Mercury vapor is the preferred type of lighting for bearded dragons because not only does it produce full spectrum light including uva and uvb rays but it also produces heat and can be used for basking.
Fluorescent light fixture for bearded dragon.
Ubv fluorescent lighting is the backbone on any bearded dragon setup without it bearded dragons develop something called metabolic bone disease along with a few other health problems.
Fluorescent bulbs the use of full spectrum lighting is necessary to provide your bearded dragon with the right amount of uv radiation it needs.
What is uvb light and why is it important.
Fluorescent bulbs are the most common lighting bulbs for reptiles.
In the minimum 4ft x 2ft x 2ft bearded dragon cage size a 75 watt bulb should be hot enough if the cage is already in your house.
Best uvb bulb for bearded dragons 1.
There should be at least 10 hours of darkness in bearded dragon s terrarium.
Other options include compact fluorescent and halide.
Otherwise you can just place some aluminum foil to make a reflector inside the fixture to increase the number of uv rays that reach your bearded dragon.
In a 2ft x2ft x2ft tank a 60 watt bulb should be enough anything smaller will be a 40 watt bulb or thereabouts.
Always use fluorescent bulbs manufactured specifically for reptiles.
At 100 watts each one light bulb should be sufficient for heating any bearded dragon tank unless extremely large in which case you would need 2 bulbs.
The substrate will also carry and distribute much of the heat.
The fluorescent fixture you choose should have a reflector built into it.
Here are a few things you should know about uvb lighting.
Repti sun 10 0 uvb fluorescent light this is without a doubt one of the most trusted if not the most trusted uvb bulb on the market right now for bearded dragons.
Which source of light does my bearded dragon need.
If you need more than 100 watts for either a larger tank or a tank in a cold room check out this zacro reptile heat lamp that comes in at 150 watts.
This fluorescent light will provide an adequate amount of uvb for most enclosures and will last anywhere from 6 to 12 months on average.
The lights should be on for around 12 14 hours a day when bearded dragons are active excluding brumation.
These bulbs are relatively inexpensive energy efficient and provide the proper wavelengths of uv rays to accommodate bearded dragons.