uvb question

[jmitch]

How long can a beardie be without uvb? I am going on vacation and a friend is watching my beardie. I will be gone for a week. Will she be ok for that time. I am taking a 30l and i am trying not to dismantle the lighting in her normal home. thank you.

 

[tgolden]

They should never not have uvb.

 

[Kaiser]

It's not recommended that they go without UVB lighting; however, they can go for a few days without it (the most notable cases where going without UVB lighting is recommended is only in cases where an owner has gotten the wrong kind of UVB light, and the wrong UVB light would cause more harm than good to the bearded dragon).

I would not recommend a week without it, though. Generally, it's always better to have a UVB source (as long as it is safe, good one). I'm sorry, but I just want to clarify, what exactly is the reason for why your friend will not be able to have access or turn on the UVB light?

 

[tgolden]

You can always put your lights on a timer if its a question of having someone to turn them on

 

[Mediabandit]

From what I understood is that he will be bringing his BD to his friend in a 30L tank and does not want to detach the uvb to go with it.

 

[Kaiser]

Thanks Mediabandit, that's what I was thinking, but I just wanted to clarify.

jmitch, please let us know if you meant differently, but if this is the case, and you really cannot dismantle the UVB source, then from what I understand, a bearded dragon can go without a UVB source for a while (a couple of weeks), though it's best (except under the conditions mentioned before) to always have a UVB source going for your bearded dragon, if possible.

An alternative is to make use of natural sunlight's UVB, and it's possible that your friend could take out your bearded dragon for some natural sunlight daily, but I wouldn't risk that unless your friend is experienced with bearded dragons, knows what they're doing, and uses a harness of some sort to prevent any potential escapes. Otherwise, if you really have no options, your bearded dragon can do without a UVB source for the week (though again, not recommended).