i don’t understand lighting!?

[livichi7]

Hi! I’ve raised guinea pigs my whole life and someone gave me a bearded dragon that needed a home, so i took him in. I am pretty sure he has mbd (so i am making a vet appointment.) I get everything else about a beardies diet and stuff, but i don’t understand lighting. I know I need a heat lamp and a uv thing, but should i get that in the same lamp or a separate heating and uv tube thing? which would help him get better faster? what is the best brand to use? thank you!

 

[Hdrydr31]

Most of us use Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 set ups or arcadia 12% bulbs.. You want your UVB to cover 2/3rd of the tank so strip bulbs work really well to do so and you want it to overlap with your basking bulb as they need both to digest/absorb and change the supplements that are needed for proper metabolism.

 

[BeardedHippy]

I would pass on the 'all in one' mercury vapor lamps, they work but they aren't very reliable and have a short lifespan. A seperate heat (halogen spotlight) and tube (as stated by hdrydr31)is best. Those tubes are high output, and that is what your dragon needs for Vitamin D3 and conversion to calcium.

 

[PatsyB]

Especially if the dragon has MBD, I would pass on an all in one bulb. Get a T5 HO UVB strip light and a separate heat bulb.

 

[Honchess]

You've already had good recommendations on the bulbs but I would make one more comment. I use TWO bulbs one for heat and another for UV. I live in NM and we run our coolers all summer. The heat emitter is on all the . I use a 100W ceramic heat emitter to maintain the temperature over night.
I also purchased a Temperature gun to check tank temps in various places in my tank.
The UV lamp comes on at seven in the morning and I turn it off about seven in the evening.