help with basking spot

[Bella313]

Hello,
I have a 4-5 month old beardie and all has been going well but as the temperatures have dropped I have needed to get him a higher wattage basking bulb. His temperatures are fine but I fear that his basking spot may be too hot and burning him. I got him one of those fake branches and it seems to get very hot to the touch. He also has a little climbing vine that is getting to small for him but doesn't get as hot so he seems to like it more. I tried putting the vine over the branch to see if that makes it more comfortable but he still won't bask there. I just wanted to know if anyone had any ideas of how to make his basking experience more enjoyable. Thanks

 

[ruben0311]

it seems like the main issue is the temperatures. You say that you feel like it is hot to the touch but what are the actual temperatures? what is your method of reading the levels?

 

[Bella313]

I use a thermometer from Walmart that gauges temperature and humidity. His temperatures on the basking spot range from 100-110 throughout the day. I'm thinking it may be the material it's made of.

 

[Stres]

I use a thermometer from Walmart that gauges temperature and humidity. His temperatures on the basking spot range from 100-110 throughout the day. I'm thinking it may be the material it's made of.

You might be better off with an ir thermometer to get an accurate surface temp if the one your using doesn't already http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/201370489423?lpid=122&chn=ps&adgroupid=39159866351&rlsatarget=aud-295856145004%3Apla-268911517378&adtype=pla&poi=&googleloc=1006815&device=m&campaignid=698622927&crdt=0&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F710-134428-41853-0%252F2%253Fmtid%253D1673%2526kwid%253D1%2526crlp%253D159563794253_563391%2526itemid%253D201370489423%2526targetid%253D268911517378%2526device%253Dm%2526mpre%253Dhttp%25253a%25252f%25252fwww.ebay.co.uk%25252fitm%25252flike%25252f201370489423%25253flpid%25253d122%252526chn%25253Dps%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D1006815%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D698622927%2526adgroupid%253D39159866351%2526rlsatarget%253Daud-295856145004%253Apla-268911517378%2526gclid%253DCjwKEAiA4dPCBRCM4dqhlv2R1R8SJABom9pHiz5GCntFgMiXN2OzMjXMhWdk9cqLUTltGc2c1MUWnBoCH1Hw_wcB%2526srcrot%253D710-134428-41853-0%2526rvr_id%253D1141353536004

And some slate rock made into a basking platform that can hold the heat without getting too hot to touch.
I use 3 Sat at different heights and have the temperatures range from around 95 to 105 degrees and find my dragon will often sit in all three places. I picked mine up at an aquarium store for a reasonable price.

 

[diamc]

Are you using a round gauge (dial) thermometer stuck to the glass? If so, those can be off 20 degrees or more. If the basking branch is very hot to the touch, it is too hot for him. You really need to get either a temp gun or a digital thermometer with long wire & probe end as those are the only 2 ways to get accurate readings.

 

[Bella313]

No it's not a stick on glass one, but it does not have a probe either I could not find one like that when I was there. Is there something I could lay over the branch to reduce the surface heat until I can find him a better basking platform?

 

[ruben0311]

remember that no matter what, for science reasons, you cannot heat a surface or object hotter than the specific heat source itself. That being said, in order to reduce the temperature of the surface of the basking spot, you will need to reduce the power of the heat source. A dimmer switch will let you fine tune the temperatures better than changing the substrate. changing the material will only help if it is large enough to diffuse the energy and transfer it to something else, so it does not build up, however the spot directly underneath the heat source will still be at that high temperature. Get yourself an IR temp device and check to see exactly how hot the surface is, then reduce the power on the light until you get a good level.