Is Air dry clay okay for beardies?

[xMaxthekidd]

my bearded dragon keeps hanging out on the opposite end of my tank from the bulb and I think he needs a hideout. (The beardie in question is actually my brother’s and we don’t have a hide yet.) I was wondering if air dry clay would be an effective medium to sculpt one from? I would seal it of course but would that stop it from crumbling if he scratches it?

 

[KarrieRee]

my bearded dragon keeps hanging out on the opposite end of my tank from the bulb and I think he needs a hideout. (The beardie in question is actually my brother’s and we don’t have a hide yet.) I was wondering if air dry clay would be an effective medium to sculpt one from? I would seal it of course but would that stop it from crumbling if he scratches it?

Is he basking? We need CooperDragon to help on the hide thing
@CooperDragon

 

[xMaxthekidd]

Is he basking? We need CooperDragon to help on the hide thing
@CooperDragon

Not much, I’ll find him on the other side of the cage near the bulb on one of his sticks sometimes though. It might be a temparature issue.

 

[KarrieRee]

Not much, I’ll find him on the other side of the cage near the bulb on one of his sticks sometimes though. It might be a temparature issue.

Could be temp issue bulb issue or UVB issue-- please go over how your taking those surface basking temps No stick ons they are inaccurate you want 2 digital probe thermometers --- IR guns are good but certain materials will throw them off --- colored off white or yellowish bulb or daytime bulbs are not good for basking - you want a clear solid bright white bulb -- NO coils for UVB

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm not sure if the clay would be too brittle, but I doubt it would be harmful and might be worth a try if that's what you have on hand. You don't necessarily need to have a hide made out of clay. Any kind of cozy shady spot can work. I often find my dragon sleeping curled up under a cross of two driftwood pieces that creates a shady area he can squeeze into. I think it's more about security and (less than basking) temperature that are the keys rather than a specific material - so there's lots of good options.

 

[xMaxthekidd]

Could be temp issue bulb issue or UVB issue-- please go over how your taking those surface basking temps No stick ons they are inaccurate you want 2 digital probe thermometers --- IR guns are good but certain materials will throw them off --- colored off white or yellowish bulb or daytime bulbs are not good for basking - you want a clear solid bright white bulb -- NO coils for UVB

Do you have any reccomendations for thermometers? i think the ones my brother has are stick on

 

[J4ckdaw-]

Do you have any reccomendations for thermometers? i think the ones my brother has are stick on

Replacing your brother’s thermometers should be done asap, get two digital probe thermometers and place one on either side of the tank. You can move the probe to measure the most accurate temps.