Should I keep my basking light on at night?

[tripleh3lix]

I mean.. they are desert beardies, and live in under 60 degree temps. My house runs about 70-72 at night. 68 at it's coldest. Should I keep the light on at night? It's very very bright for me. I am reading on google answers that I could leave it off if it's over 70 degrees. Let me know, brand new beardie owner here , thanks!

 

[Chirple]

I think it depends on how old the bearded dragon is. My room temperature is 67F and I do not use a heater at night, though if this is bad someone please tell me ! He seems to be doing just fine, and I'd read that to it was alright.

Also, if it's too cold at night, you can get a "Ceramic Heat Emitter" or "CHE" - they do not produce light !

 

[BonesMommy1011]

You should NOT leave a basking light on a night. Beardies need complete darkness to get their beauty rest. If your house drops below 65*f then you can pick up a ceramic heat emitter(CHE) as it gives off heat but no light. Any more questions just ask!

 

[ShannyBeard]

You should NOT leave a basking light on a night. Beardies need complete darkness to get their beauty rest. If your house drops below 65*f then you can pick up a ceramic heat emitter(CHE) as it gives off heat but no light. Any more questions just ask!

+1, just wanted to support this post. Total darkness for your beardie at night, and don't worry about nighttime temps. Ours get down to 65 as well, and it's a perfectly good night temp for them.

If you do have temps that get below 65, you can get the suggested ceramic heat emitter. Do not use any colored 'night time' heat bulbs as the color will distub your beardie's sleep. That means no infrared or black lights.

If you need a CHE, we get ours from beardeddragon.co http://www.beardeddragons.co/beardeddragon/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=162
She's actually got them on sale right now!

 

[tripleh3lix]

You should NOT leave a basking light on a night. Beardies need complete darkness to get their beauty rest. If your house drops below 65*f then you can pick up a ceramic heat emitter(CHE) as it gives off heat but no light. Any more questions just ask!

+1, just wanted to support this post. Total darkness for your beardie at night, and don't worry about nighttime temps. Ours get down to 65 as well, and it's a perfectly good night temp for them.

If you do have temps that get below 65, you can get the suggested ceramic heat emitter. Do not use any colored 'night time' heat bulbs as the color will distub your beardie's sleep. That means no infrared or black lights.

If you need a CHE, we get ours from beardeddragon.co http://www.beardeddragons.co/beardeddragon/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=162
She's actually got them on sale right now!

thanks guys. i turned it off last night after doing a bunch of research on google he's good today. i have these crappy temp things from petco that stick on the wall of the aquarium, and it's saying it's 95 degrees. i stick it where the beardie is for a few minutes and it's 102-105. i also have another "day UVB light thats a clip on" but not sure if i should use it as i have the UVB light on as well.

 

[ShannyBeard]

thanks guys. i turned it off last night after doing a bunch of research on google he's good today. i have these crappy temp things from petco that stick on the wall of the aquarium, and it's saying it's 95 degrees. i stick it where the beardie is for a few minutes and it's 102-105. i also have another "day UVB light thats a clip on" but not sure if i should use it as i have the UVB light on as well.

Isn't it interesting what the pet stores will send you home with....? We've all been there, done that. Glad you made it to this site - this place has made a huge difference in the way we take care of our beardies and our dragons are doing so much better for it.

You already know those thermometers are useless, it's too bad because they are convenient. Beardeds need a precise basking temperature, so definitely find an accurate sensor/probe thermometer.

If you can tell us the brand and type of UVB lights you are using, we can let you know if you are good or if you need to make some changes. I shy away from the reptile 'day' lights, but I don't want to advise you until I know exactly what you are talking about.

 

[tripleh3lix]

thanks guys. i turned it off last night after doing a bunch of research on google he's good today. i have these crappy temp things from petco that stick on the wall of the aquarium, and it's saying it's 95 degrees. i stick it where the beardie is for a few minutes and it's 102-105. i also have another "day UVB light thats a clip on" but not sure if i should use it as i have the UVB light on as well.

Isn't it interesting what the pet stores will send you home with....? We've all been there, done that. Glad you made it to this site - this place has made a huge difference in the way we take care of our beardies and our dragons are doing so much better for it.

You already know those thermometers are useless, it's too bad because they are convenient. Beardeds need a precise basking temperature, so definitely find an accurate sensor/probe thermometer.

If you can tell us the brand and type of UVB lights you are using, we can let you know if you are good or if you need to make some changes. I shy away from the reptile 'day' lights, but I don't want to advise you until I know exactly what you are talking about.

Yeah that's what the guy i picked him up from told me, however he worked at PetCo LOL. Good thing is, he bought him from Scales N Tails which is a dedicated reptile store. The UVB light is a Zilla 17w 120v 24" T8. The heating lamp I have is a 150 Zoo Med. Also the heating lamp is close to him about a foot, he LOVES to stay under it. I hope he's not too cold or hope he's not burning up... he's perching on top of his rock dome home under the light.. Hope this helps.

 

[dangit12]

yeah they need to sleep at night in darkness. if you do have a cold house then you can have a ceramic heat emitter.

 

[AtlasStrike]

I would switch out the zilla UVB for a Zoo Med ReptiSUN 10. The zilla bulbs have been known to cause a lot of eye problems and even skin leisions, while not producing sufficient UVB to prevent metabolic bone disease. You can use the same fixture though.

You can get a sweet deal on them here: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/11442-504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-bulb.html

They usually run $35-40 at retail locations.

 

[tripleh3lix]

I would switch out the zilla UVB for a Zoo Med ReptiSUN 10. The zilla bulbs have been known to cause a lot of eye problems and even skin leisions, while not producing sufficient UVB to prevent metabolic bone disease. You can use the same fixture though.

You can get a sweet deal on them here: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/11442-504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-bulb.html

They usually run $35-40 at retail locations.

Oh man that's not good =( I don't have any money now for a few weeks or so, so this makes me very worried.

 

[ShannyBeard]

I would switch out the zilla UVB for a Zoo Med ReptiSUN 10. The zilla bulbs have been known to cause a lot of eye problems and even skin leisions, while not producing sufficient UVB to prevent metabolic bone disease. You can use the same fixture though.

You can get a sweet deal on them here: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/11442-504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-bulb.html

They usually run $35-40 at retail locations.

I agree with the above post about the UVB. ReptiSUN is really the highest quality bulb out there. Don't be fooled - there is a new product called ReptaSun, so be sure you don't get THAT one. :| It's confusing.

 

[tripleh3lix]

I would switch out the zilla UVB for a Zoo Med ReptiSUN 10. The zilla bulbs have been known to cause a lot of eye problems and even skin leisions, while not producing sufficient UVB to prevent metabolic bone disease. You can use the same fixture though.

You can get a sweet deal on them here: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/11442-504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-bulb.html

They usually run $35-40 at retail locations.

I agree with the above post about the UVB. ReptiSUN is really the highest quality bulb out there. Don't be fooled - there is a new product called ReptaSun, so be sure you don't get THAT one. :| It's confusing.

Sweet thanks guys! What does the beardies poop smell like by the way? My beardie has this interesting smell coming from his tank, like baby or something. I dont know what their tanks usually smell like so.