There are two types of light that your bearded dragon needs: heat and UVB.
A basking bulb and fixture creates heat and aids in digestion. A UVB bulb simulates the UVB rays of the sun and aids in several other critical biological functions.
Your bearded dragon needs both!
We covered the five types of bulbs you can use for a basking bulb here. Now, let’s look at the three choices you have for a UVB bulb in your bearded dragon’s enclosure.
Table of Contents
What’s the Best Type of UVB Bulb For a Bearded Dragon?
The best type of UVB bulb to use for bearded dragons is a linear fluorescent tube and fixture. This light should be made specifically for reptiles and extend the length of their enclosure. A high output 10.0 UVB (aka HO 10%) provides the correct intensity UVB light for bearded dragons.
A standard linear UVB bulb and traditional light hood/fixture is the tried and true option. It works the best, is the most reliable, and is the easiest to set up and get right.
While two other options are sometimes used, they have some noteworthy drawbacks, and we do not recommend them.
That’s why in our bearded dragon’s home, we use this UVB fixture and this UVB bulb that you can pick up on Amazon. We have used this setup for many years and don’t plan to change any time soon!
Bulb Comparison
| Avg. Cost | Adequate UVB? | Easy To Use? | Provides Heat? | |
| CFL | $10-$20 | N | Y | N |
| MVB | $50-$90 | Y | Y | Y |
| Fluorescent Tube | $50 | Y | N | N |
CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) Bulbs
A CFL bulb is a coiled-up fluorescent light tube that fits in a standard light socket. You will sometimes see these advertised as being used in dual light domes and are occasionally sold that way.
A CFL bulb is the least expensive of the three types of bulb covered in this article and is sometimes preferred by bearded dragon owners on a budget.
We do not recommend this type of bulb for your dragon’s UVB needs because it’s entirely too small. Its size prevents it from giving off enough UVB light to cover the enclosure.
It does not provide adequate UVB levels across the entire enclosure and results in large swaths of your vivarium with no detectable UVB rays at all. This is a huge problem.
UVB is critical to your bearded dragon’s health (source). Its primary function (among many) is to allow your bearded dragon’s body to synthesize vitamin D.
Without it, they will get very sick and eventually die.
So, as you can imagine, depriving your bearded dragon of UVB light in any area of its enclosure is a problem that should be avoided. An easy way to do this is to use lights that cover their entire home and not just one spot.
That means NOT using a CFL bulb!
MVB Bulbs
MVB (Mercury vapor bulbs) are “dual purpose” lights. They produce both heat and UVB and are often used as a single source for basking spot heat and UVB rays.
Proponents of MVB bulbs make an excellent case that these high-output bulbs are the best overall option for bearded dragons. On paper, they are right. In practice, many times, they are not.
Let’s get this out of the way… MVB bulbs can provide both the right amount of heat and an exceptionally healthy level of UVB all from one bulb. They are the best overall option if set up correctly and closely monitored.
That’s why you see them used in reptile houses and zoos. But unless you have both the dedicated time and budget of a zoo, we don’t recommend you use them.
In order for an MVB bulb to work correctly, it must be precisely positioned over your bearded dragon’s basking spot. This placement is often well above your enclosure and requires special hardware to locate it there.
It also requires a costly UVB meter and possibly a college class.
Why do I say that? Check out this guidance from Mega-Ray (the best manufacturer of MVB bulbs for reptiles):
100 Watt Bulb – MINIMUM distance setting of 12″ will produce approximately 150-200 microwatts per square centimeter(uW/cm2) of UVB and 900-1200uW/cm2 of UVA. MAXIMUM distance setting of 20″ will produce 50-70 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2) of UVB.
And that’s just the start of their guidance on how to install the bulb. I don’t know about you, but I just want a pet, not a college-level science project!
It’s sooooooooo much easier to use a traditional linear fluorescent tube and basking lamp separately!&nbs