How to raise basking platform

[Killa J]

I’m trying to set up a good hide/basking platform. I want it to be large enough for when the dragon is fully grown. I vastly underestimated how much stone it would take to make it. It ends up only being around 6” tall and already weighs 25 pounds. I don’t want to add a ton of extra weight, but I want to get it around 12” tall for UV and heating purposes. What is my best bet for making a 12” cave/basking platform?

 

[KarrieRee]

I’m trying to set up a good hide/basking platform. I want it to be large enough for when the dragon is fully grown. I vastly underestimated how much stone it would take to make it. It ends up only being around 6” tall and already weighs 25 pounds. I don’t want to add a ton of extra weight, but I want to get it around 12” tall for UV and heating purposes. What is my best bet for making a 12” cave/basking platform?

@CooperDragon

 

[CooperDragon]

Are you setting this up in a large enclosure? 12'' is a nice amount of climbing space, but would take up a lot of room (and add weight as you mentioned). Using stone might not be the best option if weight is a concern. Some people build platforms out of foam or plastic. There are some examples of these builds in the DIY section. I like to use flat pieces of wood (Driftwood works well) to provide basking spots. Most of my stuff is only about 6'' up off the ground though.

 

[Killa J]

Are you setting this up in a large enclosure? 12'' is a nice amount of climbing space, but would take up a lot of room (and add weight as you mentioned). Using stone might not be the best option if weight is a concern. Some people build platforms out of foam or plastic. There are some examples of these builds in the DIY section. I like to use flat pieces of wood (Driftwood works well) to provide basking spots. Most of my stuff is only about 6'' up off the ground though.

It’s a 24” cage. I could mount the UV inside the cage instead of over the screen, that would probably make 6” tall fine for UV. But there’s not a good way to mount the heat lamp inside, so I think it still needs to be taller. Maybe I’m just overthinking it

 

[CooperDragon]

It would probably be a good option to mount the UVB light inside if you can since that relies more on a fixed distance. A halogen or incandescent flood light should be able to provide proper temps from the top of a 24'' enclosure though. I have an 18'' enclosure and the lights are hanging over the top on adjustable stands. I move them up and down as needed, but they are usually about 25'' above the floor of the enclosure and 18'' or so above the main basking area. You might need to try some different bulbs/wattages, but you should be able to dial in the temps at the longer distance without needing to move the basking light inside.

 

[Killa J]

It would probably be a good option to mount the UVB light inside if you can since that relies more on a fixed distance. A halogen or incandescent flood light should be able to provide proper temps from the top of a 24'' enclosure though. I have an 18'' enclosure and the lights are hanging over the top on adjustable stands. I move them up and down as needed, but they are usually about 25'' above the floor of the enclosure and 18'' or so above the main basking area. You might need to try some different bulbs/wattages, but you should be able to dial in the temps at the longer distance without needing to move the basking light inside.

What wattage would you recommend? I currently use an Arcadia Deep Heat Projector, a UV bulb, and an Arcadia UV light strip. I’ve found the DHP works really well, but it doesn’t seem to work well beyond 12”

 

[CooperDragon]

It really depends and varies between enclosures. You'll need to try a few out and see what works best in your environment. I've used a 100w bulbrite halogen, a 125w westinghouse incandescent BR40 (I like these and they're cheap), and I've used 80w and 90w GE PAR38 halogen flood bulbs which work well but are heavy and relatively expensive. I like the DHPs too and find that they are great for topping up overnight heat in the winter. I like to keep the house cold so if I let it drop into the 50s in the house, the DHP will keep half of the enclosure in the low 70s (usually high 60s on the other side) which is just right for a dragon.