Heat Question ( input please)

[Bearded AL]

hello all I just wanted some input on cage temps for my bearded ,and lighting .I now have a 35 gallon tank with 1 year old female (who is very beautiful hehe) and was wondering the temps and light that other people use with there beardies.Like at what temp do you keep your cage and for how long do you cool at night ,uv yes or no ,a heat lamp and basking or just the heat lamp.I would really like alot of input here please i want my girl the happiest she can be.Thanx Al Oh yes I forgot I am using a 100 watt infared bulb and a uv at this time.

[reptilez]

The best info you can find is in a Bearded Dragon book that you can purchase at almost any pet store.

I use a UV bulb and a heat bulb. hot side=90F,Basking spot=100F, cool side=80-85F. Night time=low 70's
The lights are on for 12h during spring and summer, and 10h during fall and winter.
-Reptilez

[fr0glet]

Use www.google.com and research Bearded Dragon care sheets.

UVB IS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED!!!!!!!

Please research before purchasing your next herp... :(

[eyespy]

Let your beardie pick it's preferred basking temp. A dragon needs a core body temperature of 103 for peak digestion. A big adult with a nice level of body fat can often achieve this with a basking temp as low as 90 but most beardies need more help from outside heat sources than that. Anything up to 125 is safe for beardies. A basking spot of 130 can cause dehydration and mild brain damage so get an accurate digital thermometer and don't guess at temps! Allow lights to burn for 2 or more hours before you measure the temps.

The best thing you can do is start with a basking temp of at or near 125. If the beardie is gaping its mouth and moving away, slowly lower the temps by a couple of degrees until you find the temp that your beardie likes. Ideally a dragon should spend about half or slightly more of its time basking. If it basks all the time that is a sure sign the basking temp is too low.

One of my adult beardies insists on a basking temp of 122, the recent hatchlings often like it somewhere in the 115-120 range, and adults vary quite widely in their preference. The one who loves it hot is a rescue that had an infected stubbed tail and probably needs the heat to rebuild its immune system. Most of the other adults like it somewhere in the mid-90s to around 105.

I'd strongly rethink the cage size for a yearling female! Beardies absolutely require 4 or more square feet of floor space per adult and I doubt a 35 gallon gives anywhere near that. A 40 breeder is bare minimum caging in my opinion. Most aquariums don't have the depth needed for a beardie. Remember that their sex organs are in their tail base. Who would want the family jewels compressed every time they try to turn around? No dimension of the cage should really be under 2 feet. If you're lucky enough to get an adult size that exceeds 24 inches then you have to add on to that. Make sure their is always a couple of inches of clearance when your beardie's tail is fully extended.

My lighting schedule tries to mimic natural daylight hours. so I give 14 hours of lighting at midsummer and just 10 hours around Christmas, increasing or decreasing by half-hour intervals as I notice I'm not keeping up with the sun. No heat is needed at night unless your house temps drop below 55-60 degrees.

[Bearded AL]

Thanx for the replys everyone ,Yes I did do alot of research on the beardies but everyone is different and i wanted some experenced thoughts on the subject.Yes I plan a bigger cage for her a melimine encloser but have not built it yet.Once again thanx for all the info.AL