• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Natural sunlight or uvb

K

killercroc

New member
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
pittsburgh,pa
i have 2 bearded dragons and this is bugging me. my uvb is starting to go bad and i have been giving them rep-cal with d3. is it okay to take them outside for a little bit to get some natural sunlight?
 
Yes,definitely ! That IS the best thing for them. If done properly, a screened cage with partial shade OVER the enclosure [ something propped against it, or in a partially shaded area of the yard] will do the job. You can also use a LARGE plastic toter...preferably the clear ones...just be sure that you have some type of screen cover [ even an old screen from your cellar,etc or buy some at Lowe's ] so they can't escape. With the plastic, don't put them in direct sun unless it's below 80 degrees...and even then be SURE to provide artificial or natural shade [ under a tree] or something propped against it to block some of the sun. Remember that the plastic bins catch the heat like the hood of a car, to a degree, and the beardies must have shade and something to sit on...a log or whatever but not the hot plastic. A half hour in the sun 3 times a week makes up for the lack of a UVB bulb...you can go all summer without one. Just WATCH the dragon's outside...use common sense. You will still need a heat/ basking bulb in the indoor cage but not a UV bulb. One more thing...don't put them out in the plastic bins when it's above 88 degrees...ever. And babies get over-heated more quickly than adults. You can put them out in spring and fall as well , when the temps. are as low as 60 degrees [ as long as it's sunny ] if they are in a darker plastic tote...it absorbs the heat and raises the temp. quite comfortably.
 
Ditto what Angie said.........especially about the common sense and watching the temps. I lost my first dragon a couple of months ago from her overheating outside. She was outside for less than an hour, but the temps outside were around 99 degrees. Looking back, I should have known better, but sometimes we do things not thinking. Please read my post here on the forum DON'T DO WHAT I DID. It is just a little ways down on the list. I was devastated and felt like a complete idiot.....but, I am glad I posted my experience (was scared everyone would blast me). Everyone was actually very supportive and understood how it could happen. It is now my mission to not let anyone else make the same mistake I did.
 
And if you live in an area with lightning bugs, make sure the outdoor enclosure is completely screened. I hear of deaths every year from people putting their dragons outside and leaving them wide open to the elements. Remember that any insect can be toxic if it was exposed to some type of chemical. If it gets in the enclosure, your dragon could be at risk. I have had two emergency calls this season already and both dragons died.
 
Back
Top