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.
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.