The 11 Best Basking Bulbs For Bearded Dragons

Instruction Manual

With several possibilities available, making a final decision may be daunting. Fortunately, we have compiled this concise buyer’s guide to assist you in making an informed choice.

Bearded Dragon Buffing Bulbs: What to Look For

Different factors may be more or less important to you when shopping for a basking bulb for your bearded dragon. Let’s talk about the qualities you should look for in a new basking bulb.

Whether it’s light or warmth, or both.

We don’t have to give much thought to maintaining a comfortable body temperature because our bodies do it for us automatically.

However, lizards are cold-blooded, thus they must rely on the sun and heat to warm their bodies, and when they become overheated, they must relocate to a cooler place.

At night, it’s fine to lower the thermostat a bit, but your dragons should never be exposed to freezing temperatures. There’s no way the temperature can drop below 72 degrees Fahrenheit, not even at night, therefore heating will be required around the clock.

Naturally, you still need to think about lighting and sleep patterns. Light bulbs are a typical technique to keep dragons warm, but the artificial illumination they provide might disrupt their natural circadian rhythms.

During the day, you’ll need to supply illumination, whereas at night, heat is required in the absence of illumination.

Rays of Infrared Light

You can keep the cage toasty warm at night without disturbing your dragon’s sleep cycle by using infrared lighting. Infrared lighting produces a faint red glow that reptiles cannot detect.

Your dragons will be comfortable sleeping at a nightly temperature of 72-80 degrees Fahrenheit all thanks to this. Still, you’ll want to have some illumination throughout the day, so another bulb is required.

UVA

Providing UVA radiation, which is produced by light, is possible with a suitable basking bulb. This is the most important kind of illumination for a reptile’s eyes.

Your bearded dragon is nearly colorblind if you don’t give it ultraviolet light. Because of this, it is crucial that you constantly use UVA-providing light bulbs around your dragons.

UVB

Light with a wavelength between 300 and 400 nanometers (UVB) is the source of the vitamin D that people and animals need.

Most reptile species can’t make vitamin D from the food they eat, thus they have to rely on UVB sunlight as their only source. Metabolic bone disease is a genuine risk if you don’t get enough UVB light.

Lifespan

You should use a basking bulb for roughly 12 hours every day, so a longer-lasting bulb will extend the time you may go without replacing it.

Lifespan estimates for various bulbs we’ve examined range from 2,000 to 3,500 hours. Assuming it satisfies your other requirements, the longest-lasting bulb is what you’re looking for.

We do not suggest using bulbs that are only meant to be on for 3-5 hours a day as basking bulbs for bearded dragons. They don’t hold up as well as other bulbs and usually burn out much sooner.

Price

The cost of the bulb is the last factor to think about when selecting a basking light for your bearded dragon. It’s possible to pay significantly more or much less for bulbs with essentially the same set of features.

However, there is usually a performance gap that justifies such a price difference. Consider the price difference between a bulb that just emits UVA and one that emits both UVB and UVA.

This will not only improve the quality of life for your dragon, but also extend its lifespan.

Sometimes, necessity dictates what you can and can’t purchase for your dogs. Nonetheless, if at all feasible, we advise giving your dogs the best medical attention you can afford. After all, they are beloved family members!

Conclusion

After examining a lot of the best basking bulbs for bearded dragons, BestForPets (bestforpets.org) has limited the competition to just three brands that earned the top rank in our review list. .

For reptiles, we recommend using the Zoo Med Repti Basking Reptile Spotlight. This product offers outstanding performance at a reasonable price, with double reflectors focusing 35% more heat and light and emitting good UVA rays for your dragons. It has a lifespan of 2,000 hours and is warranted for 180 days.

For the greatest value, we recommend the Exo Terra Infrared Reptile Spotlight. Despite being one of the cheapest lights we’ve reviewed, its performance isn’t compromised.

It provides 24-hour heat for your dragons, since the infrared light won’t disrupt their sleep.

Finally, the REPTI ZOO P95100 Reptile Spot Bulb Full Basking Spot is our top pick if you’re not willing to forego the features and have some extra cash to spare.

In addition to enough heat, your dragon will benefit from full-spectrum light. Plus, it contains plenty of good UVA and UVB rays to keep your dragons healthy.

Reviews

The Zoo Med Repti Basking Reptile Spot Lamp Is the Best of Its Kind

The best results from basking lights come from concentrating the heat in a small region while leaving the remainder of the tank at a lower temperature.

The Zoo Med Repti Basking Reptile Spot Lamp does this by using a proprietary double reflector to provide a focused beam that is 35% more powerful in terms of both heat and light.

Our dragons can adjust their body temperature in a basking area that is warm enough to be like artificial daylight without overheating the rest of the tank.

This bulb emits light with healthy levels of ultraviolet A (UVA). You’ll be doing your best to assist your pet dragon live a long and happy life by providing it with these, which are beneficial to its physical and mental health.

This bulb is more expensive than some of the alternatives we considered. However, it has a guarantee of up to 180 days and a lifetime of up to 2,000 hours. At that price point, we feel it’s well worth it.

Pros

• Amplifies the intensity of the heat and light
• Offers UVA rays, which have been shown to improve mental wellness.
• A maximum of two thousand hours of use is possible.
• Guarantee for a period of 180 days

Cons

• No, it’s not the cheapest choice.

The Best Infrared Reptile Basking Spotlight from Exo Terra

Sometimes, care for our dogs might become more expensive than we imagined. If you’re wanting to save a few money while still delivering your bearded dragon exceptional care, then you could select the Exo Terra Infrared Basking Reptile Spot Lamp.

It’s priced extremely inexpensively, however packed with fantastic characteristics that make us to feel it’s the greatest basking light bulb for bearded dragons for the money.

Your dragons will still require a warm nighttime habitat, with temperatures between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You can keep them comfortable without disturbing their slumber with the help of this infrared lamp, which emits a dim red light.

That requires a different kind of bulb than what you’d use for nighttime use, though, in order to illuminate the room during the day.

This light bulb has a built-in reflector that concentrates the light and heat, making it ideal for bathing your dragons. So long as the cage isn’t heated to dangerous levels, they should be able to maintain a comfortable internal temperature.

Pros

• Very reasonable costs
• Red light won’t alter sleep pattern
• Because of the integrated reflector, the warmth is focused exactly where it’s needed.

Cons

• Lacks illuminating properties

Light Bulb for Reptiles, Full Basking Area, P95100 by REPTI ZOO, the Best Option

We want the best for our dragons, therefore we’re always researching new items to add to their habitat. One such tool that has proven to be invaluable for our bearded dragons is the REPTI ZOO P95100 Reptile Full Basking Spot Bulb.

To begin, this is an artificial version of natural sunshine; a full-spectrum bulb. Some bulbs just emit UVA or UVB rays, but this one emits both, so your lizards may benefit from them equally.

This lamp not only illuminates the room, but also generates a substantial amount of heat, ensuring that your dragons can adjust their body temperature with ease.

When we found this bulb, we knew we were giving our dragons the best basking experience imaginable. The negative is that it’s really expensive, costing several times as much as the other basking bulbs we looked at.

Pros

• Fluorescent lamp that emits light over the whole visible spectrum
• Produces a luminous and thermal effect
• Provides Beneficial Ultraviolet A and B Rays

Cons

• Exorbitant compared to available alternatives

UVA Basking Light Bulb for xyzReptiles

The xyzReptiles UVA Bulb Basking Light is not the most costly choice on our list, but it is more expensive than some of the others we evaluated. However, it does have certain positive qualities that might be beneficial to your bearded dragon.

This light bulb emits 100 watts of heat and light, perfect for your dragon’s relaxing soak time. Broad-spectrum light, including UVA rays, are used to effectively simulate natural sunshine.

However, it does not contain enough UVB rays to meet your dragon’s vitamin D requirements. It heats up just enough to keep the terrarium toasty and offer a toasty basking spot without making the whole room unbearably toasty.

The Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp, which we ranked first, offers the same features at a much more reasonable price point, so we wouldn’t recommend spending the extra money on this bulb.

Pros

• Makes it look like daytime for your bearded dragon
• Boosts the temperature

Cons

• Can not produce vitamin D in response to exposure to UVB

Basking Light Bulb by Fluker

The low cost of the Fluker 22603 Basking Spotlight Bulb first drew our attention. Since it costs the least compared to the other bulbs we evaluated, it stands a good chance of becoming a popular option.

The only real benefits of this lamp are the brightness and warmth it emits.

Most basking lamps aim to provide at least some UVA or UVB light, as dragons require both. Neither of these essential nutrients are provided by this bulb, leaving your dragons malnourished.

Young dragons can’t thermoregulate under this bulb’s light, and that’s something we’ve discovered as well. Because of this, we were able to enjoy a comfortable basking temperature of around 94 degrees.

It’s OK for an adult, but young animals require a warmer spot to sunbathe in (95-100 degrees).

The 3,500-hour lifetime is the one thing about this bulb that makes up for the rest of its flaws. That’s a lot of time and money saved, especially at this pricing, but it’s a wash because you’ll still need to supplement with UVA and UVB lights.

Pros

• Value for money
• Produces both light and heat
• Life expectancy of 3,500 hours

Cons

• Without either UVA or UVB rays
• Not sufficient for heating purposes on its own

Xtra-Terrain High-Intensity Basking Light Bulb

One of the most costly bulbs we evaluated, the Exo Terra PT2138 Intense Basking Spot Lamp Bulb nevertheless lacks some key characteristics.

In contrast to standard bulbs, however, it is capable of casting light beyond than average. This provides a lot more flexibility in terms of where you put the bulb in relation to the basking area while still maintaining an adequate temperature.

We had hoped that for the price, this bulb would have provided UVB for our dragons and earned our recommendation. It’s a pricey UVA bulb, but unfortunately it doesn’t produce UVB.

We can’t suggest this bulb because there are so many other alternatives out there that are just as good but cheaper.

Pros

• Spreads illumination across a wider area, expanding placement possibilities.
• Generates UVA rays

Cons

• Spendier than comparable options
• Lacks UVB Rays

Bulb for OMAYKEY Basking Light

Our top pick, the OMAYKEY Basking Spot Heat Lamp Bulb, was ultimately unsatisfactory. Although it does not produce UVB light, it does produce UVA light and heat, both of which are beneficial to your dragons.

The bulb burns out quickly, which is our primary concern. The first ones we bought barely lasted a few weeks each, which is a lot less than the average lifespan of comparable light bulbs.

We failed to take into account that the recommended daily usage time for these bulbs is only four to five hours. As one might expect, a reptile bulb cannot function in this manner since its inhabitants require constant warmth.

It is recommended that you invest in a bulb that will keep your dragons warm throughout the day in order to save money.

Pros

• Generates ultraviolet light with a certain wavelength

Cons

• Can only be operated for 3-5 hours each day
• Not a good source of UVB rays.
• Life expectancy below the median
• Bulb