Heating help?

Hi, I just thought I would post a question about this because I am not sure what to do or even what the problem is.

Basically, as said in my previous post, I bought my bearded dragon (his name is now Frank!) 5 days ago (it'll be a week on tuesday). But, as of yesterday and today, i've been having trouble with his tank temperatures. The temps were measuring a lot better when we first brought him home, and now it seems like I can barely get the temps above 95 and i'm not sure why as it isn't any colder in my house nor has his enclosure changed.

I use a Zilla brand day white bulb for basking on the hot side, and he has a zoomed 10.0 uvb bulb. As of late the hot side has read, on average, only 85 - 95 degrees while the cool side is roughly around 83 usually, and i'm at a loss as to why. I'm using a zoomed temp gun to get the temps (it's this one if you want the specifics: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiTemp-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B004T57EWE) The enclosure is a 40gal if it matters, and he has paper towel in there right now. The lights are on top of the screen lid, but that didn't seem to lower temperatures before.

Any suggestions as to how to bring the temperatures back up? Also, he hasn't eaten as much yesterday or today as he did before, could the lower temperatures be affecting that..?

I've seen that sort of thing happen with some of my bulbs in the past. It seems like they burn in for a little while and kind of settle down to a temp after burning hot for a bit. It may not be a thing but I remember observing it. How far away is your basking spot from the bulb? If you can safely raise part of the basking spot toward the light (don't go more than 6'' or so and definitely well out of reach to prevent burns) you may be able to bump the basking site temp a bit without increasing the cool side temps. If it's enough space he can move around and self regulate his temps. He wont *always* need that 100 degree basking spot but it should be available if he wants it along with a nice gradient.

If it's of any importance, here's a picture of his enclosure: http://i.imgur.com/AYztEnN.png

There isn't much in it at the moment, but it'll be improved upon soon. That's not what's worrying me right now though - is the lighting and setup safe?

It looks like there are enough hides and shade areas in there for now. He'll likely outgrow that tank in a few months though. The one thing I'm seeing that could cause a problem is the compact UVB bulb. Those emit a very narrow beam of UVB so the entire basking area isn't exposed. They also provide dangerously high levels of UVB close up but are relatively ineffective at a distance or to the sides. I recommend getting a tube style UVB light for now. In that tank I'd go with one of the 18'' T8 ReptiSun 10.0 bulb & fixture and mount it just inside the top so it sits around 6'' above the tallest basking spot. That will cast a nice even UVB distribution across the basking area. When you upgrade your tank down the road, it will be well worth investing in a T5 setup which is stronger/ has a greater effective range (more suitable for larger enclosures).

As far as heat goes, if you move the hammock over to the basking side and place it just above the half log, does that get up to proper basking temps?