living outside?

[BigMatt]

i live in florida and i want to know if i can build a cage for my bearded dragon outside. i can supply substrate and everything but i dont know if its healthy for him to be outside. thanx

[Invictus]

I think putting a reptile in an outdoor enclosure exposes it to things that it doesn't need - bugs, mites, temperature fluctuations, etc. Might be a bad idea. The whole point of keeping captive herps is to spare them some of the stresses they would otherwise find in the wild.

[BigMatt]

well its also healthy because they get all the light they need. pure sun shine is very good for reptiles. theres not alot of mites in fl so im not worried about that

[eyespy]

Beardies seem to do very well when kept outside in a suitable climate as long as they have shade and hiding areas. One thing to worry about is yellow fungus disease, though, which is becoming a big issue in beardies these days. Florida is one of the states where a lot of infected beardies originate so you probably want to keep them off the soil and use a substrate that is frequently replaced.

Stress levels of animals kept in indoor cages tend to be higher than those kept outdoors.

[BigMatt]

ya i was planing on ettin sand and coverng the ground so hes off he soil. what about humidity florida i pretty humid i dont know if that effects him or not

[eyespy]

There are lots of breeders in Florida or other humid locations who keep their beardies outside without problems. Humidity outdoors isn't anywhere near as big an issue because wind and rain keep fungi and bacteria overgrowth at bay. It's indoors where it's a big deal without Mother Nature's regular cleansing.

[fanmaninacan]

Hey!
i would say its a very good idea!...as long its well contained..from birds n other preditors.......But i would not make it permanent i would always have a "back up" enclosure for him for the night n stormy days.....
just my 2cents

T.P

[Lisa]

what would be really cool would be an indoor - outdoor enclosure. if it wants to come inside, it comes inside, if it wants out, it goes out. just teach it to use a cat flap or the like so bugs don't come in as much. also to protect against bugs you might consider screening the enclosure on the outside part, out of reach of the beardie's claws.

[BigMatt]

ok cool thanx for all the info