If you are wondering can bearded dragons see red light? Here is the detailed answer in this article. Like any other pet, bearded dragons, rely on their sense of sight to keep them aware of their environment. They have sharp vision, the ability to see in color, and a broader field of vision than humans due to the position of their eyes on the sides of their heads. Depending upon their natural surroundings as well as biological, social, and hormonal influences, they respond differently to various colors. Personal experiences and interactions with other objects, meals, or creatures might influence one’s preference for a certain color.
What Colors Are Visible to a Bearded Dragon?
Bearded dragons are capable of seeing a wide range of colors. Because they have a third eyelid that aids in filtering glare and light and enables them to see effectively. They have excellent vision for lighter colors e.g., blues, greens, and yellows but might not have as good vision for reds. This is because reds might not be as brilliant as bearded dragons. After all, they are on the opposite end of the light spectrum from greens and yellows. Reds are still visible to them, just not as vividly as other colors; this doesn’t indicate that they can’t see reds at all.
Can Bearded Dragons See Red Light?
Bearded dragons are believed to be color-blind, which is one of the most widespread myths about them. With this in mind, the concept was to leave the red light on all night to keep them warm while not disturbing their sleep. Bearded dragons have good vision and aren’t colorblind. Even while bearded dragons can’t see red in particular, they can most definitely see the ultraviolet light red lights. In contrast to humans, who only have three color receptors, bearded dragons have four, and their fourth one enables them to see ultraviolet light, that the human eye is unable to see.
Why is The Color Red Bad For Bearded Dragons?
Red lights are one of the items they frequently recommend as a way to keep your bearded dragon warm at night. Red lights should generally be avoided for bearded dragons. Red color harms bearded dragons in three ways:
- Damage to eyes
- Potential to cause stress
- Interruption to the sleep cycle
They might harm their eyes and disrupt their nighttime sleep pattern. Particularly in terms of their eyes, they are highly vulnerable to UV radiation. They require high light to make their pupils contract so they can protect their eyes from these damaging rays. Red lights do not provide a bright enough light to constrict the pupils. Because of this, red bulbs’ UV rays have the potential to harm the eyes permanently.
Many owners argue that the red light is essential for keeping your beardie warm without waking them up. They claim that reptiles are unable to see the red color on the color spectrum. Experts believe that reptiles have color and light vision. This indicates that their red light is likely going to interfere with their regular sleep-wake patterns. To keep its body temperature stable, your beardie also needs a lot of warmth. These red lights don’t assist them to regulate their body temperature, in contrast to the white lights, which generate a large amount of heat.
In addition to having their eyes affected, bearded dragons that are exposed to red lights over an extended period also suffer from loss of appetite, stress, and even compromised immune systems.
What is The Association of Colors with Bearded Dragons?
Bearded dragons relate various experiences and feelings to various colors. If they saw color in a dangerous situation, they would be disturbed the next time they saw it. If your bearded dragon, for example, had a negative experience with the color orange in the past, it can get anxious or agitated when it sees the color. There are several methods to find out which color your bearded dragon prefers. One is by carefully observing them. You can wear several colored t-shirts while observing their reactions. You might also try feeding them to see what color plate they like. Understanding your bearded dragon’s preferred colors will assist you in calming them when they are anxious.
How Do Bearded Dragons See?
Obviously, with their eyes. Surprisingly, bearded dragons have an extra eye, located at the very top of their scaly heads, compared to humans. Unlike the other two eyes, this one cannot see objects, but it can sense light and even the slightest variations in brightness. As with any creature that has two eyes that are relatively close to one another, we are familiar with having our vision focused on what is immediately in front of us. Because of this, we have a narrow field of vision and must move our bodies to view what is alongside and behind us.
There are no such restrictions on bearded dragons. Bearded dragons can see above, behind, and in front of them by simply rotating their eyes, which are situated with a broader distance between them.
Bearded dragons will bend their heads to properly gaze at items that are closer to them, situating their eye to gain clearer vision because their frontal focus is somewhat limited.
When comfortable, bearded dragons like to focus on distant objects. Their eyes should adjust to view something closer to them, which causes their pupils to widen. Bearded dragons might widen their pupils to better see the thing, and then bend their heads to acquire the greatest possible view.
Notorious For Miscalculated Depth and Perception:
If your small bearded dragon is fortunate enough to have a window view, it will take pleasure in watching the activity outside, right down to the planes passing overhead. In other words, your dragon can see whatever you can. The best course of action is to stay away from perches that are very high off the ground because bearded dragons are notorious for having trouble judging depth and perception, which leads to poorly calculated leaps and hops.
They also have trouble estimating the distances between level objects, such as a tiny break in the ground, and will thus have trouble navigating terrain that hasn’t been designed with this essential aspect in mind. Bearded dragons are capable of seeing multiple wavelengths of light, passing birds outside, and even themselves in mirrors.
Conclusion:
If the question “can bearded dragons see red light” worries you, It is evident from the facts above that bearded dragons are capable of seeing the red light. Bearded dragons have three eyes on each side of their heads and a wider range of vision than humans. They are a very tough animal to surprise since they have an exceptionally broad range of vision and can perceive millions more colors than our limited eyes. They can see red lights, but these are dangerous to them because they aren’t bright enough. Bearded dragons are more likely to experience immune system weakening and long-term eye damage if they’re exposed to red lights for an extended length of time.
FAQs:
Despite the biological instincts of bearded dragons, most of their keepers claim to have different experiences with their pets’ preferences for colors. While some beardies love certain vibrant colors, like red, others find yellow or orange to be quite stressful.
Because bearded dragons often have exceptional eyesight and are excellent at recognizing objects in the distance, if you accidentally drop a feeder for them across the room, they could rush over to eat it.
Red or other types of nighttime lighting are just unnecessary for bearded dragons. This red light will ultimately keep them from sleeping like any other light. Bearded dragons can detect extraneous lights, therefore you should try to completely turn them off.
Yes, there is proof that reptiles are capable of seeing red or blue light. It is recommended to utilize blue and red lights instead of bright white ones at night because they are “less disturbing” to reptiles.
