When the autumn months begin to edge closer to those cold winter months it is time to begin thinking about making sure your bearded dragon stays warm and comfortable. Since bearded dragons are from the hot, dry areas of Australia they are not accustom to the cold winters of North America and Europe.
Here are a few bearded dragon care tips for winter so your pet stays healthy and comfortable during those bitter cold days.
Keep a Check on Temperatures
Even if you keep your home at a toasty temperature it is still important to keep a close eye on terrarium temperatures.
Make sure you have a thermometer mounted on each end of the terrarium – at the basking end and the cooler end. Place the thermometer at a height that is equal to the bearded dragon’s basking perch.
Your home can be a drafty place sometimes during those windy winter storms. That’s why it is important to place your bearded dragon terrarium in a warm area of the home.
Avoid placing the terrarium near any outer doors or windows to prevent a chilly draft from creating a cool environment for your bearded dragon. Try to avoid placing the terrarium under or over any vents, and never keep your bearded dragon in an unheated basement or garage.
Ideally, you want to place the terrarium in an extra room where you can add a small space heater, if needed.
Adjust Light Cycles
In most parts of the Northern Hemisphere the amount of daylight is much less in winter months than summer months.
This means you may need to adjust daily light cycles. In the summer you want the lighting to be on for about 14 hours per day. During winter you want there to be about 10 hours of lighting on per day to mimic winter daylight.
The best way to control lighting is to use a quality timer. Using a timer allows you to set the daylight times and “set it and forget it”.
There is one exception to this rule and that is if you want to prevent your bearded dragon from brumating.
Brumation
Brumation is the word used with bearded dragons to mean hibernation. When temperatures begin to drop and days begin to get shorter, your bearded dragon may begin to hibernate.
This is a natural reaction to the changing season. You can help do some things to reduce the chances of your bearded dragon from brumating, such as:
Keep the daily light cycles at 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night
Keep basking temperatures at the optimal range
Continue to feed your bearded dragon as normal
The biggest thing to remember about keeping a bearded dragon during the winter is to maintain proper temperatures and lighting.
Follow that easy formula and those cold winter months will be no big deal.
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Hi, my male bearded dragon is always awake during the day time. But my female is always in her hide n rarely coming out n eating she is always sleeping. I’ve got a 150 watt basking light and a 1.0 uvb light . I’m more worried about the female? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks
Your basking bulb shouldn’t be higher than 100watt and a chillin area in the middle and cool area at far end to cool down temp here 80 but never below 73 degrees bearded dragons don’t want to live together around 1yrs old they should be separated incase of fighting and bullying is she eating
This is totally normal and safe. Some bearded dragons brumate for months without waking up, even when you bathe them! Find out more at https://www.beardeddragon.org
hi my name is Rachel and I have a bearded dragon that’s about six weeks old my bearded dragon is on a 14-hour day and a 12-hour night range of sleep and awake at night time I put on his purple basking light but it begins to get too cold and I went in to check on him and he was like almost step It wasn’t until I turned on the heat lamp the white one that he began to warm up and started crawling around again I need to know what I should do my aquarium tank is 48 inches long and 24 inches high I have a 40 watt UVB light na 100 Baskin light as well as heat lamp please give me some suggestions on what I should do to keep my bearded dragon warm
Whatever you do DO NOT get a heat pad for you bearded dragon, bearded dragons can not feel heat on their underbelly therefore this can result in burns without them even noticing also this is especially bad if a female lays eggs because it can kill the baby’s inside. If you do not believe me please refer to https://www.beardeddragon.org
Yes but make sure the water is about 99F- 37°C, make sure to also bathe them while brumating because that’s where they get their main source of hydration from, be sure to also bathe them a bit more than usual while he/her is shedding to aid in this process. Read more at https://www.beardeddragon.org
I get some mealworms which mine loves and drop them in the water bowl and she laps them up! She tends to miss a few times each worm which gives her a mouthful of water each time. I do this with 5 mealworms after every feeding and soak her every few days for 10-15 mins in the bath. Also, I mist her twice a day with a spray bottle filled with mineral water.
Please do not mist your bearded dragon. They came from the desert, so they’re used to very dry climates. getting them wet on a regular basis or misting their tank can cause infections. Misting during their shed isn’t bad, but make sure it’s out of their cage to keep the humidity down.
Meal wos are horrible for a Beardie it’s cheap food and it impacts them!! Do crickets and Dubia roaches amd u can olace those in water that’s what I do and my Beardie dives for them & gets his water intake. Also superworms are great as treats after a Beardie is a a year old, then u can feed him supers as treats cuz they are high in fat amd some hornworms as treats
Hi, We got a bearded dragon about 3 months ago. He was about 1 when we adopted him. He doesnt seem to want to eat. He eats maybe 1 super worm or greenish/blue caterpillar a day. And he really wont eat any of his veggies, maybe a little bit every few days. He only poops once every couple of weeks, even when I give him a bath. We have a 150 watt bulb (in a 50 gallon tank) as well as a bulb (that doesnt emit light, jut heat) for night time. We also have a a heating pad underneath his tank. We also have a UVB light. Some days he seems very active but lately has been pretty sluggish. He used to spend a lot of time on his hammock, just below the heat lamp but now he spends most of his time under the hammock. Are his eating habits and his behavior something I should be worried about? Thank you!
Have you tried giving him other safe veggies? Crickets are also highly recommended, calcium coated. My guy likes kale and bell peppers. He eats veggies one day crickets the other. Also try taking him out for a bit to explore. Try giving him a treat such as a horned worm other blueberry when they are out.
Meal worms are horrible for a Beardie it’s cheap food and it impacts them!! Do crickets and Dubia roaches amd u can olace those in water that’s what I do and my Beardie dives for them & gets his water intake. Also superworms are great as treats after a Beardie is a a year old, then u can feed him supers as treats cuz they are high in fat amd some hornworms as treats
I have a gorgeous baby beardy who was a bit small at 8 weeks when we got swagger and he was is pampered so was not doing aswell as he could’ve been was getting roaches locutus and crickets fruit veg and mealworm were bad for beard’s not every bearded dragon is the same guys … We gave swagger mealworm and fruit veg and dubai roaches and no crickets and he’s thrived alot better on super worms and dubia roaches and veg fruit and vitamin supplements also everyone has an opinion but they don’t own your dragon .. So try and do own research . Cold-blooded creatures on YouTube xx
Oh my goodness a 150 watt bulb in a 50gallom tank??? That’s insane out of control way too hot!! Get a 100Watt and that should be fine his basking platform amd hammock should be 12-14 inches away u gotta either raise or lower the lights or platform ots way too hot. U need a clear zoomed basking bulb 100Watt for a 40-50 gallon ans a 120gallom needs a 150watt. Also a Reptisun 10.0 T5 for UVB that’s it!! Not heating pads or extra Weird lights
I got a lil beardie a couple months ago so I’m still kinda new to this thing… I’m not sure if he’s brumating, but a couple days ago he started suddenly acting really sluggish, especially after noon. And he’ll hide under his log and close his eyes from time to time. He had a hard time pooping so we gave him an extra bath. But when he pooped it was lighter than usual and thicker too, covered in some kind of slime??? Idk it was wet. I’m really worried. We’re not able to take him to the vet bc of money problems…I don’t know what to do. Help??
my bearded dragon stands up on his hind legs with top hat and cane and sings rag time “Hello My Baby” (great baratone voice) strutting/dancing but only in front of me …no one else has ever witnessed this because he stops before I can show him performing, what can I do about this, its so frusterating !
Not sure if anyone else has a Bearded Dragon that will only go potty outside not in his tank. (Yeap you read it right) Spike is about a little over 8m old and he has an out door pin in our backyard. He loves to be outside. I say to his Fury Sister Heidi (She is a German Shepard Golden Retriever mix) do you want to go outside and no joke Spike will run to that side of his tank and wait to be let outside. We live in the Northeast of the US and temputures have been wonderful up until this week. We have had rain on and off with a high of only 65. He has been holding his potty for 5 days now and final this morning at 6:30am with Temps at 45 degrees and Heidi waiting by the back door and Spike waiting on that side of his tank wanting to go outside. I took him outside, as soon as, his little feet hit the ground he went potty. What am I going to do this winter? How long should he hold out before I get concerned that he hasn’t gone potty. Does anyone else have this problem?
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Harley Byrne says
Hi, my male bearded dragon is always awake during the day time. But my female is always in her hide n rarely coming out n eating she is always sleeping. I’ve got a 150 watt basking light and a 1.0 uvb light . I’m more worried about the female? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks
Tog Porter says
Are they both in the same vivarium?
Donna says
Your basking bulb shouldn’t be higher than 100watt and a chillin area in the middle and cool area at far end to cool down temp here 80 but never below 73 degrees bearded dragons don’t want to live together around 1yrs old they should be separated incase of fighting and bullying is she eating
Alison Mcfarlane says
My girl sleep day and night she go in to brumation she dose not open her eyes
Lillymay says
Is she dead??? Not to be rude just wondering
Alex Massey says
This is totally normal and safe. Some bearded dragons brumate for months without waking up, even when you bathe them! Find out more at https://www.beardeddragon.org
Rachel says
hi my name is Rachel and I have a bearded dragon that’s about six weeks old my bearded dragon is on a 14-hour day and a 12-hour night range of sleep and awake at night time I put on his purple basking light but it begins to get too cold and I went in to check on him and he was like almost step It wasn’t until I turned on the heat lamp the white one that he began to warm up and started crawling around again I need to know what I should do my aquarium tank is 48 inches long and 24 inches high I have a 40 watt UVB light na 100 Baskin light as well as heat lamp please give me some suggestions on what I should do to keep my bearded dragon warm
Dani says
Did you get a heat pad for under your tank? That helps keep it warm at night
Alex Massey says
Whatever you do DO NOT get a heat pad for you bearded dragon, bearded dragons can not feel heat on their underbelly therefore this can result in burns without them even noticing also this is especially bad if a female lays eggs because it can kill the baby’s inside. If you do not believe me please refer to https://www.beardeddragon.org
Josh says
Hey guys should i bathe my bearded dragon in winter??
Alex Massey says
Yes but make sure the water is about 99F- 37°C, make sure to also bathe them while brumating because that’s where they get their main source of hydration from, be sure to also bathe them a bit more than usual while he/her is shedding to aid in this process. Read more at https://www.beardeddragon.org
megan says
My last bearded dragon wouldn’t drink. He got to dyhydrated, what can i do to get him to drink?
Marconi says
I get some mealworms which mine loves and drop them in the water bowl and she laps them up! She tends to miss a few times each worm which gives her a mouthful of water each time. I do this with 5 mealworms after every feeding and soak her every few days for 10-15 mins in the bath. Also, I mist her twice a day with a spray bottle filled with mineral water.
redella says
Please do not mist your bearded dragon. They came from the desert, so they’re used to very dry climates. getting them wet on a regular basis or misting their tank can cause infections.
Misting during their shed isn’t bad, but make sure it’s out of their cage to keep the humidity down.
Julie says
Meal wos are horrible for a Beardie it’s cheap food and it impacts them!! Do crickets and Dubia roaches amd u can olace those in water that’s what I do and my Beardie dives for them & gets his water intake. Also superworms are great as treats after a Beardie is a a year old, then u can feed him supers as treats cuz they are high in fat amd some hornworms as treats
Rachel MacKinnon says
Hi, We got a bearded dragon about 3 months ago. He was about 1 when we adopted him. He doesnt seem to want to eat. He eats maybe 1 super worm or greenish/blue caterpillar a day. And he really wont eat any of his veggies, maybe a little bit every few days. He only poops once every couple of weeks, even when I give him a bath. We have a 150 watt bulb (in a 50 gallon tank) as well as a bulb (that doesnt emit light, jut heat) for night time. We also have a a heating pad underneath his tank. We also have a UVB light. Some days he seems very active but lately has been pretty sluggish. He used to spend a lot of time on his hammock, just below the heat lamp but now he spends most of his time under the hammock.
Are his eating habits and his behavior something I should be worried about?
Thank you!
Tia says
Have you tried giving him other safe veggies? Crickets are also highly recommended, calcium coated. My guy likes kale and bell peppers. He eats veggies one day crickets the other. Also try taking him out for a bit to explore. Try giving him a treat such as a horned worm other blueberry when they are out.
Julie says
Meal worms are horrible for a Beardie it’s cheap food and it impacts them!! Do crickets and Dubia roaches amd u can olace those in water that’s what I do and my Beardie dives for them & gets his water intake. Also superworms are great as treats after a Beardie is a a year old, then u can feed him supers as treats cuz they are high in fat amd some hornworms as treats
Donna says
I have a gorgeous baby beardy who was a bit small at 8 weeks when we got swagger and he was is pampered so was not doing aswell as he could’ve been was getting roaches locutus and crickets fruit veg and mealworm were bad for beard’s not every bearded dragon is the same guys … We gave swagger mealworm and fruit veg and dubai roaches and no crickets and he’s thrived alot better on super worms and dubia roaches and veg fruit and vitamin supplements also everyone has an opinion but they don’t own your dragon .. So try and do own research . Cold-blooded creatures on YouTube xx
Julie says
Oh my goodness a 150 watt bulb in a 50gallom tank??? That’s insane out of control way too hot!! Get a 100Watt and that should be fine his basking platform amd hammock should be 12-14 inches away u gotta either raise or lower the lights or platform ots way too hot. U need a clear zoomed basking bulb 100Watt for a 40-50 gallon ans a 120gallom needs a 150watt. Also a Reptisun 10.0 T5 for UVB that’s it!! Not heating pads or extra Weird lights
Yuri says
I got a lil beardie a couple months ago so I’m still kinda new to this thing… I’m not sure if he’s brumating, but a couple days ago he started suddenly acting really sluggish, especially after noon. And he’ll hide under his log and close his eyes from time to time. He had a hard time pooping so we gave him an extra bath. But when he pooped it was lighter than usual and thicker too, covered in some kind of slime??? Idk it was wet. I’m really worried. We’re not able to take him to the vet bc of money problems…I don’t know what to do. Help??
roberto says
my bearded dragon stands up on his hind legs with top hat and cane and sings rag time “Hello My Baby” (great baratone voice) strutting/dancing but only in front of me …no one else has ever witnessed this because he stops before I can show him performing, what can I do about this, its so frusterating !
Spike's Mom says
Not sure if anyone else has a Bearded Dragon that will only go potty outside not in his tank. (Yeap you read it right) Spike is about a little over 8m old and he has an out door pin in our backyard. He loves to be outside. I say to his Fury Sister Heidi (She is a German Shepard Golden Retriever mix) do you want to go outside and no joke Spike will run to that side of his tank and wait to be let outside. We live in the Northeast of the US and temputures have been wonderful up until this week. We have had rain on and off with a high of only 65. He has been holding his potty for 5 days now and final this morning at 6:30am with Temps at 45 degrees and Heidi waiting by the back door and Spike waiting on that side of his tank wanting to go outside. I took him outside, as soon as, his little feet hit the ground he went potty. What am I going to do this winter? How long should he hold out before I get concerned that he hasn’t gone potty. Does anyone else have this problem?