Lighting for Hypo

[Juniper]

I have a new baby arriving next week from a breeder and am setting up his enclosure. My previous bearded dragons were all "regular" morphs--not bred for color--but this guy is a very light-colored hypo. I saw one source that said hypos, and other pale beardies like zeros, should have less UVB than other dragons, but I haven't been able to find good citations for it. Do you know if there is any truth to that?

Additionally, I have heard of dimmer switch/thermostat systems that automatically adjust the heat lamps in response to cage temperature. Have you used these, and do you know where to find a good one? I want to make sure UV and temperature ranges are perfect for the baby!

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

There has been no documentation or studies on that. Logically thinking, it would make sense, and it's something that I personally believe to be true to a degree. That being said, I don't think it would have too big of an effect, at least not in what I've personally seen. I have (and have had) a few hypos, and I keep their UVI levels at their basking site around a 3.5-4, the same I keep my normal skin types at.

3-4 UVI is a safe bet for all dragons (minus silkies) in my opinion and experience.

So really, I wouldn't worry about it, just follow UV recommendations as far as distance goes for which bulb you decide to go with. Good question though.

-Brandon

 

[Juniper]

Ok, thank you! I've had the UV mounted inside the tank so the screen top doesn't block it, but I'm realizing it might be borderline too close. I'll take some pictures once I've got the enclosure all set up and see what people think.

 

[Claudiusx]

What bulb are you using?
Is it in a fixture with a reflector?
What distance is the bulb to your basking surface?
Distance of bulb to floor of tank?

That will help us determine if it's at a proper distance better than a picture. It all relates to distances.

-Brandon

 

[Juniper]

What bulb are you using?
Is it in a fixture with a reflector?
What distance is the bulb to your basking surface?
Distance of bulb to floor of tank?

That will help us determine if it's at a proper distance better than a picture. It all relates to distances.

-Brandon

Using a ReptiSun T5 10.0, mounted inside the tank, not in a reflector. The bulb is 9 inches from the floor. I didn't put the basking spot directly under it, because that would have brought it up too close, so the basking spot is 10 inches from the UV bulb. If it needs to be farther and/or directly over the basking spot, I can buy a hood fixture, I just worried about the screen top filtering it out.

For heat, I have a 100W bulb over the basking spot. Basking bulb is about 8 inches from basking spot. Right now the air temp there (measured by digital thermometer with probe) is 108F and surface temp (measured by temp gun) is 118. I have fabric over the hard plastic hide I am using as a basking spot so it isn't burn-y to the touch. I also bought a dimmer power strip that I can use to lower the intensity if that is too hot for the basking spot. It was definitely not hot enough when I first set it up with a 75W bulb. I've been confused about whether the prescribed temp ranges for babies refer to air temp or surface temp.

I have a 75W bulb warming part of the cool side of the tank. In the coolest corner, farthest from it, air temp is 81.5 and surface temp is 76. That is with aluminum foil covering part of the screen top on the cool side to keep some heat in. I can remove it or add more.

The tank is 40 gal with ceramic tiles as the floor. I covered some of the walls with paper to hopefully make him less stressed when he gets here. I plan to upgrade to a larger tank when he grows up. Thank you for checking my work and for any feedback on the temps/lights! I appreciate the help getting this right. Enclosure pics for reference.