Ok so I'm planning on getting a beardie in a few weeks. All my research on temperatures is giving different info. What's the ideal temperatures for day/night cool side, and basking spot. Also is it true that the temperature varies depending on the age? I plan on getting a reptisun 10.0 , basking light, and a che for the nighttime. Am I missing anything? I'm stressing hardcore to get this all setup right before I get it. Thanks!
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Temperature help
- Thread starter mbot219
- Start date
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Welcome to the BDF Community,mbot219
Short answer to your questions is this...
For a baby or juvenial bearded dragon thy need a basking spot temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit and a cool side temp between 80-85 degrees during the day. I recommend keeping them on a 12/12 cycle with the lights on 12 hrs and off twelve hours.
At night-time they do not required any additional light or heat source unless the ambient temperature in your home drops below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Bearded dragons need to be allowed to cool off at night because it slows their metabolism and gives them better rest. Any night lights no matter what color they are will disturb your dragon's rest so it is better to not use them. A CHE is the best source for night-time heat but should be set on a thermomstat, only used as stated if the temps in your home drop below 65 degrees and then should only knock the chill off.
Everything above applies to adult bearded dragons as well the only difference being that adults only need a basking spot temp between 100-105 degrees.
Do yourself a big favor and get two(2) digital thermometers with remote probes...one probe needs to be attached directly to the basking spot and the second attached to the coolest spot in his enclosure...these types of thermometers placed correctly will give you the most accurate readings so that you can get your temps and gradient correct. You can order these online or PetSmart has them...hint: look in the Aquarium section...they are about 9 dollars each...the same basic one in the Reptile section is more expensive.
For your basking bulb you can also save some money by using standard household halogen floodlight bulbs..they give off a clear bright white light which dragons are attracted too and more heat per watt than the Reptile basking bulbs and are much cheaper as well as being available at plces like Walmart, Lowes and HomeDepot. The specific wattage bulb you will need to get will depend on the size of your enclosure. Generally a 50-75 watt standard household halogen floodlight is plenty to get your temps right in a 40 gallon Breeder tank which is the minimum size enclosure for an adult dragon.
To help you make sure you are getting things set up properly here are some very informative links that will give you the correct answers to most questions you may have. After you have read through them if you have other questions dont be shy about posting them. The BDF is packed with experienced and enthusiastic "Beardie Folk" that are always eager to help you get things right for your dragon!
Enjoy and am looking forward to updates and pics of your new dragon when he arrives!
Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start
Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library
Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart
Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?
How To Sex A Bearded Dragon
Short answer to your questions is this...
For a baby or juvenial bearded dragon thy need a basking spot temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit and a cool side temp between 80-85 degrees during the day. I recommend keeping them on a 12/12 cycle with the lights on 12 hrs and off twelve hours.
At night-time they do not required any additional light or heat source unless the ambient temperature in your home drops below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Bearded dragons need to be allowed to cool off at night because it slows their metabolism and gives them better rest. Any night lights no matter what color they are will disturb your dragon's rest so it is better to not use them. A CHE is the best source for night-time heat but should be set on a thermomstat, only used as stated if the temps in your home drop below 65 degrees and then should only knock the chill off.
Everything above applies to adult bearded dragons as well the only difference being that adults only need a basking spot temp between 100-105 degrees.
Do yourself a big favor and get two(2) digital thermometers with remote probes...one probe needs to be attached directly to the basking spot and the second attached to the coolest spot in his enclosure...these types of thermometers placed correctly will give you the most accurate readings so that you can get your temps and gradient correct. You can order these online or PetSmart has them...hint: look in the Aquarium section...they are about 9 dollars each...the same basic one in the Reptile section is more expensive.
For your basking bulb you can also save some money by using standard household halogen floodlight bulbs..they give off a clear bright white light which dragons are attracted too and more heat per watt than the Reptile basking bulbs and are much cheaper as well as being available at plces like Walmart, Lowes and HomeDepot. The specific wattage bulb you will need to get will depend on the size of your enclosure. Generally a 50-75 watt standard household halogen floodlight is plenty to get your temps right in a 40 gallon Breeder tank which is the minimum size enclosure for an adult dragon.
To help you make sure you are getting things set up properly here are some very informative links that will give you the correct answers to most questions you may have. After you have read through them if you have other questions dont be shy about posting them. The BDF is packed with experienced and enthusiastic "Beardie Folk" that are always eager to help you get things right for your dragon!
Enjoy and am looking forward to updates and pics of your new dragon when he arrives!
Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start
Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library
Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart
Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?
How To Sex A Bearded Dragon
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Was also going to add that when you buy your UV light the ReptiSun and The ReptiGlo are both decent bulbs and will work fine..The ReptiGlo is usually much cheaper. Do yourself a favor and buy the tube type bulbs as opposed to the coil bulbs.
You can save some additional money and make your UV lighting more efficient using the tube type bulbs. An 18" 10.0 or 10% UV bulb is all that you need for the enclosure and you can purchase an inexpensive 18" under-the -counter mount fixture at Walmart for less than 10 dollars. These fixtures are very lightweight and will allow you to mount the light with hot glue to the inside wall of your tank near the top and more importantly under the screen. By mounting the UV this way you will give your dragon the full unobstructed UV output. When UV bulbs are placed on top of the screen the screen will filter up to 50% of the UV output. On top of the screen you will have to replace the UV bulbs every 6 months but if mounted under the screen they will need replacing only once per year.
Also by using the tube type UV fixtures it will allow you to position both the basking light and UV light to shine on the basking spot which is where you want them both to shine because your dragon will spend the majority of his time there. Also be aware when positioning the lights that the majority of the UV light emitted from the UV bulbs comes from the center of the bulb and actually very little is emitted from the ends so the center of the UV light and the basking spot should be in line.
Okay hope that helps...Enjoy
You can save some additional money and make your UV lighting more efficient using the tube type bulbs. An 18" 10.0 or 10% UV bulb is all that you need for the enclosure and you can purchase an inexpensive 18" under-the -counter mount fixture at Walmart for less than 10 dollars. These fixtures are very lightweight and will allow you to mount the light with hot glue to the inside wall of your tank near the top and more importantly under the screen. By mounting the UV this way you will give your dragon the full unobstructed UV output. When UV bulbs are placed on top of the screen the screen will filter up to 50% of the UV output. On top of the screen you will have to replace the UV bulbs every 6 months but if mounted under the screen they will need replacing only once per year.
Also by using the tube type UV fixtures it will allow you to position both the basking light and UV light to shine on the basking spot which is where you want them both to shine because your dragon will spend the majority of his time there. Also be aware when positioning the lights that the majority of the UV light emitted from the UV bulbs comes from the center of the bulb and actually very little is emitted from the ends so the center of the UV light and the basking spot should be in line.
Okay hope that helps...Enjoy
Hey thanks for the info I like the halogen bulb option but I have a question about the basking spot. If it's centered with the uvb light will that create a problem with maintaining a cool side since the high heat is in the middle? I'm using a 40 gallon breeder btw.
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
You should set the basking spot and UV lights to one side of the enclosure. Setting them up that way will help you get the proper temp gradient established and you can use a low watt household florescent coil bulb(I use a 15 watt one) over the cool side if you want some ambient lighting because they emit very little heat so wont mess with your cool side temps. It's good that you are using a 40 gallon Breeder...a 50 watt household halogen floodlight bulbs should be plenty to get your basking temp right. I use a 75 watt on Mungi's 40 gal Breeder but my basking light is suspended about 6-7 inches above the screen from a PVC light rack that I build for my tank enclosures...the racks are cheap and easy to build and just for my convenience so I don't have to move fixtures to get in his enclosure.
Have a great rest of your evening...will catch you later...time for me to try that elusive thing they call snoozing...lol
Niters
Have a great rest of your evening...will catch you later...time for me to try that elusive thing they call snoozing...lol
Niters
