Lighting

[Mkizzzle90]

I just bought two dragons recently, they are living in a glass tank 50in. long, 20in. tall, 12in. wide, i have a heat lamp that sits on the top and a uvb light on top. do i need to rearrange these lights? also should i turn the heat lamp off at night they don't seem to be sleeping. I would appreciate any other helpful tips on how to make my dragons more comfortable with their new home and me.

 

[RioReptiles]

Hi there,

What kind of UV light do you have? Can you specifically list the name of who makes it and the model or wattage? Also what kind it is, flourescent, coil or mercury vapor big type bulb and how old it is. This way we can let you know where and how to put it for best exposure for you beardies. There are only a few UV bulbs on the market that are any good and they need to be replaced often because they wear out fast. The best flourescent tube is the Repti-Sun 10 (NOT Repti-Glo) or a Mercury Vapor bulb is best and has heat too. None of the coil bulbs are any good.

Is the other bulb a light or is it just a heat bulb? They also need a bright light like the sun to keep them happy.

Yes, it needs to be off for around 10 hours and on for 14 hours or they will never sleep. They need to sleep in total darkness to be healthy. It's best to put the lights on a timer so that they come on and go off the same time every day.

Also, do you have a thermometer? It is important that their basking temps are between 100º and 110º to digest food properly and they need a cool area around 80º at the other end of your tank so they can cool off if needed.

How old are they? They are solitary creatures and it is not recommended to house them together. Sometimes females can be housed together but they need a tank twice the width of yours. The best size enclosure for 1 beardie is 2 ft x 4 ft. They can be a little smaller if you take them out often.

Hope this helps, Cheryl