I am considering taking on a Bearded Dragon as a new member of the family, and I have been researching for the past couple months on what they need and want.
I do have a question about one thing though. We live in NC, and although we do not get very much snow, it does happen. And when it does, (as it did today), we sometimes get power outages. They do not last long, a couple of hours mostly.
Would a Beardie be okay? What would I need to do in case of this? Also, is there anything I would be able to do in prevention of it getting sick.
We're in rural WA, so when the power goes out, it can be out for quite a while (over a week last year, very glad that didn't happen this year!) When our power goes out, depending on how long it will be out, one of 2 things happens-
Short power outages, they come out and get worn so our body heat can keep their temps up. Hand warmers that you can get at Walmart/hardware stores are a godsend if you need to be doing something else and this isn't possible. However, if the temps inside the viv never drop below 60*, it's safe to leave them be and let them sleep until the power's back up and running.
Power outages lasting longer than a few hours, I have arrangements with friends who live outside of our immediate area and they all get to go on a little trip until our power comes back.
i lost power for 3 weeks last month due to ice strom and i used hand warmers that you can get at walmart and (i got a little guy 8 inches) and put him on the warmer until he act like he was ready to eat and this was the way until i got a generator and then he had power for a while . but with out the lights he change eating and the whole day plan change and i had to work with him to get food down i also noticed that he would eat the phoneix worms good with no power but not crickets until he got lights or hand warmer .
The house I live in gets frequent power outage during wind storms. My dragons are all A-Ok with them, but if it gets too cold (70 or below) I always (and suggest) taking your dragon out and holding them between you and a blanket until the lights come back on. I've even slept with my dragons this way to keep them warm. I didn't move at all that night, but at least they were okay. And they slept like rocks.
Though I live in Savannah, ga, if the wind blows, the power is out for hours and hours ! I invested in two things, a propane gas heater, and a Carbon Monoxide Alarm. This way I can maintain the minimum of 60* and keep safe !
Batteries in the CMA changed every 6 months. Tanks are kept in the outside shed.
Janie.