Sleep Schedule Change

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Topknot87

Member
So my lil baby beardie Boba has recently been falling asleep a lot sooner than normal.

The past couple of days hes been crashing a couple hours before his light even ticks off. He's only 3 months old so I've ruled out hibernation. I'm good friends with his breeder and she's been amazing at giving me tips but we're both stumped.

Has anyone run into this before?
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Welcome! Sorry you're having an issue with your baby, but it may not even be an issue at all. However, it's always a great idea, especially when they are still babies and things can be changed/reversed, to check out the possible problems. At 3 months old he should have lots of energy and not be lethargic, and should have a ravenous appetite for his live insects. How has his appetite been?

Can you please post some photos for us to see? Both of him, and then of his entire enclosure/tank and his lights? That can show red-flags or potential problem areas right away.

If there is an issue with lethargy or appetite in a young baby, it's usually related to inadequate UVB/UVA lighting, improper temperature zones, inadequate diet/supplementation, or a combination of all of these...
 

Topknot87

Member
Original Poster
His appetite has been great, I think you used the word ravenous and that about sums it up.

Here's some pics I just took:

96811-7365881689.jpg
96811-6535171117.jpg
96811-4288466177.jpg
 

Gormagon

Extreme Poster
Red heat lights distort their vision and, should NEVER be used. If you are using it for heat at night he is not getting prper rest. Any type of illumination at night disturbs their sleep patterns and won't allow them to slow their metabolism down to actually get the rest they need.
This make them lethargic and, grumpy.
 

Topknot87

Member
Original Poster
Gormagon":2121lbhs said:
Red heat lights distort their vision and, should NEVER be used. If you are using it for heat at night he is not getting prper rest. Any type of illumination at night disturbs their sleep patterns and won't allow them to slow their metabolism down to actually get the rest they need.
This make them lethargic and, grumpy.

I appreciate and understand, but I live in Michigan and our nights right now are a cold bitch. I can't imagine turning it off, he'd freeze.

Ultimately he finds little places to hide when he's sleeping.
 

Gormagon

Extreme Poster
Topknot87":8ks9cc3t said:
Gormagon":8ks9cc3t said:
Red heat lights distort their vision and, should NEVER be used. If you are using it for heat at night he is not getting prper rest. Any type of illumination at night disturbs their sleep patterns and won't allow them to slow their metabolism down to actually get the rest they need.
This make them lethargic and, grumpy.

I appreciate and understand, but I live in Michigan and our nights right now are a cold *****. I can't imagine turning it off, he'd freeze.

Ultimately he finds little places to hide when he's sleeping.
Get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to add heat at night, you only need to use it if temps in your home drop below 65° at night. Put it on a dimmer to control the amount of heat, temps should range between 70° and, 80°. The prefer it dark and cool at night.
This is why he is falling asleep before lights out..... he's tired!
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
You definitely need to ditch the red light immediately...I hope that isn't his Basking Light during the day, is it? That's a huge no-no, a bearded dragon needs only a bright-white colored Basking Bulb, as you are trying to replicate natural sunlight over their tanks. A red light confuses night and day for them (they see in full color), and it can also cause severe eye damage if it's on all day long.

If you are using that red light as his daytime Basking Light you need to go and buy either a reptile specialty basking bulb that is bright white in color, or what most of us use are the Halogen Indoor Flood Bulbs like you buy at Lowes, Home Depot, or Tractor Supply. They are cheaper, all are bright white in color. Just get the same wattage that the red bulb is. And throw the red bulb in the garbage.

As far as nighttime, he most likely needs absolutely NO NIGHTTIME HEAT SOURCE AT ALL, and I can guarantee that he's not slept soundly under that red bulb at all.

Here's the deal: They are naturally from the Australian Desert, which is #1) Pitch-Black at night, and #2) Very cool, much colder than it is in the daytime. So you absolutely cannot use ANY TYPE OF LIGHT AT NIGHT OVER HIS TANK. It's disrupting his sleep greatly. And secondly, as long as his tank stays at 65 degrees at night he is very comfortable and needs no nighttime heat source at all.

I live in Central Pennsylvania, just as cold as Michigan is, and I've never once used a nighttime heat source for any of dragons in 15 years, not once. This is because my house at night is at least 60 degrees, as I'm sure your's is, otherwise you're freezing yourself. So as long as your house is kept at least at 60 degrees at night, his tank will be right around 65 degrees, and will be perfect.

If for whatever reason you like to freeze yourself at nighttime and you keep your house at say 55 degrees, and his tank is around 60 degrees, then you are only trying to bump his tank up by 5-10 degrees, and so you need to buy a very, very low wattage Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) bulb, like a 10-20 watt CHE at the most. You're using a heat bulb right now that is probably at least a 50 watt bulb, I bet his tank temp at night is over 80 degrees, which is making him very uncomfortable, and then on top of it you've got that red light on. It's unnecessary, and he will sleep so much better and be so much more active during the daytime if you throw out that red bulb, and let no nighttime heat source on at night, then use your digital probe thermometer or temp gun to measure his tan temperature about an hour after you turn off all of his lights. As long as it's 65 degrees or above then he needs no nighttime heat source at all, and he'll be so much better off.

Please, please get him a bright white colored Basking bulb for the daytime immediately, that red bulb is obviously causing him issues. The closest way you can replicate natural sunlight over his tank is to put your UVB tube right alongside a bright white colored basking bulb, both over the Hot Side of the tank, sharing the top of the Hot Side of the tank, then move his basking spot/platform directly underneath both lights, so that he's getting the bright white light, the heat, the UVB, and the UVA light all at the same time. This is what a desert reptile needs.
 

Topknot87

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":jfy23dxe said:
You definitely need to ditch the red light immediately...I hope that isn't his Basking Light during the day, is it? That's a huge no-no, a bearded dragon needs only a bright-white colored Basking Bulb, as you are trying to replicate natural sunlight over their tanks. A red light confuses night and day for them (they see in full color), and it can also cause severe eye damage if it's on all day long.

If you are using that red light as his daytime Basking Light you need to go and buy either a reptile specialty basking bulb that is bright white in color, or what most of us use are the Halogen Indoor Flood Bulbs like you buy at Lowes, Home Depot, or Tractor Supply. They are cheaper, all are bright white in color. Just get the same wattage that the red bulb is. And throw the red bulb in the garbage.

As far as nighttime, he most likely needs absolutely NO NIGHTTIME HEAT SOURCE AT ALL, and I can guarantee that he's not slept soundly under that red bulb at all.

Here's the deal: They are naturally from the Australian Desert, which is #1) Pitch-Black at night, and #2) Very cool, much colder than it is in the daytime. So you absolutely cannot use ANY TYPE OF LIGHT AT NIGHT OVER HIS TANK. It's disrupting his sleep greatly. And secondly, as long as his tank stays at 65 degrees at night he is very comfortable and needs no nighttime heat source at all.

I live in Central Pennsylvania, just as cold as Michigan is, and I've never once used a nighttime heat source for any of dragons in 15 years, not once. This is because my house at night is at least 60 degrees, as I'm sure your's is, otherwise you're freezing yourself. So as long as your house is kept at least at 60 degrees at night, his tank will be right around 65 degrees, and will be perfect.

If for whatever reason you like to freeze yourself at nighttime and you keep your house at say 55 degrees, and his tank is around 60 degrees, then you are only trying to bump his tank up by 5-10 degrees, and so you need to buy a very, very low wattage Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) bulb, like a 10-20 watt CHE at the most. You're using a heat bulb right now that is probably at least a 50 watt bulb, I bet his tank temp at night is over 80 degrees, which is making him very uncomfortable, and then on top of it you've got that red light on. It's unnecessary, and he will sleep so much better and be so much more active during the daytime if you throw out that red bulb, and let no nighttime heat source on at night, then use your digital probe thermometer or temp gun to measure his tan temperature about an hour after you turn off all of his lights. As long as it's 65 degrees or above then he needs no nighttime heat source at all, and he'll be so much better off.

Please, please get him a bright white colored Basking bulb for the daytime immediately, that red bulb is obviously causing him issues. The closest way you can replicate natural sunlight over his tank is to put your UVB tube right alongside a bright white colored basking bulb, both over the Hot Side of the tank, sharing the top of the Hot Side of the tank, then move his basking spot/platform directly underneath both lights, so that he's getting the bright white light, the heat, the UVB, and the UVA light all at the same time. This is what a desert reptile needs.

First off I'm happy to report that Boba is back to the regular schedule he used to be on. It literally has only been a couple days and I'm starting to believe I was over reacting. He has tons of energy in the day, eats like a beast, and all other beardly things

Second, if you look in the pictures again the red lamp is just his heat lamp and there is a UV bulb right next to it. The red bulb is not the only source of light.

Finally, no we dont "freeze ourselves" at night my wife would never let me even if I wanted to. We must keep him in a room away from our cats and unfortunately we live in a rented town-home where I have little control on how well our central air works. The particular room I speak does not retain heat well.

I appreciate everyone's concern and I do appreciate the help, but seeing as Boba seems completely fine and healthy and his breeder is happy with the red heat lamp, I'm not going to worry. If anything I'm going to try turning it off at night and keeping an eye on temp.
 
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