Basking temperature

[Slunk]

Hey there, new to the forum and bearded dragons. I just got my first baby bearded dragon and this forum has been really helpful getting his (her?) enclosure dialed in.

He is in a 40 gallon enclosure. I am using an exoterra reptile cave for him to bask on top of and hide inside. I am adjusting the basking lamp so the top of the hide will be 110f however I wasn't expecting that he would enjoy climbing up my foam background so much where the temperatures will obviously be higher than 110. Can I assume he will not overheat himself climbing up closer to the basking lamp which is suspended a couple inches above the screen top? Thanks!

 

[Eavlynn]

Leave it to a baby to get himself/herself in trouble in their enclosure! If the basking spot is 110F, which is a tad high, they can definitely get way too warm climbing closer to the heat source. You may want to remove the foam background, or move the heat lamp closer to the front of the enclosure and away from the background. Beardie baby proofing so to speak!

Also, welcome to the forum and congrats on your new baby! You've joined a fantastic community of caring and helpful individuals, welcome to the family

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Slunk]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome!

Here I thought I had everything ready to go and he has to go scaling walls right away. The background is actually his preferred place to sleep! I thought he was stuck for the first night but he keeps going back. I thought I read babies like it a bit warmer, about 110 but I can dial it back a bit. I have not seen him by the light on background but I will pivot the light away from it. Thanks again.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Welcome to the fun of babies they find the funniest places to sleep.. you'll just need to watch the temps and watch where your little one likes to hang out, each dragon is different on what temp they like.