Mercury Vapor Bulbs

Hsm101490 · Postby **Hsm101490** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:00 am

Is a 100 watt Active UV Heat Flood good for a 40 gallon tank? It says the minimum distance is 12". That's good isn't it? Is spot lamps better than flood lamps? Should I use spot or flood lamp? I am using this bulb for heat and UVA/UVB so I don't need to buy anything else, except cage and etc. Are T-Rex Mercury Vapor Bulbs better than ZooMed Mercury vapor Bulbs?
Thank you!

Steve · Postby **Steve** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:27 am

That bulb I believe is a design borrowed from reptileuv.com so it should be excellent.

Hsm101490 · Postby **Hsm101490** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 11:50 am

Do Blue Tongue Skinks like crickets? I was thinkin I would put some of the ZooMed Repti Cricket, that is already dusted with repitive, into the vegetables/fruit. Will they notice the crickets in there?

Postby **Bird_Brain** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:02 pm

If you are goign to go with canned insects, I would go with the canned caterpillars or snails. Better yet would to be feeding live.

As far as BTS liking crickets, it depends on the individual skink. Crickets arent really that big of a meal for a BTS.

Also, check out the caresheet on this site. it will cover all your basic questions about owning a BTS.

Hsm101490 · Postby **Hsm101490** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:01 pm

What about mealworms??? Do I really need to give them a calcium supplement or what??? Another question, can I clean out the cage with dishwater soap that has some bleach in it, like 5% bleach, or can I use glass cleaner too disninfect the cage, or those clorox wipes that disinfect things??? I don't even know if glass cleaner disinfects things!

Leigh · Postby **Leigh** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:14 pm

Super worms are better,snails are best roaches in between, a little diluted bleach is all you need ,make sure you rinse well,and as said :btsnet:

is the law,and if you have a look at the caresheet here it will answer a multitude of questions you're dieing to ask :thumbs:

SailleSkinklover · Postby **SailleSkinklover** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:18 pm

Read the caresheet for food! Its the best. You can treat Blueys with crickets, but they're very very low nutrition, and can carry parasites. They are also very dry, so basically, worthless, like us eating cheetos.
Silkworms are great if you can get them this time of year, try Mulberry Farms.com. THey're nice, and easy to deal with in my experience.

Your best bet is to caresheet, caresheet, caresheet, then caresheet som more, and then maybe lots of Collard greens, Mustard greens, dandelion, and mango, figs, snails, boiled orgainc free range chicken, turkey burger, etc. Hardboiled/scrambled, and sometimes raw (VEEEERRRY MESSY!) eggs.
Oh, and the caresheet has some good options, too. Did I mention that the caresheet is helpful? :lol:

By the way, just saw the pic in your profile, boy you have a cute little tiny skink! Beautiful!

For cleaning, (Chuffers had a 20 gallon he lived in while I was treating for parasites) I used 7th generation biodegradable dish soap, and rinsed rinsed rinsed hot, and dried. Substrate was unprinted newspaper. Now he was being treated for parasites, (darned nasty crickets!) so I had to do this every day, plus bathing him.

Caresheet should maybe have some help on this too. Good luck!

Hsm101490 · Postby **Hsm101490** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:38 pm

Well, actually that is not my skink yet... but I am getting it before or after Christmas!!! It is really cute!!! So I am way excited!!! So, can I buy freeze dried Silkworms or do they have to be alive? Because Exo-Terra canned foods have the silk worms, but they are just dead...

Leigh · Postby **Leigh** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:29 am

see what the nutrient section on the can says,live are more natural and better but if you've no choice then they should be ok,Blueys like to hunt(mine does anyway)its all part of natures instincts and I believe they get good stimulation from it.

Hsm101490 · Postby **Hsm101490** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:20 am

Can I just hand feed the silkworms to the BTS??? How many would I feed him 1-3??? I finally looked at the caresheet, it is long... :shock:

Thanks for the advice!!! :ohyes:

KyleWeiss · Postby **KyleWeiss** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:17 pm

Hsm101490 wrote:Can I just hand feed the silkworms to the BTS??? How many would I feed him 1-3??? I finally looked at the caresheet, it is long...
Thanks for the advice!!!

Please read the entire caresheet and ask questions that AREN'T in there. It's long for a reason, because it's necessary information to care for your animal properly. If you aren't willing to read it, perhaps your attention to a bluey might be just as short...? Something to think about.

It's proper forum etiquette to not just jump in and simply ask whatever questions come to mind. We will help you happily, sure. Also, avoid derailing the subject matter of a thread with your own questions. This is also disrupts the flow of the forum.

Many thanks, and I hope you are doing plenty of research before you get your bluey!

KW

Chase · Postby **Chase** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 7:53 pm

How is he derailing his own thread by asking questions?

aggiegirl · Postby **aggiegirl** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:40 pm

I don't think Brad is saying the thread originator is derailing his own thread. I think he is referring to ADD types like me who start reading and then start asking questions of their own! Sadly, as I get halfway through a thread, I typically have forgotten what the original entry entailed! :oops:

If you want to feed live feeders, try the dubia cockroaches. (If you lived neaby, I could send you a goody bag of them!) They are cheap, easy to maintain/breed, and they have live young. They don't climb or fly. And, once you get past the gross factor, they don't stink as much or make noise like crickets. The caresheet will rank feeders for you but as the others have pointed out, crickets are a bit problematic (nutritionally, parasites, etc.)
Read up on the caresheet before you get the bluey. It is very detailed because pet stores don't carry good books and few employees are very knowledgeable about these beauties. Besides, once you get your bluey, you will want to be watching him!!!!! And, if you are like the rest of us, you will have even more questions!
Welcome!

Postby **Bird_Brain** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:44 pm

aggiegirl wrote:I don't think Brad is saying the thread originator is derailing his own thread. I think he is referring to ADD types like me who start reading and then start asking questions of their own! Sadly, as I get halfway through a thread, I typically have forgotten what the original entry entailed!

I think she means Kyle lol.

KyleWeiss · Postby **KyleWeiss** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:22 pm

The thread seemed going awry with a shotgun approach of general questions when the title led (at least me,) to believe it was about Mercury Vapor Bulbs. :noknow:

Sometimes people get a little excited when a knowledgeable forum answers questions and, like a poodle who's eaten the coffee grounds form the kitchen, ends up a piece of forum popcorn bouncing around.

It really was more to help the author get to the caresheet rather than keep on with this method.

-Brad

I mean...

KW

Postby **Bird_Brain** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 3:51 pm

KyleWeiss wrote:
It really was more to help the author get to the caresheet rather than keep on with this method.

-Brad

I mean...

KW

Chase · Postby **Chase** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:43 pm

Kyle, your new name is definitely going to be Brad. Forever and forever.

kristymac · Postby **kristymac** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:46 pm

SailleSkinklover wrote: They are also very dry, so basically, worthless, like us eating cheetos.

Worthless? There is something to be said for emotional well-being.

Oh wait....I better talk about mercury vapor bulbs before someone yells at me and makes me cry. :cry:

My Harley grew up with a T-Rex Active UV Heat 100 watt flood and turned out happy and healthy. His original tank was 12" high. Now he has an 18" high tank and a 160 watt bulb of the same brand.

Is your 40 gallon tank 12" high? If so, think your choice would be perfect. As for brands, I don't recall why I chose T-Rex over Zoo Med. Maybe it was price? I would tend to have faith in either brand, so I would probably base my choice on price.

Be sure to check the temperatures after you set up your tank and before you add your bluey.

KyleWeiss · Postby **KyleWeiss** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 3:22 pm

Chase wrote:Kyle, your new name is definitely going to be Brad. Forever and forever.

*shrugs*

I'm okay with that. At least its four letters, not much of a learning curve for me...

KW

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