Baby Beardie, strange behavior

Question
hello Diane,
ive recently gotten a baby bearded dragon from a friend and ive been taking care of her ever since. she seems quite healthy, although now im abit worried for her strange behavior. she didnt do it before until now, i noticed that shes closing her eyes very frequently. it looks as if shes sleepy but im not sure.. could this be a lighting or heating issue? her basking spot has an exo-terra 75w sun glo tight beam, im aware that BDs need a 10.0 uvb fluorescent lighting but at the moment i have her under a 5.0 compact repti glo uvb light 26w. im buying the 10.0 uvb light this week. the basking light and uvb light are about 6-7 inches away from where she sits to absorb the heat. when she sits under her basking spot she closes her eyes, i sometimes tap the glass to get her attention she opens them, looks at me and her surroundings but closes them again. she does open them when she feels something is approaching her tank. should i be worried for her behavior? please help, thank you in advance!

Answer
Hi Pam,
I'm pretty sure that I know the problem and since you picked up on a behavior change very quickly..it is a very simple fix.
For now, I would turn off the uvb compact and see if that helps...the info below will understand why I recommend turning it off.
I am going to send along a few paragraphs I wrote up on uvb lighting and heat..  some of course won't pertain to you and the beardie..but the section on some lights that were causing problems is very much pertaining to you and the beardie.
The important part for you is the first paragraph...
There has been new studies that have proven that compact uvb lights, both the spiral/coil type and the ones that look like long "U's" laying on their side and a few other brands are causing what basically amounts to snow blindness in reptiles. The companies have corrected the problem but, there may still be some of the earlier manufactured bulbs out there so be sure to double check what you are using.   To read more on this, you can go to
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm  
The companies have been working to correct the problem with the lighting so its important to know if the light you have MAY be the old version.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/message/7086  offers info on what the new box that has the compact uvb tube.   The good news is that once the offending light source is removed and replaced with either the new, safe one, the problem will correct.

If you would like to read more posts on lighting, that link above is to a group I started years ago to discuss lighting.  You don't have to be a member to read posts.

Lighting ...diurnal(active during the day)lizards need uvb which are the special lights that come in fluorescent tubes or special screw in bulbs(mercury vapor)that are designed to produce uvb and heat. The tubes do not produce heat. UVB is needed by the lizard to be able to absorb the calcium in the foods they eat. Without the uvb, they will develop metabolic bone disease. With the tubes, they must say that they produce BOTH uvb and uva. The uvb needs to be 5% or higher. Repti Sun 5.0 and 10.0(not compact) are TWO of the best uvb tubes on the market. The repti glo 8.0's are a great uvb source also. Arcadia 5.0 (UK), which is the uvb tube available in the UK is a good uvb tube. These need to be positioned 6-8 inches(for the 5.0 and 8.0 and 8-10 inches for the 10.0) over the BD so that they get the uvb that is needed. Recommended length of the tube is a length that allows all or most of the lizard to get under it completly. They need to be replaced every 6-9 months as that they stop producing uvb long before they stop producing light.  They need to have access to uvb and basking temperatures for 10-12 hours daily.  At night, no white lights!!!

There are tubes and bulbs that say ''full spectrum'' but they do not produce any uvb.On the mercury vapor , they also produce heat. They also produce the uvb and uva. The best on the market now are the MEGA RAY www.reptileuv.com has more information on the Mega Ray lights. When using these, the distance is much greater than the uvb tubes and the directions must be followed that are listed for the light. When using the mercury vapor lights, you don't need to have one light for uvb and one for heat although for more lighting in many habitats, adding additional tube lights is recommended. Many species will also require anotehr basking area that does not provide uvb as that with a Mega Ray MV bulb, the reptile reaches its needed level of uvb much faster than with other uvb producing lighting. The Mercury vapor lights provide both. For small tanks/enclosures, the mercury vapor lights are generally too much.  The proper distance can't be gotten to maintain a safe temperature and uvb.