Slate under heat lamp in enclosure

[EldritchPreacher]

Hello, as the title states I’m looking to put slate in my mature bearded dragon enclosure. I was planning on putting slate in as a flooring and have excavator clay in between as I feel she would enjoy it a lot. The issue is I’m worried that the slate will get very and possibly dangerously hot under her heat lamp that she uses for basking. I was after a natural look and a good thing for her to wear down her claws on but I’m worried she could burn herself on the hot slate. Any advice or information?

[Craiga 01453]

Hello, as the title states I’m looking to put slate in my mature bearded dragon enclosure. I was planning on putting slate in as a flooring and have excavator clay in between as I feel she would enjoy it a lot. The issue is I’m worried that the slate will get very and possibly dangerously hot under her heat lamp that she uses for basking. I was after a natural look and a good thing for her to wear down her claws on but I’m worried she could burn herself on the hot slate. Any advice or information?

All heat sources should be regulated by a thermostat. Using a thermostat will completely eliminate any risk of the slate getting too hot.

[EldritchPreacher]

Where would I put the thermostat for the enclosure?

[Craiga 01453]

Where would I put the thermostat for the enclosure?

The thermostat goes outside the enclosure. Then your heat source is plugged into the thermostat. Then you set the desired temp.
The thermostat also has a probe that goes inside the enclosure. This measures the temps and tells the tstat to heat up/cool down accordingly.
I'm not exactly sure the best spot for the probe, I only keep snakes and wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

Then you'll want to use a IR temp gun to check and fine tune temps.

I don't want to give any beardie specific advice, but thats basically how the tstat works and is set up.

[EldritchPreacher]

I have one for my scorpion and one for my bp but it would be the first time I’ve ever dont anything with slate or something like that

[Craiga 01453]

I have one for my scorpion and one for my bp but it would be the first time I’ve ever dont anything with slate or something like that

Ah, ok. Sorry bout the explanation then, hahhaha.

I'll let someone with beardie experience help you out though. I don't want to give you bad advice.

Sorry i couldn't help. Good luck!

[Cheesenugget]

I don't use thermostats for my lizards, maybe for CHE just because I'm paranoid over the high temps.

Slate should be fine. I had been looking for slate for years so that I can get that natural look too for my beardie. I use a large brick instead. No matter what you go for, use a temp gun to get as hot as 99F more or less for adults and 100-110F for babies. If it is a little over 100F for adults, it is fine. You should have it hot enough to see your beardie gaping its mouth slightly while basking.

Most importantly, if your UVB light is on top of a mesh lid, your beardie should be basking about 10-12 inches from the heat source.

If it gets too hot, your lizard will know to move away. Hence, make sure you have a big enough tank to create an ambient temp for him to choose and cool off.

[EldritchPreacher]

I don't use thermostats for my lizards, maybe for CHE just because I'm paranoid over the high temps.

Slate should be fine. I had been looking for slate for years so that I can get that natural look too for my beardie. I use a large brick instead. No matter what you go for, use a temp gun to get as hot as 99F more or less for adults and 100-110F for babies. If it is a little over 100F for adults, it is fine. You should have it hot enough to see your beardie gaping its mouth slightly while basking.

Most importantly, if your UVB light is on top of a mesh lid, your beardie should be basking about 10-12 inches from the heat source.

If it gets too hot, your lizard will know to move away. Hence, make sure you have a big enough tank to create an ambient temp for him to choose and cool off.

It’s the largest I can get at the pet store, the exo Terra 36 wide. Currently she has a carpet and a basking spot about ten inches, maybe nine, from the lamp. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her gape her mouth though. I’m just super paranoid from horror stories of them getting burnt from too hot stone or metal.

[Cheesenugget]

It’s the largest I can get at the pet store, the exo Terra 36 wide. Currently she has a carpet and a basking spot about ten inches, maybe nine, from the lamp. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her gape her mouth though. I’m just super paranoid from horror stories of them getting burnt from too hot stone or metal.

Yea your big name pet stores will usually carry sizes up to a breeder and no more.

How big is your girl? Most adult beardies would reach a size where a 4 foot tank would be more beneficial. Mine is about 18-20" and he is a male, so I picked up a ReptiHabitat 75 gallon tank from a local reptile store. You won't find these terrariums at PetSmart, etc. A small female may work in a tank like yours. I use the same one for my male corn snake.

You can also use a 75 gallon aquarium, which is about 4 foot long and 18" wide/deep. Lots of beardie keepers use these tanks, especially picked up from ads for free or at deep discounts.

Anyways the main reason for the proper size is to allow proper temp gradient. Your lizard will move back and forth throughout the day to warm and cool off. Cool end should be about 77-80F. If the tank is too small, and the lizard too big, she might have trouble moving far away to cool off. So check your temps.

I would suggest adding hammocks, like the long hammock sold by Amazon for about $20. Beardies are semi-arboreal so she will enjoy some climbing as well as getting closer to the UVB light.

I hate carpet. Had them, cleaning is a butt, and you know they are messy poopers. I use tiles for mine. Easy to clean and helps keep nails short.

Your main concern with beardies is Metabolic Bone Disease. Meaning, make sure your temps are good, your UVB lighting is replaced every 6-8 months and strong enough to go through the mesh lid, and supplement food with D3. The symptoms are subtle and the disease progresses slowly, but the damage is permanent.

[EldritchPreacher]

Yea your big name pet stores will usually carry sizes up to a breeder and no more.

How big is your girl? Most adult beardies would reach a size where a 4 foot tank would be more beneficial. Mine is about 18-20" and he is a male, so I picked up a ReptiHabitat 75 gallon tank from a local reptile store. You won't find these terrariums at PetSmart, etc. A small female may work in a tank like yours. I use the same one for my male corn snake.

You can also use a 75 gallon aquarium, which is about 4 foot long and 18" wide/deep. Lots of beardie keepers use these tanks, especially picked up from ads for free or at deep discounts.

Anyways the main reason for the proper size is to allow proper temp gradient. Your lizard will move back and forth throughout the day to warm and cool off. Cool end should be about 77-80F. If the tank is too small, and the lizard too big, she might have trouble moving far away to cool off. So check your temps.

I would suggest adding hammocks, like the long hammock sold by Amazon for about $20. Beardies are semi-arboreal so she will enjoy some climbing as well as getting closer to the UVB light.

I hate carpet. Had them, cleaning is a butt, and you know they are messy poopers. I use tiles for mine. Easy to clean and helps keep nails short.

Your main concern with beardies is Metabolic Bone Disease. Meaning, make sure your temps are good, your UVB lighting is replaced every 6-8 months and strong enough to go through the mesh lid, and supplement food with D3. The symptoms are subtle and the disease progresses slowly, but the damage is permanent.

She is in a 36x18x18 which opens from the top but I plan on getting her a front opening one. She’s a mature female who is quite large. I hate the carpet too but I’m too scared of impaction as much first BD died of either impaction or the wasting disease so I kind of have a big fear now. I wanted to give her slate as it was a nice way to keep everything warmer and looking natural while also keeper her nails down because she scratches me a lot. I have a uvb on the left side and a basking lamp on the right with a green hammock that she spends most of her time in underneath it. Her water and food dish are on the left side as well. She seems like she wants out more but with her nails it isn’t as easy for me due to my job, she also tries to escape to places I can get her a lot or is dangerous for her. That’s part of the reason I want to make her a naturalistic enclosure so she can feel more at home in it and have more to do besides run around a box. I thought I found the perfect thing with the slate but someone pointed out that it could get extremely hot for her.