Keeping Good Basking Temp in Winter

[kbinder]

Hello all! This is my first time posting so please bear with me. First time bearded dragon owner. Got Tyler (yes my 6 year old named him) from a rescue organization about a month ago. Not much prior info on him. He’s about 14” long from head to tail tip and is very well mannered. Loves his crickets and Phoenix worms and only likes mustard greens and squash so far. He also drinks very well from a water dish. We have him in a 40 gallon glass tank with a mesh top. We use a Large Combo Deep Dome Lamp Fixture with ReptiSun 10.0 Compact UVB Fluorescent Bulb and 100W Repti Basking Spot Lamp. They are on a timer 14 hours on and 10 hours off. I use a Digital 2-in-1 Terrarium Reptile Thermometer Hygrometer With Probe that usually reads 98-102 degrees on the basking side and about 79-80 on the cooler side. However it’s recently gotten substantially cooler and now the basking temp is no higher than 90-92 degrees (cool side still no lower than 78). I’ve turned off the ceiling fan in the room along with having the central heat turn on at 73 degrees to warm the room up. My beardie is continuing to eat like a fatty, staying hydrated and not acting funny or turning darker but I’m still concerned his basking temps aren’t high enough. Should I change to a higher wattage basking bulb or maybe cover a portion (not all) of the mesh top to keep some heat in? I won’t use a under tank heat pad because they can malfunction. Any insight would be appreciated and sorry for the long post lol

 

[PatsyB]

How far away from the light is the basking spot? You could either raise the basking spot or get a higher wattage bulb. I live in the midwest and have multiple wattages of bulbs around my house for this reason. In the summer we do 25-50 watts and in the winter we bump it up to 50-75. My dragons are older so they need a lower basking temp.

Since you rescued your dragon and don't really know how old he is, I would make sure the basking temp is between 103-107 degrees. 14" is the size of a juvenile dragon. Your dragon could possibly be over a year old, but just didn't have the proper husbandry so his growth is stunted. It is possible that with the right lighting and foods, he will grow some more.

The other thing I wanted to mention was your UVB light. Compact fluorescent lights aren't horrible for temporary situations but you really should get a tube style UVB bulb and fixture. Compact fluorescents only provide coverage in a small area and you want your UVB to reach at least 2/3'rds of your tank. Also, compact fluorescents, especially if placed on top of a mesh tank, don't penetrated deep enough in the tank to give proper UVB. Most of us use a ZooMed T5 fixture with either a Reptisun 10.0 HO bulb or an Arcadia 12%. These bulbs can be placed on top of mesh and still give great coverage at the bottom of the tank.

 

[kbinder]

So I replied to your other post but now seeing this I have another question. If I get the correct UVB light will I have to change the fixture his basking light is in? It’s in the deep dome combo fixture and that takes up the back half of his mesh top. I’m posting a picture for reference. His bulb is 100 Watt so I’m going to try to raise his basking spot....will probably have to get him something taller since I’m not sure if I can put his rocks on something else.

And Yes I am changing his substrate over to tile or shelf liner TODAY! I had no clue that the sand substrate was a big No No for these guys. While he’s in the bath we will get it all cleaned out and changed over.

 

[kbinder]

Also how many watts on the ReptiSun 10.0 HO bulb? I’m seeing 24W and 39W....

 

[PatsyB]

Sorry I am soooo late here You don't have to change the dual dome fixture. That can stay the same. As far as the wattage of the Reptisun goes, the wattage is determined by the length of the bulb. So just pick a bulb that is the right length and don't worry about the wattage.