Post by hoomanslave on Nov 9, 2020 20:20:10 GMT -5
Here is a list of FAQs (frequently asked questions) related to bearded dragon heating and lighting. This guide is designed to answer any questions owners may have about providing light for their pet.
1. What kind of lights do bearded dragons need?
Bearded dragons generally need two daytime lamps-one to provide UVB, and one to provide heat. Both should give off visible light, or UVA.
2. What type of UVB light do I get?
The simple answer is the tube-shaped UVB lights.
The other forms of UVB-coils, bulbs, etc., only provide small amounts of UVB in a small area. A tube UVB provides adequate UVB that covers the whole enclosure, as long as the correct fixture is used.
3. What type of basking light do I get?
The red and blue bulbs you see at pet stores are dangerous for bearded dragons and can damage their eyes and even tissue over time. A proper basking bulb should not give off colored light. The wattage you get for your bulb depends on your enclosure size. A 100 watt bulb is usually enough for a 40 gallon tank, but anything larger may need a 150 to 175 watt bulb. Finding the correct wattage for your enclosure is trial and error.
4. Does my bearded dragon need light at night?
Bearded dragons, like all other reptiles, are capable of sensing light even when sleeping. This is because they have a "third eye", or pineal eye, on top of their heads. This can detect any kind of light-whether it is blue, black, or red-and can mess up the bearded dragon's sleep cycles. Providing light at nighttime is similar to being locked in a room with a bright light on 24/7-it would drive anyone crazy, and reptiles are no exception. No matter what the pet store employee tells you, your beardie does not need light at night.
5. Does my bearded dragon need heat at night?
Bearded dragons, being desert animals, are used to extreme temperature drops at night. They will tolerate temperatures as low as 65 degrees (F). As long as your house temperatures do not get below 65 at night, your beardie will not need any additional heat.
However, if your house does get too cold at night, you can provide your beardie with a ceramic heat emitter (CHE), which are safer and more effective to use than hot rocks or heating pads. A word of warning: Do not place a CHE directly on top of a plastic lid or near anything that could become a fire hazard or melt. CHEs can become extremely hot.
6. Why do bearded dragons need UVB and heat?
Bearded dragons need calcium to keep their bones healthy and strong. As you may already know, they need a high calcium diet to achieve this. However, a beardie cannot absorb all the calcium in its diet without an essential vitamin-Vitamin D3. Without vitamin D3, beardies can't use the calcium in their bodies and they will develop metabolic bone disease, a common and eventually fatal ailment in which the body absorbs calcium from the bones to make up for what it does not have. This leaves the bones deformed and brittle, causing paralysis, weakness, fractured limbs, and other problems.
Reptiles are ectotherms-they do not make their own body heat, so they depend on outside sources for it. This is why reptiles spend so much time basking-they are absorbing essential heat. Without heat, their body cannot perform functions such as digesting food. Beardies must be allowed to bask a few hours before and after a meal so that they can digest properly.
7. What is a heat gradient? How do I set one up?
A heat gradient is actually very simple: it's the fade from hotter to cooler temps. A heat gradient is important for reptiles. Without one, they cannot move from one end of the tank to another to stay at the correct core temperature. This is a process known as thermoregulation. Reptiles aren't the only ones that do this-so do you! Think of what beardies do as similar to you entering a pool when you are hot, and leaving when you are cold. It can even be compared to flipping your pillow over to the cool side and layering blankets depending on the weather.
To set up a heat gradient, all you need to do is provide a heat source (in this case, a basking light) at one end of the enclosure. The heat gradient will occur naturally. All heating elements should be placed at one end of the tank for a proper gradient.
8. What's the difference between a T8 and a T5?
The difference is more simple than you may think-it is the diameter of the lamp. T5 lights are 40% smaller than T8 lights, but give off more light. They both illuminate the same amount of space. A T5 light can be mounted on top of the enclosure if the screen holes are wide enough, but a T8 will need to be mounted inside.
9. What length UVB light do I need?
A UVB light for a bearded dragon should cover about 2/3 of the enclosure, with 1/2 being the bare minimum. When purchasing a fixture for the light, look for a fixture that is about 2" longer than your light-that is the size compatible with your light. This may vary slightly by fixture.
10. What about Mercury Vapor Bulbs (MVB)?
Some bearded dragon owners choose to use a mercury vapor bulb instead of the usual heat lamp and light strip. MVBs are recommended only for experienced hobbyists, because the temperatures are hard to maintain. You will also need a UVB meter (which can easily cost you over $300) to make sure the UVB levels are not dangerously high. MVBs are also expensive, with the high quality ones fetching over $60 per bulb. They do have their advantages, though. They only need to be replaced once a year and, once you get them working, are less hassle than managing two kinds of light. If you are new to the hobby, these are best avoided.
11. How often do I replace my lights?
UVB lights typically need to be replaced every 6 months, while basking bulbs can last up to a year. You can set a reminder on your phone, or attach a small sticker with the date you need to replace the bulb onto your light fixture. Note that even if your UVB light continues to give off light, it may stop giving off UVB long before the light goes out.
12. Why do my bulbs keep blowing out?
If your bulbs seem to constantly be blowing out, check what wattage your bulbs are. Next, check what wattage your light fixture can handle-in most cases of bulbs blowing out, it is because the bulb is too high wattage for the fixture to handle. Always check what your fixture's limit is-usually displayed clearly on the front or back of the box-before installing a new bulb.
13. What kind of light fixtures do I need?
You will need two light fixtures-one long one for light and a dome for heat. You will need an additional dome for a CHE if you choose to buy one.
When you purchase a light fixture, you should look for these things:
-Make sure it is a reflector fixture. This is especially important with UVB lights. It will look like a shiny metal lining on part of the UVB.
-Check the wattage of the fixture in question (if for heat) and the length and diameter (if for light)
-Do some research on the brand you are looking to buy from. Are their products quality? Check their customer reviews.
14. What lights and fixtures are recommended?
When buying a reptile product, stick to well-known and reliable brands-ZooMed and Exo Terra are in the lead here, followed by Fluker's and Arcadia. All of these brands offer UVB and basking bulbs. However, there are only two UVB lights that can be recommended.
1. Arcadia 12% H.O (T5 and T8): www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-desert-12-uvb/
2. ZooMed ReptiSun 10.0 (T5 and T8): www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26061-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00AQU8HAO/ref=pd_lpo_199_t_1/139-0359016-7460162?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00AQU8HAO&pd_rd_r=9156aa7d-0e1d-4bf3-8382-71589962fae5&pd_rd_w=NwuLT&pd_rd_wg=eiCr6&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=44ZSZ7YFJH5B5GA3CMDM&psc=1&refRID=44ZSZ7YFJH5B5GA3CMDM (NOTE: This bulb is actually cheaper at Petco most of the time and goes on sale frequently)
For a UVB fixture, you can go with an Arcadia or ZooMed fixture designed for their signature UVB bulbs, although the ZooMed ones tend to get pricey. Here's a high-end fixture that keepers have trusted for years (and that won't break the bank): www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2605PADX2SC7I&dchild=1&keywords=sunblaster+t5+light+fixture&qid=1604971088&sprefix=sunblaster+t5+%2Cpets%2C212&sr=8-2
15. How do I get the temps right?
In order to keep your beardie safe and healthy, you need the proper cage temperatures. However, it is difficult to provide the correct temperatures. A digital thermostat is recommended for safety. This thermostat controls temperatures, stores the temperature data, and has an alarm that goes off when the temperature gets too high or low: www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-RT-600-Thermostat-Controller/dp/B07FYXX9L3
Let me know any other questions you have or have seen below and they will be added to this guide! I hope this helped you with some of your questions!
1. What kind of lights do bearded dragons need?
Bearded dragons generally need two daytime lamps-one to provide UVB, and one to provide heat. Both should give off visible light, or UVA.
2. What type of UVB light do I get?
The simple answer is the tube-shaped UVB lights.
The other forms of UVB-coils, bulbs, etc., only provide small amounts of UVB in a small area. A tube UVB provides adequate UVB that covers the whole enclosure, as long as the correct fixture is used.
3. What type of basking light do I get?
The red and blue bulbs you see at pet stores are dangerous for bearded dragons and can damage their eyes and even tissue over time. A proper basking bulb should not give off colored light. The wattage you get for your bulb depends on your enclosure size. A 100 watt bulb is usually enough for a 40 gallon tank, but anything larger may need a 150 to 175 watt bulb. Finding the correct wattage for your enclosure is trial and error.
4. Does my bearded dragon need light at night?
Bearded dragons, like all other reptiles, are capable of sensing light even when sleeping. This is because they have a "third eye", or pineal eye, on top of their heads. This can detect any kind of light-whether it is blue, black, or red-and can mess up the bearded dragon's sleep cycles. Providing light at nighttime is similar to being locked in a room with a bright light on 24/7-it would drive anyone crazy, and reptiles are no exception. No matter what the pet store employee tells you, your beardie does not need light at night.
5. Does my bearded dragon need heat at night?
Bearded dragons, being desert animals, are used to extreme temperature drops at night. They will tolerate temperatures as low as 65 degrees (F). As long as your house temperatures do not get below 65 at night, your beardie will not need any additional heat.
However, if your house does get too cold at night, you can provide your beardie with a ceramic heat emitter (CHE), which are safer and more effective to use than hot rocks or heating pads. A word of warning: Do not place a CHE directly on top of a plastic lid or near anything that could become a fire hazard or melt. CHEs can become extremely hot.
6. Why do bearded dragons need UVB and heat?
Bearded dragons need calcium to keep their bones healthy and strong. As you may already know, they need a high calcium diet to achieve this. However, a beardie cannot absorb all the calcium in its diet without an essential vitamin-Vitamin D3. Without vitamin D3, beardies can't use the calcium in their bodies and they will develop metabolic bone disease, a common and eventually fatal ailment in which the body absorbs calcium from the bones to make up for what it does not have. This leaves the bones deformed and brittle, causing paralysis, weakness, fractured limbs, and other problems.
Reptiles are ectotherms-they do not make their own body heat, so they depend on outside sources for it. This is why reptiles spend so much time basking-they are absorbing essential heat. Without heat, their body cannot perform functions such as digesting food. Beardies must be allowed to bask a few hours before and after a meal so that they can digest properly.
7. What is a heat gradient? How do I set one up?
A heat gradient is actually very simple: it's the fade from hotter to cooler temps. A heat gradient is important for reptiles. Without one, they cannot move from one end of the tank to another to stay at the correct core temperature. This is a process known as thermoregulation. Reptiles aren't the only ones that do this-so do you! Think of what beardies do as similar to you entering a pool when you are hot, and leaving when you are cold. It can even be compared to flipping your pillow over to the cool side and layering blankets depending on the weather.
To set up a heat gradient, all you need to do is provide a heat source (in this case, a basking light) at one end of the enclosure. The heat gradient will occur naturally. All heating elements should be placed at one end of the tank for a proper gradient.
8. What's the difference between a T8 and a T5?
The difference is more simple than you may think-it is the diameter of the lamp. T5 lights are 40% smaller than T8 lights, but give off more light. They both illuminate the same amount of space. A T5 light can be mounted on top of the enclosure if the screen holes are wide enough, but a T8 will need to be mounted inside.
9. What length UVB light do I need?
A UVB light for a bearded dragon should cover about 2/3 of the enclosure, with 1/2 being the bare minimum. When purchasing a fixture for the light, look for a fixture that is about 2" longer than your light-that is the size compatible with your light. This may vary slightly by fixture.
10. What about Mercury Vapor Bulbs (MVB)?
Some bearded dragon owners choose to use a mercury vapor bulb instead of the usual heat lamp and light strip. MVBs are recommended only for experienced hobbyists, because the temperatures are hard to maintain. You will also need a UVB meter (which can easily cost you over $300) to make sure the UVB levels are not dangerously high. MVBs are also expensive, with the high quality ones fetching over $60 per bulb. They do have their advantages, though. They only need to be replaced once a year and, once you get them working, are less hassle than managing two kinds of light. If you are new to the hobby, these are best avoided.
11. How often do I replace my lights?
UVB lights typically need to be replaced every 6 months, while basking bulbs can last up to a year. You can set a reminder on your phone, or attach a small sticker with the date you need to replace the bulb onto your light fixture. Note that even if your UVB light continues to give off light, it may stop giving off UVB long before the light goes out.
12. Why do my bulbs keep blowing out?
If your bulbs seem to constantly be blowing out, check what wattage your bulbs are. Next, check what wattage your light fixture can handle-in most cases of bulbs blowing out, it is because the bulb is too high wattage for the fixture to handle. Always check what your fixture's limit is-usually displayed clearly on the front or back of the box-before installing a new bulb.
13. What kind of light fixtures do I need?
You will need two light fixtures-one long one for light and a dome for heat. You will need an additional dome for a CHE if you choose to buy one.
When you purchase a light fixture, you should look for these things:
-Make sure it is a reflector fixture. This is especially important with UVB lights. It will look like a shiny metal lining on part of the UVB.
-Check the wattage of the fixture in question (if for heat) and the length and diameter (if for light)
-Do some research on the brand you are looking to buy from. Are their products quality? Check their customer reviews.
14. What lights and fixtures are recommended?
When buying a reptile product, stick to well-known and reliable brands-ZooMed and Exo Terra are in the lead here, followed by Fluker's and Arcadia. All of these brands offer UVB and basking bulbs. However, there are only two UVB lights that can be recommended.
1. Arcadia 12% H.O (T5 and T8): www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-desert-12-uvb/
2. ZooMed ReptiSun 10.0 (T5 and T8): www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26061-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00AQU8HAO/ref=pd_lpo_199_t_1/139-0359016-7460162?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00AQU8HAO&pd_rd_r=9156aa7d-0e1d-4bf3-8382-71589962fae5&pd_rd_w=NwuLT&pd_rd_wg=eiCr6&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=44ZSZ7YFJH5B5GA3CMDM&psc=1&refRID=44ZSZ7YFJH5B5GA3CMDM (NOTE: This bulb is actually cheaper at Petco most of the time and goes on sale frequently)
For a UVB fixture, you can go with an Arcadia or ZooMed fixture designed for their signature UVB bulbs, although the ZooMed ones tend to get pricey. Here's a high-end fixture that keepers have trusted for years (and that won't break the bank): www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2605PADX2SC7I&dchild=1&keywords=sunblaster+t5+light+fixture&qid=1604971088&sprefix=sunblaster+t5+%2Cpets%2C212&sr=8-2
15. How do I get the temps right?
In order to keep your beardie safe and healthy, you need the proper cage temperatures. However, it is difficult to provide the correct temperatures. A digital thermostat is recommended for safety. This thermostat controls temperatures, stores the temperature data, and has an alarm that goes off when the temperature gets too high or low: www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-RT-600-Thermostat-Controller/dp/B07FYXX9L3
Let me know any other questions you have or have seen below and they will be added to this guide! I hope this helped you with some of your questions!