For my bearded dragon do i leave his uvb light on all the time or what?

Question

For my bearded dragon do i leave his uvb light on all the time or what?

Answer 1

no that is unhealthy or it i bought a bulb that is 75 watts and is called a moonlight bulb for beardies and no because if it stays on all the time it could mess with there digestive system so ive heard just make sure you probably have it on for 12 hours during the whole day  and 12 off at night or just ask someone that works at a petstore

hope i helped

Answer 2

No.  Your beardie is dirunal, and needs a night cycle inclusive of cool down temps.  A UTH pad on a rheostat should be providing his temperature for the night cycle.

UVB is important, but your beardie should be getting real sun exposure, too.  The light should be on for no more than 12 hr. (A long summer day).  As YOUR sun deminishes - so should his.  Decrease the light slowly over the season, down to 8-9 hr. in the winter months.

He should have calcium with D3 while using UVB.  Make sure the UVB souce is repltile safe.  Google for the sources currently causing blindness, etc.

Be informed about MBD, and how to avoid it.  Absorable calcium is a must.

Heat/basking is important to growth and health.  Do your homework, and research your animal.

I know this wasn't a question about lighting, but - just in case:

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.  Young geckos can eat small silk and phoenix worms, as well.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avocado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 1-2 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad, or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

The crickets should be dusted (shaken in a plastic bag gently to coat them) with vitamins (keep these refrigerated) and calcium D3 powder 2-4 times a week, depending on the age of the reptile.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide (about the space between the lizards’ eyes).

Your beardie needs a good diet of insects, fruits and vegies.  He needs a variety of nutrients in each feeding daily, plus his calcium D3 and reptile vitamins.

You only want what's best for your beardie.

I'll paste a few sites, but please not my disclaimer:

--Please do not keep your lizard(s) of any age on play/repti sand or loose substrate.  Impaction and bacteria issues are real and serious – and can result in death.  Consult your reptile veterinarian for their opinion.--

I hope this was helpful.

Answer 3

yes, steph is correct.

Answer 4

you should have a night and day, try 12 hours on, 12 hours off, these could easily be done with a timer

Answer 5

Leave it on for 12 hours a day, this is to create a day/ night cycle for them.

Also, if the UVB is from a tube, remember to change the tub every 6-9 months, as the UV output declines with time. I don't know about bulbs though, but I guess it would be similar.

:)