Natural Sunlight

I had a call today from a young man that had set up the enclosure for his Western Bearded Dragon next to a sunny window using a red nocturnal lamp as a heat source.

Natural sunlight is indeed beneficial to all reptiles.  Setting up an outdoor enclosure that is escape-proof and provides some shade is a great way for reptiles to enjoy some time outside.

However putting your pet’s enclosure near a window for a source of heat or UV is completely inefficient and will ultimately harm your pet.

Dragons are diurnal, so their enclosures should be set up with daylight basking lamps and a UV fluro both of which can be turned off at night.

Daylight basking lamps range from 50W to 160W and you should take into consideration the size of your enclosure before choosing a bulb.  Ideally it should be situated at one end of the enclosure and either attached to the inside of the lid or sitting on top of the enclosure (not directly on any glass).  All lamps set up inside the enclosure must be covered (such as a wire cage covering) to avoid any burns to your pet.  A thermostat is highly recommended to control the temperature (except when using self ballasted UV lamps).

A UVA/UVB fluorescent lamp should be attached to the inside of the lid or on top of the enclosure and turned on during daylight hours.  If it’s inside the enclosure it needs to be covered to avoid burns to your pet.  UV tubes are specifically made to give off the correct amount of UVA and UVB that reptiles require and Vitamin D, which is normally provided by the sun’s natural rays.  UV aids bone growth and digestion.  Reptiles raised in captivity without UV suffer from a severe bone disorder called Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) that creates deformities such as crooked spines, loss of digits, very weak and easily broken bones.