Tips on raising basking temps?

[beardeddragon111]

I have my tegu In a horse trough, and my problem is that they really suck at holding heat. I have 1 125 watt bulb and 2 100 watt bulbs about 8 inches from his basking spot and can only get 105f at the hottest point. How do I raise the temp? Its starting to get frustrating.

 

[Justin]

Is your tegu basking excessively? 105 should be fine for your surface temp.

 

[beardeddragon111]

Not really from what I've seen, but he has been acting different since the drop in temps.

 

[dpjm]

What type of lamps are you using? The hottest ones for the wattage are usually halogen. They have a flat face and concentrate the heat/light into a small area, instead of other flood lamps that have a round face and project into a larger area, thus spreading out the heat.

Hardware stores and agricultural supply stores (but not pet stores) will often sell 175 W halogens, you might try a couple of those, depending on the size of your tegu. Try to space them out so their projections overlap slightly to create a space between them that is around the same temperature as directly under either of the lamps. This will give you a nice large basking zone so the tegu can warm its entire body without having to shift around to warm different areas at a time. Here is a diagram to illustrate what I am saying. See how using light combinations in a controlled way can create a large and very effective basking zone. As your tegu gets bigger you can add a third lamp in a triangular pattern or even a fourth in a square. You can pick whatever temps you want, those are just there for example.

 

[beardeddragon111]

Do the halogens have UVA/UVB? I'm thinking about using 2 of those and a solar glow for his basking area.

 

[dpjm]

No UVA/UVB in halogens. I was just talking about heat. To add UV you could arrange it this way, with the halogens angled and pointed under the UVB lamp, which is facing straight down. Adjusting the height and angles of your halogens will be how you find the right temperature for the basking zone. Or better yet, for most precise temperature adjustment, get a couple heat lamp fixtures that have built in dimmers for your halogens. They are a just a touch more expensive than regular fixtures but worth every penny.

 

[dpjm]

Or like this, with all three in a straight row and the halogens angled toward the center.

 

[thatoneguy]

I have a ceramic heater along with a MVB, raises the temperatures well over 120 had to put the ceramic heater on a thermostat to lower it. Two MVB bulbs probably would work as well, and I will probably eventually do that as he continues to grow.

 

[beardeddragon111]

Can I get the halogen bubls off amazon?

 

[Justin]

Yes, or lowes or walmart etc.