New bearded dragon owner need light help!!

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Cricket08

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I need help on what the best basking light would be for my 8month old bearded dragon. Shes in a 30 gallon tank ( I know, I know its tiny) I will upgrade when I can! When I adopted her they told me she had stunted growth she shes about 9 inches or so including her tail. A vet said shes full grown. The basking spot is about 12inches from the top. I have a reptisun 10.0 UVB inside the tank which is glass. But what is the best thing to do for basking light Right now I have a floodlight 50w. Which i thought didn't give out enough heat so I added another heat bulb I had. I need to invest in a temperature gun. I was trying to do as much research as I could for about a week but the shelter had to clear out all their animals. I've only had her for a couple days and she seems to be doing well. She is shedding at the moment and just today she stayed away from her basking area and hasn't ate. The other days went great so I just kinda got worried. Thank for any help :)
 

CooperDragon

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At 8 months she won't be fully grown. They can continue to grow until out around 2 years in some cases. She may remain on the small side but I would continue to offer her bugs daily to give her protein to continue growing. For a basking light, I'd just use a PAR38 halogen flood light. You can change the height of the bulb to adjust the heat over the basking area and cool side. You may need to play around with different wattages to get it just right. It really comes down to temperature gradient. You want the basking area to be around 100-105 with a gradient down to about 75-80 or so on the cool side. If the lighting is producing that range and is putting out a nice bright light then it should be good. A temp gun is a great investment. You don't need much either. Something like this will do the trick nicely https://www.amazon.com/Nubee-Temperature-Non-contact-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00CVHIJDK
 

Cricket08

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Original Poster
CooperDragon":3nut2ewn said:
At 8 months she won't be fully grown. They can continue to grow until out around 2 years in some cases. She may remain on the small side but I would continue to offer her bugs daily to give her protein to continue growing. For a basking light, I'd just use a PAR38 halogen flood light. You can change the height of the bulb to adjust the heat over the basking area and cool side. You may need to play around with different wattages to get it just right. It really comes down to temperature gradient. You want the basking area to be around 100-105 with a gradient down to about 75-80 or so on the cool side. If the lighting is producing that range and is putting out a nice bright light then it should be good. A temp gun is a great investment. You don't need much either. Something like this will do the trick nicely https://www.amazon.com/Nubee-Temperature-Non-contact-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00CVHIJDK

Thank you so much for the help! I just got a IR thermometer and her basking area was anywhere between 96-108. I''m a little worried cause she hasn't been basking or eating. Not for that long this is only day 2. But i'm new to this. It seems like shes shedding on her tail and feet. I read this could be stress?? I have been feeding her insects and all that. But not since she lost her appetite. Do you think the basking spot was to hot? By the way ive read some people gave them baths but I don't think were there yet. She skittish and scared and had been hissy with people. But I decided to take the time and tame her. She has let me pet her head and tail but gets skittish with her body. Any idea? Thank you so much for your time.
 

CooperDragon

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That's a good range for the basking area. She'll move around and get what she needs at any given point in the day. The shed can definitely have her more agitated than usual and put her off food. Just keep offering and let her dictate when she's ready for food. I agree that if she is still skittish I would avoid baths because that can cause unnecessary stress. Just be calm and patient with her. It may take several months for her to adjust and relax around you but I'm sure she'll eventually settle in and be happy in her new home.
 
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