Introduction
When reptiles wander in the wild region, they sit and sleep in any area where they can thrive. For instance, reptiles like bearded dragons originally inhabited Australian deserts and love moving on sandy places. These little lizards love basking under the sun while sitting or lying on the flat rough stones or bark of trees. Sometimes, a bearded dragon basking platform also includes logs.
When keeping a bearded dragon inside an enclosure, we must carefully choose the right furniture, lighting, and heating accessories. It is a crucial part of a beardie’s life since this animal is an ectotherm.
Moreover, a good basking platform is crucial for a bearded dragon because it is the primary place your pet will rest, absorb heat and UV rays, and relax. According to the reptile experts, this place is essential for a bearded dragon’s physical and mental happiness.
For today’s topic, we will discuss further the topic of the bearded dragon basking platform. We will give you some tips and tricks that will surely make your little pet happy and comfortable. So, if you want to learn more, please join us in the discussion below.
What Is a Bearded Dragon Basking Platform?
A bearded dragon basking platform is a surface or a part of the tank that helps our pets rest and increase their body heat. Remember that it is the most crucial part of a bearded dragon’s habitat, so make sure that it can maintain the required temperature that this reptile needs.
Nowadays, we have plenty of heat sources that can help you set up a basking platform. Some of our favorites are heat lamp bulbs, ceramic lightings, and heating pads. You can use a combination of these devices to enhance the tank’s basking zone.
Don’t forget to place an object where your bearded dragon can rest under the heat, including driftwoods, rocks, stones, tree limbs, commercial perches, and bricks. If you want to include items from outdoors, make sure it has no insect, mold, mildew, and chemicals. We highly recommend bearded dragon keepers sterilize all items before adding them to the enclosure. You can use boiling water or an oven to remove all bacteria.
However, do NOT place stones and rocks in the oven since they can explode. It is best to boil them in hot water for about ten minutes instead.
How to Create a Bearded Dragon’s Basking Spot?
In the wild, bearded dragons used to bask on broken trees, branches, logs, rocks, posts, or any other surfaces that could give them opportunities to absorb the sun’s warmth and UV light. Therefore, creating a similar environment to our pets’ enclosures should be considered carefully.
In this section, we will give you a short guide on creating a bearded dragon basking platform. We ensure that this guide can mimic a beardie’s habitat to give your pet great comfort.
Please keep reading to know more.
Step 1. Measure the needed basking platform size.
Obviously, the first step is to ensure that the space inside the enclosure is enough for the basking area. Surely, you don’t want to put lots of work into designing a nice basking platform only to be unable to use it because it won’t fit inside the enclosure.
Step 2. Sketch the platform.
Take into account the design and setup you prefer. This trick makes it easier to decide which heating sources and accessories you should use. When you are contented with the sketch and size, you can purchase all the needed materials.
Step 3. Add furniture, stairs, and substrates.
To mimic the original bearded dragon habitat, we need to add some items available in Australian deserts, such as wood chips, sand, rocks, branches, plants, and hide holes. A good pile of rocks makes bearded dragons happy.
However, make sure that it is not directly located below the heating lamp to avoid causing burns to your bearded dragon. If you are not comfortable with rocks, you can use branches since beardies love climbing.
Step 4. Place all heating lights.
Once you put it all together, it’s time to install all heating sources to the tank’s hot spot. Don’t place it too low since we don’t want your dragon to touch his basking bulbs. Make it at least twelve inches higher from the floor.
Step 5. Glue the stairs and other furniture.
After installing the lights, you can opt to glue some furniture to avoid being messy. Allow it to dry overnight before placing your beardie inside the tank.
5 Effective Tips and Tricks for a Bearded Dragon Basking Platform
- Don’t forget to monitor temperatures within the enclosure. To achieve the desired temperature, you need to use a thermometer on your pet’s tank’s cooler and warmer side. This way, you can gather readings easily from both the basking and cool zone.
- The temperature inside the tank should gradually get cooler until you reach the opposite side. Remember to keep the cool zone around 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The basking spot should be between 90 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on your beardie’s age.
- Do not install fake plants bought from certain bargain stores since these items might be toxic for your beardie. We highly recommend our readers avoid fake plants because these products are not tested as safe for reptiles, specifically because that’s not what they are designed for.
- A good slab of slate under the basking lamp is an excellent platform for your beardie to warm up on because it can hold heat after lights out, giving a natural way for your pet to thermoregulate.
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Wrapping Up
Remember that bearded dragons need a certain heat to be maintained for his body, and he can achieve that temperature through a well-equipped bearded dragon platform. This area is where our pets can sit in the daytime and sometimes even at night time. Thus, building the appropriate basking platform for bearded dragons is necessary. This way, we can guarantee that we are providing sufficient heat for our little pets.
Before setting up a bearded dragon basking platform for your bearded dragon, it is important to understand the requirements that these reptiles need. Call to mind that the temperature and humidity should be similar to its original habitat, and the tank should hold and maintain a particular temperature for a longer time. Also, there should not be any toxic material in the basking platform so that no harm will occur.
