Rudis Temp and Setup

[ichbinkelsey]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here, and I'm so glad this forum exists!

I just got a new, five month-old CB male rudis (that's his glamor shot in the icon.) Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a ton of care information for these little guys, and specifically, I was wondering if you guys could answer some questions about temperature things.

-I live in Los Angeles, pretty near the ocean, and the temperature in my house stays a pretty consistent 75-80/day and 55-60/night. I started my guy off with a full-spectrum incandescent UVB, but quickly realized that got the enclosure too hot, so I've switched to a full-spectrum fluorescent UVB, which I turn off at night. This isn't emitting much heat, so his enclosure is generally about room temp. Does this seem OK, or should I switch back to a lower-watt incandescent?

-I couldn't tell if rudises like hotter basking spots or not--from my experience with veileds, I would think that they'd appreciate it, but everything I've found says that they tend to become unhappy in temps above 80. Right now, I've opted not to have a focused spot. Is this a mistake? If so, what do you recommend?

His enclosure is set up as follows: 2x2x4 screen cage, ficus/pothos plant/vines. Fluorescent bar on top. Mister + dripper, plus I mist by hand a couple of times a day. I have a not-great analog thermometer/hygrometer, so I'm keeping things pretty humid in there until I can get a more reliable digital. Seem OK?

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Greenstar]

Hello,

First off welcome to the forum. It sounds like your little cham is set-up perfectly, Rudis like temps between 68-82, at least in my opinion. I take mine out to bask in the morning and it really enjoys basking for 20-30 minutes. In an artificial envirment, it's really hard to recreate natural sunlight, it is however to relatively easy to place them out side. It sounds like you have the humidty taken care of. What are you feeding him right now?

Danny

 

[ichbinkelsey]

Hi Danny,

Thanks so much for your reply! I'm really pleased to hear you think my guy's setup is OK--all my experience so far is with veileds, and I wanted to make sure I was adapting things correctly for my new pal.

I've got a portable sunning cage on order from LLL right now, so as soon as it gets here, I'll start giving him some outside time. Do you think I could do this totally in lieu of a basking spot? Do yours like to bask when they're not outside?

The store I got my rudis from was feeding him exclusively on crickets, but I'd like to start introducing some variety into his diet. So far, he's eaten crickets happily and has nibbled on a mealworm or two. He's ignored the fruit and veggies I've offered, but I've also not read much to indicate that they'll eat plant matter. Any advice on this?

Thanks again!
Kelsey

 

[dragonbreeder]

Hey guys, lets see some pics of your rudis. I always thought they were one of the nicest looking and interesting species...

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Generically, I'm tempted to recommend adding a bright incandescent bulb for its visible spectral content and overall brightness. A halogen type (cheapie) bulb will make it even bit brighter per watt used. I'm thinking that a "full spectrum UVB" fluorescent might not satisfy his mental needs. You can position it to add 0% to 100% of its heat as needed while still adding a decent amount of light. I'm assuming that you are not looking for any basking heat from it at the moment.

I'm just over here in Manhattan Beach if you ever want to stop by . If you want to snag lobster or dubia roaches they are $50 each eek or 50 for free . If you are close enough that the cost of gasoline isn't a factor, I bulk-buy silkworms (a few hundred) from time-to-time and split orders with friends etc. Same thing goes for W.E.R. gutload! (Sorry, I don't ship any of this stuff .)

Oh, I also do free fecal floats with my handy-dandy trinocular microscope. I'm certainly no vet, but it's nice to have an idea of what's up without having to make a special trip.