Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We are new to the site/frillies, but not reptiles. Currently have 1 Ball and 4 RTB's..Two Comments then a question or two..

1). THIS SITE ROCKS!!...
2). MISSY...Get your site up and running. Dang it!!

We got a frilled dragon at the Atlanta show earlier this month. I have done ALOT of research, but still have some questions...several but I will start with a lighting/heating question.

Started Grissom (he better be a male) in a 20 gallon for the first 2 weeks...Temps and Humidity were easy to keep at perfect.

Swapped some enclosures around and put him in a 55 gallon/screen top. In the larger enclosure humidity was not a problem (Central Georgia...Lucky me)... But temps were. After trial and error I currently have this set up...

Well first, here is my questions.
1. What is too bright for their eyes?

2. Can I use red flood at night for heat? Some say they cant see the red light

I am using one (1) GE halogen 90w flood and one (1) GE 85w RED flood ......This combination got the temps perfect....The halogen looks bright..is it too bright??

Can I use the red light at night for temp control? .....Temps in enclosure stay at ..JUST at 65...at night without the red light...when Mr. Tight Wad turns down the heater...

(Side note for anyone who cares...Wife and I are in love BIG TIME...she hunts deer and hog with me..loves what I love..I love what she loves....BUT...SHE WANTS THE HOUSE AT 80 ...I want it at -10...LOL This one and only thing may cause a divorce......Actually she is the one that INSISTED we get Grissom and I am SO GLAD SHE DID..)

Anyway, Whats TOO bright?...Red at night?

You will see many more questions from me, when I cant find the answer in the 100 care sheets I have read through.

Thank you in advance for your oppinions!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave and Kelly.....(Dont tell Kelly I just turned down the theromatat again)

The quick answers are:

1. The light can't be too bright.
2. Red doesn't bother them as long as it isn't too bright.

Long answers:

1. They love sunlight and there is nothing that you can put over them that will be brighter than sunlight and not be so hot that it will cook them. I have tried halogens, incandescents, linear UVB tubes, CFL bulbs, mercury vapor (both external and internal ballast) and metal halide. I'm now using a lot of Exo-Terra 10.0, 26W UVB bulbs plus an incandescent mostly for a little daytime heat. They are more active and perky the brighter the light. The metal halide was the brightest, but still wasn't even close to the brightness of sun or even an overcast sky.

2. They can see red. If I shine a bright red flashlight on a sleeping frillie, they will wake up. We used to use Zoo-Med 60W red bulbs over a 20L and later a 29L. We have the cages in our bedroom, and we had a problem with the red light at night, not the frillies. We now use the T-Rex 60W Heat Safe heat emitter and the Zilla Night Black 60W bulb, which emits a faint purple glow.

I don't see in your post any UVA and UVB source. I hope that wasn't an omission as they really need both.

This is why I love this site. Thank you for your answers and comments.

I did omit questions about UV lighting because I thought I had good info on that issue. I have a 24" Zoo Med 5.0 UVB. But you said they need UVA also? Most of the care sheets did not mention UVA, just UVB....Dang it...LOL Will I be OK with just the UVB untill bulb replacement time?? ( 4 to 6 Months? )

I have been thinking about using the Mercury Vapor bulbs for heat and light. Do they give off UVA and UVB? And I do see a UV Meter in my near future.

Everyone else, feel free to continue to comment on your thoughts on this subject.

Thanks again,
Dave

Like most reptiles, frillies need UVA and UVB.

They actually see in the UVA spectrum, so UVA is important for their mood, feeding etc. It makes things look natural to them.

UVB, as you know is needed for vitamin D3 synthesis.

The 24" Zoo-Med 5.0 is a good bulb. I have used the 10.0 and found it to work well over frillies.

I've used the self ballasted MV bulbs, they work well, but for now I like the Exo-Terra 10.0 26W CF UVB bulbs mostly because they work well with my cage setups. In 3 of my large cages, I use 7 of the 10.0 bulbs and 1 60W heat lamp. The other cage has 3 10.0, 1 metal halide and 1 heat lamp. The MV bulbs are pretty directional and with my cages it's hard to get good illumination across the cage without using so many that it gets too hot.

A UVB meter is a great thing to have, as well as an IR thermometer.