A little guidance please...

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a pet shop owner talked me into getting a 160w PowerSun mercury vapor bulb for my beardie(adult male). I've replaced them a few times and even had one almost electrical fire. Do I really need a bulb of that caliber or did I get screwed?

 

[Rainbow Bearded Dragons]

As longer as your temps. are running around 105 under the basking (Mercury Bulb) down to the bottom of the cage and you have a cool side of under 85 degrees your fine..What are your temps. running at ?


Tamara

 

[MythicalDragonz]

Electrical fire? Sounds like the bulb is too much for your lamp. I would get a regular heat bulb (75-100 watt) and pick up a Zoo Med Repti-Sun 10.0 Florescent Tube for your UVB, the Power sun is suppose to be a two in one bulb but it actually has been proven unsafe for Bearded Dragons . If you want to stick to a bulb like that get a Mega Ray and a deep dome fixture that can handle higher wattage.

~Steve

 

[hhmoore]

This thread has been moved to the Bearded Dragon discussion forum - please take a couple seconds to find the appropriate forum, rather than posting in the classifieds.

 

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the electrical fire happened from using a powersun bulb in an older, plastic socket, instead of ceramic. it just made a popping noise then started smoking. no biggie.

what can I use to accurately check temps? is a stick-on thermometer good enough?

 

[jellyfishrhythm]

what can I use to accurately check temps? is a stick-on thermometer good enough?

Stick-on's are ok if you're looking for a ball-park figure, but an infrared temp gun is the way to go for the most exact/accurate reading - when I got the temp gun for my reptile brood, I noticed a difference of 3-10 degrees between what the stick-on gauges said and what the actual temperature was.

Of course, these stick on temp gauges could've just been malfunctioning, haha, but the infrareds are ridiculously accurate - we use them in my molecular biology lab at work (chemicals/samples need to incubate to the tenth of the degree, so they must be accurate!)

I'll look for the model I use and post a link for you.

Hope this helps!

- Stephanie

 

[DragonVenom999]

The sticky thermometer and 160 watt mvb in the plastic bulb mount sounds like a primo setup to me.


not sure why your having issues

 

[dragonluver83]

As longer as your temps. are running around 105 under the basking (Mercury Bulb) down to the bottom of the cage and you have a cool side of under 85 degrees your fine..What are your temps. running...Tamara

Best info to follow!

Electrical fire? Sounds like the bulb is too much for your lamp. I would get a regular heat bulb (75-100 watt) and pick up a Zoo Med Repti-Sun 10.0 Florescent Tube for your UVB, the Power sun is suppose to be a two in one bulb but it actually has been proven unsafe for Bearded Dragons . If you want to stick to a bulb like that get a Mega Ray and a deep dome fixture that can handle higher wattage.

~Steve

Breeding for 8 years? How do you tell the op to get a 75 - 100 watt heat bulb when you dont know the size of the enclosure??? You can be over or under heating this persons enclosure off your under informed information! . Which could cause serious harm to the bearded dragon.
The bulb does sound alittle much for the fixture but it sounds like the op needs a higher watt bulb to properly heat the dragons enclosure. So If you need a higher watt bulb, step up your lamp fixture to properly supply your lights.
Also a 10.0 uvb is NOT need for an adult bearded dragon. Babies, yes they need the uvb. Adults, not so much... Besides its not only whether or not what uvb it is, but also how high off floor of the cage, the fixture is set. If you read the package the 5.0 or 10.0 tube lights come in, It tells you once the light is so high from the ground that dragon is only going to absorb so much of the vb light!!!

Stick-on's are ok if you're looking for a ball-park figure, but an infrared temp gun is the way to go for the most exact/accurate reading - when I got the temp gun for my reptile brood, I noticed a difference of 3-10 degrees between what the stick-on gauges said and what the actual temperature was.

Of course, these stick on temp gauges could've just been malfunctioning, haha, but the infrareds are ridiculously accurate - we use them in my molecular biology lab at work (chemicals/samples need to incubate to the tenth of the degree, so they must be accurate!)

I'll look for the model I use and post a link for you.

Hope this helps!

- Stephanie

This was a good observation! sticky thermostats are NOT accurate! get a temp gun. I think if you snoop around online you can find them for $45 bucks, shipped..

The sticky thermometer and 160 watt mvb in the plastic bulb mount sounds like a primo setup to me.


not sure why your having issues

Once again, If you dont know the size of the enclosure the dragon is in, its not a good idea to "blind fire" what watt bulbs to use. He could go home an put a 160 watt bulb in his tank and kill his dragon.

Food for though - 160 watts is alot of light. If my man (the op) has a 30 gal. breeder tank, your going to have "fried dragon" for dinner. An he might not be happy with you or your info.
I think its great when some step in and help others, but the things you say or dont say could make a serious difference! Atleast take the time to ask questions and diagnose the problem, before you have your answer typed

P.S. I like the dragon art spread over the discussion forum.

 

[dragonluver83]

a pet shop owner talked me into getting a 160w PowerSun mercury vapor bulb for my beardie(adult male). I've replaced them a few times and even had one almost electrical fire. Do I really need a bulb of that caliber or did I get screwed?

To be honest I do not like these bulbs. I like what I know and thats normal heat bulbs and the tube lights for the uvb.

I think these two lights and fixtures are cheaper than this one light and its fixture. Someone tryed to be smart and combine the two lights into one. Not a bad thought, but has this light source been tested on b.d.'s? if so, what was the outcome? before I got some crazy off the wall lighting system I would want to know more about this lighting system, and its effects on the dragons?

Also the question here starting for me would be what size cage are you heating? and whats the temps? the sticky thermostats are junk, get a temp gun. Easier and faster!

IMO, yea he probably took you for a few bucks, but thats typical pet store business. was it like a 60 dollar light?

 

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http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/images/smilies/ack2.gifyes-$60 just for the bulb, and i have replaced two of them. it's about a 50gal( it's funny dementions-16hx18wx36L...comes out to 10368 cu. in. which equals 44.88gal, so call it 50 gal?) right now my big male is sitting right under the heat lamp, on top of a big half-log, probably 6 inches from the heat lamp. both dragons-i have two in same enclosure, 1.1, are very active, healthy dragons. My only concern about the enclosure it that they are constantly digging at the edges/corners, standing up against the side and scraping the glass, and sometimes when my males head-bobs, he does it close to the glass he smacks his head...never harmed himself yet, but I'd rather be pre-emptive than search for a rep-vet at 2am, right? I don't know why they do this. I have a pair of king snakes, 1.1, in another glass enclosure right beside them, but the snakes don't seem to mind(they can see one another-they're only separated by a few inches. Could the dragons be upset by their neighbors?

 

[jellyfishrhythm]

it's about a 50gal( it's funny dementions-16hx18wx36L...comes out to 10368 cu. in. which equals 44.88gal, so call it 50 gal?)

Those are the dimensions of a 40 gallon breeder. - I have my uromastyx in one, it's a pretty great size tank, and it fits PERFECTLY on this coffee table from Wal-Mart, makes a great stand!

ANYWAY...I know that I used to have a problem with my male and his reflection, believe it or not. He'd see himself and start blackbearding like crazy, with nobody else in the tank, and one day, I tested him with a mirror...and sure enough, he was getting all grumpy with himself! I painted the back and two sides of the tank with a dark color (brown, matches the substrate/decor!) and it seemed to alleviate the situation. No more crashing into the glass, and no more sore nose. My other beardies never seem to notice their reflection, so I suppose it's up to the individual (granted, my others are female...and not nearly as boisterous).

Also, how big/old are the two beardies you're housing together? A lot of the time, beardies prefer to be solitary (unless they're breeding), especially when they're older - and they could easily be stressing EACHOTHER out. Stress marks (dark spotting/striping on an otherwise white belly/throat) aren't always a great indicator, a lot of beardies get them for no discernible reason, but have you noticed any?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but the more information we have, the better help we can provide

- Stephanie

 

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steph-
the male is maybe 2. he's a citrus with red/orange beard-got him for free from a random encounter at pet shop. They were bought for this guy's two sons, they thought it was great for a while, then they started playing youth hockey and daddy got stuck pooper scooping for the lizard, so we got him. And I have often thought it might just be a reflection thing...instead of paint, could i just buy one of those printed aquarium/vivarium backdrops?

The female is a little smaller than the male, about a year and a half. Got her as an infant/juvie from pet shop-no missing fingers/toes but looks like she lost a tiny bit of tail to her litter-mates. now than you've brought up stress, she's not eating like she used to-still eats every time food is presented, just not as enthusiastically as when she was little. Maybe because they are together.

Buddha(male) often bites/mount Sam(female), but I have not seen the hemipenes come out yet, so maybe just dominance? We only put them together to save tank space because our collection grew-we got a pair of king snake hybrinds(male, king x milk x corn; female, king x milk) from a carnie who didn't have space for them anymore because she lived in the van she drove for the Fair. That was in August of this year, and the beardies have seemed to co-hab happily since then. no fighting at the food dish, over crickets, hornworms, or the occasional treat pinkie.

 

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Also, male is 8in to anal pore, 18 overall. female:7in to anal pore, about 13 overall. maybe more, she was wiggling a lot at the time.

 

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I was also considering ditching the calcium substrate I'm currently using. I really like how well it holds and disperses heat, but i hate the dust it causes. i have dust allergies, so every time i pooper scoop, it causes a cloud and I have to open a window just to breath. On the same note, I hate that the dust gets all over my beardies! I have to bathe them just to see how pretty they are, because the dust just makes them look grey? is there a way to clean the calcium substrate, like hose it down and strain it, or does it just have these problems? I've used coconut husk before, but i don't like the mess it makes trying to expand the stuff. Should I just go back to newsprint?

 

[jellyfishrhythm]

Hmmm....where to start...haha

I use a combination of ceramic tile and very find repti-sand for my adults, always paper towels for the little ones. The ceramic tile holds the heat really nicely, doesn't create dust, and, it looks neat! Hosing down the calci-sand will be a looooong and arduous process, namely because it'll take a long time to dry completely and to become usable again. I don't have problems with dust and the repti-sand, but substrate is an ongoing debate, I'm sure every person on here will recommend something different! If your substrate is creating that much dust though, I'd definitely ditch it - respiratory problems could ensue for both you AND the critters!

I'd separate them. It couldn't hurt. I don't anticipate separation anxiety, haha, especially since the male is older and a teeny bit larger than the female. If there's mounting/restraint going on, and no breeding (she may not be at the breeding stage yet), she's likely stressed. I understand the concept of saving cage space - that's why I've moved to the stackable enclosures. They're awesome, and generally constructed just for the purpose of housing heat-loving herps.

...I know it's bad to anthropomorphize reptiles, haha, but think about it - - - if a bigger, older man was running around your house, constantly biting your neck and trying to mount you, wouldn't you be stressed?

And yes - one of those pre-fab aquarium backgrounds would serve the same purpose as paint.

...also, I'm still laughing at the carnie/snake hybrid story, it's just funny contextually.

 

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Carny Story Explanation

The whole thing started with a phone call from my wife's best friend..."you have snakes right? Would you want another one?" To which, I said, "What kind?" The answer was, "I don't know, but you can meet the snake lady if you want."

So, an hour later, I'm in the middle of the carny RV city on the far side of the fair-this was right in the middle of the yearly county fair-talking to a lady who had to put her dogs back in her van before we could start talking. Then she went back into the van, came out with the male snake, handed it to me, and began to tell me how it's hard to have snakes when you live in your van and travel with a carnival. Can't always find a hookup for her van, tank takes up too much space, etc.

Basically, she was getting rid of the male because the female is about 6 years old, the male is 2 and won't leave her alone. She said he was always harrassing the female snake-they seem fine to me-so she would trade the male, and the enclosure for a 20g long tank. After many phone calls to various pet shops, I came back a few hours later to tell her that i couldn't find a long 20g anywhere. So she counter-offered with this, "Well, I'd really miss my girl, but if you'll take them both, you can have them. And I'll even throw in the tank-won't need it if I don't have any snakes!" Two hybrid kings, and a ZooMed 35g tank(opens in front-I've seen them upwards of $150), complete with a heat lamp and stand, water dish, and a plastic tree, for free. AWESOME!!

Since then, everytime someone sees the snakes, they ask where I got them. "From a carny." "Like where you get the ping-pong ball in the bucket and you get a guppy?" "No, like I stood out back behind the damned Ferris wheel, bartered half the afternoon and wound up getting the everything you see there." laughs every time.

PS-my adult male citrus beardie with a bright orange beard...also free!

 

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Pics of the snakes in question...

Top pic is Patches, male, approx. 2yrs, hybrid-king x milk x corn(so i was told by the carny). Bottom is Apple, female, approx. 6 yrs., hybrid-king x milk(ditto!).

 

[jellyfishrhythm]

Wow, haha, I've heard of acquiring reptiles in strange ways before, but the carnie RV park takes the cake. I've gotten "free" reptiles before (AKA: "I don't want this anymore, and I know you won't say no" reptiles) - but never from carnies. In any case, they're both quite cool looking, especially Patches. I'm not really much of a snake person....yet. I'm working on it! Actually picking up my first snake EVER from Repticon in January.

I'm stoked.

Any luck with the beardie issues? Moved anything around and solved the stress issues?

 

[DragonVenom999]

the 160 watt bulb in a plastic receptacle is a bad move no matter what size enclosure you're working with


luckily you did not set the room on fire

 

[jellyfishrhythm]

the 160 watt bulb in a plastic receptacle is a bad move no matter what size enclosure you're working with


luckily you did not set the room on fire

...I avoid plastic fixtures at ALL costs.

You're not using plastic anymore, right Ned?