Lighting for Juvies + Brumation

[IndigoNight]

I don't have a bearded dragon yet, but I'm hoping to get one by 2017. So I was planning on putting UVB/basking lights on my Christmas list this year. I would definitely love a two-in-one UVB/basking bulb. But what wattage would I need for a juvie, seeing as the tank will be smaller when the dragon is small? Also, any recommendations for the...not-bulb part of the light? The thing you put the bulb /in/? Isn't ceramic fairly popular?

Also, this isn't related to the lighting question, but could someone give a good explanation on brumation? Should you or should you not lower temps in the winter, how long does brumation last, what to expect, etc.

 

[PatsyB]

I've heard that the mercury vapor bulbs or the all in one UVB/basking bulbs are for more advanced owners. I don't really know much about them. As far as the wattage goes, you are going to have to play around and have different ones on hand. When I first started out I think I had 10 different bulbs in all sorts of wattages and shapes! I find that in the winter I need a stronger one and in the summer I can get by with a lower one.

It's very hard to get a temperature gradient in smaller tanks. I actually started both of mine out in their adult home and had no problems. They had lots of places to hide if they wanted too. It also saved money from having to buy multiple tanks as they grew.

I don't have a good explanation of brumation other than some do it and some don't. My almost 3 year old girl has never done it, my 2 year old boy is acting like he wants to do it right now. In the past years they have just gone through a period of slowing down. Not eating a lot, not moving around a whole lot and just kinda hanging out on one side of the tank. They would nap through out the day but they would never fully go to sleep for days at a time. They tend to do this in the middle of winter when the weather starts getting below zero. When I say my boy is acting like he wants to he is going to his "bed" earlier in the day and has very sleepy eyes. He's never liked to go into hides but I bought him one a few weeks ago and he actually goes into it and starts digging around and will sometimes fall asleep in it. Either with his head sticking out or with his whole body completely in it. I've read that when they do go into brumation you still want to leave some food in their tank because they still may wake up to eat. You also want to continue giving them weekly baths because if they eat they are going to need to poop so a warm bath will help. Other than this I have no idea! All I know is my house is going to be real quiet if my boy goes down which will be a relief but I will really miss him and his daily antics

 

[IndigoNight]

I've heard that the mercury vapor bulbs or the all in one UVB/basking bulbs are for more advanced owners. I don't really know much about them. As far as the wattage goes, you are going to have to play around and have different ones on hand. When I first started out I think I had 10 different bulbs in all sorts of wattages and shapes! I find that in the winter I need a stronger one and in the summer I can get by with a lower one.

It's very hard to get a temperature gradient in smaller tanks. I actually started both of mine out in their adult home and had no problems. They had lots of places to hide if they wanted too. It also saved money from having to buy multiple tanks as they grew.

I don't have a good explanation of brumation other than some do it and some don't. My almost 3 year old girl has never done it, my 2 year old boy is acting like he wants to do it right now. In the past years they have just gone through a period of slowing down. Not eating a lot, not moving around a whole lot and just kinda hanging out on one side of the tank. They would nap through out the day but they would never fully go to sleep for days at a time. They tend to do this in the middle of winter when the weather starts getting below zero. When I say my boy is acting like he wants to he is going to his "bed" earlier in the day and has very sleepy eyes. He's never liked to go into hides but I bought him one a few weeks ago and he actually goes into it and starts digging around and will sometimes fall asleep in it. Either with his head sticking out or with his whole body completely in it. I've read that when they do go into brumation you still want to leave some food in their tank because they still may wake up to eat. You also want to continue giving them weekly baths because if they eat they are going to need to poop so a warm bath will help. Other than this I have no idea! All I know is my house is going to be real quiet if my boy goes down which will be a relief but I will really miss him and his daily antics

Thank you for the info. I'll try to work with a few different bulbs then, the lighting is one thing that is confusing me a bit with beardies. The care aspects I'm good with, but I can get confused by how many different lights there are! I may ask my zoo what we use, since obviously we're doing something right (12-year-old beardie, anyone? XD) and the zookeepers are pretty used to all of my questions.

Thanks so much for clearing up on the "babies need smaller tanks" thing! I was planning on getting an adult tank and using a divider so the baby wouldn't be confused, but I really don't think it will be too bad. I'll be giving my little one more worms than crickets anyway (my mom isn't a bug person, no way is she having a colony of smelly, noisy, awful crickets in her house!), so it won't really have an issue finding its food. If it really can't find its food, there's always the option of feeding in a separate bin. That's what we do at the zoo, and ours seem to do well with that. It will definitely be more convenient to just start out with a full adult tank, that way I don't have to fiddle with lights and worry about my baby getting roasted.

Sounds like a good explanation to me! What you're describing is what my basic understanding was, thanks for clarifying.

 

[PatsyB]

I just reread what I typed earlier. I forgot to clarify that if you don't use an all on one type bulb you need to have a basking and a UVB light. Tube style lights are preferred over coil bulbs because they cover more area of the tank.

 

[IndigoNight]

I just reread what I typed earlier. I forgot to clarify that if you don't use an all on one type bulb you need to have a basking and a UVB light. Tube style lights are preferred over coil bulbs because they cover more area of the tank.

This, I do know. But the tube light info is good to know, thanks! How exactly do you install tube lights?

 

[PatsyB]

I just set it on top. I use the Repti sun T5 10.0 HO it penetrates the mesh better than the Repti sun T8 10.0 HO. Some people fasten theirs to the inside with heavy duty velcro or plastic ties. You want to be careful mounting it on the side of the tank because the light could hurt their eyes.

 

[IndigoNight]

I just set it on top. I use the Repti sun T5 10.0 HO it penetrates the mesh better than the Repti sun T8 10.0 HO. Some people fasten theirs to the inside with heavy duty velcro or plastic ties. You want to be careful mounting it on the side of the tank because the light could hurt their eyes.

Alright, thanks so much. Any recommendations for a basking light? I'll probably just set the tube you recommended on top as well.

 

[PatsyB]

I just use a dome fixture. I alternate between a zoomed basking bulb and a household par 38 halogen bulb. Right now I have a 50 watt Zoomed in each of the tanks and it gets the basking spot between 95 and 100 degrees. It's starting to cool off here so I'm going to switch to a 75 watt soon and see how that works. Dexter is my girl and she is going to be 3 and Luci is my boy, he's going to be 2 so in the dragon world they are both considered adults and don't need such a high temp for basking.

 

[IndigoNight]

Alright, thanks again. I'll just have to find the right wattage for the juvenile basking spot and a good dome to use.

 

[lil' ése's mother]

I used coil lights for about 2 months and my baby started shutting one eye for long periods of time. after ocnsulting a vet, she highly recommended tube lighting as coils are known to cause eye problems.

 

[IndigoNight]

I used coil lights for about 2 months and my baby started shutting one eye for long periods of time. after ocnsulting a vet, she highly recommended tube lighting as coils are known to cause eye problems.

Alright, this is DEFINITELY good to know. Thank you!