What if someone made their room a beardie's room aswell?

[MungoAster]

After I was dwelling on the fact that my beardies live in my room, and are almost always on my room floor and bed during the day, I was hit with the crazy idea: What if someone made their room a beardie's room aswell? I mean like, with no terrarium?

First thing that came to my mind was what are the issues, and how to fix them. How will you get the right UVB, since everyone on this website asks about UVB lighting it seems like a big issue you need to get right. Isn't it in sunlight? So what if the windows of the rooms are open?

Secondly is waste and feeding. I've cleaned up waste from both my beardies on my bed, carpet, chair and window, so I have "experience" . But what if they are only in their/your room in the afternoon and at night? When I don't have school, my beardie is always at my computer desk. She's right here as I write this! So it would make sense that you could clean up their waste in "better locations". Feeding is easy, you just get a tray or plate and put the meal worms or crickets in them, rather than on your floor. Or Hand feed them.

Third comes water. This is pretty straight forward, go outside or into another room to give them the water. Keep your room and the beardies clean, right?

Next is where will the beardie sleep? I always wanted, from the day I got them in April 2017, to sleep with my little girl (beardie). But my dad insists I'll crush her by accident. Maybe a little shrine or a pillow with a blanket by the window will do.

Finally comes the home alone part. We all leave the house eventually, but our Bearides cant come with us (for some of us like students at a school), how do we stop them from pooping while we're gone? how do we know they aren't going to eat a piece of LEGO or something?

I'll let you give your thoughts on how to solve that last one, any that I missed or anything I've previously mentioned.

 

[CaramelBeet]

Sunlight does have UV in it, but there are a couple of issues:
UVB (for D3 production, which is necessary for calcium absorption, this is the important UV) doesn't pass through glass (or plastic), so you'd literally need a hole in your wall with nothing between your beardie and the outside. Aside some obvious issues with a hole in your wall (bugs, temperature regulation, birds and other predators etc), you'd need the sun to be out all day.
I suppose, if you wanted, you could get a large 4 foot arcadia or reptisun and mount it on one side of the room just above beardie height (along with several beardie attractions), and then dot MVBs on any favorite basking spots (on your desk). If you could get some basking spots up to 40, that could work. Any humans in the room are going to be exposed to UV radiation though (sunscreen, anyone?)

Another issue is temperature, especially at night. If you could keep your room above 18, that'd be fine (may be easy or hard depending on where you live).

I'd be worried about the beardie moving around while you sleep and getting crushed (even if he didn't fall alseep in the bed, he might move there). Perhaps a "beardie pen" for sleeping in?

I'd also be worried just about him getting underfoot and getting trampled, getting out when the door opens, eating thigns off the floor etc. Could be avoided by being careful and constant vacuuming, I s'pose.

The room would have to be beardie proof, with basically no loose items.

I think a better bet would be having a terrarium, and just taking him out whenever you're in the room (maybe with an MVB on the desk or something).

I'm curious to hear others' thoughts on this though! :lol:

 

[MungoAster]

Sunlight does have UV in it, but there are a couple of issues:
UVB (for D3 production, which is necessary for calcium absorption, this is the important UV) doesn't pass through glass (or plastic), so you'd literally need a hole in your wall with nothing between your beardie and the outside. Aside some obvious issues with a hole in your wall (bugs, temperature regulation, birds and other predators etc), you'd need the sun to be out all day.
I suppose, if you wanted, you could get a large 4 foot arcadia or reptisun and mount it on one side of the room just above beardie height (along with several beardie attractions), and then dot MVBs on any favorite basking spots (on your desk). If you could get some basking spots up to 40, that could work. Any humans in the room are going to be exposed to UV radiation though (sunscreen, anyone?)

Another issue is temperature, especially at night. If you could keep your room above 18, that'd be fine (may be easy or hard depending on where you live).

I'd be worried about the beardie moving around while you sleep and getting crushed (even if he didn't fall alseep in the bed, he might move there). Perhaps a "beardie pen" for sleeping in?

I'd also be worried just about him getting underfoot and getting trampled, getting out when the door opens, eating thigns off the floor etc. Could be avoided by being careful and constant vacuuming, I s'pose.

The room would have to be beardie proof, with basically no loose items.

I think a better bet would be having a terrarium, and just taking him out whenever you're in the room (maybe with an MVB on the desk or something).

I'm curious to hear others' thoughts on this though! :lol:

Now that you mention those, you raised so many more ideas and issues.

Maybe a low temp heating mat or a self-heating pillow for them to sleep in? XD

Does Calcium powder cover for the lack of UVB? I hear that UVB and calcium powder are used for bone growth.

You'd definitely need to have some rodent-protection in case rats or mice sneak in. I'm the only one I'm my family who's had a wild mouse run into my room before (this was years before owning a beardie)

I always leave a sign indicating a beardie is on the floor, outside my room so no one enters and finds pile of goo, blood and organs on their heels. So I open the door slowly in case they're kissing the door like a stunned mullet.

I also came across another Idea, why not turn it into a playground for them? Just add a few sticks and climbing equipment for them to get from high to low and vice versa? I wouldn't know about toys since no beardies that I've heard of would play with a massive beach ball.

Finally I will mention that I will not be doing this. It was just an idea that popped into my head. "Could someone own a bearded dragon and raise it without a terrarium?"

 

[CaramelBeet]

They need UVB to absorb the calcium, otherwise it just passes straight through and they don't get any (fast way to get metabolic bone disease).

Aww, imagine a lil beardie in his own bed, with his electric blanket... Imagine trying to explain it to visitors! :lol: :lol:

I love the idea of a sign on the door! I always see "Caution, Horses" signs in stables... I'd love a similar one with "Caution, Beardie"!

 

[MungoAster]

They need UVB to absorb the calcium, otherwise it just passes straight through and they don't get any (fast way to get metabolic bone disease).

Aww, imagine a lil beardie in his own bed, with his electric blanket... Imagine trying to explain it to visitors! :lol: :lol:

I love the idea of a sign on the door! I always see "Caution, Horses" signs in stables... I'd love a similar one with "Caution, Beardie"!

So with the UVB, maybe they can have a UVB bulb at their resting area or their favourite basking area? Where ever they are the most would be good, but not anywhere were it might cause an Issue for the person in the room.

 

[CaramelBeet]

Yes, I think the best bet would be setting up a few Mercury Vapour Bulbs (UVA, UVB, visible light and heat) at the favourite basking spots. Might still affect the person (especially if they love basking somewhere like a desk or a chair), but certainly beats covering the whole room in some insane multi-tube UV setup :lol: