Can You Use LED Bulbs For Bearded Dragons?

Bearded dragons are really cool, interesting pets and are becoming much more popular.

While dogs and cats will forever remain the top pets in most homes, many prefer something more unusual or unique, and a bearded dragon often fits the bill.

But, speaking of bills, they can be a little bit costly when it comes to lighting.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could use a low-cost LED bulb instead and massively trim down the energy you need to use to look after your bearded dragon?

LED bulbs can’t be used as a primary light source for bearded dragons, as it doesn’t provide them with the heat or UVB energy required to stay healthy. LEDs can be used as secondary lights, provided they are dimmed or shielded to not hurt the animal.

To explain fully, let’s take a look at:

• What bearded dragons need for basking
• Whether LEDs are suitable for that
• If LEDs can actually harm bearded dragons

What Do Bearded Dragons Need For Basking?

Basking sounds like something we enjoy doing on a sun lounger on holiday, but it’s a vital survival technique for bearded dragons and other reptiles.

That’s because they aren’t able to regulate their own temperature without an external heat source.

In the wild, this would be the sun, but they use light sources such as heat lamps in captivity.

Basking is super-important because if a bearded dragon isn’t at the optimum temperature, it can develop illnesses over time.

And more importantly, they aren’t able to digest their food properly.

It’s not just about the heat, though – bearded dragons also rely on the sun’s ultraviolet light to produce the vitamin D they need to stay healthy.

While they make use of both UVA and UVB lighting, it’s UVB that they need as a priority.

Ideally, if you own a bearded dragon, you’ll get them outdoors under the sun whenever you can. Still, most of the time, you will need an alternative UVB source within their enclosure.

Are LED Lights Suitable For Bearded Dragon Basking?

So, understanding that bearded dragons require heat and UVB lighting can LEDs provide that in a sufficient quantity?

Simply, no.

LEDs are one of the coolest lighting types you can buy – and I mean that in terms of temperature (though you could argue that they’re cool in other ways too).

Because they use semiconductors to light up, instead of filaments in older incandescent or halogen bulbs, the vast majority of energy is converted to light, not heat.

Also, no standard light offers the UVB energy that a bearded dragon needs, whether LED, incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent.

Because of that, you need to buy specialist heat lamps designed to emit the necessary UVB rays.

These bulbs are designed to withstand high temperatures since they’ll emit a high amount of heat.

The downside to these bulbs is that they will run out of UVB energy long before they burn out.

So while they will still provide light and heat, they will need replacing every six months or so.

It’s a shame that LEDs can’t provide the heat and UVB energy that a bearded dragon needs since they’ll use around 8% of the energy that a specialist bulb would use (an 8-watt LED bulb will easily be as bright as a 100-watt reptile heat lamp).

But that’s why the specialist bulbs exist – they’re needed so your bearded dragon can bask properly.

Other lizards and tortoises would be the same if you wanted to keep one of those.

Can LED Light Hurt Bearded Dragon Eyes?

So, we’ve established that bearded dragons can’t survive in a healthy enclosure if you only use LEDs as their primary light source.

But what if you wanted to add LEDs to an enclosure as a secondary light source, to make it look more attractive?

That’s fine, provided the LEDs are either shielded or dimmed.

Because unfortunately, bearded dragons have pretty sensitive eyes.

If you have the LEDs close to the bearded dragon and switched to full brightness, they will struggle.

Their pupils will either shrink or close completely, and overall your dragon will be going through a lot of discomfort.

You could use LED strip lights with a diffuser if you were insistent on using LEDs in their enclosure.

The diffuser will help soften the lights’ glare at all times.

That way, if the strip ever reset and switched on at full brightness, you wouldn’t suddenly cause your bearded dragon any pain.

There are a couple of other things you need to consider when adding LED lights to a bearded dragon’s enclosure – or even having them within the same room where they’re visible.

Day/Night Cycles

Your bearded dragon shouldn’t be exposed to light 24/7, and that includes LEDs you have in or near the enclosure, no matter how dim.

If you want to use LED lights, ensure they’re on a timer and switched off at night.

Or, if they’re in the room but not in the enclosure, ensure the enclosure has a cover so that you can block out the light at night.

Otherwise, your bearded dragon will never get into a good sleeping habit, and its body will suffer from imbalances that could impact its overall health.

Lighting Spectrum

It’s not a good idea to expose your bearded dragon to only a partial light spectrum.

Bearded dragons have good visibility across the spectrum, but if you only expose them to lights of a certain color, they can become chemically imbalanced.

LED strips should be kept at white or a shade of white (so warm white or cool white). But don’t have the strips completely red or completely blue, for example.

It shouldn’t be a problem for short stints – so if you have your bearded dragon in a room, you use it for occasional gaming.

For example, you like to set the mood – as long as the majority of the time, they get the full spectrum of white light.

Also read: Are LED Lights Safe For Dogs?

Final Words

While LED lights are a great way to light a room and save energy, they aren’t completely multi-purpose.

And so, if you own a bearded dragon or intend to soon, you can’t rely on them.

Bearded dragons and other lizards need heat and UVB energy that LEDs simply can’t provide.

But, they can be used for additional lighting, provided you ensure they aren’t blinding your dragon.

Have you added LEDs to your bearded dragon’s enclosure, or have you other ways you’ve made it more exciting and unique?