trouble with temps....

[macymac]

After the devastating loss of our 1st beardie Voldemort after having him for a week,(vet thought possibly neuro problems) we decided to give it another go. We adopted Jack last Monday and so far our experience this time has been so much better. Jack actually eats and is a busy little beardie. Despite his missing digits on one foot and a cropped tail, we love this little guy/girl. We have a 40 gallon tank with a powersun 160 watt bulb. the 1st week, basking temps were around 105. Humidity was a little high, 50's so we added a fan to the room and now humidity during the day is at 35% but temps are now 90 in basking spot. We keep a little bowl of misted veggies, but no water bowl.

I added a 75 watt bulb in addition to the powersun which is set up about 12" away from his green tank hammock. Still only gets to 98. Is there any tricks or tips I can do to raise the temp just a bit.

 

[PatsyB]

Some people put a sock full of rice in the tank to help lower the humidity. You could try using that rather than a fan in the room.

 

[Elders]

Happy to hear that you are giving it another go!

Jack looks like such a unique character!

Just a quick observation; I would recommend a tube UVB instead of the coil that I see there. Coils i've read so many cases of causing star gazing and other ocular issues.

I use this guy for my 40Gal.
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

24" is perfect for 40Gal.

For temp retention I use a layer of aluminum foil over the mesh it holds the heat in and I can fold it back to relieve heat as necessary.

Also works well for humidity. (Although it's started the rainy season here in NY and I have high humidity today.) (Going to try the Rice Sock)

Keep us updated with a lot of pics!

 

[PatsyB]

Happy to hear that you are giving it another go!

Jack looks like such a unique character!

Just a quick observation; I would recommend a tube UVB instead of the coil that I see there. Coils i've read so many cases of causing star gazing and other ocular issues.

I use this guy for my 40Gal.
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

24" is perfect for 40Gal.

For temp retention I use a layer of aluminum foil over the mesh it holds the heat in and I can fold it back to relieve heat as necessary.

Also works well for humidity. (Although it's started the rainy season here in NY and I have high humidity today.) (Going to try the Rice Sock)

Keep us updated with a lot of pics!

She's not using a coil UVB, she's using a MVB which is okay. I like you prefer the tube UVB.

 

[Elders]

She's not using a coil UVB, she's using a MVB which is okay. I like you prefer the tube UVB.

Ahh I see, thanks for the correction! I thought that little doodad lamp in the front was a coil...

Ever since the days of snake keeping a always go for tubes.

 

[jarich]

I thought I might clarify something that should help out with your decision. You often will hear people state that high humidity causes respiratory infections. There is a piece of that puzzle missing though. It is not the humidity itself that causes the respiratory distress. The problem is that sometimes, high humidity can cause what are referred to as fungal blooms. This happens when you get a combination of factors working together (warmth, poor ventilation and moisture) that are ideal for fungus to thrive. When that happens, you end up with a lot of fungal spores in the close quarters of an enclosure, which is then constantly breathed in by your lizard, and THAT is what actually causes the respiratory distress. Humidity itself actually helps with air transfer in the lungs and so you always want some. Its why we set up humidifiers in the winter or in dry locations. The surface of the lungs must remain moist for air transfer to happen, so too low humidity can be just as problematic, if not more so over time. This is true for lizards too, and why you dont want to go too dry either. Dragons are adapted to reducing water loss in many ways, but as all animals breath, they also lose moisture through breathing. Its one of the reasons why they burrow (burrow humidity is around 90-100% rH) With your enclosure set up the way it is, with the screen top and open air transfer, tile flooring, etc there is basically no possible way you could get problematic fungal blooms. Though you cant see it, those basking lights are heating up a lot of air and moving it up and out of the enclosure rapidly.

So the point Im trying to make is that the previous humidity level you had it at was not a problem. Anywhere between 35%-65% is absolutely fine as long as you have ventilation and a clean enclosure. Feel free to shut the fan off and your lizard will be just fine.

 

[macymac]

I will definately do tube lighting when this light goes. I don't like that it can only be in a certain spot and its a pain to bask with because it needs to be 12+ inches away. Do i need to have a screen on top. I can get my temps at 102 in basking spot with a metal grate. Jack cannot get out. Is it safe to have the uvb light full beam. Its so much brighter without the screen filtering it.

 

[jarich]

They are surprisingly good at getting out, especially when little like yours. You can buy some hardware cloth (big gauge screen, thats about 1/2" between each wire) that is easy to work with but should still keep him from getting out. That really fine screen decreases the light by about 35 percent, so it does make it harder to light.