A Moving Basking Spot

[BeardieBaptism]

Hi Guys,

Would a moving basking spot over the course of the day negatively impact a bearded dragon?

I'm wondering, if you had a large viv and were able to maintain tight control of the temps across it at all times, could you have something like 2 or 3 basking spots set on timers that move from one side to the other over the course of the day? (with only one basking bulb on at any one time)

Wouldn't this imitation of sun movement encourage activity across the viv as beardie follows the hotspots until lights out?

Anyone tried this or know why it shouldn't be done?

 

[CooperDragon]

In a relatively small space (compared to their native habitat) I probably wouldn't do this. I do try to imitate sunrise and sunset a bit by automating my lights to ramp up and ramp down at the beginning and end of the day (feature built into some of the thermostats) and I wait a bit for the UVB light to come on after the basking light goes on (and vice versa before "sunset"). You could take this further by increasing UVB intensity with multiple lights but I think this is overkill. As far as space/location goes, just create a gradient of heat and of UVB across their tank and they will move around over the course of the day on their own. They don't always want to bask, don't always want UVB, etc.