Hydrofarm Thermostat As A Safety Back Up

[Bettyboop12]

I plan to go out of town for a couple days and am a bit worried that my beardy's enclosure will get too hot. He is in a 4 ft by 2 ft wooden enclosure. He has a 50 watt heat bulb that is on a manual lamp dimmer and timer. I have been having some issues with the basking spot getting too hot and not hot enough. It's been a struggle to get my temps stable. But so far it's been staying between 100-106°F. My main concern is if it gets too hot. So I was thinking about using the hydrofarm thermostat as a safety back up. Have the probe under the basking spot and have it programmed to turn off the heat if it reaches 108°F. What do you guys think? I can't afford a herpstat. I know it will turn my lights on/off. This is strictly as a safety thing. Opinions are very welcome but please be nice .

 

[Taterbug]

I use hygrofarm for my snakes. It's not as accurate as the nicer ones, but it serves us well. Can you run it ahead of time and make sure it's not flashing the light on and off to often?

 

[Bettyboop12]

I use hygrofarm for my snakes. It's not as accurate as the nicer ones, but it serves us well. Can you run it ahead of time and make sure it's not flashing the light on and off to often?

Yes I can and I most definitely will. I just want to make sure this isn't like a big no no since he is my first bearded dragon. I am a newbie to all this. My other reptiles are nocturnal.

 

[Taterbug]

Thermostats are great, just not usually needed with dragons since it's relatively easy to control the temp with wattage or a dimmer. Also, the cheeper ones like the hygrofarm are on/off like you said so not so great for a sun lover like a dragon. For a safety device and for that peace of mind, it's a great idea.

One thought, after considering it a little more... The reading should be taken where the heat would be potentially dangerous. Under the basking spot, depending on what it's made of, may never get hot enough even if the basking spot does.