Bearded dragons are pretty easy pets to take care of. There are only a few things you need to keep an eye on, as beardies are mostly self-sufficient. One of the key things to watch is the humidity level in their enclosure.
Just like humans, humidity can play a role in both the comfort and health of a bearded dragon. Our beardies rely on us to keep it at a safe and comfortable level.
The relative humidity level in a bearded dragon’s enclosure should be kept between 30-40%. Levels outside that range can cause health problems, so close monitoring with two humidity gauges is key. To correct low or high humidity levels, you can either make adjustments to your tank setup or add a humidifier or dehumidifier to your home.
Why humidity levels are important for bearded dragons
A bearded dragon’s natural habitat is dry and arid. When kept in captivity, it’s important to keep those levels consistent with what they experience in the wild. Their biology has evolved to work properly within a certain range. Anything outside that can cause problems.
Consequences of low humidity
Low humidity levels, or overly dry air, can cause several problematic conditions. Here’s a quick list of things that can happen if your bearded dragon lives in a climate that is too dry:
- Femoral pore blockage
- Inability to shed properly
- Dehydration
- Kidney issues
- Urinary tract infections
- Fertile females may not be able to lay their eggs
All of these things can be serious and could result in veterinary care. Femoral pore issues can lead to painful infections. The inability to shed can lead to circulation issues and the loss of appendages. Dehydration and kidney issues can lead to death.
In other words, it’s important that the air in their home isn’t too dry.
Consequences of high humidity
Just like dry air, moist air can cause its share of problems too. Here’s a rundown:
- Bacterial overgrowth and infection
- Fungal infections
- Respiratory infections
- Mold growth
- Skin conditions
As with the health issues that crop up in low humidity, these high humidity issues are just as important to prevent. Almost all of these require medication, injections, or even more serious veterinary care to resolve.
So just like low humidity, high humidity should be avoided as well!
How to measure the humidity in your bearded dragon’s vivarium
We wanted to cover this because a lot of the information out there is either significant overkill or not nearly complete. You’ll see people recommending crazy expensive “hygrometers” (a fancy way to say “humidity gauge”). You’ll also see people recommend going by feel or taking only intermittent readings, which is ridiculous.
You definitely do want to accurately measure the humidity levels in your beardie’s tank on an ongoing basis. This means that you’ll need some type of gauge permanently installed in their home.
Measurement of humidity levels inside your bearded dragon’s enclosure should be accomplished using two analog or digital humidity gauges. The gauges should be placed about halfway up the wall of the tank. One should be placed on the hot side and the other on the cool side of the enclosure.
Analog or digital?
There are two types of gauges, digital and analog. Digital is a little more accurate as it uses a probe you can place exactly where you want the measurement taken. The drawbacks are the wire and probe itself (which are a pain to place) and the cost (which is higher than analog gauges).
Analog gauges are easier to place and cost less. This ease of use comes with the price of being slightly less accurate. But there is only a very minor difference.
With that in mind, we recommend and use analog gauges. This is not to say you shouldn’t use digital. If you want to spend a few extra bucks and have an easy way to place the sensor, go for it! If you go digital, we like this one by ZooMed that you can buy over on Amazon. It’s reliable and not super expensive.
If you go for the analog version, we use these combination thermo-hygrometers by ZooMed (tells us temp and humidity). We got them pretty cheaply on Amazon, and they’ve worked great for us! It’s important to remember that there is no need to be exact. 30-40% is a decent-sized range, and an analog gauge will serve just fine for that!
You need two!
Our next tip is that you’ll need two of these gauges. Too many people recommend only using one, and that just won’t work. If your beardie’s home is of an appropriate size, you’ll have a hot side and a cool side.
Each of those sides will have varying temps and humidity levels. Just because one side is within range does not mean that the other side is. We strongly recommend getting a humidity reading on both sides.
We also want redundancy. Let’s be honest, these are not scientific, Ph.D.-level, research-grade hygrometers. They are a few bucks on Amazon. They will break! If you have two, it will be obvious when that happens. If you only have one, it will not be.
As we said, these are inexpensive. Get two, it’s the best way to go.
Humidity gauge placement
So now you have two gauges. And you know you want one on each side of the enclosure. But where, exactly, should they go?
Let’s start with where they shouldn’t go. Not next to the water dish and not right next to the basking lamp. We are looking for a reading on the enclosure as a whole, and both of these spots will give you false readings.
We recommend placing them about halfway up the back wall of your beardie’s vivarium. If you place them there, you’ll get a really good idea of the levels in the tank as a whole.
Things fluctuate
One last note is that humidity varies. It varies by time of day. It varies with the temperatures in your home. It varies by time of year. Don’t get too obsessed if you see the levels fluctuate.
The important thing is to keep a daily eye on your gauges. Just glance at them and make sure things are within range. If they aren’t, we’ve got you covered with the rest of this article. But if they’ve moved from 33%-38%, don’t fret. That’s within range, and a 5% fluctuation can be very normal!
Basics of humidity control
Before we get into how to raise or lower the humidity in your beardie’s home, we should quickly review some basics. Having these basics in place will set you up for success in achieving appropriate humidity levels without having to try too hard.
First, your home’s humidity level will be pretty close to the humidity level in your bearded dragon’s enclosure. So raising or lowering the humidity in your home should have a direct impact on your beardie.