Bearded dragons are the cutest reptiles that people like to keep at their homes as pets. They are lovely pets, but it is challenging to keep them in captivity in a healthy environment.
Besides providing a healthy diet to them, lighting also plays a crucial role in the sound health of bearded dragons. They need a proper light set up for absorbing UV rays to metabolize calcium and increase their appetite.
Did you buy a bearded dragon and not know about the light setup for them? If yes, do not look further! This article will cover every aspect of the bearded dragon light setup.
The Importance Of Bearded Dragon Light Setup
If you want to keep your bearded dragons healthy, you cannot deny the importance of lighting and heating. However, some of the top benefits of using lights in the enclosure of your lizards are presented below to give you an idea about them.
First of all, UVB lights play an indispensable role in preparing vitamin D in the skin of your beautiful reptile pet. Secondly, it helps to metabolize calcium. Thirdly, lizards require lighting to enhance and maintain their vision. Fourthly, UVA spectrum lights promote healthy habits in bearded dragons. Most importantly, through these lights, they get encouragement for breeding.
Sizing Of UVB Lighting
One of the most crucial points when it comes to lighting an enclosure of your bearded dragons for their survival is sizing.
For an increase in the lifespan of your dragon, the length of size matters a lot, and you have to choose it correctly. For example, the span of 2/3 to ¾ looks excellent for the length of the tank. Whether your lizard prefers to live in a corner or the center of the enclosure, this size of UVB lighting permits bearded dragons to absorb the adequate quality of rays.
Fixture To Use For UVB Bulb
After choosing a UVB bulb for your bearded dragons, selecting fixtures to house a UVB bulb is not a daunting task. Instead, you are flexible in picking up any according to your requirements.
You can find the best fixtures from any hardware store near you. For example, SubBlaster NanoTech T5HO Reflector Combo is one of the best products available. No doubt, it is a little bit expensive from other fixtures, but its fitting with the reflector is fantastic. Due to this reason, your UVB bulb gains the capacity to provide you with better output in the enclosure.
Furthermore, the method to mount fixtures in the bearded dragon’s tank is easy because the recommended fixture is lightweight compared to other heavyweight fixtures. For this purpose, you have to get command hooks. After getting them, attach them to the back of the tank. You may think this looks absurd, but it will prove beneficial for your bearded dragons.
Bearded Dragon Light Schedule
If you just purchased a bearded dragon, there are fair chances that you do not know about the light schedule. However, the requirement of their heat and light schedule varies according to the period or point of time, i.e., day and night.
In a day, you should provide 12 to 14 hours of UVB and heat to your bearded dragons. This will help them feel a glimpse of their natural environment. But, on the other hand, you have to endeavor light and heat for eight to 10 hours in the winter season to your fantastic pets. If you feel that your bearded dragon is looking bromate, you can change the bearded dragon’s light schedule.
The pro tip is for you to always turn on the UVB light before and after one hour of feeding your bearded dragons. It is crucial to stimulate the dragon’s appetite and make its digestive system work smoothly. Furthermore, these lights will also assist your pet lizard in absorbing calcium and vitamins given to them through their diet.
Types of Bearded Dragon’s Lights
Various types of UVB bulbs are available. Before their selection, analyze some of the essential options. The top four categories of UVB bulbs are given below for your convenience.
1. Compact (COIL) Fluorescent Lights
These bulbs consist of incandescent fixtures. These compact fluorescent lights utilize a tiny amount of energy, and their life span is also greater than other bearded dragons’ lights.
A weak point of these lights is that they can create high-level UV. This UV can be much more than the need of your dragon. To get rid of this unprotected UV capacity, you should create various areas in the enclosure of bearded dragons. These different spots help your bearded dragons regulate UV by staying at shady points in their tank.
2. Mercury Vapor Bulbs
Whether you want to provide UVB rays UVA light or heat to your bearded dragons, mercury vapor bulbs can fulfill both of your needs.
If we talk about its cost, it is available at a higher price. The life of these mercury vapor bulbs is very long, and they do not stop working for several years. Many experts believe these incredible bulbs enhance bearded dragons’ appetite, coloration, and energy.
The drawback of this bulb is that its UV light can be harmful to your dragon reptiles. To abolish this negative point, you must make a shady place in their enclosure. In addition, you can use the ceramic socket for mercury vapor bulbs. Also, try to fix these bulbs 12 to 14 inches away from bearded dragons for their safety. This bulb type is primarily suitable for a bigger enclosure where bearded dragons have ample space to roam.
3. Fluorescent Bulbs
Bearded dragons require UV rays to maintain their living. You can provide the required rays through fluorescent bulbs.
If you are an owner of bearded dragons and want to purchase this bulb, you must be careful about its utilization method. First of all, you have to understand that fluorescent bulbs initiate leave UV rays before their proper burning process. Then, you should change this bearded dragon light kit after six months approximately.
Moreover, bearded dragons only need eight to 10 percent output of UVB rays, which can easily be fulfilled through fluorescent bulbs. Next, you have to place these bulbs approximately 12 inches away from dragons to accomplish their needs of rays.
According to research, you should not put fluorescent bulbs over plastic, Plexiglas, or glass surfaces because they can block the reach of rays to your bearded dragons. However, if you keep all the above precautions in mind and avoid any mistakes, your bearded dragon will remain healthy with fluorescent bulbs.
4. Halogen Heat Bulbs
These bulbs can provide heat, light, and UVA rays. Alongside these qualities, they also consume less energy and work longer.
Moreover, halogen heat bulbs require a halogen fixture to work. Fluorescent and incandescent fixtures do not match halogen fixtures, so always read a manufacturer’s guide to understand best-fit fixtures.
The negative point is that these bulbs cannot endeavor UVB rays independently. So try to get further advice from experts before purchasing them.
Best UVB Light For Bearded Dragon
If you are a bearded dragon enthusiast and want to buy lighting for them, Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB is a good choice for you. Before picking up any UVB fluorescent bulb, you have to consider the following points.
The first point to notice is that Zoo Med ReptiSun offers two versions of bulbs for you.
The number one version is known as T5. Its output is significantly higher, and you should place it 12 to 18 inches away from your bearded dragons. In addition, you can mount it above the mesh top in the enclosure. If you prefer to use this technique, do not forget to use a reflector because the mesh top filters 330 to 50 percent UVB rays.
If we talk about the T8 version of the bearded dragon UVB light, you must fix it inside the tank. Furthermore, you have to fix it within 8 inches of your Bearded Dragon.
Basking Light For Bearded Dragons
One of the most crucial parts of the bearded dragon enclosure is basking in light. It allows the entrance of sun rays into their house where bearded dragons can maintain their body temperature by absorbing warmth from the sun’s heating rays.
Flukers Clamp Lamp with the combination of a simple floodlight and halogen bulb is a good choice at an affordable price for creating basking light. Also, try to buy a digital laser thermometer to check the temperature of their enclosure.
Every tank has different temperature requirements depending on its insulation and bulb type. To maintain basking surface temperature, you can change the position of lights in the enclosure of bearded dragons.
Cool Side Inside Enclosure
Bearded dragons require a fantastic cool side to wear off the warmth of basking light, so you have to keep a cool area inside their enclosure.
The cool side is opposite the basking area. When bearded dragons feel hot, they try to move into a cool place and gain an appropriate temperature after reaching there.
For a cool area, you do not need to fix any light in it. However, you can place a simple household bulb or LED lamp to create a visual light setup that dragons like. But always make sure that your visible lights will not increase the temperature of the cool side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of the commonly asked questions about the lightning of bearded dragons have been answered below to eliminate your confusion.
What Wattage Heat Lamp For Bearded Dragon 40 Gallons?
A lamp of 100 watts is perfect for bearded dragons for a forty-gallon tank. In addition, owners of bearded dragons must know about appropriate night temperatures. If the temperature of a room enclosure does not lessen from 65 degrees Fahrenheit, you do not need to add any additional heat source to maintain the temperature.
What Light Should Prefer From UVA And UVB For Bearded Dragons?
Experts prefer to use UVB light over UVA for bearded dragons. This is because UVA lights are available in every bulb and enhance the appetite of these incredible reptiles. Moreover, UVA does not assist bearded dragons in producing calcium very efficiently. Therefore, you should not replace UVB light with UVA if you want to get potential beneficial and appropriate heat for your reptiles.
What Is The Best Place For Mounting UVB Light For Bearded Dragons?
According to reptile specialists, the best place to mount UVB light is inside a tank. This is recommended because glass filters an appropriate quality of UVB rays (approximately thirty to fifty percent). However, if you utilize a T5 bulb with a great reflector, you can place it outside the tank. But if you have a T8 bulb for this purpose, place your light fixture inside the tank of bearded dragons.
Should I Heat A Bearded Dragon’s Tank At Night?
The answer to this question depends on the temperature of your house. If your home temperature does not fall below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, you do not need anything for the heating tank of your fire dragon. On the other hand, if your room temperature is lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you must heat this reptile tank. For this purpose, you can pick ceramic heat emitters, and they will heat the tank without any visible light. On the contrary, your bearded dragons may go into brumation.
What Is An Ideal Temperature For Bearded Dragons?
The ideal temperature depends upon the age of your bearded dragons. For example, a basking zone having a temperature of 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for baby bearded dragons. However, if we talk about adults, the temperature range of 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit is perfect for them. 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the best cool zone if we do not consider the age of bearded dragons.
Final Thoughts
The survival of bearded dragons is impossible without proper lighting in their enclosure. In this article, we have taken a deep dive into the light setup of the bearded dragon’s enclosure. After reading this informational article, we hope you have no more queries and can set up lighting for bearded dragons without any difficulty.
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