What UVB light wattage is right for my 20-gallon bearded dragon tank?

The ReptiSun 10.0 bulb by Zoo Med is widely recommended. It should not be obstructed by either glass or plexiglass or be more than 18 inches away from the basking area. If you can't get one just yet, natural unfiltered sunlight can be provided daily if you can do it safely and without risk of escape.

Use whatever wattage bulb will attain a 90F to 96F basking spot. Usually an 80 or 100 watt bulb on a dimmer switch, easily purchased at most home improvement stores, will get the desired results. Be sure he cannot come into contact with the bulb as this can result is serious burns or injury. No nighttime lighting is required. A 12-14 hour light cycle is recommended.

Good questions. Since Bearded Dragons are omnivores, you want limit the amount of crickets (and other insects) you feed them, so they are motivated to eat the veggies. You can do this by having a daily feed time. It's not easy to know exactly how many to feed at a certain time, because it depends on their size. I would start with 12. If this seems like too much (he doesn't eat them within a day), then cut back till it seems adequate. Remember, you want a few hours where he only has vegetables to eat. If he/she eats them all right away, then you can add some more. You want the UV lamp to mimic daylight, so it should not be on longer than 12 hours. I always used a timer with my lamps, or I'd invariably leave them on or off for too long. I've included a link to a very helpful website that has great information on how to care for Bearded Dragons. It's highly recommended you read this for the best care of your Beardy. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html Good luck and enjoy - they make great pets!

Yes, I think a 40 gallon tank will be sufficient for now and may be enough long term depending on hiow big he gets. Just make sure to properly control his environment with temperature, an area to eat, and an area to hide away. Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

He's about due for an upgrade now. These guys require a lot of space, so it's best to provide as much as possible. The requirement is that they have enough room to have a hiding place on both sides of the enclosure with enough room for basking in the middle. If you can achieve this, then that would be best. For more information about caring for your Bearded Dragon, I recommend you visit the website at the link below. This has good/well-supported information from experts in the field. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html I hope that helps and all is well with Clyde.

Thanks for your question about Smaug, and thanks for the photo as well! I think that you have a good start to your set up, and that we can tweak a few items. First, your lighting situation appears adequate - I see a UVB light (please change this bulb every 4-6 months), a basking light, and a ceramic heat bulb. I would ensure that your temperatures are appropriate for this species, and that you are monitoring them using digital thermometers (I think that you see both a digital and analog thermometers currently) at the level of Smaug. Analog thermometers are inaccurate, so I don't recommend using them (also, they are high up on the sides of the enclosure, so they wouldn't be giving an accurate temperature read for Smaug). For the cage furniture that you have, I like that you have places for Smaug to climb and hide. However, I would recommend having a hide on both the warm side of the enclosure and the cool side so that Smaug has choices. Same for the climbing structures. I may have missed a food and water dish in the enclosure - I would recommend that both of these be shallow, and be large enough for Smaug's entire body to fit within them. I cannot tell what type of shavings that you have on the bottom of the enclosure, but the only wood shavings that I recommend are aspen shavings. If they are pine, these can be irritating to the respiratory system. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Yes, a 10-12 hour photoperiod would be recommended. Keeping lights on in the enclosure 24/7 will result in a stressed beardie. You can use a light timer to set an on/off cycle easily. You can review dragon care at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html