Allowing your bearded dragon to explore outside of its enclosure can seem like a great way to provide enrichment. Who wouldn’t want to give their scaly friend a taste of freedom? However, free roaming comes with serious risks that every owner must consider. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll look at the pros and cons of bearded dragon free roaming and provide tips to create a safe environment if you decide to give it a try.
The Allure and Benefits of Free Roaming
Many owners are drawn to free roaming as a way to stimulate their bearded dragon both physically and mentally. Life inside an enclosure can get mundane even if it’s large and decorated. Roaming allows a beardie to stretch its legs satisfy its curiosity, and display more natural behaviors.
Potential benefits include
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Exercise and enrichment: Roaming encourages more movement and exploration than they’d get in their habitat. This can help burn excess energy and prevent obesity.
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Mental stimulation: New sights, smells, and textures provide mental enrichment to break up the tedium.
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Bonding opportunities: Supervised roaming lets you interact more with your beardie. This can strengthen your bond.
Major Risks to Consider
However, the potential dangers cannot be ignored. A bearded dragon in an unfamiliar environment is vulnerable in many ways:
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Incorrect temperatures: Your home’s ambient temperature is unlikely to match what your beardie needs. Prolonged exposure can cause illness.
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Electrical hazards: Cords pose a major threat if chewed on. Risk of electrocution.
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Foreign object ingestion: Carpet fibers, dust, toys, etc can be eaten and cause impaction.
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Escape: Easy for a free roam beardie to slip into hard-to-reach spots and disappear. Highly stressful!
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Injury: Falls, getting stuck, or stepped on are just a few of the physical harm risks.
Setting Up a Safe Roaming Environment
If you wish to try supervised, limited free roaming, take these precautions:
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Completely beardie-proof the room by removing hazards and blocking off dangerous areas.
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Provide a secondary basking area they can use to regulate their temperature.
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Monitor ambient conditions like temperature and humidity. Adjust as needed.
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Never leave them unsupervised – remain vigilant at all times.
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Keep other pets out of the roaming area.
Step-By-Step Guide to Safe Roaming
When first introducing your beardie to roaming, take it slow:
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Start with short sessions of 15-20 minutes. Slowly increase if all goes well.
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Watch closely for signs of stress like darkened coloration or hiding attempts. End the session if stressed.
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Offer familiar objects like a blanket or hide to provide security.
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Use treats and gentle handling to make it a positive experience.
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Thoroughly clean the area afterwards to remove any waste or contaminants.
An Important Disclaimer
Despite the best efforts, free roaming does involve risk. If you are uncomfortable with the hazards, keeping your beardie enclosed is perfectly fine! Enrichment can be achieved inside a well-appointed habitat. As the owner, you must weigh the pros and cons. But always put your pet’s safety first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I let my beardie roam while I’m sleeping?
No, never leave your beardie unsupervised out of its enclosure, including while you’re asleep. Accidental injury or escape could easily occur.
What’s the ideal length of a roaming session?
10-30 minutes is a good starting point based on your beardie’s tolerance. Limit it to an hour at most. Watch for signs of stress.
How often should I let my beardie roam?
Every few days is sufficient. Too much roaming can be disruptive and stressful. Gauge your individual beardie’s preferences.
What’s the ideal roaming temperature range?
75-85°F ambient temperature is ideal. Provide a hot basking area around 105°F that they can use to warm up as needed.
Can a harness keep my beardie safe while roaming?
A harness can prevent escapes but doesn’t eliminate all risks like falling or ingestion. Close supervision is still required.
Is my beardie getting enough UVB light while roaming?
No, glass filters out UVB rays. Provide a secondary basking bulb for light/heat. Supplement their diet with vitamin D3 too.
Letting your bearded dragon explore outside its habitat can provide enrichment, but ample precautions are a must. With safety as the top priority, limited, supervised roaming may be possible for some dragons. Consider your individual pet’s personality and needs when deciding what’s best. Proper handling and a stimulating enclosure can also supply significant mental engagement.
Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
Difficulty: Moderate
Published: July 2, 2015
Last Updated: September 28, 2023
Bearded dragons (also known as the inland bearded dragon, central bearded dragon, or yellow-headed bearded dragon) are agamid lizards native to eastern and central Australia. They can be found in a variety of habitats, including semiarid desert, scrublands, and dry forests. They earned their name from their spiky, expandable throat pouch that can look very much like a beard, especially when it darkens to black.
These lizards are diurnal, meaning that they are most active during the day. They love to bask, and are commonly found sunbathing on everything from rocks and fallen branches to fenceposts and picnic tables. Although they are technically terrestrial, bearded dragons are both excellent climbers and skilled burrowers, and naturally dig burrows for shelter from predators and the elements. Since they are diurnal, they also do their hunting during the day. Bearded dragons are omnivorous, so aside from munching a variety of vegetation, they mostly prey upon insects, with the occasional small rodent or lizard.
Bearded dragons tend to be 18″-24″ (45-61 cm) long from snout to tail and have an average lifespan of 10-15 years, although they are capable of living for 20 years or longer. They are usually sexually mature and fully grown at 1-2 years old. They also possess a variety of adaptations that make them perfectly suited to their natural environment:
- Sticky tongue for grabbing insect prey, like a chameleon
- Third (parietal) eye on top of their head for detecting predators
- Spiky scales—usually soft—can be tightened into a sharp spines for self-defense
- Can darken their color to absorb heat more efficiently
- Can inflate abdomen to facilitate floating in deep water
Their natural coloration is dull brown or tan with red or gold highlights, depending on local soil color, but modern breeding practices have produced a variety of color morphs from white to lemon yellow to dark red. Some breeders specialize in dragons with bright blue “tiger bars.” Modern breeding has also produced different scale textures: Dunners (multidirectional scales), Leatherbacks (small, smooth scales), and Silkbacks (no scales).
Bearded dragons are exceptionally popular as pets, with a calm, curious temperament and array of social behaviors that makes them a safe, entertaining first reptile. They have full-color vision and a keen sense of smell that helps them recognize their keepers, and some people claim that their dragons respond to their names. All bearded dragons available for sale outside of Australia are captive bred.
If you are planning on a bearded dragon as a pet, PLEASE strongly consider adopting one from a rescue or your local classifieds before purchasing from a pet store. There are many adorable, wonderful bearded dragons that have been rejected by their owners and need a forever home.
The market is already flooded with bearded dragons. By adopting, you discourage the breeding and sale of more unwanted dragons. Plus, you can often adopt a beardie for cheaper than you would buy one in the store. It’s a win-win!
