What size UVB bulb does a bearded dragon need?
The Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 T5 HO UVB, Arcadia Desert 12%, and Arcadia Dragon 14% are fluorescent bulbs that don't produce heat, but provide plenty of good quality UVB for bearded dragons in a 24″ tall enclosure. These bulbs are T5 fluorescents, which means that they have a stronger UVB output than standard T8s.
Best UVB Bulb for Bearded Dragons #1: Repti-Sun 10.0 UVB (Fluorescent Light) This is without a doubt, one of the most trusted if not THE most trusted UVB bulb on the market right now for bearded dragons.
Bluex Bulbs 15-Watt Reptile UVB 10.0 T8 Reptile light bulb uva uvb reptile light is ideal for all desert-dwelling reptiles, including bearded dragons, tortoises and other lizards. Use it to increase natural behaviors and prevent illnesses.
The 400 UVB bulb is recommended for large tanks and is usually the better option for bearded dragons. This is a mercury vapor lamp, so it can also be used as a heat lamp.
It is true that a bearded dragon can develop too much UVB in captivity. It requires a certain amount of UVB rays per day to survive. Exposure to UVB rays can cause serious side effects to beardies. If you produce too much UVB, you may develop hypercalcemia, hyperparathyroidism, and metabolic bone disease.
You can clearly see that although the Bearded Dragon is a full desert species, if your distance from the height of the bulb to the reptile (not to the floor – but to where your bearded dragon will be sitting, for example on the rock in the photo below) is 10-12″ then you can still use a T8 12% UVB.
A halogen floodlight is a great choice for the hot basking side and will raise temps in the enclosure to 100-105°F. A 100-watt bulb is appropriate for a 40-gallon tank. Bearded dragon owners must also be conscious of nighttime temps.
Turtles, tortoises, bearded dragons, iguanas, and chameleons are some common examples of reptiles that need UVB light. This helps prevent animals from developing hypocalcemia (or lack of calcium). UVB lights should be kept on during the day and turned off at night and should be used along with calcium supplements.
For a 20 gallon tank, you'll need a 75 watt bulb and a 100 watt bulb for a 40 gallon. Temperature inside the tank should reach between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit on basking side. The cool side should be between 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reptile light bulb uva UVb reptile light, rated at 15 watts, is ideal for all desert-dwelling reptiles, including bearded dragons, tortoises, and others. It can be used to enhance natural behaviors and prevent illnesses. A 150 watt bulb is generally not sufficient for a bearded dragon.
Is 13 watt UVB good for bearded dragon?
Bluex Bulbs 13-Watt Desert UVB 10.0 CFL Reptile Light Bulbs.
Perfect for all desert-dwelling reptiles – including bearded dragons, tortoises and other lizards – this bulb provides light like they would receive from natural sunlight so they can thrive and live healthy lifestyles with the uva light bulb.
UV Basking Light Safety Precautions
One thing that absolutely, positively, needs to be mentioned here, purely for safety concerns, is that although your light wattage doesn't really matter, you must make sure that your light fixture can handle whatever light wattage bulb you have.
The 5.0 and 10.0 has to do with the amount of uvb being produced at 6" away. 5.0 is a forest bulb low levels of uvb. 10.0 is a desert bulb high levels.
Metabolic bone disease is a serious ailment that can affect bearded dragons. This disorder is triggered by inadequate levels of calcium in the body, which inadequate UVB lighting can cause. Metabolic bone disease is characterized by lizards' bones becoming extremely feeble.
UV rays do not penetrate window glass so bearded dragons placed in a sunny window are not receiving UV light. When a bearded dragon does not have access to bright sunlight, special lights are used to provide the UVB light. You need a light which emits light in the 290-320 nanometer range.
In short: The UVB lamp should be replaced after a total exposure time of approx. 3500 hours. This does not mean immediate disposal - you can still use a used lamp with a lower UV intensity for young animals or a less sun-loving reptile species. High-quality UVB lamps are available in this web shop.
Ideally, the UVB bulb should span 2/3 to 3/4 the length of your tank. This allows your bearded dragon to absorb beneficial UVB rays no matter where is chooses to rest/sit. What is this? When placing your UVB light, mount it all the way to one side of your tank (preferably the side with the basking light).
The use of T5 lighting is recommended by the most respected experts in this field who we refer to when we set out our own care techniques and guides.
The lesser wattage T8 would be the better choice if you do not need as many lumens since it offers lower lumen and watt consumption. If you need higher lighting levels, the T5 might be ideal for your situation.
The “T” means tube or tubular. The number tells you how many eighths of an inch around they are. So T8 lamps are 8 eighths or 1 inch while a T5 is 5/8-inch in diameter. (The older, T12s, are 12/8″ around, which translates to a diameter of 1.5″).
Is 115 degrees too hot for bearded dragon?
Bearded dragons also require a basking area, which should be kept between 90-115 degrees Fahrenheit (32-46 degrees Celsius).
The focal basking hot spot should be between 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. If your beardie is not sitting in the hot spot, gaping with its mouth open, then it probably isn't hot enough. Remember, the entire habitat cannot be as hot as the basking area, but the hot spot is necessary for proper digestion.
A 150 watt basking bulb is frequently used to heat a bearded dragon's habitat. The wattage of the bulb should be determined by the size of the dragon's enclosure. If a bearded dragon is to be heated with a 150 watt bulb, its enclosure should be no larger than 18x24x12.
The best nighttime heat source for a Bearded dragon is a ceramic heat emitter, as this emits no light and can be thermostatically controlled to maintain a set temperature that should still be lower than during the day.
The nighttime temperatures should drop to 72°F (32°C) to 80°F (26°C) within the enclosure. If the temperatures drop below this after turning the heat and light sources off at night, you may need to use a heating device that does not emit light to supplement heat.
ANSWER: For all 10-20 Gallon size terrariums use ReptiSun 5.0 UVB linear and/or compact fluorescent bulbs. Your animals must be able to get within 12" (30 cm) of the lamp's surface. For 20-55 gallon size terrariums use ReptiSun 10.0 UVB linear and/or compact fluorescent bulbs.
Since bearded dragons can grow to 24″ long, you'll want a larger tank for an adult bearded dragon, at least 48”L x 24”W x 24”H, or roughly 120 gallons.
A juvenile bearded dragon should be housed in a 10 gallon glass aquarium tank. The tank size will have to increase as the beardie grows. Adults require a 20-50 gallon long glass aquarium tank. Because beardies love to climb, provide vertical space with lots of branches.
UVB 100 bulbs are approximately equivalent to the former 5.0 bulbs, while UVB 150 bulbs roughly equate to the previous 10.0 bulbs. UVB 200 bulbs are touted as a much more intense UVB source, and reportedly produce UVB that is usable up to about 18″ away.
The top 3 best UVB bulbs for bearded dragon are the Zoo Med Repti Sun 5.0, Zoo Med Repti Sun T8 10.0, and Lucky Herp 100W UVA/UVB.
Is T5 or T8 better for bearded dragons?
The use of T5 lighting is recommended by the most respected experts in this field who we refer to when we set out our own care techniques and guides.
1- Determine what zone best describes your pet. 2- Consider the size of your enclosure. These measurements should be taken from the face of the lamp to the basking site. 3- Choose a lamp that can provide the correct zone at your pet's basking site.
UVB lights should be kept on during the day and turned off at night and should be used along with calcium supplements. Do not keep UVB lights on all the time as this can cause another problem, hypercalcemia (too much calcium).
Ideally, the UVB bulb should span 2/3 to 3/4 the length of your tank. This allows your bearded dragon to absorb beneficial UVB rays no matter where is chooses to rest/sit. What is this?
Reptisun 10.0 bulbs are a good choice for the tube UVB, and come in T8 and T5 fixture/bulb sizes. A halogen floodlight is a great choice for the hot basking side and will raise temps in the enclosure to 100-105°F. A 100-watt bulb is appropriate for a 40-gallon tank.
Beardies in the wild receive ultraviolet light and heat from the sun on a daily basis. In order to best mimic the ultraviolet light in an indoor enclosure, high ultraviolet (UVA and UVB) output light bulbs must be used. 1 Fluorescent bulbs and mercury vapor bulbs are the two sources most commonly used in the pet world.
Emits UVB a full 20″/51cm from the surface of the lamp to prevent or reverse Metabolic Bone Disease. (Compared to 12″/30cm on the ReptiSun® 5.0). Optimal for use with larger terrariums where greater than 12″ of UVB penetration is needed.
Lighting is pretty simple; the main two lights you need are the heat lamp and the UVB fluorescent tube fixture. The heat lamp is the easier one to set up; you can buy the reptile heat lamp fixtures at pretty much any pet store. You need a fixture with decent coverage for your tank, a "sun dome" type fixture works well.