Bearded dragons require a gradient of heat within their enclosure ranging from 95 105 degrees fahrenheit in the basking area to 75 85 degrees fahrenheit on the cooler side.
Baby bearded dragon lighting.
A basking light or heat lamp is going to help your bearded dragon both regulate their day and night cycles and also aid in their digestion and keep their appetite up.
Beardies in the wild receive ultraviolet light and heat from the sun on a daily basis.
Bearded dragon s natural habitat.
Choosing the right size uvb light is very important in keeping your bearded dragon healthy.
You re a conscientious pet owner your beardie needs two types of lighting.
One is a basking lamp which provides heat.
The other major purpose of bearded dragon lighting is temperature.
During the summer months you should provide your bearded dragon with a minimum of 14 16 hours of daytime light and uv exposure and 8 10 hours of nighttime exposure.
This allows your bearded dragon to absorb beneficial uvb rays no matter where is chooses to rest sit.
Without heat your dragon will become sickly and can even suffer from impaction as food will be stuck in their system undigested.
During the winter months the light cycle should be decreased to 10 12 hours of daytime light and uv exposure and 12 14 hours of nighttime exposure.
Ideally the uvb bulb should span 2 3 to 3 4 the length of your tank.
Bearded dragon temperature requirements.
A bearded dragon s lighting set up should mimic what the reptile would get in the wild as closely as possible.
In order to best mimic the ultraviolet light in an indoor enclosure high ultraviolet uva and uvb output light bulbs must be used.