Lighting for my new beardie

[Nubs]

Hello,
I've had my bearded dragon for one month and rescued him from Petco. He has a hand missing and is so wonderful. He's five months old. My question is, do I need a basking light and incandescent light and uvb light? I live in a colder environment. The cage (20 gallon) seems to be 95 on the basking site and 80-90 on warm side and 70-77 on the cool side. I use a 150 watt incandescent light and a uvb light. Do I need it a little warmer? Should I leave the 60 watt night light on during the day too? I want to make sure Nubs is happy and healthy. He eats roaches and Phoenix worms and veggies. He's very happy and friendly. I'm looking to move him to a 40 gallon breeder tank soon. When should I move him up?

Thank you.

 

[beardeddragonlife]

You only need ONE incandescent bright white light which is a basking light. Just a marketing term companies use to monetize off of you. You're just looking to copy in captivity what your beardie isn't getting from the natural sun. Bright white light, heat, and a tad bit of uva is what the incandescent provides. What kind of UVB source do you use? That's the most important thing. Hopefully not a coil style uvb bulb.

Temps seem a little cool but in a 20 gallon temps could rise dangerously high with a 150 watt. You don't need a night light at all. Beardies have a parietal eye and they see fairly well at night. All it does is disrupts your dragons sleep pattern. You need to turn the lights off for 10-12 hours each night and you only need something like a ceramic heat emitter if temps dip below 65°. You can ditch the night light.

The only lighting you need is ONE incandescent, ONE fluorescent tube style UVB light such as the reptisun t5 10.0 (used for on top of tank. Filters through mesh well) or reptisun t8 (used for mounting inside. Doesn't filter through mesh well at all.) You only need something like a ceramic heat emitter if temps get below 65° at night as stated above. Otherwise you don't need anything else. Heat mats are a no go as well because your beardie won't realize the heat from beneath and can burn his/her belly.

We suggest moving to a 40 gallon as soon as you can. Please let us know what kind of uvb source you use and we can give you the proper information as you move your little fella up to a 40 gallon breeder. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to let us know. Love the name nubs! Best of luck with your little guy! Would love to see a picture.

 

[Nubs]

You only need ONE incandescent bright white light which is a basking light. Just a marketing term companies use to monetize off of you. You're just looking to copy in captivity what your beardie isn't getting from the natural sun. Bright white light, heat, and a tad bit of uva is what the incandescent provides. What kind of UVB source do you use? That's the most important thing. Hopefully not a coil style uvb bulb.

Temps seem a little cool but in a 20 gallon temps could rise dangerously high with a 150 watt. You don't need a night light at all. Beardies have a parietal eye and they see fairly well at night. All it does is disrupts your dragons sleep pattern. You need to turn the lights off for 10-12 hours each night and you only need something like a ceramic heat emitter if temps dip below 65°. You can ditch the night light.

The only lighting you need is ONE incandescent, ONE fluorescent tube style UVB light such as the reptisun t5 10.0 (used for on top of tank. Filters through mesh well) or reptisun t8 (used for mounting inside. Doesn't filter through mesh well at all.) You only need something like a ceramic heat emitter if temps get below 65° at night as stated above. Otherwise you don't need anything else. Heat mats are a no go as well because your beardie won't realize the heat from beneath and can burn his/her belly.

We suggest moving to a 40 gallon as soon as you can. Please let us know what kind of uvb source you use and we can give you the proper information as you move your little fella up to a 40 gallon breeder. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to let us know. Love the name nubs! Best of luck with your little guy! Would love to see a picture.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

Yes, you only need a source of heat and source of UVB. Mine is actually in a 40 breeder, so I'll post a pic. The hood is for a reptisun UVB tube light. He does have 2 basking lights because it wasn't getting hot enough - a 100 watt and a 75 watt - I think only one is shown in the photo, but there are actually 2 dome fixtures for the heat bulbs. So you may need to play with different bulb wattages in order to get the correct temp.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

Here's a better pic of the light setup. The 2 dome fixtures hold basking bulbs. Like I said though, the only reason I have 2 is because it was chilly in the winter and the temps weren't high enough. When summer hits 1 heat bulb should be sufficient.

 

[Nubs]

Thank you for the information. I have a reptisun 10 compact uvb bulb in a dome right now. I will get the reptisun t5 10 tube for top screen for the bigger tank. I do have a ceramic 60 watt bulb I don't use so I can add that on and see if the temps raise. My temps go down to 58 degrees at night in my house so I need something for Nubs. Is a 40 gallon breeder ok for the rest of his life? I see mixed reviews on it. I want him healthy and happy. So I use the heat at night because I need to, I feel the basking needs to be higher. He does bask at times with his mouth open. Here's my tank set up right now. Thank you.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

He's so cute! Looks very happy.

I have also heard mixed things about the 40 breeder. My personal opinion is that if it is a smaller adult dragon AND gets plenty of exercise running around the house or a play area, then the 40 is sufficient. I have a 75 gallon tank I am going to upgrade him to by the time he is an adult, because I feel more space is better and I happen to have one. Lots of people also custom build enclosures, which is awesome. If I didn't already have the 75 gallon, I would probably do that.

Are you familiar with the temp controllers? Plug your CHE into it, and when it hits a certain temp of your choosing it will automatically cut off so he doesn't overheat. I use them for my tortoises and they are great!!! Definitely worth the $20 investment. With the temps and setup for my beardie I don't need to use one, but if you are going to have the CHE on at night you should look into it. Good luck, keep us posted!!!

 

[KrissyLeigh]

I meant to give you this link - really good info on correct temps for different ages of beardies, night vs. day, etc

http://www.beardeddragoncare101.com/proper-temperatures-bearded-dragon/

 

[Nubs]

Thank you.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I meant to give you this link - really good info on correct temps for different ages of beardies, night vs. day, etc

http://www.beardeddragoncare101.com/proper-temperatures-bearded-dragon/

We also have all the info that new comers are in need of listed in the links that you will find below several of our comments..

 

[PatsyB]

I have mine in 40 gal tanks and they are doing just fine. They've been in the 40g since they were babies and now they are 4,3 and 3. I do give them each out of tank time as much as possible. I always feel as long as the tank is wide enough to fit the length of their body so they have room to turn around and it is 2x the length of their body, they are good.

 

[Dragnmum]

Since you're talking about lighting, I do have a res light for night time. It prevents the temp from falling too much. He sleeps just fine. Is it a big deal?


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[Hdrydr31]

Since you're talking about lighting, I do have a res light for night time. It prevents the temp from falling too much. He sleeps just fine. Is it a big deal
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Yes bulbs of any color red/blue or any for that matter will affect their overall health. If used during the day it keeps their eyes from reacting normally. During the night Their 3rd eye will pick up any light source and can give them wrong signals that will keep them from really sleeping.. This can be a cumulative effect... The only reason they would need additional heat during the night time hours is if the temp falls below 65F if that happens you use a CHE (ceramic heating element) to bring the temp up.. these only give off heat NO light.

 

[Nubs]

Thanks guys. I've got my lighting figured out. I've even adjusted it due to wheather changed. I have a MVB and an incandescent and a chi at night when needed. Nubs is in a 75 gallon tank too. He's doing great.