[Andyc58]

Right guys I know people say it should be around 105 to 110 which is about 40 to 43 degrees c.
On thebeardeddragon.org website is says for an adult it only needs to be 95 for an adult which is only 35 degrees c.
So what should it actually be.????

 

[oldmandon]

You're not the only one who's confused. Mine gets to 34-38 and my Beardie sits under it for 15 mins or so, then opens his mouth a little and decides to go and sit down the cool end (27-29), and repeat?!!! So yep. I'd like to know who's right, everyone that says 110f or my beardie cos he regulates his own temp?!!!!

 

[CloudForest]

basking spot for a beardie shoud be 110-115f


I always recommend 115f, because of the numerous threads of impacted beardies who are kept at 110f or lower - cool end temps should be room temp, which means you should have an enclosure at least 4x2x2ft to provide a good gradient


that 115f temp, is the temperature of the surface substrate, directly below the heater, either measured with an IR Gun (preferred), or using a digital thermometer with a metal probe (if its a plastic tube type probe, then bury the probe slightly in the substrate, but a contact probe can be put straight on the substrate)

 

[Athravan]

Welcome to the world of reptile keeping where there are no exact answers for anything :lol2:

I feel that 95F is too low. That's my personal opinion as someone who keeps and breeds a large number of beardies for over a decade. I feel people should be aiming for 110F, but even higher for hatchlings. I don't think a beardie is going to die or anything if it's kept at 95F and some individuals will prefer it cooler. The smaller the tank the harder it is to get an isolated high basking spot without raising the overall ambient, which can also be problematic. If the option is a cooler basking spot than I'd like but a proper drop on the cool side, then that to me is more important than a higher basking spot. All the measurements matter, not just one.

Of course, we should strive to get the perfect temperatures that accurately reflect the wild environment and let the dragon choose, in an ideal situation.

I also feel that this site, giving it a quick lookover, has several crucial incorrect pieces of information it's giving people, including the type and size of the tank, how to tell an age of a bearded dragon and based on the sources cited seems to be a gathering of information from other sites and forums rather than an experience individual writing about their experiences and then on top of that seems to be asking $20 for an ebook for a complete guide. You can get the bearded dragon manual cheaper than that.

 

[Andyc58]

Under the basking spot is a ledge she sits on. I'm using a Habistat digital thermostat plus I have a repti gun. If I point the repti gun on her ledge it says the heat is 35 degrees c.The build is only 60 watt. The bulb won't heat the Viv up any higher than this. I do have a 150 watt bulb that I could put in to get the basking spot up to the 110 to 115

 

[oldmandon]

If you're getting that temp with a 60w bulb, I'd put a 100w in. 150 may be too much

 

[Andyc58]

I see what you mean but I only have a 150 at the moment.

 

[oldmandon]

It should still be fine until you can get a 100w bulb, just raise the basking spot to be nearer the light but make sure beardie can't touch it. I think the 150 would heat up the whole viv too much wouldn't have a good temp gradient. Just my thoughts.

 

[Andyc58]

It should still be fine until you can get a 100w bulb, just raise the basking spot to be nearer the light but make sure beardie can't touch it. I think the 150 would heat up the whole viv too much wouldn't have a good temp gradient. Just my thoughts.

Your spot on. The 150 watt heats up then goes very dim as it has to much heat. I've dropped the lamp down a bit as far as I can. With the repti temp gun its saying about 42 degrees c on her basking ledge

 

[oldmandon]

Your spot on. The 150 watt heats up then goes very dim as it has to much heat. I've dropped the lamp down a bit as far as I can. With the repti temp gun its saying about 42 degrees c on her basking ledge

I'd be happy with that until you can get a 100w bulb. Thats higher than mine and currently my beardie is sat in the cool end!!!! So don't fret too much.

 

[Debbie1962]

It should not matter how high a wattage the bulb is if it is attached to a stat that is correctly placed.

And I opt for 110f for a basking spot.

 

[Andyc58]

The probe is just hanging down on the back wall of Viv. It's at the same Hightbas the basking ledge. It's about 15 cm away though. But I'm using the repti temp to measure the temp of the actual basking ledge itself.

 

[Debbie1962]

The probe needs to be at the surface. If the viv is getting too warm then the probe needs moving away from the bulb until you get the correct temps.

 

[Andyc58]

The temps are correct basking spot is at 42 degrees c and cool end is at 29 degrees c

 

[CloudForest]

The temps are correct basking spot is at 42 degrees c and cool end is at 29 degrees c

42C is not correct, that's only 107f

110f is definitely the minimum temp you should be providing...I cannot recommend any temp other than 115f personally, just seen far to many impacted beardy threads, when kept at <110f, to consider it a good idea

so stick to 46C/115f substrate surface temp, and your beardie should do well, as long as it also has a well balanced 50/50 diet of insects and veg, and a good UVB source

 

[oldmandon]

42C is not correct, that's only 107f

110f is definitely the minimum temp you should be providing...I cannot recommend any temp other than 115f personally, just seen far to many impacted beardy threads, when kept at <110f, to consider it a good idea

so stick to 46C/115f substrate surface temp, and your beardie should do well, as long as it also has a well balanced 50/50 diet of insects and veg, and a good UVB source

My beardie is not impacted regularly goes to the toilet now, and his temps are nowhere near what you are suggesting. He won't sit under the lamp for too long either he goes to the cool end all the time. Also a young beardies diet shouldn't be 50/50 insect/veg, it should be more like 80/20 insect/veg going more veg the older it gets.

 

[gavgav04]

My beardie is not impacted regularly goes to the toilet now, and his temps are nowhere near what you are suggesting. He won't sit under the lamp for too long either he goes to the cool end all the time. Also a young beardies diet shouldn't be 50/50 insect/veg, it should be more like 80/20 insect/veg going more veg the older it gets.

What are you using as a basking spot? What are you using to measure the temperatures? And where are you measuring these temperatures?

Depending on your answers to these you may, without knowing, be achieving the temperatures CloudForest is giving. I'm not trying to put anyone down here but far too many don't really seem to know what a basking temperature is or how to measure the temperatures. A rock/slab of stone is best for a basking spot and to measure it you really need to use an IR gun thermometer.

Welcome to the world of reptile keeping where there are no exact answers for anything :lol2:

I have to echo this. The only way you can replicate what they would be exposed to in the wild, and therefore get the real answers, is to study them in the wild. Other than that you will run into many ways to do things, some more successful than others.

Under the basking spot is a ledge she sits on. I'm using a Habistat digital thermostat plus I have a repti gun. If I point the repti gun on her ledge it says the heat is 35 degrees c.The build is only 60 watt. The bulb won't heat the Viv up any higher than this. I do have a 150 watt bulb that I could put in to get the basking spot up to the 110 to 115

What material are you taking readings from? If you don't already I would suggest using stone as your basking spot. Many use wood but it doesn't really have the same effect.

The temps are correct basking spot is at 42 degrees c and cool end is at 29 degrees c

29C seems quite high for a cool end temperature.



Gavin.

 

[Satch]

Right guys I know people say it should be around 105 to 110 which is about 40 to 43 degrees c.
On thebeardeddragon.org website is says for an adult it only needs to be 95 for an adult which is only 35 degrees c.
So what should it actually be.????

Ignore most of what you read on there, the majority of posters are extraordinarily ignorant, which allows misinformation to spread like wildfire. The lowering of basking temps for adults is a concept that only exists there and one they can't back up with any research. Some of the notions of acceptable care are risible. A lot of the experts on there seem to have 'awful luck' with the health of their animals.

The wild temperatures don't change. An adult dragon may choose to bask less but i feel it important to provide them the choice and to ensure they can get to the higher temps if they choose to. I'd use a high range stat so you are controlling the basking spot and provide a slope so you can create a basking gradient.

Edit: I agree with Gav, I'd aim for a cooler lower end than 29c.

 

[CloudForest]

My beardie is not impacted regularly goes to the toilet now, and his temps are nowhere near what you are suggesting. He won't sit under the lamp for too long either he goes to the cool end all the time. Also a young beardies diet shouldn't be 50/50 insect/veg, it should be more like 80/20 insect/veg going more veg the older it gets.

impaction often takes some time to turn into a serious problem, not always however, I've seen many young beardies with prolapse (one potential consequence of impaction) because of inadequate temps and a diet of nothing but insects.

gavin is correct, unless you are measuring the right temperature, you cannot be sure of anything - an IR gun is the best way, or a metal probe type


the fact your cool end temps are so high, suggests to me that the enclosure is too small (as I indicated earlier) - inadequate thermal gradient is also a significant risk factor for serious impaction...I don't mean a bit of constipation, but long term serious health problems - a bigger enclosure, and proper temp monitoring will solve that

I don't agree regarding the 80/20 diet, I know that young beardies can be fussy about eating their greens, but that's not a good reason to reduce their intake in the long run - good gutloading of the insects is a medium term solution tho, until they can be persuaded to eat properly...but only with a good temp gradient, otherwise dehydration will occour, and impaction will follow along with a host of other problems

 

[oldmandon]

impaction often takes some time to turn into a serious problem, not always however, I've seen many young beardies with prolapse (one potential consequence of impaction) because of inadequate temps and a diet of nothing but insects.

gavin is correct, unless you are measuring the right temperature, you cannot be sure of anything - an IR gun is the best way, or a metal probe type


the fact your cool end temps are so high, suggests to me that the enclosure is too small (as I indicated earlier) - inadequate thermal gradient is also a significant risk factor for serious impaction...I don't mean a bit of constipation, but long term serious health problems - a bigger enclosure, and proper temp monitoring will solve that

I don't agree regarding the 80/20 diet, I know that young beardies can be fussy about eating their greens, but that's not a good reason to reduce their intake in the long run - good gutloading of the insects is a medium term solution tho, until they can be persuaded to eat properly...but only with a good temp gradient, otherwise dehydration will occour, and impaction will follow along with a host of other problems

The cool end of my Viv is not to high, ranging from 24 to 28. He also has a big piece of bark tube to go into to be cooler should he chose to. Unlike the OB, my heat source is outside of the vivarium, I also have vents in my viv to aid air flow.
My beardie is offered plenty of fresh greens every day, and is encouraged to eat them which he does, but always leaves plenty. The insects he is fed are all gut loaded to begin with but he is never offered too many that he won't eat his veg, as I try to make sure his diet is balanced as far as I am able to. And as for hydration, he has plenty of water, which he sits in regularly, and once a week he's given a bath for 20-30 mins so he can have a swim and get rid of anything stuck to him.
Whilst I am new to beardies, and learning, I'm also not a novice at reptiles. I watch my animals to see how they are reacting to their environment, I also do as much research as I can, wether it be through books (of which I have 2 for dragons) or internet forums (of which I'm a member of 2) and facebook groups (again a member of 2), I also talk to pet shops where I get my foods from (2 again, and one of them is a moderator on this forum). I'm also not that young, so try to be as responsible as possible.
My beardies standard of life since I rescued him has improved. His Viv has been made bigger internally (removing stupid stuff that vivexotic put in) and more natural. It is going to be made even more natural, by going full bio in the next week or so with planted greens he will be able to munch on as well as custodians etc.