Bearded Dragon Doesn't bask?

Hey fellow beardie owners.

My girl Luna has always been a problem child since I received him. Originally she was kept in a 4ft tank with her sister Nova. But Nova often dominated her when they basked, both climbing on top of each other so I went and got a new tank. I actually brought This tank from the tip and then cleaned it up, I never steam cleaned it just hosed/gurnied. I moved her into this tank when she was going through brumation about a month or two ago she woke up. Luna has always been a pain to feed no matter what but recently she has picked up in her feeding habits often eating a large quantity of crickets and the occasional meal worm as a treat to fatten her up as she was very skinny at one point.

I also want to say I received her around 5 or so months ago? Maybe longer I'm not too sure. The breader claimed she was 6 months old but she was never big and she still isn't. If she is actually 11 months old now she is extremely small for a central bearded dragon measuring in at 22cm while her bodie and head is only 8-9cm.

Enough about Luna and more about her tank. When originally made I had bricks as the basking spot but when I noticed she never basked I moved in the log from the 4ft tank where she use to bask.

This is when i first got the tank it looked like this now it looks like this .
The temperature under the basking spot is 36 Degrees Ceclius and the Cool side is 30.2C. The globe i use is a 75W Intense basking spot ExoTerra bulb I use to have a 100w Halogen bulb which I replaced because I hadnt realized how hot the temperatures were. I have a Tube Light holder but currently do not have a light tube in the tank as the last one recently blew and I have yet to replace it I use a digital thermometer to measure the temps but I dont know the brand as I got it off a friend.

I have tried tonight to keep putting her on the basking spot when she crawls down to hide, which is usually below the log behind the plant or behind the rock all squashed up, and she has managed to stay on the log for the longest ive ever seen her on it (She also almost always has stress marks)

Here are my suspects
1. What ever reptile was previously kept in the tank has left a strong scent that i cant smell and it is making her anxious
2. The tank is over packed, I originally thought this but after moving everything out she still wouldn't bask.
This is all I can think of I could use your guys help a lot and if you have anything to ask I will answer as fast as possible.

I also suspect it could be a result of it use to be to hot for her but it seems rather unlikely. The tank is 3ft btw it looks rather small in photos but it isnt in real life.

Oh and the lights are turned off at 8-10pm and turned on at 6-8am

Just altered the tank by swapping the fern for the rock to make the basking side less hide-able.

That setup looks really nice! It looks like she's basking on the log and darkening up to soak up the rays as much as possible. You might want to bump the temps on the log to between about 38-41 or so but still keep cooler areas away from it. It's also important to set up a good UVB light over that basking area. In a tank that size you'll probably want to use a T5 if you can get one. Otherwise you'll want to mount a T8 inside the tank so it's a bit closer and effective.

CooperDragon":1hg7f3km said:

That setup looks really nice! It looks like she's basking on the log and darkening up to soak up the rays as much as possible. You might want to bump the temps on the log to between about 38-41 or so but still keep cooler areas away from it. It's also important to set up a good UVB light over that basking area. In a tank that size you'll probably want to use a T5 if you can get one. Otherwise you'll want to mount a T8 inside the tank so it's a bit closer and effective.

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Thanks CooperDragon ! I'll have a look for a 80 or 90w bulb this weekend!(Or attempt to raise the log) As for the T5 I dont know if they are widely available where I am in Australia But ill check bunnings as well. I'll cut out an opening in the roof to let the bulb shine fully into the tank.

AmazingAmazon might be the only place to have the T5s. They're insanely expensive but last for quite a while so may still be worth the investment. There may be other spots to pick them up but I'll leave that for others to chime in on. If you can't find one, then a T8 should do or a UVB200 26w compact in a reflective fixture which should have about the same range of around 15-25cm or so (vs 30-40cm or so with a T5). Those should be freshened up every 6 months or so vs about a year with the T5.