How long can I keep my beardie out

Hi, I’m new to owning a beardie but I always see people having their beardie out of their tanks for hours and taking them to pet stores and out side and was just wondering how long I can keep my beardie out of his tank and where I can take him/if I need to use something like a blanket when keeping them out for kind periods of time.
Thanks!

Hi,

It depends on the beardie how comfortable they will be going places. I wouldn't take little ones outside of the home because they are very fast and can easily escape. Bringing them into public places is probably stressful for some of them, but some beardies appear to be chill enough to handle it. I guess it would be trial & error. Definitely do not bring them anywhere where there's food or food preparation because of the salmonella risk.

As for duration, again, it varies. They should get a minimum of 12 hrs of quality light & UV, but natural sunlight is great for them, so it doesn't mean they need to be trapped in their vivs to get it. I usually have my two out for around an hour near bedtime to run around, or more usually, snuggle up & watch tv with me. Others have set up a basking spot in the house & let theirs run around. Some people take them for car rides, too. My opinion (and that's all it is), is that as long as you don't make it a habit having them out from under their lights for long periods of time, doing it once in a while is just fine. I always take a hand towel with me when I take mine outside the house so I can cover them if they get scared and in case they decide to 'let loose' unexpectedly :lol: .

Thank you so much! Also, I was wondering how sensitive to the cold they are, I heard that you should put them away when they are cold to the tuch, is this true? Is being colder than usual for a bit while they are out bad for them? I’m just concerned he will get to cold.

I let Hiccup out when he starts getting antsy-- he has been real lazy as of late fall and this winter- I let him run the LR floor for like 1/2 hr or so or when he starts looking for his favorite place to sleep- I then put him on the couch and he will go take a nap there for like an hour or so - then he goes back to his tank- w/ winter months I dont let him out as long --- my house is kept at 70 so its no wonder hes wanting to take a nap- summer I take him out every day as its not as cold and warmer in my LR- he was only outside once last summer and it terrified him - that will haft to be a gradual thing this summer so he gets used to it - also I have a wimp for a dragon - he is terrified of the lawn mowers and snow mobiles - his beard turns black when he hears them even when hes in his tank --
Karrie

Finleythebeardie":3vxclnm6 said:

I was wondering how sensitive to the cold they are

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They're obviously cold-blooded and will get more lethargic the colder they get. I never subject mine to temps below 65*F, though it's good to let their temps drop off at night vs providing a heater (as long as they don't go into the low 60s or colder). I'd say if you need a long sleeve shirt or jacket in an environment, it's too cold for your beardie, and if mine get really dark, I'll put them back on their basking log.

Thank you all for replaying so quickly!

My dragon gets to roam freely whenever I'm home. I have portable basking lights set up around the house and he just returns to them to warm up. If you have a safe area for your dragon to roam with no other animals around and no small bits on the floor they can ingest, areas they can get stuck in are blocked off etc, then they usually handle it pretty well. They do OK at room temperature for a while but as mentioned before, they will find a cozy spot and sleep when they start to get cold unless they have a basking spot to go to.

So my house is set at about 68 degrees, it’s cold here where I live right now, about 30-40 degrees outside in average. But my room where he’s being kept is about at 75 degrees most of the time. He is 4 months old. I’m just curious about how long he should stay out because I have anxiety and I keep stressing that maybe he’s getting too cold. Is there any sign that I should look for to tell if he’s to cold? I just need like a detailed answer depicting most of the details straight forward so I can be sure I’m not doing anything wrong that would be bad for him. I know it’s stupid and stuff because I already got some answers but my anxiety keeps making it hard to not stress out about it. Thank you!

I keep my house in the low 60s during the winter. Outside temps are single digits in the day and subzero overnight. My guy will spend 10-20 min or so at a time running around the house and then return to one of his basking lights to warm up. He was in his window seat this morning looking outside and was content for a good 45 minutes before I put him back under one of his lights.

CooperDragon":1jf7atx4 said:

I keep my house in the low 60s during the winter. Outside temps are single digits in the day and subzero overnight. My guy will spend 10-20 min or so at a time running around the house and then return to one of his basking lights to warm up. He was in his window seat this morning looking outside and was content for a good 45 minutes before I put him back under one of his lights.

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Hi CooperDragon,

Are your dragon "rest stops" just heat or heat & UV? If not UV, about how long do you let them roam per day vs UV time? Just curious because I see this question a bit.

It's a combination. One of the basking spots is just a halogen bulb in a dome fixture. The other two are 100w MegaRay MVBs sitting about 12'' above the floor. He spends early morning under one of the MVBs then sits to the side of it. He'll often use the plain halogen bulb during the day to warm up. In the evening he tends to go between the halogen and the other MVB. If I'm working from home he'll have free range all day. He usually gets at least the mornings and evenings to roam freely though.