Bearded Dragon Temperature?

Question

I've just had my 6 week old beardy today. My vivarium is 36" width 18" high 15" diameter.
The vivarium came with everything required but my temp doesn't seem right. It is only 75 degrees at its hottest in the middle of the vivarium. The bayonet bulb is 60 watt and so is the UVB light.
How can I raise the temp? Do I need to get a higher bulb wattage? Will this change the basking area as well?

I know all of that, you haven't answer my question though

Answer 1

Okay, your basking spot should be around 105F. You might need a 75W or 100W bulb to achieve this.

The cooler side of your tank needs to be around 80F.

Stick on and dial type thermometers aren't accurate enough. You can get a digital indoor/outdoor therm. for around $10-15 at WalMart. The probe end should be directly on the basking surface.

The higher watt bulb should increase the temp overall, but if you get your basking temp up and the cooler side is still too cool, you can get a second, lower wattage bulb for the cooler side.
Example, I have a 75W bulb that keeps the basking site @ ~102F, and I have to keep a 60W on the other side to keep those temps up to 80F.

I'm concerned because you got a vivarium "kit" because pet stores sell things that are actually HARMFUL to your beardie. Like Calci-Sand, or Repti-Sand or any other particulate substrate. These are dangerous! They clump into solid hard masses when moist, so if accidentally ingested, that solid mass will be in your beardie's intestines and cause SERIOUS impaction.
It's best to use paper towels, newspaper, non-adhesive shelf liner, or slate tiles (or other types of tiles as long as they are not "slick")

Also, your UVB light...is it the coil type? Because that type is VERY harmful to your beardie. If you have this, I would suggest you take it out right away, as it's better for him to have NO UVB for a few days than to have that bulb!
ReptiGLO 10.0 has also been proven to emit rays harmful to beardies eyes. ReptiGLO 8.0 is okay and ReptiSUN 10.0 is great. They cost a lot in stores, but you can order one online for $20.

Please visit http://www.beardeddragon.org for some great care sheets and visit their forums for loads of great advice from experienced handlers!

Answer 2

You should purchase a digital thermometer with a probe to better gauge the temperatures.

I have a similar tank, it sounds like a 40 gallon breeder tank, as a 20 gallon is onlye 30" wide. I use two 100 watt bulbs and a full UVB tube.

You really should up the wattage ASAP, as low temps can be very detrimental to a beardy's health.

An undertank heater will help with surface temps which will aid in digestion, so you should invest in one of those as well.

Also, a 6 week old bearded dragon may be a tad small for a 40 gallon tank, all depending on how you have decorated it. Small reptiles need to be in smaller tanks, and upgraded as they grow, becuase they will grow. Housing them in the adult sized tank will cause stress on the reptile. You can purchase a divider to cut down on the space, and remove the divider once the beardy is a little bigger.

Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearded_dragon

A 20 gallon long aquarium is the bare minimum for a juvenile Bearded Dragon. For an adult the minimum is a 40 breeder, though this is small. Generally the minimum should be 2 × their STL (Stretched Total ) length for the length, 1 × the STL for the width and 1 × the STL for the height, this will be about a 4' × 2'× 2' for a large Dragon. The cage should be at least 16" wide to avoid problems turning.

Bearded Dragons like to bask on rocks, and they use the edges of rocks to shed their skin. It is important that there is at least one or two good "basking rocks" in the Dragon's habitat. Only naturally formed medium to large rocks (such as those found in backyards, woods, etc) should be used, as electric or battery powered heating devices such as HotRocks™ can cause stomach burns and flesh tearing on Bearded Dragons and pretty much all basking reptiles, especially babies.

In addition to basking and shedding, the other reason for having at least one large rock in the Dragon's habitat is to successfully simulate its natural habitat. Most Bearded Dragons come from desert environments, which get cooler by night. Bearded Dragons need a rock they can burrow under to sleep for the night, to give them shade and coolness.

In addition to rocks, Bearded Dragons need things to hide, burrow, and play in. Holey logs, sold in pet shops, are ideal for this. Caves or shelters should not be put in with Bearded dragons until they are full size. Juvenile Bearded Dragons tend to stay in their shelter and not come out, which means they would not get enough light for proper growth.

Bearded Dragons also need proper lighting. A UVB light is needed, with two options being available. Fluorescent strip bulbs or mercury vapor bulbs. An example of a good brand of fluorescent bulbs is Repti-Sun 10.0, which needs to be 6-10 inches away. The Repti-Sun 5.0 needs to be 4-6 inches away, the Repti-Glo 8.0 that needs to be 4-6" away, and the Repti-Glo 10.0 that needs to be 6-10 inches away. These bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months. The owner should make sure to buy a strip bulb, not a compact. This is because the compacts wear out in about 1 month. Fluorescent bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months. For mercury vapor the two best are the T-rex UV heat and the Megray (reptileuv.com) They each are the same output and are 3-4x stronger than the best fluorescent. A 100 watt should be 10-12 inches away minimum, the 160 should be 16-18" minimum and the other wattages should be listed when you buy it. They last 6-12 months. All bulbs are cheaper online. Without a good UVB your Dragon will develop MBD and not eat much.

For basking, Beardies need bright white light. If a colored bulb is used, they will eat less and seem sick.

Temperature is another important health factor. A Dragon needs correct temperature to digest, so a good thermometer is essential. Analog, Round, stick-on, and other non-digital thermometers do not measure basking temperature properly and can be inaccurate by as much as 20 degrees. A digital thermometer with a probe or a tempgun are two recommended types. Temps need to be 95-110 during day and 60-80 at night (the higher end of this range for babies, the lower portion of the range for adult Dragons).

Answer 4

hi there
Lighting: One spot light over each basking area. Also full-spectrum lighting is highly recommended. Recommend exposing bearded dragons to direct sunlight for at least 30 min., 3 times a week during summer.
Heating: Daytime Temperature should be 80-90degrees F with at least one basking area reaching 90-105 degrees F .Night time temps 65-75F even though desert nights are20-30 F. Don't recommend you keep the temperatures this low every night . Use thermometers, DON'T guess! ... please use heat lamps and heat pads.. heat rocks will seriously burn your reptiles.. some pet stores won't tell you that.
i would say get a higher watage bulb ....and also u can use full spectrum uv plant grow bulbs in place of the more expencive bulbs u get at a pet store and for heat/basking bulb u can use a spot light or food warmer bulb(they come in different watages) as well cheaper then a pet store price been using this method for many yrs reptile vet told this to us....
hope this helps....
we have over 60 reptiles at times...

Answer 5

Get a higher watt basking light.

You can actually use lights from the hardware store for heating; it doesn't have to be from a pet store. The only special light you need is the UVB light.

You can also look into getting a heat pad for heating at night.

Answer 6

get a 100 wat light that fits over the whole cage make sure it is uv and also get a table lamp for basking