A new family member!!!

[Tera_R]

So I have now added another reptile to my very small collection lol I got a bearded dragon and I know this is a chameleon forum but I wanted opinions on the mercury ray uvb and uva bulb it’s an all in one and I feel like I should use two Separate bulbs but I’m just not sure I have a friend that has used these for years on his tegus and they are really happy and healthy but obviously different reptiles require different lighting so I thought I would ask

 

[nightanole]

The mercs and high pressure sodiums are not bad, but they are not reliable either. They are so bad they come with a "guaranteed to last a year" because they are self starting/ballasting and then they just prorate it. I do hear that the 220/240v ones do last alot longer than the usa 120v ones.

Or you can just get a 12%/10.0 arcadia/zoomed and be done with it. I have mine setup just like the chameleons. A dual bulb T5HO and a wide flood halogen basking bulb. I also am one of the few that still use a heat rock. I hear they are getting phased out, but mine are 20 years old and still going strong.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. I use a T5HO with an Arcadia 14% for my beardies uvb and a separate dome light with a 100w or 150w basking bulb to give them both the temps and uvb they need. I also like to sit outside in the sun with them at least a couple of times a week for some natural uvb and fresh air. I only last about 15-20 minutes in the heat with each one.

 

[Tera_R]

The mercs and high pressure sodiums are not bad, but they are not reliable either. They are so bad they come with a "guaranteed to last a year" because they are self starting/ballasting and then they just prorate it. I do hear that the 220/240v ones do last alot longer than the usa 120v ones.

Or you can just get a 12%/10.0 arcadia/zoomed and be done with it. I have mine setup just like the chameleons. A dual bulb T5HO and a wide flood halogen basking bulb. I also am one of the few that still use a heat rock. I hear they are getting phased out, but mine are 20 years old and still going strong.



View attachment 339371

I ended up just running to pet smart to get one I found a beardie forum and apparently the mercury bulbs can cause eye issues for them so I was like yeah NO

 

[Tera_R]

also I love your beardies they are super cute! If you have any tips for dealing with babies that would great ember is only 2 months so I wanna make sure he grows up healthy he’s currently on a good steady diet of like 30 small dubias a day with some greens all dusted with calcium I’ve heard that I’m supposed to alternate between normal calcium powder and then the stuff with d3?

 

[MissSkittles]

Have you seen that there is a beardie thread? https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/beardies.174985/ I don’t think it’s been very active lately, but many of us have other reptiles and share about them here.

 

[elizaann2]

What a beautiful beardie

 

[Tera_R]

What a beautiful beardie

Thank you!!! His name is ember

 

[kinyonga]

You said…”I’ve heard that I’m supposed to alternate between normal calcium powder and then the stuff with d3”…I always did the same supplements for my beardies as I did for my chameleons…dust at all feedings but two a month with a phos free calcium powder dusted lightly on the insects…on the remaining two feedings (spaced two weeks apart) dust with a vitamin powder, lightly that contains D3 and a prEformed source of vitamin A. Beardies are just as prone to MBD as chameleons are so we need to get the husbandry right.

 

[Tera_R]

You said…”I’ve heard that I’m supposed to alternate between normal calcium powder and then the stuff with d3”…I always did the same supplements for my beardies as I did for my chameleons…dust at all feedings but two a month with a phos free calcium powder dusted lightly on the insects…on the remaining two feedings (spaced two weeks apart) dust with a vitamin powder, lightly that contains D3 and a prEformed source of vitamin A. Beardies are just as prone to MBD as chameleons are so we need to get the husbandry right.

Yeah I just thought it meant like use one one day and then switch the the other the next and keep alternating?

 

[kinyonga]

Yeah I just thought it meant like use one one day and then switch the the other the next and keep alternating?

That would be too much D3 which will push her towards health issues.

 

[Tera_R]

That would be too much D3 which will push her towards health issues.

Gotcha