Taking your Beardie outside: a how-to guide

[bunnyrut]

Summer is here.
And many Beardie Slaves want to bring their little masters outside to enjoy the sun.
If you have never taken you bearded dragon outside before, here is a guide on how to get them used to going outside into the new big and scary world.

• 1. Have a harness. any kind. buy one, make one. do not attempt to take you beardie outside without one. (search topics for lost beardies).
  you may have the most calm and docile beardie inside, but once they get outside that changes. they move fast and frighten easily. If your beardie is too small to fit in a harness they are too small to go outside.
  
  2. Hold your beardie. never put them on the ground and stand over them. you will look like a predator and they will puff at you or try to run away. i suggest having them on your chest the first couple of times, they can see your face and run up to your neck if they get scared.
  
  3. Cover them. if at any point they tense up or look overwhelmed cover them with your hands or a blanket. i used my hands. it shows them that you are protecting them, and it greatly helps with bonding.
  
  4. Talk to them. There are a lot of new noises that they have never heard before. They know your voice. talking to them gives them something familiar and can keep them a bit calmer.
  
  5. Allow them to move around when they are ready. you can sit on the ground, once they start to get used to what is new around them they may try to climb down to do some exploring. if you are sitting on the ground they can climb down to your lap and look around. they may run under your legs to hide at one point.
  
  6. If at any point your beardie looks too overwhelmed bring them back inside. give them a treat and let them calm down a bit before attempting to go back out. you may find that you can only be outside for 5-10 minutes.

After a while of them getting used to going outside they may "demand" to go out more. They will get more comfortable and want to explore. they may also try to act tough and charge at you. I laughed at Mr Dargon and poked his beard for doing this, but I also know he would never bite me. I would never attempt that with Tasty Treat, she will bite. you know your beardie best.

Mr Dargon had his harness and a 'leash' (a shoelace) and was able to run around the yard freely while i was outside. if he saw something that frightened him he would run underneath me.

your beardie will get really dark when they first go outside. they are absorbing the UV rays, aka charging. once they are fully charged they will get really bright and really hyper. you will see them move faster than you ever thought they could. watch out for their claws.

TIPS:
check the humidity index for the day. do not take them outside if the humidity is above 65%. they can get sick.

be mindful of birds. they are a bearded dragon's natural enemy, and even though your beardie has never seen one they know enough to be afraid of them.

have a shaded area for them to run to. it could be a tree, a bush, or you can put out a small umbrella. they still need a hide outside.

never EVER walk away and leave your beardie outside alone. so many things can happen in a few minutes with you not around. they can escape or something can grab them (hawks, coyotes, stray cats). predators are fast, and you literally can not hear them coming.

do not use a glass tank to keep them outside. like the inside of your car, the temperatures rise rapidly because of the glass (greenhouse effect).

 

[Firebonbon]

This is very helpful! I just took mine out on his first time yesterday, since my boyfriend was there to hold him and make sure he behaved. We wrapped him up in a towel and let him look out the window. When my boyfriend started to lower him back in to his lap, he would raise his head up as high as it would go so he could still see! We didn't take him out and set him down because I don't have a harness yet. We couldn't go long in my car with the windows rolled up because my AC is broken, but Paco seemed to love it. Haha.

He did great! He didn't seem scared or overwhelmed and he didn't have and stress marks.

 

[Brandonforty2]

My aunt ordered me a custom harness for Dave and Buster. I finally get to take them outside without worrying. I just have to wait 2 to 3 weeks.

 

[ColorMeAbby]

I take roshi outside alllll the time she likes to eat dead leaves -.- and gets upset when i take them away from her, i don't use a harness, im constantly watching her, if she goes to far for comfort i bring her back to where i am. but she likes to attack me and other people -.- she is the queen of everyone large or small. she's a goon

 

[jerichosmom]

Jericho loves being outside! When he can't be outside he sits in the window like a cat, and watches the world go by.
We warmed him up to the outdoors just like you said. We would hold him and sit on the porch for ten minutes or so, just let him get used to it. After a few times of that we took him out onto grass. Eventually he got so comfortable we actually took him camping with us for a weekend! He has his own cat carrier for trips. He was so good at that point that we didn't even need the harness and leash. He swam in the lake, ran around the camp site, he loved basking in the sun on top of the picnic table. by the end of the night he was so pooped I would hold him on my chest with his blankie over him and he fell asleep. SO cute! Now we have to do the same with our baby Tyrion, he hasn't seen oustide yet.

 

[JellOh]

In place ofa harness could I use an ex-pen? They are little portable fences made for dogs; you'd typically see them at dog shows in place of a crate. I don't think they could climb it of fit between the bars. Obviously I'd be out there in the pen with him. Here's a link of what I mean http://www.petco.com/product/13904/Midwest-Black-E-Coat-Exercise-Pens.aspx

 

[Sauzo]

I take Harley outside in a paper towel lined clear sterilite tub with her hidey log in there for security. She's only been outside 3 times but she seems to be enjoying it more every time. Today she sat on my hand in the tub all sprawled out and looking around. She's still pretty small(9 inches) so I don't try and lift her out of the tub and especially since I don't have a leash for her yet. And yeah she starts out dark, then she get neon orange/red. It's like someone plugged her into a wall outlet :lol:

 

[jerichosmom]

We joke that they charge up like Wall-E! LOL

 

[bunnyrut]

@jerichosmom - that's amazing that your beardie can run around like that. Mr Dargon is determined to go as far as he can away from where i am. once in a while he will follow me around.

@JellOh - just make sure your beardie isn't a climber. they may be content just sitting in the middle and basking on a rock, or they may yell "this cage cannot hold me!!!" and try to get out. it all depends on them.
some people have mentioned about using these http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/flexarium.php

but i am sure they block out a good amount of UVB.

@Sauzo - Lots of people use the tub. i think it is a great way to get the little ones used to outside without being overwhelmed by everything around them.

 

[JenFid]

LOL bunny I love what you said about the "charging up". My girls so do that and then they reach what I like to call "critical mass" and they both start going bonkers. I usually start them off on my lawn chair then when one decides to jump off and run around, so does the other.

My girls love being outside, I bring them out every day I can in the summer. Scully likes to graze on the clover and dandelion, Daeds tends to run the edge of the fence and climb the little mini pine tree thing we have. I always keep a close eye on them and the sky as I have seen hawks in the surrounding trees a time or 2. Never seen them when I've had them out luckily.

Like bunny said, you hopefully know your beardie and the signs to watch for. I don't put harnesses on mine anymore, but they all started with them until I felt they were comfortable enough to be without them. If we go out of the house I keep one in my car just in case.

 

[Hannahkate]

My friend brought his 4 month old beardie outside, it ate something and died a couple of days later. I live in Louisiana, big trucks pass through the neighborhoods spraying poison to kill the rampant mosquito population. I want my baby to run through the grass and have fun, but now I'm SUPER paranoid.

What should I do?

 

[Brandonforty2]

It seems like the poison only gets in the front yard. Maybe the backyard while closely monitoring him? That may work and try to avoid coming out the day after they spray.

 

[bunnyrut]

My friend brought his 4 month old beardie outside, it ate something and died a couple of days later. I live in Louisiana, big trucks pass through the neighborhoods spraying poison to kill the rampant mosquito population. I want my baby to run through the grass and have fun, but now I'm SUPER paranoid.

What should I do?

if you know that there is poison sprayed constantly, it would be safer to stay indoors.
if the humidity index is above 70% it is not safe to bring them outside.

you can always take them on outings to the pet stores, library, post office. or you can go to a public park and sit out in the sun.

 

[Spoony]

I swear I'll get to making Zero's harness sometime within the next few days. I sooo wanna take him outside!