How long do baby bearded dragons sleep? If you are a new bearded dragon owner, chances are you might also ask the same question. In this post, I will share with you the sleeping habits of bearded dragons.
So, how long do baby bearded dragons sleep?
In most cases, baby bearded dragons sleep 8-12 hours a day. If you notice your baby bearded dragon sleeps at this time duration, it is normal. He/she needs it to gain rapid growth.
When your baby bearded dragon is sleeping, try not to make any noise because it can easily awaken him/her. During the night, when your young reptile falls asleep, you might want to turn the light off.
Bearded dragons can sleep with light though. However, sleeping in a dark environment can be more relaxing than with light. As long as your beardie gets the right amount of light every day, he/she will be fine. As a rule of thumb, 12-hour light exposure and 12 hours without light is ideal.
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Why Do Baby Bearded Dragons Need So Much Sleep?
Baby bearded dragons need so much sleep for their speedy growth and good health. Remember that the first several months, bearded dragons undergo rapid growth.
In the wild, bearded dragons do sleep in the night and hunt in the morning. In captivity, they tend to follow the same sleep pattern. This is the reason why baby bearded dragons should have a good sleep routine to help them grow healthily.
Sleep also helps regulate beardies’ body temperature. Allowing your baby bearded dragons to gain enough sleep every day will definitely help him/her stay healthy.
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What Hours of the Day Should Baby Bearded Dragon Sleeps?
I can’t give you a definitive answer to this question. But what I see in my beardies is that every one of them is a little bit different in terms of sleeping patterns.
But in general, bearded dragons are mostly awake in the day and sleep in the night. This is because these reptiles are not nocturnal they are diurnal. So their sleep pattern is similar to humans.
That said, you don’t have to make things complicated here. Just think about and consider the wake and sleep cycle of human beings. We have the same sleep pattern as bearded dragons.
This means that during the day, you might want to turn on the light in the enclosure and turn it off at 7 pm or so. This will give your baby bearded dragon enough light exposure and also provides a suitable environment for sleep during the night.
But this is arbitrary. You don’t have to follow this exact sleep pattern. Sleep duration may vary depending on the season too. For instance, in winter you can give your bearded dragons 12 hours of sleep a day, 10 hours in spring, about 8 hours in summer, and about 10 hours in autumn.
But again, this is totally up to you. You don’t have to follow any of these sleep patterns. There are many factors that needed to consider too depending on where you live.
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Do Baby Bearded Dragons Need Light When Sleeping?
This is another concern, especially for the new beardie owner. Do baby bearded dragons need light when sleeping?
Well, generally, although bearded dragons absolutely need UVB to keep them healthy, they don’t need light when they are sleeping. But they certainly need UVB during the day.
I recommend that you give your baby bearded dragons the right amount of light exposure during the day. The ideal is 10 hours a day. This is enough for beardies to get what they need.
Exposing the baby bearded dragon to light in the night might only confuse him/her. Remember that beardies are pretty much like humans that are influenced by environmental cues in terms of when they sleep.
Sunlight shapes our sleep pattern and so do bearded dragons. They are also programmed to stay awake during the day and sleep at night.
Do Baby Bearded Dragons Need Heat at Night?
Under normal conditions, bearded dragons do not need heat at night. But in cases when the temperature drops below 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night, they need heat.
That means you need a contingency plan in a situation like this. What I recommend is buying a ceramic heat emitter. The heat emitter I use for my beardies is the Exo Terra (click here to check this heat emitter on Amazon).
This heat emitter gives an appropriate amount of heat in the tank that beardies need during a cold night. Maintaining the right temperature is very important to allow your baby bearded dragon to sleep without disturbance.
Keep the nighttime temperature of around 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature range is applicable for baby and adult bearded dragons.
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When Should Baby Bearded Dragons Last Meal Before Sleep?
In most cases, bearded dragon owners forget the fact that reptiles have especial needs. One of which is the right time interval between eating and sleeping.
It is important to remember that basking plays an important role in digestion in bearded dragons. Without basking, the food will not be thoroughly broken down.
As a result, it could potentially cause digestive issues and other health risks. One of the most common problems is impaction. Trust me, you don’t want to see your beardie suffer from impaction.
Another problem is that beardies won’t get the nutrients from the undigested food.
Therefore, it is very important for beardies to be able to have time to bask before sleeping at night. Baby bearded dragons should have at least a 3-hour interval between dinner and sleeping. This will allow the young beardie to bask and digest the food.
During this time, I suggest that the basking light is on. This helps the digestion process, especially in bearded dragons.
Final Thoughts on How Long Do Baby Bearded Dragons Sleep
As mentioned, bearded dragons are unique animals with unique needs. One of the needs is sleep.
The sleeping time for baby and adult bearded dragons is about 8-12 hours a day. Bearded dragons sleep a lot due to their speedy growth during the first several months.
If you implement a sleep pattern for your beardies, I suggest that you stick to it. This is important to help beardies get accustomed to the sleeping cycle.
Another thing to remember is that bearded dragons usually don’t need light while sleeping. However, there are situations when they do need extra heat. It happens when the temperature drops in the night below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lastly, consider the time interval between dinner and bedtime. Give him her at least 3 basking hours before going to sleep. The purpose of this is to aid digestion.
I hope this helps. Thank you for reading.
