Do Bearded Dragons Have Night Vision? {How Their Third Eye Helps At Night}

I can feel my bearded dragon tracking me with his eyes when I creep into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Do bearded dragons have night vision?

Do you also wish to know about their field of vision, depth perception and the colors that bearded dragons can see?

This article is mostly about bearded dragons seeing at night, but everything to do with their vision.

Do Bearded Dragons Have Night Vision?

No, but bearded dragons are not blind in the dark. They can see very well with a 360 degree field of vision day or night.

• These are diurnal reptiles who need to rest at night like us.
• They can still use their vision to sense movements in the dark and objects from great distances.
• You can safely say that bearded dragons see better than we do.

The details to their vision and especially how well they see at night is discussed much further in this article. I hope you stick around to find out more.

How Well Do Bearded Dragons See At Night?

Did you know that bearded dragons have a third eye? Is this a joke? A bearded dragon third eye is called the parietal eye. This helps them:

• Detect changes in the light above them
• Determine shadows and movement
• Detect changes in brightness
• Sense predators like birds of prey
• Tell time

Bearded dragons are not using this third eye for seeing the way their actual eyes do, but this feature is helpful in the dark to remain protected and safe.

Do Bearded Dragons Need the Light off at Night?

Yes. Bearded dragons love basking in the light during the day. The best light for them is UVB light which promotes the development of calcium and healthy bones.

• Without light during the day, they could end up ill with ailments such as metabolic bone disease.
• The lights must be turned off at night.
• This burrowing animal or arboreal creature can benefit from avoiding predators and escaping light sources in the dark to rest and stay hidden.

Bearded dragons are diurnal and need to rest at night unlike some nocturnal geckos.

Can Bearded Dragons Be in the Dark at Night?

My bearded dragon has his favorite spot in his enclosure to rest for the night. These territorial creatures are reptiles of habit and solitary tranquility.

They wish to be left alone at night while they rest with eyes closed or open in darkness without being disturbed.

Keep the lights off, volumes low and hopefully, your bearded dragon will appreciate it with a full night’s rest.

When To Turn Off The Lights

Allow for:

• 12-14 hours of UVB light during the day
• 10-12 hours of darkness at night.

Use an automatic timer to develop a consistent light on and off routine for your bearded dragon to get used to.

He or she will greet you tomorrow morning with excitement as they run up to the front of the glass to gesture good morning to you.

Should I Cover My Bearded Dragons Cage at Night?

You can. I don’t cover my bearded dragon’s enclosure at night because I turn off all the lights. If you feel that the room where they sleep is still too bright or you are up late, you can cover the cage with a blanket.

This also helps on cold nights for ectothermic reptiles like bearded dragons stay warm. The sun will heat them and up and wake them up tomorrow morning.

If you want them to wake up wit you and not too early at dawn, you can:

• dim the lights
• cover the cage
• shut the blinds

Allow them a restful 10-12 hours of dark induced rest for bearded dragons to rejuvenate and refresh themselves for another day of foraging, munching and chasing live critters.

Bearded Dragon Field of Vision

The field of view for bearded dragons expands 360 degrees around them. Can bearded dragons see in front of them when their eyes are placed on their sides?

Sure they can. These eyes are placed wide enough to allow them to swivel back and forth to see all around their surroundings. Their eyes scan for threats or to make out details from near and far.

How Do Bearded Dragons See Colors

The thirds eyelid or parietal eye helps bearded dragons detect shadows or changes of light from above. Their vision is rated excellent and they are able to filter out glare and excess light.

What colors bearded dragons see:

• Blue
• Green
• Yellow

Reds are not a strong color for bearded dragons to distinguish. However bearded dragons have better vision at night and they have 4 color receptors compared to us who have only three.

Bearded dragons see so well that they can even detect UV waves with their eyes. These tetrachromatic beardies are talented when it comes to exceptional vision.

Bearded Dragon Depth Perception

Bearded dragons have excellent vision. They have the ability to see in the dark and at a distance. They can detect movement because their eyesight is far superior than ours.

Bearded dragon depth perception is still not up to par with their field of vision or night vision. Because their eyes are on different sides of their heads, their depth perception is poor.

This is why you can occasionally see them bump into objects or jump from heights they shouldn’t be jumping from.

Conclusion

Bearded dragons do not need to rely on seeing perfectly in the dark. They do not possess a specific ability for night vision.

However, they can detect shapes and make out detail in the dark better than many animals and humans. Keep the lights off at night and allow your bearded dragon to rest.

This reptile is not an active hunter at night and will use the darkness to trigger the response to relax and enter a state of relaxation with or without their eyes closed.

They are still alert and can detect chances in light around and from above. Their parietal eye or third eyelid on top of their head helps with this ability.

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