Hiding on cool side too much?

[CitrusTiger]

Hello! I have a young male Citrus Tiger who is about a year old. For the past few days, I have noticed that he has been spending more time on the cool side, and today I found him under the reprile carpet (terrarium liner substrate.) my mom said he had been there all day after about 10am

Why is he doing this? He eats fine, and drinks fine too. The High under the hot side of is tank is 103 degrees.
Here's some other info so you can help

Tank size: 40 gallong, long
Substrate: terrarium liner
Food: crickets and greens
High temp: 103
Low: 80
Size of Beardie: 20" (Citrus Tiger)
He has all the proper lights by the way
Thanks!!!

 

[diamc]

Hi, welcome to the forum. If you could answer some questions for us, it would help to rule some things out so we can help your guy.

What is the wattage of the basking bulb and is it a white or colored bulb? What brand & type of UVB are you using and how old is that bulb? Also, what is the distance of it to him when he's in the basking spot?

What type of thermometer are you using, digital strip, temperature gun, round gauge (dial) or digital with a long wire & probe end? Where exactly are you checking the temps?

Are you using any type of light or heat at night, if so, what do you use?

 

[CitrusTiger]

The heat daylight basking bulb is 100 watts I believe. It is a white bulb, and ài just got it about 3 weeks ago. The brand or UVB is a zoomed bulb, and that one is about 2 months old. When he is in the basking spot, he can be from 10" away to 6" away. His log has several different perches and branches so he can be right under it, or near it but still on the log. I am using a digital strip and a round gauge to measure the temps, and I am measuring them at each perch of his basking log, and the floor of the hot side, then the same for the cool side. I do use a light at night, and it is a red infrared heat bulb, and it keeps the terrarium at about 70-75 degrees. Hopefully I answered the questions well enough! He eats very well, and is not over fed. Thank you for the help

 

[diamc]

Thanks for answering the questions. Is the Repti-Sun UVB a compact or strip fluorescent bulb?

Good that he has several basking options & heights. I suspect the temps are off because the digital strip only measures the side of the glass & the round gauge thermometers can actually be off as much as 20 degrees if not more. The only 2 ways to get accurate readings are with either an infrared temp gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end. If there temps are off, they escape the heat which prevents proper digestion which can actually lead to an impaction & other health problems. Here's a picture of the Acurite probe thermometer that you can get at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's or even here at Amazon which will give you the basking SURFACE (most important to know) and cool side temp at the same time as well as the humidity level which is also good to know and it only costs about $12.00. http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instruments-Acu-Rite-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1399995521&sr=8-11&keywords=chaney+probe+thermometer

Here's a link to a few reasonably priced temp gun: http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Accuracy-Non-Contact-Infrared-Temperature/dp/B009RUPQGW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399995696&sr=8-2&keywords=temperature+gun

The red light may be keeping him from sleeping well as they can see colored bulb. If your room temp doesn't drop below 65 degrees, you don't need any heat for him at night but if it does, we recommend a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) which gives off heat but no light. You shouldn't need anymore than a 60 watts as they need it cooler at night. Here's a link to one: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiCare-Ceramic-Infrared/dp/B0002AQCPK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399995898&sr=8-2&keywords=ceramic+heat+emitter

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

[CitrusTiger]

Ok thank you! My room does get cool at night, so I will keep the bulb. I will try to change the bulb type though. Otherwise, does he seem alright? I love my baby citrus tiger, and he sleeps on me for about an hour when I go on my computer every night. I also have noticed, with all due respect, that the bulb does not keep him awake, and if it ever does, just for a few minutes
Again, thank you so much, I appreciate it!

 

[diamc]

So cute that he likes to sleep on you. They sure are great cuddlers. :lol:

Good that the red bulb doesn't seem to be bothering his sleep. Would be a good idea to make sure his back is to the bulb while he's sleeping though and that it isn't right over him.

I suggest that you get a better thermometer so that you know what the true temps are as he is probably hiding because the temps are off. Temps affect their total health.

Thought I would share this link to the site that shows the best greens/veggies to feed in case you haven't seen it. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

If you have any other questions, let us know.