Lighting Concerns

[jthmdepp]

I've been struggling to find a basking temp that Kuja likes. If it reads around 105 she's always gaping while underneath it. If it reads 100 she still gapes underneath it.

She won't gape anywhere else in the cage except for a few minutes when she first gets under the basking light. Is this a bad thing? I heard gaping is normal so they can regulate their temps, but should she be gaping every time she goes to sit underneath the light? She doesn't gape the whole time while basking, just for the first minute or so.

I'm just confused because some sites are saying its normal don't worry about it and others are saying I need to adjust the temp. (I went out and got a dimmer and I'm still having no luck finding a temp that she will not gape under)

 

[ClydesGirl]

I don't think you need to worry if she is gaping while basking. If she were uncomfortably hot, she could just move. Clyde gapes a lot when he is directly under his basking bulb, the temps are about 103-104 there. But I have another rock directly next to his basking rock and he will sometimes just move over to that, so it's a little cooler.