Want to let your beardie roam free inside your home? It’s vital that you take measures to “bearded dragon proof” your room before letting them out of their enclosure.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Is it safe to let your bearded dragon explore your home?
- 6 tips for safe indoor exploration
- What about going outdoors?
If you have a bearded dragon you have probably wondered how to provide enough exercise and stimulation to keep him healthy and happy.
Letting your dragon outside of the tank is the best alternative to fight the monotony of their vivarium and can also become a healthy bonding routine for you and your lizard.
However, giving your pet the space to move around and explore a new habitat can present a few challenges. Here are a few facts and tricks that will help you provide a safe environment for your beardie outside of their cage.
What's In This Guide?
Is It Safe to Let a Bearded Dragon Run Around The House?
Yes, it can be safe to let your bearded dragon roam free in your home. Even though they are normally quite calm and quiet, bearded dragons are intrinsically curious and will benefit from spending time outside their tank.
However, to let them roam around, you should make sure there are no potential dangers in the room that could harm your beardie.
The best way to let your bearded dragon outside of its cage is by delimiting the space in which your beardie can move around freely. Instead of letting it explore the whole house, choose a room where you can control the surroundings more easily and avoid stressful situations for your pet. Never leave your bearded dragon unattended, as it could put him in danger.
6 Tips & Precautions For Letting Your Bearded Dragon Out Of Its Enclosure
In order to let your reptile roam free, you should beardie-proof your house. Here are a few tips on how to create a safe and friendly environment for your lizard.
- Keep Your Room Clean
If you are thinking of letting your lizard out for the first time, vacuuming first is a great start. Even if your house is clean, take into account that your reptile will consider swallowing things that are very different from food. The ingestion of objects as jewelry, coins, toy pieces, or a ball of hair could cause an impaction that could seriously threaten the health of your animal.
- Be Mindful Of Potentially Dangerous Furniture
When you take your bearded dragon outside of its tank, you should make sure that there are no hazardous objects in the room. Furniture with small removable pieces, wheels, or unstable could become a threat for your animal. Before letting your beardie out, remove objects such as rocking chairs, wheeled studio chairs they could harm themselves with.
Bearded dragons are semi-arboreal creatures, so they love climbing. Before letting your bearded dragon outside of its cage, make sure you have removed small decorations on shelves and tables. Although they might be difficult to foresee, there are a lot of small daily objects that could break or be knocked over by your beardie and threaten its health.
When you let them out, beardies will probably look for a place that they feel safe to study their new environment. Narrow spaces under or slits between furniture can provide an ideal hiding spot for your animal, but it might be difficult for you to get them back in their tank. Make sure your beardie is always within reach by making sure he can’t escape under furniture where you would have trouble removing him or cause an injury by removing him.
Placing a UVB lighting spot in the room is also a great way to keep your beardie within reach, as he will likely seek out an area to bask.
- Electrical Hazards
Electrical equipment presents one of the biggest hazards for your beardie. Everyday items, like lamps, chargers, and plugs can be dangerous for your pet. To avoid the risk of electrocution or the damaging of your electrical supplies, you can use plastic cord protectors which will prevent your lizard from chewing or scratching through insulated cables.
- Other Household Pets
Although bearded dragons are usually friendly and peaceful around other animals, you should not leave them alone unsupervised. When your beardie is out of its cage, it will be particularly wary of its environment and sensitive to stress. Cats and dogs don’t usually cause problems around bearded dragons but avoid having them around if it’s one of the first times your beardie is out from the vivarium.
If you have other lizards, avoid letting them roam around freely at the same time. Bearded dragons are solitary and very territorial creatures and they do not enjoy the company of other reptiles, especially if they are both males.
- Provide Places To Hide
When you give your dragon the chance to spend time outside the terrarium, the first thing your lizard will do is look for a spot to start exploring the new environment safely. It is important that your beardie has the chance to hide in a place from which he can observe the new surroundings while not feeling threatened by the new stimuli.
To reduce the initial stress of leaving the cage, you can remove your usual bearded dragon hiding spot e and place it outside the cage, to provide a known. However, your beardie will probably look for a new safe spot
- Block Access To Potentially Hazardous Spaces
Although you can never fully seal a room. Make sure that the access to the kitchen and bathroom are blocked. It is dangerous for your bearded dragon (many more accidents could happen in these rooms as there are potential dangers, but they could also be harmful to your health.
Different types of germs and bacteria that are more readily present in spaces like kitchens and bathrooms could make your beardie sick. Avoid letting your beardie roam free in spaces where you cook, drink and eat, as these illnesses are orally transmitted.
Kitchen and bathroom appliances, such as washing machines, driers, and heaters can also present a danger for your animal.
Can Bearded Dragons Go Outside?
Yes, some owners do venture outdoors with their beardie. In their natural habitat, bearded dragons are a lot more active and cover much wider areas than in captivity.
Going outside, not only of its tank but to the outdoors will be a very challenging and enriching experience for your beardie. Having a walk once or twice a week for a short period of time can also be a bonding experience for you and your bearded dragon.
Although going outside can bring many benefits for your pet, it’s important that you take some factors into account in order to have a successful and enriching outdoor experience.
Be Mindful Of These Outdoor Factors If You Decide To Take Your Bearded Dragon Outdoors
Temperature
The natural habitat of bearded dragons are semi-arid areas of Australia, so they are not used to the cold. Bearded dragons are exothermic, which means that they need external heat sources to regulate their body temperature.
When you take your beardie outside, it is crucial that they are not exposed to cold temperatures or higher humidity levels than they are used to, as they could provoke a lethargic state and other health issues on your lizard.
During the winter months, it is preferable that you do not take your reptile outside at all, as it’s probably too cold for him and you won’t have the option to take your heat lamp on your walk. Instead, you can replace the time outdoors with some fun activities indoors.
If you feel like your bearded dragon is bored or understimulated, you can use toys to make the experience more interactive and dynamic.
Never Let Your Bearded Dragon Out Of Sight
If it’s the first time you let your bearded dragon outside, consider getting a harness and a leash first. Harnesses are just a set of straps that you can attach to a leash that will help you handle your pet. Having a harness is a great way to prevent your bearded dragon from getting lost or trying to escape in a moment of stress.
Predators
Depending on where you live, the predators you and your beardie might encounter can be very different. Even in urban areas, bearded dragons are easy prey for birds, dogs, and cats.
Do not let your lizard alone at any time and keep a close watch on him to avoid accidents and attacks.
Keeping your bearded dragon away from pesticides and parasites. The diet of a bearded dragon is very varied. They eat many types of insects for protein – mainly cockroaches, crickets worms, and mealworms- and vegetables and fruits ( carrots, to ensure their vitamin and sugar intake.
The diversity of their diet could lead you to think that a walk outdoors could also be a perfect moment for your beardie to hunt and eat. Unfortunately, eating wild insects is not safe for your pet. Ideally, you should keep your beardie from eating bugs or plants from outside.
n practice, this is almost impossible, but you can make sure that the plants and bugs your bearded dragon might ingest won’t be hazardous for its health.
Avoid gardens where aggressive pesticides and insecticides are used and opt for more natural environments where your reptile can interact with the environment more safely.
Can you let a bearded dragon run around your house?
Yes. You can create a hazard-free environment for your reptile and let it explore your house, but you should never leave your beardie run around unsupervised. Letting your beardie out for a few minutes a day can be very beneficial for their health, but you should not let your lizard enter rooms such as the kitchen or the bathroom, as reptiles can carry bacteria that could cause illnesses such as salmonellosis.
