New Bearded dragon owner

[jacobw]

I just got a bearded dragon today and when i turned the lights off for night he started freaking out scratching on the glass, running around the viv, etc. Is this normal? Should i get a che or something? It stays around 70°F at night.

 

[Lurhstaap]

70 is an acceptable nighttime temperature but you shouldn't let it get any lower than that. However, nighttime restlessness is normal. He should eventually settle down and go to sleep.

 

[sydsinger1012]

Well i got a night heat light . it worked just fine and its dark but not black . They are nine dollars and you can get them at any pet store!!Good luck!!!

 

[Dreamwritten]

I'm brand new to this as well, and my beardie is pretty calm, but I've been doing this on a nightly basis and it may help you:

I shut my beardie's lights off for bed around 9ish, so at around 7-8, I turn off his UVB bulb and just leave the heating bulb on... that way he's still warm, but has slightly less light, sort of simulating the sunset. Then when it's time for lights out, I shut the heating bulb and turn on a night bulb (which I'm considering switching out for a CHE because I've been told they aren't that good for them).

 

[Lurhstaap]

I have to agree that CHE is much better than any sort of night light. It doesn't matter if it's not "bright"; beardies can see color. Which means that the light from a blacklight looks exactly the same to them as it does to us. (It might even seem brighter to them if they can see more of that end of the spectrum than we can, which is entirely possible.) In short, while it may be darker than full daylight, it WILL keep awake any dragon that requires total darkness to sleep.

Now, I have to say, that isn't true of all dragons. It's mainly true of young ones. Older dragons, I am told, tend to be able to sleep whenever and wherever they feel like it. But you might want to switch to CHE just to be certain.