Bearded dragon husbandry — UVB + insect/plant diet with calcium; wooden/fiberglass vivaria
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted professional veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.
Claims
*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Bearded dragons are perhaps the most popular US pet reptile; they need broad-spectrum lighting and their insect-and-plant diet needs regular calcium supplementation to avoid secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism; they do better in larger wooden or fiberglass vivaria than glass tanks. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* All reptiles, including nocturnal and crepuscular species, benefit from broad-spectrum lighting; unfiltered sunlight is best, with artificial UVB bulbs as a useful alternative. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* UVB light (290–300 nm) is especially important for most day-active lizards and chelonians for vitamin D3 synthesis and calcium regulation. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Humid microclimates are often critical for arid species (e.g. tortoises, leopard geckos) to reduce shell pyramiding and abnormal sheds.