I have a quick question.

[ewood810]

I am new to owning Bearded Dragons and I have a question, I want my beardie to be able to get out and explore. But he gets cold and then needs to go back into his cage to get warmed up. I am worried that this will hurt him in some way getting hot and cold all the time. I do want him to be able to get out is this hurting him or do I need to do something else.

 

[ladyknite]

Dragons can handle cooling off. Note his behavior when he's out. When he becomes lethargic and finds somewhere to sleep, its time for him to warm up

 

[ewood810]

Ok that helps thanks. Thats what he dose he will be running around checking the place out then it looks like he is finding some where to take a nap and thats when I have been putting him back.

 

[beardielover17]

when you take him out does he have free roam of an area? if he does you could try giving him a way in and out of his viv so he can warm up on his own...magellan has an old 20 gal screen cover as his ramp in and out of his viv that he uses when he free roams

 

[ewood810]

Well there is no way for him to get up to his viv. I have put a red heat lamp down by the ground but he dose not seem to go back to it. I don't know if he is just wanting to explore the area and gets cold or what but he is running around and then just kind of lays down and kind of freezes. I am in the process of constructing him a very large viv so he will have room to run and bask but I just didnt want to hurt him in some way by letting him cool down.
You see i purchased him from a couple that didnt have the money to get him a set up that he needs and I want nothing more then to get him the best possible care that I can. And I must say that this forum has been the best as far as information on what I should do to help him so thanks.

 

[renich]

Hi and welcome to our forum. I'm glad that it has worked for you so far. I think it is great that you wanted to help the little guy out. Do you know how old he is?

Couple of thoughts - what do you mean by 'red' heat lamp? Is this a red bulb?

Also, since you are new to bearded dragons, there is a lot to take in at first. But once you get the basics down, it becomes second nature. Here is a link to our basic care sheet. Give it a read and let us know if you have any questions.

Bearded Dragon Care

 

[ewood810]

Yeah the red light I was told is used for his night light. It puts off a nice amount of heat. He is 2 I was told. And for some reason he is still in the small 30"x 12" cage but this week end he is going into a much larger one. I have just finished a 72"x 18" viv for him, I just purchased his lighting and heat amps that will go for the new viv. But I am sure that he will just be happy to get out of the cramped quarters he has been in for so long. I just got him on Sunday and it has been a real learning experience already.

 

[beardielover17]

you may not need the night time heat depending on how cold your home gets at night...if it doesnt drop below 65 at night then you really dont need night time heat...also if you do need night time heat, you should replace the red bulb with either a black/purple bulb, ceramic heat emitter (CHE), or an under tank heater mounted on the side of the enclosure

 

[ewood810]

Oh ok thanks, black lights don't bother them at all? He is in my "man cave" which is where I spend most of my time when I am at home and the ambient temps in that room stay around 70. I am also planning on putting his day lights on a timer, is that the best thing to do for them? So they have a consistent schedule for lights. But I will watch his temps to see if they dip at all at night but I doubt they will if he will be fine with 70 degrees. Thanks for all the input this really helps out.

 

[beardielover17]

black lights i think they can see but only little of it..kinda like star and moonlight so it shouldnt bother them much but every dragon is different...be sure to observe him to see what he likes and dislikes...if your room stays 70 it should be fine for him with no additional night time heat

lights being on a timer is great...it makes things easier for you and ensures your dragon will have a consistent light schedule

 

[renich]

I don't think you need a black light. If you need to up the night temps, try a heat emmitter. As we do, dragons sleep best when it is completely dark.

As far as your timer, it is recommended to have lights on between 12 - 14 hours and off between 10 - 12 hours.