Temps for juvie bearded

[ckyforever43]

i have a zoo med basking lamp that is a 50 watt. i have messured the temps at the tip of the basking platform with a prob. the temps are staying at 117 at the top and 109 around the side of it. are these ok temps for the basking spots. if not can i use a regular 25watt house bulb to try and lower the temps?

 

[JeffSimpson]

Hi, yes those temps sound a bit high. I think 100-110F is the ideal range for juvie's. I'd suggest raising the light, or lowering the platform if you can.

 

[Embee]

i have a zoo med basking lamp that is a 50 watt. i have messured the temps at the tip of the basking platform with a prob. the temps are staying at 117 at the top and 109 around the side of it. are these ok temps for the basking spots. if not can i use a regular 25watt house bulb to try and lower the temps?

The temps Jeff gave you are correct, 100-110 is best for the basking area for juvies (if your dragon is an adult, 95-100). However, it might be a good idea to understand exactly HOW you are taking temps and with what device? Are you using a device that allows you take temps DIRECTLY under the heat lamp, exactly where your beardies basks, such a digital with probe or infrared temp gun? Also, I'm unclear as to what "tip of the basking platform" means... is this to say that the 117 directly under the middle of the bulb or perhaps you meant something else... I just want to make sure we're following you so we can give accurate advice.

What is the SIZE of your tank and how close in is the basking lamp to beardie? The reason I ask is, that a difference of 25w will likely have you getting too low of temps, however it's important first to discern exactly with what and how you are going about gauging those temps.

Thanks! The extra information can help a lot.

Em

 

[ckyforever43]

its a 10 gallon tank. all i could afford to get right now. the tip is the highest point on the basking platform which is 6 inch tall and the lamp is 6icnh away from beardie. im using a digital with prob from zoo med. i cannot rasie or lower my lamp or platform but i have a reptostat but dont know if it would work with a basking lamp

 

[Embee]

its a 10 gallon tank. all i could afford to get right now. the tip is the highest point on the basking platform which is 6 inch tall and the lamp is 6icnh away from beardie. im using a digital with prob from zoo med. i cannot rasie or lower my lamp or platform but i have a reptostat but dont know if it would work with a basking lamp

Ok, I'm getting a clearer picture now, thanks. When you said "tip" I was imagining "edge" as in the edge of the platform, but you meant highest point of the basking area. I was pretty sure that was what you meant, but when it comes to temps, you want to be clear, for beardie's safety. Good that you're using a digital with probe. Do take care to leave the probe in place for 45 minutes BEFORE reason temp to give it time to peak and level off. This will give you a more accurate picture of what is going on for beardie directly under the light.

The lamp is awfully close to beardie. Ideally, no matter the wattage, you'd have it at a longer distance, for safety reasons. I understand however that in a ten gallon it can be a challenge! I'm thinking though that a 25w lamp would be too low of wattage to get proper temps. I haven't used a reptostat myself (as of yet, we're in the process of getting a similar device for our ball bython), but it's my understanding that they can be used for a variety of different heating devices, including basking lamps. Perhaps it's worth a try? If not, is it possible to try a wattage in between, such as a small household flood lamp, 40-45w?

Just a couple of suggestions there. Heating a small tank can be a challenge... even if you are able to get some decent basking temps, you might find getting the full temp gradient more difficult (85-90 mid, about 80 cool side). We used a 15g early on and it was a regular battle to get things right in the tank. It was a relief to upgrade when beardie was a bit older, to a 40 breeder.

A Tip: if you start checking Craigslist, you might come up with a larger tank for beardie to grow into at a decent price. Under proper husbandry they tend to have need of it very quickly!

Best of luck and let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

Em

 

[ckyforever43]

i just tried the reostat thing and it works ont he basking lamp now im gonna let it set and see what i can come up with. yeah 10 gallon is a pain in the butt. near the basking side it gets around 90 95 and in the middle its around 85 86 and the cool side is around 81 82 im getting the hang of it haha this is my first beardie

 

[Embee]

i just tried the reostat thing and it works ont he basking lamp now im gonna let it set and see what i can come up with. yeah 10 gallon is a pain in the butt. near the basking side it gets around 90 95 and in the middle its around 85 86 and the cool side is around 81 82 im getting the hang of it haha this is my first beardie

Oh, that's great that the rheostat is working for you (gives me hope for me!). :mrgreen: You know, it seems that to at least some degree, lighting and heating are things we are constantly monitoring and adjusting, so know that you have plenty of company there! We just moved our beardie out of her 40 breeder into a 75g, and it's been a week of trial and error trying to get the temps right. It's finally locking in though. Hope you see same!

Em

 

[ckyforever43]

you wouldnt be interested in selling the 40 gallon would you . the temp is looking better its staying around 108.5 right now so i think i got it sorted it out well at least no which direction to go now

 

[Embee]

you wouldnt be interested in selling the 40 gallon would you . the temp is looking better its staying around 108.5 right now so i think i got it sorted it out well at least no which direction to go now

Ah, sorry... we moved our girl up to the 75g, and moved the python into the 40 breeder (he was in the 15g and it was proving *surprise surprise* a heating challenge). :roll:

If it helps, we found our 40 breeder on Craigslist for $40! It took a couple of weeks of daily checking, but it payed off... found the 75g the same way, for $60!! Such a deal... best of luck on that.

Great news on the temps!

The best,
Em