bar to the existing Pro T5 fixture.

Typical basking spots measure 95F - 105F. I rarely see him basking in the highest elevated basking spots where temperatures reach 120F.

Yes 120 is way too hot -- it will burn him --

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree with Sadie, I do feel that the 120F are too hot, even if he doesn't bask in that area very often. It could
cause the overall temperatures to go too high & possibly contribute to a burn.
How is he doing?

Tracie

 

[NERVOUS]

Hello,

I agree with Sadie, I do feel that the 120F are too hot, even if he doesn't bask in that area very often. It could
cause the overall temperatures to go too high & possibly contribute to a burn.
How is he doing?

Tracie

Other than the giant discolored bulge above his shoulder blade, Bones appears to be fine behaviorally. Thankfully, his eating, temperament, diurnal patterns, etc have remained unaffected through all of this.

I understand about the highest basking temperatures available being hotter than ideal. That said, in order to provide the recommended basking temperature range, the highest spots in the driftwood canopy had to be in the ~120F range. That said, Bones doesn't spend much (if any) time that high in driftwood canopy... And he would have to be WAY up there in order to get exposed to the concerning temperatures. Also, there is a cave located on the cool side of the enclosure; which measures in the low 80F range throughout the day.

That all said, one of the ceramic heat emitters has been replaced with an Arcadia Halogen Heat Lamp (100W). Still waiting for the Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar (34W) to arrive. At full power, the 100W (frosted) halogen bulb provides too much heat, as the primary basking spot (which is situated at ground level) reaches 127F. Thankfully, it's connected to a dimmer so the temperature can be controlled. I'm currently testing different dimmer switch settings with the intent of getting the primary basking spot down to 100F - 110F. Also, I will opt for a lower-wattage halogen bulb next time. Available options include 75W (frosted) and 50W (clear). Any thoughts on "frosted" vs "clear" when it comes to halogen bulbs?

 

[Sadie]

Other than the giant discolored bulge above his shoulder blade, Bones appears to be fine behaviorally. Thankfully, his eating, temperament, diurnal patterns, etc have remained unaffected through all of this.

I understand about the highest basking temperatures available being hotter than ideal. That said, in order to provide the recommended basking temperature range, the highest spots in the driftwood canopy had to be in the ~120F range. That said, Bones doesn't spend much (if any) time that high in driftwood canopy... And he would have to be WAY up there in order to get exposed to the concerning temperatures. Also, there is a cave located on the cool side of the enclosure; which measures in the low 80F range throughout the day.

That all said, one of the ceramic heat emitters has been replaced with an Arcadia Halogen Heat Lamp (100W). Still waiting for the Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar (34W) to arrive. At full power, the 100W (frosted) halogen bulb provides too much heat, as the primary basking spot (which is situated at ground level) reaches 127F. Thankfully, it's connected to a dimmer so the temperature can be controlled. I'm currently testing different dimmer switch settings with the intent of getting the primary basking spot down to 100F - 110F. Also, I will opt for a lower-wattage halogen bulb next time. Available options include 75W (frosted) and 50W (clear). Any thoughts on "frosted" vs "clear" when it comes to halogen bulbs?

Frosted bulbs are not recommended - you want a solid clear bright white bulb

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Just checking in, how are things going with your dragon?
That is completely understandable, it is hard to get temperatures
just right. As long as he has adequate areas to thermoregulate in
a variety of gradients, & he can't get too close to the hottest light,
he should be fine!
His shoulder area is healing up now?

Tracie

 

[NERVOUS]

Unfortunately, the shoulder area is still largely the same with some very minor improvement (but only in terms of less discoloration). The vet appointment is still over a week away.

On a related note, the lighting upgrades appear to be beneficial based on observed changes in basking behavior. The primary basking area is in the 105F range now with the primary heat source being an Arcadia Halogen Heat Lamp (100W).

Thank you for all the help, appreciate it.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry I missed your post. It is frustrating having to wait for the vet appointment!
The shoulder hasn't gone down in size much? How is the color, has it started getting back to normal?
I love the Arcadia basking & UVB lights, they are very nice lights. I'm glad to hear that he is enjoying
the basking light & that it seems to be helping his mood!

Tracie