Rescued abandoned beardie at ball field - he's doing great!

[MichelleGordon]

Someone apparently dumped this little guy at a local ball field, and he is now my new buddy! We had him checked out, and is healthy. Apparently he wasn't out in the wild for long, because he wasn't skinny... However, he didn't move far from where he was seen the previous days, so it was obvious the poor little guy didn't know what to do ; ( So sad someone would do that to an innocent little creature...

So he's in a big tank now - with newspaper, a water dish, a basking log, and food bowl, and i got the two lights i was told to get at the pet store... one that simulates sun, and the other a red heat light. He's been eating LOTS of crickets, and downed the mealworms i gave him rather quickly. Finally ate some turnip greens last night, with carrot slivers...

Thinking about what i want to put in the bottom of his cage... i like the idea of slate tiles - but cutting to fit may be hard... someone mentioned shelf liner - but i don't want it to look crappy either...

Any tips and things people have learned along the way would be awesome to hear!

OH - - One other question - - i can get him to ride around on my shoulder, but he burries his face in my neck. Should i worry about him going vampire on my neck - or does this mean he is content??? (i think he was handled alot before i got him)...

 

[Germ]

Glad to hear that he has found a good home. Pet stores are not the best places to get info on these guys & are notorious for giving misinformation. For example, the red light, BDs thrive on Bright White Light, similar to the sun. A white or clear bulb is a much better choice over a red one. What Brand, type & strength of UVB bulb did they sell you? What size tank?

A few good links to help get you started ...

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

UVB Setup

Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?

How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

Good Luck

 

[MichelleGordon]

Well, the red light they said to get is a heat lamp and is on continuously, and then i have the white light that is supposed to simulate the sun... which is only on during the day... I will check brands and powers when i get home, and let you know. My tank is 70 gal (possibly a 60)... Should i get a different heat lamp bulb?

 

[smackey]

Hi welcome, nice cute beardie you got there. Its good you found him before its too late. Ditch the red light and get the reptisun 10.0 ubv. And dont worry he wont bite your neck lol. He likes you and wants to cuddle. Just watch for the claws it can get long and sharp.

 

[smackey]

Well, the red light they said to get is a heat lamp and is on continuously, and then i have the white light that is supposed to simulate the sun... which is only on during the day... I will check brands and powers when i get home, and let you know. My tank is 70 gal (possibly a 60)... Should i get a different heat lamp bulb?

What you need to get is a basking bulb 75w-100w depends on the size of your viv and the reptisun 10.0 strip light. They both need to be 12 hr on and 12 hr off. There is no need for additional heat at night unless your house gets below 65F.

 

[Mrs. LuLu]

We used the stick on linoleum tiles for the bottom of our beardie's house. You can cut them with a utility knife.

 

[Germ]

Stick on tiles are not a good choice, the heat can & will soften the glue, which can release fumes that would not be beneficial to the BD.

I agree that night heat is not necessary, providing that your ambient room temps do not drop below the mentioned temps at night. Night lights of any color will bother most BD's sleep. Should your ambient room temps happen to drop below the mid to low 60sF at night, then a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) with an inline dimmer or thermostat should be used for night heat. Heat with no emitted light, set just high enough to take the edge off. BDs should be allowed to cool down at night, as it does in their natural Desert/Scrubland habitat, slows their metabolism down for a good nights rest.

FYI: It buries into your neck because that is where it finds the heat, close to the temps it needs.

BTW: Great looking BD.

 

[Josh]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on adopting that little guy. He does look great and I'm sure he's a lot happier now that he has a loving home.

 

[mish13]

Nice lookin dragon you found. Im sure he's happy you saved him ! Congrats

 

[MichelleGordon]

Here are the two lights i bought. I've been leaving the red light on 24/7, and the white light on only during the day... I appreciate everyone's comments and help!!!

 

[Ron G]

The Coil UVB bulbs are really bad for bearded dragons. Go onto Google and look up just how bad they are. I would get rid of it immediately and replace it with a fluorescent tube instead. The coil UVB bulbs can burn the eyes of bearded dragons. With all the research and negative reviews of them I don't know why stores continue to sell them.

 

[Germ]

Setup properly, coil fluorescents will work & do the job quite well.

@MichelleGordon - There is nothing wrong with the UVB bulb that you have pictured, if that is the type of bulb you wish to use. The previous poster is misinformed. While there were issues with some Coil bulbs 7 or 8 years ago, these issues have long since been rectified by the manufacturers & setup properly are quite safe to use.

While I also prefer the tube type fluorescent UVB, compact UVB bulbs will do the job if the setup warrants that type being used. There is a lot of inaccurate info on Google about these guys.

Once again, it would be much better to use a a white or clear bulb for heat instead of the red one & not use night heat/light at all if your temps do not drop below the mid to low 60sF at night.

 

[Ron G]

Go on Google and research compact coil UVB bulbs and make your own decision. I had one in the beginning and quickly got rid of it after reading all the negative things about them. The Reptisun 10.0 Florescent Tube Light is the one I use. Why even take a chance. Can the previous poster please explain to me how I am misinformed about this.

 

[Germ]

Simple, of the thousands of these bulbs that are sold, there are very few substantiated issues reported & the ones that are, generally are more a setup problem than an issue with the bulb itself. Many on this forum use them & we have had no reports of issues.

It is purely personal choice as to what works for your setup. Just because many, like myself, choose to use the tube type, does not make compact style a bad bulb. I do not recommend Zilla products, but the ZooMed & ExoTerra are fine.

Again, setup properly, there is nothing wrong with using a compact style bulb of sufficient strength as a UVB source.

 

[Ron G]

Based on your response you are admitting something bad can happen with this type of bulb whether it is the bulb or setup. Again why take the chance? Would you want your Bearded Dragon to be in the few something happened to? In addition, just because nobody had any reported problems with this bulb in this forum does not make it totally safe. Manufactures are still selling electric heated rocks in pet stores and are they safe? I would really like to hear other people's opinions to this serious issue.

 

[Germ]

Fluorescent tubes, MVBs or compact UVB bulbs, all pose similar risks. Issues have been reported with tube type bulbs also & many with MVBs, but again, more often than not it is a setup issue & not necessarily the bulb. No type of UVB bulb is totally safe, if not set up properly. With any type of UVB bulb, there is always the chance of receiving a bad bulb that may have slipped through the quality control process.

I am not saying that compacts must be used, any more than I am saying tubes must be used, it is simply personal preference & what suits your individual set up. But to say all compacts are bad, is just Wrong, period.

@MichelleGordon See
UVB Setup

 

[Ron G]

Ok. Not trying to be argumentative but I have only heard this type of bulb having such conflicting point of views. I just think everybody should do their research and make their own decisions.

 

[mish13]

Hi Michelle , my name is Michelle too I would take Germs advice . He is a very knowledgeable and experienced bearded dragon owner. Read through the links he posted for you, there is a lot of helpful info. You'll have to find what works for you and your dragon. I am using the Repti sun tube right now but I have used the compact UVB in your pic for over a year and never had any issues with it . Like Germ said , setup correctly it is a fine bulb to use. For your heat source i would use a basking bulb like ...

You can also just use a regular household bulb or halogen for heat instead. You'll have to play around with the wattage to get the temps you need.
Good luck with the little guy and thanks for saving him !

 

[Bushmaster11B]

MISH is right! I spent $13 for heat/light source for my BD. $4 porcelain light fixtures, $5 Phillips spot light bulb (halogen) and $4 for pack of 2, Incandescent bulbs (mine are 40w). So my heat source for my particular enclosure uses a 40w incandescent and a 45w phillips spot light. My UVB is a bit more expensive. It consist of a fixture ($10 at Home Depot), 18" for a T-8 florescent tube bulb. I strongly recommend to use Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulbs($28). They are made in Germany and are better made than the Exo-Terra Japanese brand. 6 Months and they should be replaced. I have mine about 10" from basking area for maximum UV exposure. They only get 100 degrees, so I'm not too worried about my BD getting bit by it. Next is my heat source for night. I used to have just a 60w black heat bulb from Zoo-Med. However, my BD seemed to be distracted at night and was not getting his rest. So I immediately replaced it with a Ceramic Heat Emitter that I bought for $24 along with another porcelain light fixture ($2). Then I got real fancy and bought a Zoo-Med Thermostat Controller with 2 outlets. This set me back for $32 shipped from Amazon.com. Total for all heating enclosure materials..... about $109..... a LOT cheaper than going with expensive UVB and Mercury Bulbs (dual Purpose). I shopped around too. That's the key!

 

[MichelleGordon]

So say that i stick with the 10.0 UVB Compact Flourescent - and set it up properly - - how would you "know" that it was causing a problem?