Basking temp?

[Baby Lobie]

hey.. so it recently started getting pretty cold here where we live. i have noticed that Frank is always kinda dark and spends most his time in his basking area.. hes a little slow lately too.. basking temp is around 86-88.. when i got him he was about 6 weeks old and i was told keep basking temp no more than 85... but my mommy gut feeling is telling me that he is cold.. and he is a little older now (about 16weeks).. should i get stronger bulb? hes always hanging out under his heat bulb and tries to get closer than before. he stays kinda dark almost always. (one more thing... what does it mean when they just sit there with there mouth open? he does that sometimes.. sometimes for like 40 seconds, other times it looks like a yawn.. lol)

 

[nightanole]

You can bump it up to low 90's if he cant get close enough to burn. A better idea would be find a wider arc bulb, so he has a much larger area of 86-88 to hang out in, or even install a second basking light close by that is also 86-88. He is dark because hes trying to get more heat, he will get almost white if he is over heated. Mouth gaping is normally them cooling their head while keeping the body warm. I just say they are too lazy to move to get cooler