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Need help!

B

Brenda777

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I need some help with some things. First by reading up on the bearded dragon and reading the threads out there I realize I don't have enough heat in my enclosure. I have a 48x25x25 enclosure I built with a Mega-Ray SB 100-WATT FLOOD LAMP on the basking site and a fluorescent on the other side. On the one side up top during the day time I get like 93 deg. and on the cool side like 73 and at night from 61 to 69 degrees. How much more lighting do I use to keep him at the right temp.? And at night is that too low and what do I use if it is? Also I noticed he had been shedding and found what looked like two bands around his tail that had not come off and looked like it was constricting so I kept wetting his tail and massaging it till it came off. But now he has 2 indentations and the color underneath his tail in that spot is different. Does anyone know if his tail will be OK?

Brenda :unhappy:
 
I'm not sure about the tail thing maybe a picture would help ..how long have you had him? it might have been a couple of layers of skin there that you ended up getting off .as for more heat at night you might look into a heat rock or a uth i found what are you using for a top? if it is screen maybe cover half of it that will hold heat in it better
 
Your night-time temps are ok. Dragons can safely drop into the 60's overnight as long as they warm up during the day. The cooler they get, the longer it may take for them to warm up in the morning.

As for your day-time temps - are you taking the temperature at the actual basking area? Or is your thermometer stuck to the side of the cage? A 100 watt bulb *should* bring your cage up to adequate basking temps.

Vickie
 
The top is solid except for a small area cut for the Mega-Ray SB 100-WATT FLOOD LAMP to sit ontop the screen. The front is also screen til I get the channel runners I ordered. I was told not to use a heat rock and besides he sleeps up top. At night I place a towel to cover most of the screen to help. As for his tail I don't know if you can see it since he is so small. He was 5 inches when we got him or her and is now 6 inches. So we have had him for a couple of weeks.

Brenda
 
My hole on top of the enclosure is made more toward the left center and the temp thermometer is attached to the driftwood at the spot he likes to bask. It was not directly under the bulb but real close. I moved the bulb as close to the thermometer as I could keeping it on the screen. It has now jumped up so far to 102.7 on the basking side. I thought it had been close enough to the thermometer but I guess not. How about the cool side? Is 77 ok?
 
Hi Brenda,
I looked at your gallery pics, is the flood light partially blocked because it doesnt seem to be putting off a lot of light. It would seem that the branch being that close to light it would be well over those temps. What are you taking your temps with. I recommend a temp gun from proexotics.com after getting one of those I have never thought of using anything else.
 
The light sits slightly off the screen on top because the bulb is bigger than the clamp lamp I have so I have it sitting on the edge of two narrow pieces of wood. It is directly over the area where the beared dragon sits. I have a probe thermometer attached to the driftwood he basks at. Where the wood is at and the hole I made for the top makes it hard to position the probe thermometer exacty under it. Its slightly now more twards the left of the bulb.
 
Oh I forgot to mention that the light on the left was the old bulb. I got the new bulb right after I took this picture.
 
102 is good for basking area, especially if it may be a bit hotter directly under the light, and 77 is great for the cool side. It just needs to be anywhere below 85... this way he can scoot around the cage to thermoregulate his body temp.

However, I strongly suggest that you purchase a dome light fixture that will house your bulb correctly and safely. You want to be very careful of avoiding the possibility of fire.
 
Thanks for your help. I was concerned that the bulb was sticking out a little but I hadn't seen in the stores a larger one or one that has a ceramic base that I was told has to hold the bulb I have. I will check online to find one.
 
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