How much natural light do they need to get plenty of uvb?

[erikadickson]

Okay so I currently have a coil uvb light for Milo, which I've recently learned doesn't give off enough uvb. Until I'm able to buy a tube light and the fixture (which can be pretty pricey), I've been trying to take him outside so that he can get some natural rays. How long does he have to be out there to benefit from the natural uvb, though? If he was only in the sun for 30 minutes to an hour, would that even be making a difference?

 

[AHBD]

Hi Erica...yes, that would be a good amount of UVB for the day.

 

[erikadickson]

Awesome thank you so much! I'm outside with him now and he looks so happy with his mouth wide open lol!

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome. Just be VERY careful, if you're in AZ. it can get way too hot...his mouth open means he's hot already. The best times are in the a.m. or evening when it's not as hot, but even them make sure he can at least have access to mottled shade, not full sun.

 

[erikadickson]

I put him in my hamper so that he could lay out in the sun without me holding him (and so I can stay in the shade while he's in the sun because its super hot here). I live in florida and there's TONS of wild lizards here, like they're ALL over my yard. And Milo just saw one through the mesh of the hamper (it was only maybe 2 feet away from him) and he totally freaked out. He was clawing at the sides of the hamper and then he started climbing up the edge (since its mesh)!! I had to go grab him and put him back on the bottom before he climbed out! When I went over, the other lizard ran away. But now he's discovered that hes able to climb up the edges of the hamper and keeps trying to get out.
I'm going to have to find something else to put him in outside that has a lid. I have an extra 20 gal tank but they can't be in glass outside, right? I think I read somewhere that it gets too hot in the glass. I'm not sure what else to put him in



And yes, I put half of the hamper in the shade so that if he gets too hot he's able to cool off. He's on the shaded side right now.

 

[AHBD]

My apologies, there's another poster from Arizona that put their dragon out....but Florida is right up there with the high temps. Too bad the little bugger figured out how to climb up and can now escape. And a glass tank is def. way too hot . You might find some screen mesh /hardware cloth at a Home Depot or Lowe's and make a top for your hamper, or if it's stable enough can you put it upside down in the grass ? [ If you don't spray chemicals ] You'd need to supervise though, cause the little ones are escape artists.

 

[erikadickson]

Yikes. I just saw him running into the edges of the mesh hamper and clawing at the sides. I decided it was time to go in (we were out there for about 45 minutes) and as I was walking over to pick him up and bring him in, he started RUNNING up the side! I grabbed him quick and he started trying to run out of my hands! Once I got a good hold on him he started calming down and I put him back in his cage. Definitely going to have to find something to put him in that he won't be able to climb out of!
Good idea, maybe I'll pick up some mesh from Lowe's and just make my own enclosure. I also wanted to go there and get some slate tile for his viv.

 

[Phoenix76]

I think I read somewhere that 15 minutes in natural sunlight is equivalent to 6 hours under a VUB bulb. That can be a little vague because of huge variable such as what type of bulb you are using, what climate and elevation where you live, etc. But yes, 30 minutes is definitely good.

I live in the high desert of northern Utah at an elevation of >4,500 feet. I also have an expensive UVB meter. In the summer at midday I have ocaissionally measured the UVB in my back yard. It usually measures about 254 microwatts per square Centimeter. You don't want it any higher than this and that is probably what it is in the low Australian desert. So in my case 15 minutes would be plenty. I used to live near Baltimore and I imagine the UVB is much lower there. Maybe even like 50 mw cm2.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Here are two threads that will give you the ACTUAL UV wild bearded dragons are exposed to IN AUSTRALIA in the environment they are evolved for.

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=210635&p=1668304&hilit=australia+uv#p1668304

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=218794&p=1701798&hilit=alice+springs#p1701798

I live at 33deg S latitude in subtropical coastal northern NSW, 30 minutes of late morning sunshine is considered very adequate for a pet bearded dragon at my latitude.