Lighting timer questions

[HungerCity]

Hi all!

I have a question about the lighting for my beardie.

I have a ceramic bulb on 24/7 to regulate the temp,

and a good basking bulb, and good UVB Zoomed 10.0 an a timer
The lights go on at 7am, and turn off at 10pm.

Is this too much, not enough, or ok?

What times would you recommend to set the lights at?

 

[CooperDragon]

That is a pretty long day. I'd say turn the lights off closer to 7 or 8pm if your schedule allows it. Not a huge deal though.

What are the temperatures in the enclosure with the CHE running? You may not need it overnight if temps stay above 65.

 

[HungerCity]

I can definitely set the timer closer to 8pm will do that tonight, it gets pretty cold at night (I live in the basement) at night the ceramic bulb keeps it 70-75 at the basking side) have a huge fish tank so it can go to cool side and be fine.

Thanks much

 

[CooperDragon]

OK that sounds good then. Please let me know if any other questions come up.

 

[HungerCity]

Thanks again

 

[Beardymama33]

That is a pretty long day. I'd say turn the lights off closer to 7 or 8pm if your schedule allows it. Not a huge deal though.

What are the temperatures in the enclosure with the CHE running? You may not need it overnight if temps stay above 65.

you do know that naturally, in the summer, peak times of sun for Australia to have sun is up to 18 hours or more in some areas right? mine is on a 16-18 hour worth of light offered schedule and he will rest and sleep when he wants so long as the lighting isnt messed with. Here in fl we can get 16 hour days in the summer! i was told by one keeper from Australia that so long as the lights are off for at least 6 hours they are fine and its better that way to help keep them from brumating. They will sleep when they want to sleep but the heat and light source should be kept at a higher range all year round. i was also told to get a timer for his lights.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yes the summer days are quite long in Australia. While I'm sure they have some natural instincts that tie back to Australia, dragons in the US haven't lived there before and I figure they're more likely to fall into a routine based on the environment they've grown up in. I try to mirror the local sunlight and times though because it fits my schedule and seems to work well for my guys. They happily sleep through the night and have plenty of energy through the day. I made the previous post thinking about my (current at the time) winter schedule which had sunrise start at around 6 and sunset start at around 5:30. Now that the days are longer the sunrise starts at around 5:45 (still need feeding time to fit my morning schedule) and the sunset starts at around 8:15 to better reflect what's going on outside. UVB light comes on around 9:30am and goes off around 5:30pm I have the sunrise and sunset cycles to take an hour.

 

[Beardymama33]

Yes the summer days are quite long in Australia. While I'm sure they have some natural instincts that tie back to Australia, dragons in the US haven't lived there before and I figure they're more likely to fall into a routine based on the environment they've grown up in. I try to mirror the local sunlight and times though because it fits my schedule and seems to work well for my guys. They happily sleep through the night and have plenty of energy through the day. I made the previous post thinking about my (current at the time) winter schedule which had sunrise start at around 6 and sunset start at around 5:30. Now that the days are longer the sunrise starts at around 5:45 (still need feeding time to fit my morning schedule) and the sunset starts at around 8:15 to better reflect what's going on outside. UVB light comes on around 9:30am and goes off around 5:30pm I have the sunrise and sunset cycles to take an hour.

What ever works better for you and your dragons is best. I actually tried to go to a 12-14 hour day and he wasnt having that he even went on a hunger strike! As soon as i went back to a 16-18 hour day he started eating again hes now set to get up around 3 and go to bed around 8 he actually gets out of his cave around 330 most mornings and gets cranky if his bridge isnt warm....i keep it on for at least 16 hours a day which is how long our days here in fl get.

 

[Beardymama33]

for those that want to know timers do make a difference in keeping a dragon, both of you will get into a routine and have better sleeping schedules!!