How much UVB for my bearded dragon?

Question

I've got a D3 Reptile lamp for my beardie and it has 5% UVB. Is that enough?

Answer 1

That should be fine. Leave it on for 10 to 12 hours a day. It needs to be on a screen top, glass or plastic will block the UV. Provide basking spots that allow your bearded to get quite close to the fluorescent, ideally within 12 inches. These bulbs need to be replaced every 6 or 7 months at which point you can get one with a higher number UV output.

Answer 2

Do not listen to the first poster. Hopefully she does not own a Beardie. They definitely need UVB and large amounts of it. The only time they wouldnt is if they get a lot of real sunlight. I use Reptiglo flourescent UVB for my beardie and he seems to do well with it. I am thinking about purchasing an MVB bulb though so that he gets the max he can use. A lot of supposed UVB lights that you buy at pet stores are garbage. UVB will not go through glass or plastic and half of them come with plastic covers. Without UVB a beardie will live maybe a long time even. But their bones will become weak, they will not be very hungry and they will not be enjoying life. Please make sure that you have a good 95-105 degree basking spot and some other light to make it nice and bright in their tank as they LOVE bright light. Also make sure your beardie can get within about 6 inches of your UVB if its a flourescent.

Answer 3

actually that isnt enough for a beardie. they are a desert reptile and should get about 8% or more uvb per day. 5% is more for tropical reptiles. also if you have a 5% uvb and have a screen top, the screen actually filters out some uvb, so your actually probably only getting 3%. i would go with a lamp that has about 10% uvb.

Answer 4

Yeah it should be if the lamp is designed for reptiles, I can't see you having a problem. If you want extra UV light, you could always use a white fluro or another reptile light for a bit extra. They don't actually need the UV light if you don't want but yeah, you should be fine.