Bearded dragon husbandry — UVB + insect/plant diet with calcium; wooden/fiberglass vivaria
The text below is reproduced verbatim from the first-hand source (Merck Veterinary Manual).
> Bearded dragons are probably the most popular pet reptile in the US. However, they need broad-spectrum lighting, and their insect- and plant-based diet requires regular calcium supplementation to avoid secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism. These lizards do better in larger wooden or fiberglass vivaria rather than glass aquaria. > All reptiles, including nocturnal (active at night) and crepuscular (active at twilight) species, benefit from broad-spectrum lighting (see central bearded dragon image). However, UVB light (290–300 nm) is especially important for most diurnal lizards and chelonians for vitamin D3 synthesis and calcium regulation. The best source of lighting is unfiltered sunlight. However, many artificial fluorescent strip lights, compact fluorescents, mercury halide bulbs, and LEDs are available. The quality and intensity of these artificial lights should always be considered second-best to sunlight; however, they can be instrumental in preventing disease. > high humidity microclimates are also often critical for many arid species (eg, tortoises, leopard geckos) to decrease shell pyramiding and dysecdysis.
Source: pdf-raw/exotic-b3/reptile_husbandry.txt (first-hand professional veterinary reference, tag-stripped).
Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)
Bearded dragons are probably the most popular pet reptile in the US. However, they need broad-spectrum lighting, and their insect- and plant-based diet requires regular calcium supplementation to avoid secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism. These lizards do better in larger wooden or fiberglass vivaria rather than glass aquaria.All reptiles, including nocturnal (active at night) and crepuscular (active at twilight) species, benefit from broad-spectrum lighting (see central bearded dragon image). However, UVB light (290–300 nm) is especially important for most diurnal lizards and chelonians for vitamin D3 synthesis and calcium regulation. The best source of lighting is unfiltered sunlight. However, many artificial fluorescent strip lights, compact fluorescents, mercury halide bulbs, and LEDs are available. The quality and intensity of these artificial lights should always be considered second-best to sunlight; however, they can be instrumental in preventing disease.high humidity microclimates are also often critical for many arid species (eg, tortoises, leopard geckos) to decrease shell pyramiding and dysecdysis.