Heating Lamp Was Off After Feeding Bearded Dragon

[DRecord]

First of all, I have a Heat Lamp connected to a Dimmer. This Dimmer is what I use to control the temperature for the Basking Spot. However sometimes there is a short or something in the dimmer and I have to turn it all the way up for the light to come on back on. My Bearded Dragon is 3 Months old so I usually keep this at around 110 degrees. During the day at this temperature it is hard to tell if the Heat Lamp is on or off because the light is so dim, plus it is Red. I fed my bearded dragon a pretty decent sized meal around 8pm, basically until he walked away. I noticed he was sitting on the Basking Spot basically the whole time after he ate until bed time, 10pm, which is some what unusually. Once I turned the lights out and was getting ready for bed, and thats when I noticed that the light wasn't on. It is hard to determine how long he went without the heat lamp, but I know it was on before and after his last meal around 3pm. Somewhere between there the Heat lamp must of shorted out. He is now sleep and I was debating whether I should wake him up and make him sit on the Basking Spot to finish digest his food. I didn't do this yet, I am just hoping he will be okay. If I should wake him up please respond to this ASAP. Thank you so much!

 

[ShannyBeard]

Red heat lamps are not appropriate for bearded dragons, so good news: you can toss it and not have to wonder if it is on ever again.

For heat, they need a bright basking bulb that puts off light so they can see, and also to constrict their pupils enough that the UVB light doesn't damage their eyes.

Do you have a UVB bulb and another bright bulb? Or did you just have a UVB bulb and the red light?

 

[DRecord]

I have the Red Spot Light & The UV light. Should I get a different color?

 

[ShannyBeard]

I have the Red Spot Light & The UV light. Should I get a different color?

Get rid of the red spot light and get a reptile basking light or a normal household bright bulb. Avoid any normal household bulbs that have that full-spectrum coating, too. Just a regular bright bulb will do. I've always just bought the reptile basking lights because they do focus the heat into a small spot that is ideal for basking, but others will tell you that you can save a few bucks with the household bulbs.

Any time you get a new bulb be sure you check and adjust the temps so they are 100-105*F directly on the basking spot using a good probe thermometer or a temp gun.

 

[BotanicalStig]

The only color your basking light should be is clear. Not red, blue, black, or smoked white, just clear. You can use a household incandescent, or a "specialty" basking spot bulb from the pet store... As long as it is colorless it will get the job done.

Also, get a new light fixture/dimmer... No need to play with faulty equipment.