Reptile Cymru

If you are in the UK and ever visit Cardiff, in South Wales, consider stopping in to Reptile Cymru, a breeder and retailer, specializing in a wide range of captive bred snakes & lizards, and supplying all the equipment that you need.

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Care Guide - Lighting

The bearded dragon is a diurnal lizard - this means that he is awake during daytime hours. Day and night must be maintained within your enclosure just as it would come in the wild.

In the summer this is suggested to be at least 10-12 hours of daylight per day, whilst this can be reduced slightly in the winter. 

The sunlight does not just provide an ambient light so the bearded dragon knows when to be awake, it also provides UV Rays.

UVB Requirements

Bearded dragons require UVB rays which are contained in sunlight. In captivity this can be purchased in a special light that can be fitted either as a bulb, or a long tube in your enclosure.

There are various strengths and types available on the market - the stronger the better. There is a group of UK researchers exploring the retail availability of UVB products here.

This picture shows Flynn, a male bearded dragon basking on his rock, with a UVB strip light behind him.

Photograph by


 

As a desert species, the amount of UVB these dragons would get in the wild is high, therefore, at least a 5% UVB tube should be used, and ideally a 10% (the strongest currently available).

Calcium is something that is needed for the strength of the bones of a bearded dragon - something very important. Without calcium, they become weak and their bones become soft and their health goes downhill rapidly.

Reptiles require a vitamin called D3 to process the calcium in their food. Even if a bearded dragon was eating pure calcium - without D3 in their system, it cannot be processed.

D3 can only be gained from UVB rays, and this is why using it is absolutely essential.

A lack of UVB will result in your lizard suffering with poor health, a common disease that occurs because of these being a very serious and potentially deadly one - MBD.

 

 

 

Please remember that the lifespan of a UVB tube is 6-12 months. If you replace your tube every 6 months you are guaranteed to be getting the strongest UVB output. Light does not equal UVB - an old tube can be giving out the same amount of light but be producing little to no UVB!