# Bearded dragon temps setup



## cityboy (Sep 13, 2012)

I did have my viv set up with a 75w heat lamp and a pulse stat and I had the temps pretty much spot on. I ordered a dimming stat for him and it arrived yesterday.. I took him out to clean his viv but when I took his lamp out i smashed it! Ive now got a 60w bulb and a 100w one but i cant seem to get his temps right again! With the 100w lamp the temp on his basking spot is ok but the rest of the tank was too cold. I've take taken it out and changed it for the 60w lamp and I have the same problem! The actual lamp is sat 11'' from the highest point of his basking spot and i cant move it any further away.. The probe for my stat is about 3/4 of the way down the viv towards the cold end and my temps are 44-46C on the basking spot, 29C in the warm end and god know what in the cold end because ive not measured it yet (cant see the point because the warm end isnt hot enough)

If anyone can give me any pointers as to what might work i'd be realy greatful! Thanks, Wes

The temps i'm aiming for is 43-46C basking spot 26-29C cool end and 33-36C warm end..

All Temps measured with digi themometer with probe on basking spot. Viv size 48x15x21


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## ChazzieJo (Jun 14, 2012)

You need to invest in some digital thermometers for both your hot and cool end so you can monitor daily. Some people use a probe gun instead, your call.

46c is a little too hot for the basking spot, you want to be aiming at more of a 40c-44c (max) medium, I find this works best for my Beardie. It's normal that the temperatures may fluctuate a little throughout the day (certainly throughout the year) so a couple of c off is acceptable. 

Again, many keepers would deem 26 - 29c for the cool end a little too warm. Mine stays a steady "room temperature" of around 22-24c so that my Beardie is able to thermoregulate sufficiently. 

What temperature do you have set on your thermostat? Is is your thermostat probe that is on the basking spot?

I know I initially had problems because my thermostat only seemed to go up to around 35?! So I had to move the probe a little further away to keep it on a steady 40c, but it took a few tries!
:2thumb:


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## cityboy (Sep 13, 2012)

When I have the temperatures right I have a digital thermometer with the main unit in my warm end and the probe in the cool end they both get checked twice a day to see if the temps are still ok.. My beardie is less than 5 months old so i was aiming for slightly higher temps (46C max, usualy about 43-45C) than you would for an adult beardie simply because everyone reccomends slightly higher temps for a juvenile..? If i can get my cool end to 22-24 then great but in a 4ft viv i doubt i'l be able to get both ends right so if the cool end is slightly high (29C max) I recon it'l be worth it so then my warm end is hot enough for him.. The cool end 'was' 26-29C and he rarely went down there and that was with my warm end/basking spot temps as i have listed above! 

My thermometer probe is on the basking spot, little point in putting the stat probe their because the temp on a habistat thermostat only goes up to 92F and i need more than that in order for him to be able to heat himself up properly.. My thermostat proble is about 1/2 way along the viv, kind of in the middle of the back wall and i have the stat set on 28C any higher than that and the basking spot temp goes up to 47C+ the problem i have though is that even with the lamp raised up, the temp of my warm end only reaches 26-29C (without the basking spot going over 46C) so what i wanted to know realy was what can i change in order to make my ambient temps rise withough the basking spot getting too hot for the little fella?


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## ChazzieJo (Jun 14, 2012)

Okay first things first, I'm not sure where you've got your information from but those temperatures are too hot, period. Whether it's for an hatchling or an adult, they all require the same temperatures. Whilst fiddling around with my basking spot before I got my beardie, and before I got it correct, it was hitting on the 46c mark and even I could feel it was too hot. 


I have a 4x2x2 vivarium too, so it is possible to get a gradient. Your cool end should be room temperature basically, unless the heat from your basking spot is reaching to the far end? Or you have your basking spot in the middle of your vivarium? I don't understand how your "cool end" is reaching temperatures of 29c? Mine stays around the 22c - 24c mark. A gradient is VERY important for any reptile. If your cool end and hot end is reaching the same average then it's not creating a temperature gradient.

The warm end is fine at around 30c, it's only your basking spot that need to exceed that, hence them basking underneath. Most keepers aim for 40c for the basking spot, to go over a couple of c's is absolutely fine, but 46c IS too high.

PS: After re-reading, are you saying the thermostat probe is in your cool end? That needs to be in the hot end where you're achieving said temperature!


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