too much sun?

[hdochow]

ok guys, couldn't find a quick answer by searching so i'll put it out there for the masses. can you give your dragon too much sun? it is finally nice enough that sir henry of scales can come outside. i had him in his play pen while i was doing some garden weeding. i was keeping an eye on him, and he was happy as can be, chillin' on his bed and gaping like it was the best time of his life! watching traffic is so much better when one is doing it outside, after all. i assumed he was fine because he wasn't trying to hide and quite content. as soon as he got up and started walking around i took him in. then i got to thinking, can they get too much sun? can they get sunburns? i'd say he was out about an hour and a half but i would have let him be out longer if hadn't got up.

 

[xp29]

They still need to be able to thermoregulate. I suggest giving some kind of hide so they can chose for themselves. I live in Nevada, the sun is very intense here. if i left them out with no option to take cover it would be fatal here very quickly. Being in natural sun is fantastic for them but you do have to be aware and careful. In the wild they seek cover in the hot part of the day. Even a hide can get really hot its not insulated. They go in burrows or crevices or hollow logs ect in the wild to find a cooler place. Hides just dont stay that cool in the sun so always keep an eye on them

 

[Claudiusx]

TLDR: They absolutely can get too much sun.

While sunlight provides benefits, it also can harm, just the same as for us humans.

While heat/temperature are typically the only thing people think about when this concern arises, UV radiation is also a serious factor that can effect dragons. For instance, I just went outside with my Solarmeter (it's about noon my time right now) and the UVI was 7.8... Temperature is only mid 70s.

So you can see how that could be dangerous, an owner focusing only on the temperature decides that their dragon can be out in the sun for a few hours, not realizing that their dragon is being exposed to dangerous levels of UV.

While we have not seen a traditional case of sunburn, UV rays can be damaging to all living cells (humans/animals/plants/etc.)

All this can be mitigated by having a setup outside that allows your dragon to come and go between shade and direct sunlight.

-Brandon

 

[hdochow]

thanks guys! that's pretty much what i figured the answer would be, but i'd rather ask than assume and be wrong. i did have it so part of his pen was in the shade if he wanted to move over but he never did. i'm looking into a hide or something to provide shade that won't move with the sun like natural shade does. fortunately i live on the north oregon coast, so there's only a handful of days where this would come into play anyway. damn rain! LOL!

 

[xp29]

I lived in portland for a while, i spent ALOT of time at the coast (a Kentucky boy can only handle so much crazy lol) that is one of the most beautiful places in America.

 

[KarmaMoon]

Definitely yes, as why a hide on hot and cold side of the enclosure is needed. Or a hide available when outside.
Dragon's know when they need uvb. If they cant get out of it when needed they can over produce calcium causing issues. Also even though they don't Sun burn like humans. It can cause massive sun burn to their eyes

 

[hdochow]

I lived in portland for a while, i spent ALOT of time at the coast (a Kentucky boy can only handle so much crazy lol) that is one of the most beautiful places in America.

portland is definitely crazy! i lived there as a kid, and then again in my early 20's. we live in seaside now. the PNW is indeed beautiful. (cause of all the rain!)

irony of ironies, after posting this we are in a 2 day "heat wave". mid 80's today and tomorrow. not unheard of, but definitely not normal summer weather. i was able to find an extra large hide and it should be here in a couple weeks. had to order it out of the UK, so shipping time. but once it is here, we are all good to go for outside time when the conditions are right.

 

[xp29]

Oh i love Seaside. When i lived in Portland it would be miserably hot and we would head for the coast and need jackets lol. At 80's and 90's a cardboard box or anything could be used. The uv is more the worry than temp. Here in Nevada my dash showed 128 earlier and is now at 112. In temps like the air temp could become fatal very fast, but at 80's thats pretty safe.
Beardies are good about knowing what they need and should move in and out of shade as needed