Bearded dragons must be one of the most interesting and least demanding pets for reptile enthusiasts. Of course, like any pet, it is what naturally comes to them that has to be known apart from offering them the right environment for good health. Perhaps the single most important aspect about care of a bearded dragon would be their sleep cycle. Like any human, bearded dragons also require rest. And once again, various factors like light, temperature, and their habitat influence their sleeping pattern.
We shall discuss the sleep pattern of bearded dragons, the possible causes that might affect them, and how to make sure that your pet is well sleeping.
Bearded Dragon Sleep Patterns: Know Everything
Like all other reptiles, bearded dragons are diurnal. Diurnal means that they spend most of their day under daylight and usually rest at night. They live in the deserts of Australia, where during the day they get daylight, while at night, it's dark. This kind of light and dark cycle is very important in controlling an internal biological clock, sometimes also known as a circadian rhythm.
This will keep and make easier for conditions to mimic a house environment and closest to wild, as keeping it regularly under the same light-dark pattern will keep the healthier, more active, less stressed pet bearded dragon, since those dragons, unless sedated, can easily grow quite active if their schedule is followed with necessary periods for sleeping; therefore, it would play more often, bask and hunt, or is simply going through normal, regular day-to-day operations.
What Time Do Bearded Dragons Typically Go to Bed?
Of course, their natural character bearded dragons sleep at dusk when night falls. The time that dusk falls varies with locality and season; hence, the time for sundown varies from over other times depending on the geographer who marks regions. The other aspect of this is that a domestic environment dictates sleep times of any kept domesticated bearded dragon.
Usually, bearded dragons sleep once the lighting of their enclosures is off. That would mean it's the end time for them of their period of being active. Most bearded dragons sleep at about 8:00 or 10:00, but everything can be based on some factors like
Lighting: The circadian rhythm in bearded dragons needs both artificial as well as natural lighting. A proper light cycle should be provided. Average need of daylight is 12 to 14 hours with corresponding hours of darkness at night are 10 to 12.
Temperature: Since bearded dragons are ectotherms, they will always require a source of warmth to survive from outside temperatures. At night fall and whenever it gets cold, a bearded dragon will naturally feel drowsy and sleepy.
Make tend to switch off lights in their tank at some time during the night fall of every day to set up normal sleeping habits
Things that will affect their sleep time
Light Cycle and Heating Schedule: Bearded dragons do require constant lighting. Use the lights with timers, so whenever it gets night time for that, they shut off to a degree. They will absorb UVB lighting throughout all daylight hours and pull back after about 12 hours of doing such, which would be like analog for daylight hours.
Environmental Factors: Beardies are very sensitive to environmental changes, temperature, and humidity. It cannot sleep well if the temperature of its enclosure is too high or too low. Hence, the enclosure needs its proper temperature maintained, both during the day and night; it should be between 95 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit when the sun is up but lower at night, that is around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Feeding Time: Bearded dragons are day-time feeders and the digestion process decreases as the daylight starts to fade towards the evening hours. Hence, if your dragon is fed too late in the evening then that will also be a loss to its sleep cycle. Bearded dragons must be fed during the daylight hours so that their digestive process will go ahead; they will be able to digest the food before time to sleep, say about 2 to 3 hours prior to lights-out time.
Activity Levels: Sometimes, your bearded dragon becomes more active, and they will sit awake longer because they were stimulated or energized at some point. Giving that animal enrichment in terms of the climbing branches, rocks or toys will burn all that energy throughout the day so by fall night, they become tired to sleep.
How to Make Sure That Your Bearded Dragon Sleeps Alright?
It is while sleeping that your health of a bearded dragon is guaranteed. If they sleep in the right way, then they will avoid stress and grow healthy and hence at the right time, it will be active. There are some tips on how your bearded dragon sleeps well shown as follows :
Routine schedule: Reptiles are very much like other living things, so they work better when there is routine. Routine cycles of lighting and sleeping will get an inner dragon accustomed to the routine. The more predictable, the safer, and resting is the bearded dragon.
Make it sleep-friendly: Beardies will sleep much better in dark silent settings. As that is the reason that they require their enclosure noise-free at night as well. If the room has excess noise and bright lights in it, then they may not be able to do so. You can add a night light or low-watt heat source so they can have a warm sleeping area.
Provide hiding places: Normally, a bearded dragon sleeps soundly if it has hiding places or two to hide into. The vivarium helps the pet hide from light within the environment during its sleeping. This is what gives the animal sufficient time to sleep stress-free, most significantly from environmental stress.
Check Their Health: Ensure that your bearded dragon does not have diseases or disorders that would make it feel pain as it sleeps. In case your bearded dragon is mostly restless and less active most of the day and also portrays disease signs, then contact a reptile veterinarian.
Conclusion
By summary, bearded dragons can sleep from 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM depending on the timelines of light and heat. They are daylight animals, hence requiring an itinerary of days and nights. Therefore, they need an environment that gives out such a natural cycle for them. Adequate illumination as well as temperatures and feeding schedules can be very efficient in ensuring that your beard gets ample amount of sleeping time; thus, it becomes lively and healthy. With the above processes, your bearded dragon will always be under a healthy sleep cycle and thus will remain a happy, energetic pet.