EmberRising
Member
- Beardie name(s)
- Ember
I have a new baby beardie (4-5m old) and am having trouble getting the temperature right. I can’t get the air temp high enough and the surface temps are at their max. I am currently using a Philips 72w par38 bulb. (I also tried a Zoo med 100w repti basking spot bulb with similar results.) The ambient temperature at the raised basking rock is 93-97. Surface temp of rock ranges from 95-106. We tried using both basking lights (listed above) time, and still only got ambient air temp up to 99, but surface temps way too high. (And our house is not that cool - kept at 80 degrees.)
So the basking rock is close to max surface temp but ambient air needs to be higher - 100-105 for a baby, I think? Am I understanding this correctly? I am shooting for a basking spot air temp of 100-105 and a surface temp of 108-113? Anyhow, then I checked the reptile carpet underneath the basking rock and it’s 120!! Way too hot.
I’m trying both of my digital probes in the basking spot now, to see if one is way off. They both get similar readings. Tank is 40 gal, glass sides, mesh top. I’ve been thinking of putting some aluminum foil over screen to hold in heat? But then I worry about air flow. I have a dimmer switch I can use too but not sure how that will help my situation. Or do I need a different substrate? I will post enclosure pic. Please - any help would be appreciated!
So the basking rock is close to max surface temp but ambient air needs to be higher - 100-105 for a baby, I think? Am I understanding this correctly? I am shooting for a basking spot air temp of 100-105 and a surface temp of 108-113? Anyhow, then I checked the reptile carpet underneath the basking rock and it’s 120!! Way too hot.
I’m trying both of my digital probes in the basking spot now, to see if one is way off. They both get similar readings. Tank is 40 gal, glass sides, mesh top. I’ve been thinking of putting some aluminum foil over screen to hold in heat? But then I worry about air flow. I have a dimmer switch I can use too but not sure how that will help my situation. Or do I need a different substrate? I will post enclosure pic. Please - any help would be appreciated!