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Surface Basking Temps VS Air Temps

beeneufe

Hatchling Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
58
Location
Canada
Don't worry - no damage has been done and my scale friend is perfectly okay (a little bloated, but ok). I just wanted to make this post so no one else makes the same mistake. I feel like many people are already aware of this, but figured I would post it anyway for those in the dark like myself.

I recently re-did my enclosure (big upgrade) and there happened to be a sale at the local pet store so I grabbed this log type thing that was meant for aquariums, not thinking anything of it. I set it up to be her basking spot, and life was good.

After a few weeks I noticed she wasn't basking. Everything else was fine, her appetite was still there, and then she stopped pooping (likely due to not basking). After different attempts at belly massages and oil and all the likes, I noticed by accident how hot the log was getting (my thermometer prong fell over and was resting against the surface). A whopping 130. The basking spot air temp was hanging around 96, but I hadn't considered how hot the actual surface of the spot was, and she was letting me know it was a bit too toasty. I have recently moved around her enclosure so her basking spot is atop a different object made of a more heat-friendly material, and she is already sitting there basking away.

TLDR: be sure to check the surface temperatures of whatever object you are using for a basking spot. Just because the air is the right temperature, doesn't mean the surface isn't scolding lava hot.
 

Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Staff member
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
5,574
VERY good point! Thank you for sharing and glad to hear that she is fine and back to basking safely.. It is super important to be aware of any surfaces that are directly under their basking lamps as they conduct and hold heat differently.
 

BeardedHippy

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
672
Location
Scarborough UK
Yeah, I had problems with hotspots at first. Its suprising that some of the most unlikely materials can absorb and retain heat to problematic levels, even cork bark got volcanic. You can guarentee that whatever is directly under the focal point of your basking bulb will be too hot, yet an inch or 2 either side its fine. If you position basking spots offcenter of that point it makes it more controlable, but my dragons never bask on the hotter spots, 100 seems to be the optimal temp for them but they could have hotter at 115 if they wanted.
 
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