Help!

[chamelemom]

Hi guys.
I just found Ricky laying on his side on his perch under the heating lamp and I nearly had heart attack. is he too hot?
Right now all I have to feed him are rather small mealworms (I know I know they aren't too good but I don't want him to starve) we ordered some dubia roaches and his multivitamin is coming as well as a repashy gutload for him. He's in a screen 24x24x48in cage that I mist heavily 2-3 times a day, I saw him drinking yesterday too so I know he does get water too. I have a t8 10.0 uvb bulb and a regular lamp as a heat bulb but I didn't think that was warm enough so I put his old heat lamp (halogen mini dome and bulb by zilla) back above his perch (which is where I found him laying down) and he's been staying under it since I've put it back in, but should he be laying like that? I shut it off because I was scared he was too hot and so he moved and he's crawling around now. He's active and that's the first time I've ever seen him do that. Right now he crawled up a vine that's under the other, less hot lamp.

Here are a couple of pictures of my boy.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

If you mean he was on the branch, under the bulb, flattened out, and leaning to one side, that is normal basking behavior. Is he was lying on his side, at the bottom of the cage, run, don't walk to a competent vet.

 

[chamelemom]

If you mean he was on the branch, under the bulb, flattened out, and leaning to one side, that is normal basking behavior. Is he was lying on his side, at the bottom of the cage, run, don't walk to a competent vet.

He has a little perch made out of popsicle sticks, he was laying on that on his side underneath the bulb and I've never seen him do that. Should I leave the heat lamp on then? It's normal?

 

[Dumzy]

He has a little perch made out of popsicle sticks, he was laying on that on his side underneath the bulb and I've never seen him do that. Should I leave the heat lamp on then? It's normal?

Thats usually normal basking behavior, was he completely laying on it? His feet werent hooked onto anything? I would just make sure the basking spot is atleast 6 inches below the light so he doesent get burnt, hes probably fine.

 

[chamelemom]

Thats usually normal basking behavior, was he completely laying on it? His feet werent hooked onto anything? I would just make sure the basking spot is atleast 6 inches below the light so he doesent get burnt, hes probably fine.

He's holding on, the light is six inches above him. I turned it back on and now he's under it again. Thank you guys for the help. I'm still new to this and scared of him doing anything because I don't want him to get hurt haha.

 

[Dumzy]

He's holding on, the light is six inches above him. I turned it back on and now he's under it again. Thank you guys for the help. I'm still new to this and scared of him doing anything because I don't want him to get hurt haha.

Yep, thats normal, mine basks like that all the time haha.

 

[Peachypink]

Totally normal. What will really trip you out is when he turns that whole side dark and the other side is normal colored.

 

[Virgil1972]

He is just increasing his surface area to absorb more heat, and turning that toward the heat.

 

[PJK]

normal. They like to warm up with "broad side" heat. Its the easiest way for them to raise their core body temperature

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Little foot does that all the time!

 

[Decadancin]

Normal, but what is the basking site temp?

 

[Replife]

I find it a lil odd you only have just now seen him doing this lol my lil guy was doing this from day one

 

[Remkon]

My guy did that before it was cool!

 

[rminnis]

Isnt the 10.00 too much UVB for that small of an enclosure unless it is heavy planted? Try a 5.0

 

[Decadancin]

Isnt the 10.00 too much UVB for that small of an enclosure unless it is heavy planted? Try a 5.0

It is a T8 so it might be alright, but I would probably put an extra piece of screen between it and the enclosure for the first few months of the bulbs life to be sure.