Hey everyone, I have a question concerning heating my beardie's basking side of the tank. I have an 8.5" black ceramic heat emitter and I usually use regular 100-watt light bulbs. I remember that setup working in the past, but for some reason, it doesn't seem like that's doing the job anymore. I've tested my thermometer, and it isn't broken at all, and I'm pretty sure that my beardie's basking hammock is at a good distance from the lamp (close but not too close).
Anyways, some numbers: The temperature at the basking site is only in the mid-80's, and my beardie doesn't seem to want to hang out in his hammock much anymore. Instead, he hides in the cool spots and acts a bit groggy all the time. I know it's because he's not getting heated up enough; every time I pick him up, he feels very cold; I don't even really remember the last time he felt warm.
I'm wondering if it's the bulbs I'm using; is it really worth it to buy the more-expensive reptile bulbs at pet stores?
Remember, incandescents do wear out. I'd try a fresh replacement, maybe one with a bit more wattage. I'd also consider a dome fixture with a dimmer. Flukers makes a nice one. I use it with a 150W bulb and use the dimmer to dial in the temp I want. If I turn it all the way up, I can get the basking spot to 125, so I run the bulb cooler than full which should make it last longer.
Remember, incandescents do wear out. I'd try a fresh replacement, maybe one with a bit more wattage. I'd also consider a dome fixture with a dimmer. Flukers makes a nice one. I use it with a 150W bulb and use the dimmer to dial in the temp I want. If I turn it all the way up, I can get the basking spot to 125, so I run the bulb cooler than full which should make it last longer.
I tried replacing the bulb with a fresh one, and it's the same. So 150W wouldn't be too much of a fire hazard? I don't trust the dimmers; my last dome fixture had a dimmer and one morning it broke when the timer turned it on, and the dimmer melted and very nasty-smelling smoke filled the entire room; I was asleep downstairs on the couch so I didn't know what was happening, but luckily my dad was upstairs at the time and unplugged the fixture before it could start a fire. It was the same kind of ceramic fixture that every reptile owner swears by. Go figure. The one I have now only has an on/off switch, and even that scares me... So yeah, I'm verrry paranoid about fires lol.