how long should i keep my light on for a baby bearded dragon? please answer now =D?

Question

I just got a bearded dragon as a present for my brother for crimbo and im worried ... ive turned my light of for the dragon because hes/shes had it on all day but the shop i bought it from said she should have it on 12 hours but im scared just incase it dies in the morning because its cold ,,, im in the uk and its not warm in the house but its not coldd ... is it safe to keep it on all night because im scared

oh yeah how do u tell the sex of it ?

Answer 1

leave it on all day at night is when it gets the coldest and it always needs to be warm just give it a place to hide away from the light if u are scared it will get to hot and always make sure it has fresh water to drink and mist the cage once a day and it will be fine also if the light bothers u at night they have heat lamps that let out no ligght just heat and they have purple ones that let out minimal heat

Answer 2

By the sound of his current length, he's about a month or a month and a half old. I know what you mean by being scared of handling him right now. When I first got my beardie, I was so worried about her because she was so small and fragile looking. It's hard to say how much he will grow in a week. He will grow but it might be hard to tell from just looking at him. In a month's time, the difference will be obvious. With a good diet including crickets and veggies, proper lighting (a UV-B light and a basking light), and good handling, he will most likely double his size in the next month or two. Now, don't feed him too many crickets as a way to bulk him up, but just 8-10 a day, and no bigger than the space between his eyes. If you give him crickets that are too big it may cause impaction. Feed him greens like dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens. You can get these all at your grocery store. You can try him with certain fruit too like strawberries, blueberries, and honey dew. Avoid citrus fruits. Also avoid ice burg lettuce as it has a higher water content than other lettuces and can cause diarrhea. I'd avoid letting him run lose around the house for now. But pick him up while he's in his cage to let him get used to being handled. Soon before you know it, you'll be able to let him run around since he'll be large enough to keep an eye on.

Answer 3

it depends on which light you are reffering to.

is it a basking spot light? in which case this should only be on for say 2 or 3 hours first thing on a morning,

it is a UK strip light? in which case this needs to be on for around 12 hours (if it is a uv strip light this gives off no heat anyway so would not affect the temperature of the tank whether it was on or not)

your bearded needs a heat mat or a heat lamp of some sort to keep him or her warm, is is these that will determine the temperature of the tank, not the strip light.

over here the average in house temperature of a night drops down to as low as 10-15c, which is far too cold for the bearded, it wont kill him or her, but her body temperature droping so low regularilly could harm her, get yourself a good thermometer, and please make sure that his or her heatmat is on ALL the time.

Answer 4

Kepp the light on during the day and use a night time lamp at night. Also, you can get heating pads that go under the tank for some extra heat at night. As for telling the sex of it, The simplest method is to invade their privacy and just look. On the underside of their tail, just above the vent, there is typically either a single bulge (or none) or two separated bulges. If you see two clearly separate bulges, as in the upper image to the right, you have a male. If you see only one, you probably have a female. There is uncertainty with a single bulge, particularly if there isn't much of one. When beardies are young, they all look like females, but develop clearer signs of gender as they get older. You should be able to tell by time they're 7-8" STL.

Answer 5

If your house temps don't get below 60F at night, then it will be just fine. Beardies need a dark cool period at night for good health. Leave the heat lamp and UVB bulb on for 12 hours a day--timers are good for regulating day/night cycles. Beardies do not need under tank heat at all.

http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BD.html

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

Answer 6

Yes you can switch it off if the temperatures don't fall lower than 70 degrees . Beardies can tolerate as low as 60 degrees.

Answer 7

you should have got care sheet with it about all its needs if i was you go back to shop and ask for one.and buy a book about the care of bearded dragons.