Just a few questions

[CrumpetSoup]

Hello there I just have a few questions about my bearded dragon Sunny he is around 4-5 months old and growing what I would consider well, he certainly has a healthy appetite now.

First up I was originally using a Reptisun T8 10.0 (Brand new) that was mounted inside tank and it was within 6-8" of him across a few basking spots, he was never able to get up close to it enough that he could damage his eyes, yet he seemed to be angered when it was turned on he'd squint and turn straight black like he was trying to absorb more heat till the UVB was turned off.

I actually went ahead and purchased a Megaray 100 Watt SB for him because I couldn't stand to see him sad, after burning it in and setting it up over his huge stone slab basking area he appears immediately happier he moves around his slab which I presume he's doing to regulate his UV exposure and temperature. But here's the two main questions I have... Why did he dislike the T8 and instead loves the megaray? And also he doesn't like it hot if the temp goes to 105 he runs off to seek cooler ground STRAIGHT away he will not sit under 105 degrees for any period of time he prefers it at 101-103 is that normal? Cause I read people saying 105-110 and so I'm a little worried. Temps are read with a proper heat gun so they are very accurate.

Lastly he's been under the Mega for 6 days and his appetite has picked up hugely, he wolfs down salads like he did as a baby and murders crickets en masse.

Any answers I'd appreciate I tend to worry more than I need to... Sorry for the text wall.

His tank setup if needed is the MegaRay Far right side over his stone slab (15" from the bulb to his back when He's on all 4's) a 50w bulb to increase the the megarays temps, far left side is another 50w bulb to bring the cool side up ( my house gets chilly) Temps sit at 102-103 Basking spot center, 92 hot side ambient, 86 hot side ground temp, cool side hovers between 79-80

 

[CrumpetSoup]

This just came in today from a beardie owner regarding Megaray -- dont know where you got your bulb but read this please
Thu Jun 06, 2019 2:18 pm

Hey guys and gals,
I have a digital UV radiometer solarmeter. I found some alarming information.
I tested a new MegaRay bulb and as well as the Reptisun tubes. I found out that some of them have been used. The "new MegaRay" that has been purchased approx. at 12 to 14" from the bulb to basking site reading is 2.0. I tested my other bulb that is actually older and reading about 5-6 at the same distance. As you can see, even though it is BRAND NEW on AMAZON doesn't mean its actually new View attachment 20374 View attachment 20373
It was not sold directly from MegaRay but one of the sellers. When you go to the product it has a list of “sellers” you can choose from. It’s quite sad really because if this bulb gets tossed around and no one has a UV tester this could make the pet suffer worse. I am just so glad I got a UV tester to actually know the bulb strengths if needs replacement or not. Just shocked but thought it was a fair warning to users on here if they regularly purchase items through Amazon. Always triple check the product.

Reptilelady
Sub-Adult Poster
Posts: 1157
Joined: Fri May 19, 2017 7:56 am
Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:01 pm

Yeah, with sellers other than the original vendor, it's definitely caveat emptor not just on Amazon, but everywhere. Also, sometimes vendors have bad batches or change suppliers for a key component, which changes the quality of the product. I believe this was the case a few years ago with UV bulbs where one of the major companies switched to a Chinese supplier and got sub-par phosphor coatings on the bulb. Quality doesn't seem to be "job #1" anymore, unfortunately, even on products that can cause harm to people/animals when defective.

Hello, thank you for all your responses and research I greatly appreciate it, a friend had a UV radiation meter a solarmeter I think it's called and I used that directly under the megaray and it appears to be reading within the manufacturers specifications according to the solar meter it puts out 142 center of the beam (I cut the mesh out from the under the dome to ensure enough UVB gets through) this is at a distance of 14 inches to the bulb surface. With just the megaray it makes a hotspot of 102.6 degrees Fahrenheit he seems happy to bask and opens his mouth which I'm lead to believe is him venting excess heat which I guess means he's at his optimum temp? I was told it's natural behavior and I shouldn't be concerned.

 

[The Lizard Lady]

Sounds like you've gotten some great responses! Just here to say that the thermoregulating (mouth gaping) is completely normal and a good sign. There's lots of debate about dragon basking temps, but from my experience, as long as the cool side is an appropriate temperature, a basking side of 106 is no biggie!