I hope to post some pictures later of Kaiah's (my bearded dragon) adventures outside. Since I still don't have a UVB light for her, although if all goes well should be getting one relatively soon, I have been letting her sit in the grass on the lawn for 15-20 minutes on warm days.
But today Kaiah, being the fast runner she is, suddenly ran over to a clover flower and ate the honeybee thereupon. Should I be worried that she's ingested a bee? Usually I keep a better eye on her and this is the first time she's successfully eaten anything from the great outdoors. She seemed to be fine and is currently basking happily under her lamp, back indoors.
Also since I'm looking into getting a lamp soon, where are some places/what are some good brands to look into for bulbs etc.?
06-10-2012, 05:33 AM, (This post was last modified: 06-10-2012, 05:41 AM by Ram.)
Eating a bee or two shouldn't be a concern. I'd be worried if she eat a bunch of them. Too much bee venom can be harmful or even dangerous. The greater risk actually is if she keep doing it, one of the bees might eventually sting her. It won't be pretty. I know it first hand...twice.
I've heard of dragons eating bees, I dint think it has ever worked out to be toxic. You may wasn't to check to see it didn't sting her in the mouth. How big was it, in relation to her? If it was very large, you may wasn't to bath get daily to make sure she can digest and pass it properly. Fireflies are the big no no's, they are very toxic. And hopefully the bee hadn't come into contact with any pesticides.
The best, most worry free, longest lasting UVB bulb you can get for your dragon, is a reptisun fluorescent tube, preferably the length of your tank. It will last you longer for the money, and you'll have far less headaches. You had a 40 breeder? So your best bet would be a 36" bulb and a 36" fixture. The one problem I have run into with 36" tanks is that most 36" hoods utilize 24" bulbs, and the ones that use 36" bulbs are expensive, normally $60+. Personally, I by shoplights @ Lowe's or home depot, its cheaper, and put those on top of the tank.
you could go with this 36" fixture & this 36" bulb, that will run like $87. Or you can get a 36" fixture at lowes and save &30-$40. Allot of those are "direct wire", so you will have to attach an appliance cord to it. Let me know how much you can spend and I'll help you pick if you would like.
And, I know that site had cheap reptisuns, Ram said petmountain had them cheaper I think, so shop around and get the best price on the size reptisun you need. I know the site I linked had fee shipping on orders over $50, and I cam always find something else I need when I order a bulb.
I have to add a note that I did not try to eat the bees. Since I mentioned I had "first hand experience...twice".
If a bee sting can deal that much pain to a human, it could be terrible for a small creature like a bearded dragon. Definitely avoid letting your bearded dragon being around the bees.
Yes, http://petmountain.com has the cheapest prices on most items. Shop around is always good. Do not forget to use coupon code.
Fishbone, I could spend between $60-$80 give or take a few bucks. The cheaper the better, obviously. I did some brief shopping around on various hardware store websites and the prices on 36" lamps are so far pretty comparable to the one in your link! I will continue to look, I basically just skimmed through so who knows what I've missed. But if I can't find anything much cheaper I will probably just go with the bulb/lamp pair in the links, or something similar from petmountain, etc. You get the idea
As for Kaiah, the bee she ate was a bit smaller than your average adult cricket; honeybees are pretty small compared to other bees and wasps. It didn't have a chance to sting her and today she is her usual rambunctious self, ate her supers with no problem, etc.
Also, that bulb is pretty sweet, Ram! I was looking more for a strip light, though, logistically it would work better than two round lamps competing for room at the hot end (no place to clamp, lamp just sits on the screen.) Also she'd get UVB regardless of where she's at in the tank.
But that does remind me of a question I have regarding bulbs. First, the school (and for the moment, my own lamp) just have standard 60 Watt white light bulbs. I checked w/ temp gun at the school and the basking spot was 92 degrees at about 14" from the lamp, not too shabby for a standard bulb. So is there any significant difference between a heat bulb and a standard bulb if they both get hot enough for a basking spot?
For the heat light, any incandescent bulb will produce heat. The specialty bulbs that they sell for reptiles are sometimes coated with something or the other, but I have used almost everything over the years, & it rarely seems to make much difference. For dragons, I have been using GE reveal halogen floodlights, I like the colours. I do think a floodlight or a spotlight to be better, (I prefer floods), you get better control of a concentrated heat spot.
As for the mercury vapor type bulbs that Ram linked, they are very good UVB bulbs, & the powersuns may be the best of them, but there are two main drawbacks. They have a very strong UVB output, so you need to keep a certain distance from the animal. Since they function as the heat lamp as well, you need to make sure you select the right wattage to get the appropriate basking area temperature (100-105) while still having the bulb at the proper distance, does that make sense. And two, they are very fragile. They can blow out from even just a tiny amount of moisture or humidity, sometimes even the oils from fingerprints. Or just being shaken too much. And they are expensive, so if money is an issue, your better off with a fluorescent tube. That reptisun 10.0 will get you 6-12 months of good, usable UVB, you'd be lucky to get anywhere close to that with a MVB.
And for the fixture itself, I would take a walk through of your Lowe's, Home Depot, &/or Walmart. (I've had the best luck at Lowe's). You should be able to find a 36” fixture between $25-$35. It may be a direct wire unit, so you may have to attach a cord to it. For simplicity, the unit I linked above would be the best bet.
When you buy lamps, keep in mind some of the hardware stores charge sales tax, and they charge shipping free as well if you buy online. Those cost need to be added on the top of the actual item price.
From those suggested pet store links, you pay 0 tax. As well as Free shipping if you reach $50 or $75 depend on which store.
Outdoor Adventures with Dragons 
Since I mentioned I had "first hand experience...twice".
