Beardie and UV lights

[789]

Just looking for opinions on what light I should go with for my beardie cage.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/beardie-box.jpg

It is 6 foot long, 2.5 foot deep, and 2.5 foot tall. The basking platform is to the right and is less than a foot high and about 14 inches from the heat bulb.

I've used Zoo-Med Powersun 100 watt in there which I found out heated the enclosure up too much but the beardie didn't seem to mind. It broke after about 3 months of use and I had lost the reciept and never sent in for warranty. I had pretty good results with it.

When it broke I went to the Exoterra Reptiglo 8.0 that I'd bought and hadn't used. It gave off a very blue light and only lasted a few weeks. Is this color normal?

My fixture is 4' long. I'm debating between a fluorescent or two so that she gets uv the entire length of the cage. If it's supposed to be the blue color I would need to get one true light bulb and one uv bulb. That blue color made me sick. What is the strongest florescent tube since the cage is so tall?

The 100 watt bulb was kicking the cool end temps up into the 95 degree range. I only found out because it fried a box of superworms I stuck in there to keep them warm. It turned out that neither of my thermometers were working. I have a fan I plan to install which should help keep temps down some, but my dad isn't a fan of paying to heat up air and paying for the a/c to cool it back off.

I was looking at www.reptileuv.com at the mega rays. It will cost me the same to get one of those as the powersun, other than I was hoping to return the broken bulb to zoomed. Does anyone have the external ballast lamp? I was looking at that so the cage didn't get so hot, but I'd have to add a heat lamp in there too, then have 2 devices creating heat. How much heat would the external ballast create?

Thanks

[JBReptiles]

I really like to reptisun 10.0's for my desert animals. It is made my ZooMed inc. I order mine from www.reptilesupply.com I have to order a new one soon.

[789]

That's the one I was looking at if I got the fluorescents. Does it have a real noticable blue tint? My 8.0 did, but I think it was messed up. It burned out at both ends.

Problem is that my cage is 2.5 feet tall and the furniture isn't quite a foot tall. I'm not sure how much usable uv she'd get from it.

[JBReptiles]

They recomend that the UV light fixture is no higher then 12 inches away from them. But I say give or take a little. I would call reptilesupply they are really good.

[789]

12 inches on the 10.0? I read they were good down to 20. With my enclosure the highest basking space would be a little over 20 inches. I might have to call them up.

[AneesasMuse]

I can't remember which I bought for little Hugo recently, the 8.0 or the 10, but whichever it is... it has a blu'ish effect. Also, from everything I've been reading on UV light for Beardies, etc. ...the bulb should be changed frequently even if it isn't burnt out. And I'm not sure if the UV requirement differences for adults vs. juvies are related to the allotted space between light and animal, (in our case, cuz Hugo is a juvie... *read tiny... his light is just 6" above him), but there is evidence that the UV is not even effective after certain distances. Of course, some brands and types are better than others.

Nice viv... where's the Beardie? :D

[789]

In a corner of the house sleeping probably. I'll show some photos later on. About to get kicked off the computer :(

[789]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/IMG_0129.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/IMG_0122.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/IMG_0124.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/beard.jpg

[ReptileChick]

What a gorgeous beardie! But I'd get the reptisun 10.0, unless you are wanting the MVB (which may be better in your case since the light will be 20" away). The recommended is 6" away from beardie when basking. The MVB is recommended to be at least 12" away. It isn't a tube. I'd get the 10.0 for the length of the tank, and the MVB for the basking spot. Maybe you can lower the lights a bit? Good luck!

[789]

I forgot to mention that those were in the fall of last year, she's a little skinny now after brumating. I must of been using the 8.0 bulb because her red/orange isn't hardly showing. The basking site is 20 inches or more from the fluorescents.

Two ways to lower the lights.
1. Move the light to the back wall of the cage and bring them down. I've heard this is bad to have the light shining onto the beardie from the side. Not sure how true, maybe because in most cages the lights would be too close. It would also cast the light like it is early morning or late after noon all the time being sideways I guess. I don't think I want to be looking straight into the fluorescents every time I look into the cage.

2. Suspend the fluorescent and let it hang down a ways. I suppose I could but I don't think I'd like the look of it.

Thinking of those things I'm probably best with the MVB bulb, also had great results. Has anyone used the Megaray? I had the powersun and it said you had to mount it straight up and down with no angle. I had the slightest angle to it and it burnt out in 3 months. Can you angle the megaray?

[AneesasMuse]

She's so pretty! I can hardly wait for Hugo to be a "big boy" :D

I'm glad you all are discussing the lighting thing here, too... I'm learning so much. Hugo is still small enough to be in a 20gL, but soon enough he's going to need a large enclosure and I need to know all this vital stuff before I start building it. Thanks! ;)

[789]

You're welcome. I'd advise a cage not so tall if you plan on using fluorescent bulbs. 4ft x 2ft x 2ft is minimum recommended if you are going to build one. Mine goes a bit beyond that and beardie still doesn't like it sometimes.

Let me know before you start building it and I can help you with plans, materials and what not if you need it.

[Reptile4life]

If you plan on making a cage that big make sure it is easy for you too access and clean. Use simple but elegant things like tile as a substrate, bricks as a basking spot.

If you plan on taking these things from nature wash them with DAWN and bake them.

For rocks, bricks etc bake at 400 for 25-30 mintues.
For Sticks and stuff bake for 350 for 25-30 minutes.

[789]

Good stuff. All my stuff is fiberglass or ceramic tile. I use sanex (sp?) which is like a hospital sanitizer then rinse it well. I remember baking sand though, that smells horrible.

Ok, New photos of beardie. Can it be sexed from this last photo?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/IMG_0724.jpg
Bath time

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/IMG_0753.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/kiethcox/Lizard/IMG_0754.jpg

[ReptileChick]

No, but when looking on the base of the tail, you will either see two bumps or one. One means female, two means male. He/She is VERY pretty!

Be careful baking rocks...they will crack under heat (trust me...lol). I use bleah, soak, rinse, and repeat. Then let it dry over night and if it smells like bleach, rinse some more.

[Reptile4life]

From the looks of your beardie it is a male.

[789]

The bumps behind the vent right? I can never tell with this beardie. Sometimes it looked like one, sometimes two, sometimes I can't tell that there is a bump. I gave up a while back as I'm not breeding, at least yet.

I've thought about it. I love beardies, but I'm not sure it'd be worth it. Definitly have to have a good roach colony going.

I've been thinking of an ackie, frilled dragon, water dragon, argetine tegu, savannah or black throat monitor. I'm kinda looking at moving up to bigger lizards, but who knows because it will be a while.

[Reptile4life]

Breeding beardies is def. not a thing you would go into just for them money and pleasure. It is 100% pleasure.

Big lizards are awsome there are some that are like kids.

[789]

Yeah, my aunt is the one that bought this beardie. She got it for herself hoping to teach her grandchildren about responsibility and caring for little things. The oldest, was maybe 8, had killed several lizards in her yard. I was pissed when I heard that and his dad spanked him for it. Good thing I wasn't there when the kid was doing it.

I momentarily forgot where I was going with this.

Well, I got my aunt and uncle to go to birmingham with me to go see a distant relative that we're close to, and when we were there I'm like, "hey, there's this reptile show going on, I want to go check it out." So we all went and see became obsessed with all the beardies and picked this one out. I got me a male gargoyle, I miss him, and we went home. I helped her set everything up, put him in my 20 long tank and got him crickets. Well, her grandsons are absolute horrors, payed attention to the beardie about five minutes before running off to find something to destroy. Multiple times they got the cricket container and released them all over the house.

Well over that time she got into wanting to breed them because i talked about wanting another garg to breed. I kept pointing out the high coloreds saying that you couldn't make any money unless you're breeding ones like that.

Personally I think I'd rather try lots of different species as to have a lot of one kind. Probably because I didn't get started with reptiles till I was 20. I was never allowed to have a pet of any kind as a kid. Just the family dog and cat.

How much do you think someone would pay for an enclosure like mine?

[789]

I found out my beardie is female after all. She laid 27 eggs tonight.

[juuniper77]

Thinking of those things I'm probably best with the MVB bulb, also had great results. Has anyone used the Megaray? I had the powersun and it said you had to mount it straight up and down with no angle. I had the slightest angle to it and it burnt out in 3 months. Can you angle the megaray?


I use the megarays in a variety of cages and they are great. The uvbmeter list I am on thinks they are the best as well, kicking out the most UVB. I am not sure on the angle thing though. However, I am going to be spending next weekend in texas at the same table as BobMac (the maker of the megaray). I will try to remember to ask him:)

jen

[789]

Which expo are you going to?

[juuniper77]

Which expo are you going to?

NARBC in texas:) (there is a thread on off topic about it)

jen