Couple of Questions

[italiangurrl]

I just bought a new cage from diycages.com for my beardie, Dragon. (Idk if its a boy or girl so I'm just calling it Dragon for the time being lol) I've read on a few sites you can use just a regular light bulb for heat. Have any of you done this? I know someone who did this with an iguana and it ended badly. This cage is pretty big 24"H*48"W*24"D so the heat hasnt been as high as it should be. The hot basking side has been no higher than 83ish, and I know it should be in the high 90's. I am planning on adding another light for heat this weekend. Do you think a regular bulb would be okay instead of the expensive bulbs from say, *****?

Even with the temp low, he's still eating and drinking and very active.

He seems to really enjoy mealworms and his crickets, but isn't too fond of the vegetables. He'll occasionally eat some peas if I feed him by hand, or some collard greens. But when I leave them in his food dish, he says no thanks. Is this normal? I know he's supposed to eat more insects at this age, but I thought he would still eat more veggies. Another site said mealworms are a no go because of impaction but he doesn't seem to have any problem in that area.

Thanks for taking the time to read!!

 

[acpart]

For the basking spot, any kind of light is OK as long as you can get into the high 90's or higher I believe. If it's not hot enough you will need to either (or both) use a higher wattage/raise the basking area so it's closer to the light. You also need a UVA/UVB florescent and the best kind (unless you're going to use mercury bulb) is the Reptisun by Zoomed. I use the 10.0 24" long. I've read in several places that it is not good to use the compact florescents and they have been detrimental to the dragon's eyes.

I've never had a juvie dragon but I've read in a few places that they often don't eat their veggies when they're young. Just keep offering. You can even try to hand feed more of a variety. My 7 year old beardie spend most of the winter and early spring refusing her veggies but is back into it again.

Aliza

 

[Tony C]

Regular light bulbs are fine. I use Halogen flood lights from Home Depot for my Beardies.

 

[lizard_of_aus]

I use 100 watt clear house bulbs, and my enclosure is as big as yours is. They are a lot cheaper than reptile bulbs, and it keeps my dragons basking side between 105-110 degrees. His cool side stays at 80.