heat lamps

Question
QUESTION: Hey Tracie,
im a new owner of two bearded dragons. i have two heat lamps that are metal instead of the ceramic ones. when i turn on my metal heat lamps that hold the basking light and the warming light, it seems to get really hot and start to melt the plastic that goes through the center of my screen lid. i was hoping you could tell me if the ceramic heat lamps would do the same thing please.

-sabrina

ANSWER: Hello Sabrina,

You will need to get the ceramic based light fixtures.  They can handle substantial heat.  You can get them rated for 250watts & higher.  So no, they wont melt like the plastic ones do.
What type of UVB light are you using?  What type of basking light do you use?
What are the temperatures in the tank right now?  

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: the UVB light is one of the long tubes and it isnt very hot. i have a 100W basking light and it is made especially for bearded dragons and the tempertures in my tank at the moment is 80 degrees F at the bottom of the terrarium on the basking light side. the hight of my tank is 24 inches.

and ive also been hearing different things for leaving the crickets in the terrarium over night. i hear that they can nibble on your bearded dragons and give them sours or injure them slightly or i hear that it will be just fine... im kindof confused about these two things.

thanks
-sabrina

Answer
Hello Sabrina,

What brand is the UVB light, it should be stamped on the base or the end of the bulb.  How far away is the UVB light?  Also, if they are housed together, you most likely will not be able to house them together successfully for very long especially if they are 2 males or a male & a female from the same clutch.  Two males are to territorial & a male & female will breed way too young.  If they are from the same clutch, they will inbreed.

The basking temperature is not high enough at 80.  What do you measure the temperatures with?  A stick on type of thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun?  The recommended basking temperatures are 95-110 & the cooler end around 78-82.  The basking light should be around 6-10 inches from them to ensure the basking spot is warm enough.  The tube bulb should be placed directly beside the basking light to help protect the eyes.  

No, crickets should not be left in the tank with them for extended periods of time, especially overnight.  They will most definitely bite them overnight while they are sleeping & can chew off eyelids, toes & fingers causing terrible infections.  It is not worth it.  The easiest way to feed them is to get a large plastic bin to feed them in.  Put just a few crickets in at a time, feeding them one at a time so they don't have to compete for food.  Give each one of them at least 10 minutes to eat each time they are in the feeding bin giving them ample opportunity to get enough food.  If you put too many crickets in the bin, it can overwhelm & scare them so don't put anymore than 5 or so crickets in the feeding bin at a time.  Feeding them in a bin eliminates all chances of cricket bites.

If you want to leave any food in the tank for them, try getting some phoenix worms, or some butterworms for them so you can just leave them in a feeding dish in the tank so they can eat them when they want to.

Tracie