Beginner hot spot question

I tried to search for this but cannot find the exact answer. Any help is greatly appreciated.

About a month ago I got my son a bearded dragon. We both have enjoyed having him more than we ever could have guessed. We have him in a 40 gallon breeder. Everything has gone great with him, and he is growing great, but I have struggled with the lighting some. I have tried a number of different bulbs and still am struggling to get the hot spot heat right.

I have learned that many people use regular household bulbs, or halogen bulbs for heat. This seems to be an economical route. I have tried halogen but got the closest to perfect temps with a 125w br40 bulb in a dome over the screen, along with the UV light, in the enclosure. The UV light hangs directly over his basking spot. The basking spot reaches a high of around 102 degrees. First question. Is there anything I am missing? Is this combo of bulbs ok?

Second question. 102 is lower than suggested but my beardie is not even going there. He spends most of his day on a nearby log that is in the mid 90's at the hottest.is there any reason to keep experimenting with bulbs trying to raise the hot spot an extra couple degrees if he doesn't go there anyways? Should I move the UV bulb further away from hot spot? He doesn't seem "blinded" or bothered by the light like others have described but he definitely prefers the cooler area more, and I just don't know if it is as simple as he likes a little less heat.

He seems healthy in every way. Temp is checked with a heat gun and backed up with dial thermometers. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

My wife's Bearded dragon (dave) we keep in a 40g breeder also. We have tried the normal house hold bulbs but never found one that worked as well and most of those you have to go higher watts to get the same heat.

Last week we had to replace his bulb so we decided to get a new fixture also. We had a large 8" one but we got a new 5" dome so it would focus more heat down a little better. We are using a 75w Exo terra bulb we got for $10. The smaller dome made a huge different I had to move the light up to get the temperature right. His old basking spot was on a log about 3-4" off the ground but now he won't go there because it's too warm. I'm thinking about putting a dimmer switch on the light so I can get the temperature just right Dave likes it about 96-98 degrees. With as many lights as we run paying a little more for a light that will draw less watts in the long run pays for it self.

I really wish I could find a economical way to do UVB but the best option I have found is get a 24" T8 grow light from walmart ($12-15) and put a Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB bulb($25) in it. I keep the UVB near the hot spot so he can get both at the same time.

Hope this helps.

That's very helpful, thank you. If he is not going to the hottest spot, then it sounds like there is no reason to try to raise it another few degrees.

I agree they can tell if it is too hot and will move. If yours isn't basking in the center of the spot it could be too warm. I know some bearded dragons like different temperatures so maybe your guy likes it in the 90s.

All that is assuming we are only talking over heat heat not under tank heat. They can't judge that well and will get burned from UTH.

Correct, there is no UTH. Unless he starts spending some time in the >100 area, I'll leave it how it is. It is only 102 in a very small area and the tank seems to have a good temp gradient so I think it should be good.