Bearded dragon environment
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 terrestrial desert lizards; recommended 25–32°C (77–90°F) at 20–30% relative humidity. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* UVB light (290–300 nm) is especially important for most day-active lizards and turtles/tortoises (chelonians) for vitamin D3 synthesis and calcium regulation. *[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.]* Humid microclimates are often critical for arid species (e.g. tortoises, leopard geckos) to reduce shell pyramiding and abnormal sheds. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Feeding insects a calcium-rich diet and dusting them with a high-calcium reptile supplement just before offering prevents nutritional deficiencies.