I hardly doubt I’m alone when I say, “I HATE the humidity!”
Between causing me to sweat in places I’d prefer not to, frizzing out my hair, and making going outside feel like pure torture.
It’s safe to say humidity and I aren’t exactly the best of friends.
Similarly, the bearded dragon also has a bit of a tricky relationship with humidity. The bearded dragon humidity must fall in a very specific range in order to make your beardie happy and healthy.
So, if you fear the measurements in your dragon’s tank might be off, just keep reading to discover how to lower the humidity in a bearded dragon tank!
In short, you’re always going to want to start by actually measuring the humidity level in your dragon’s tank!
Invest in a good hygrometer and take a couple of readings throughout the day and night to establish a clear idea of what the humidity is like in your dragon’s tank at all times.
If you do determine that the humidity is too high, consider whether it is because of the environment in the cage itself or that of the entire room.
Depending on what you can attribute the humidity to… you’ll have a couple of options moving forward.
In This Article
What Should the Bearded Dragon Humidity Be?
Bearded dragons humidity level should be between 30% and 40% in their vivarium to thrive.
This percentage is similar to that of the arid desert climate in Australia, their natural habitat.
If the level gets too high their health (not to mention happiness) can be jeopardized in the form of a respiratory infection.
Read on to discover how you can both lower and raise the humidity in your bearded dragon tank to the optimal level!
How to Increase & Decrease Humidity for Reptiles and Amphibians
How to Lower Humidity in a Bearded Dragon Tank
Lowering the humidity for bearded dragon in the cage with naturally revolve around where the excess humidity is coming from.
Use the hygrometer to test several times both inside and outside of the tank to determine if the entire room is too humid or if it’s a cage/tank specific issue.
Once you’ve figured out where the issue stems from, proceed accordingly below. Best of luck!
How to Lower Bearded Dragon Humidity in a Humid Room…
If you’ve found that the humidity in the entire room is out of control, your best bet will be to either buy a good dehumidifier, run the AC, or open a window.
You need good ventilation to decrease the level of moisture in the air, but depending on the humidity levels outside and in the rest of the home, some options may be more successful than others.
If the climate you live in is very humid and/or the rest of your house is humid, you’re going to want to get something like this.
If the room itself is humid, while outside and the rest of the home is a good humidity, you can simply try to increase ventilation to the room by opening windows, doors, running a portable AC, or turning a fan on.
How to Lower Humidity for a Bearded Dragon in a Humid Tank/Cage/Vivarium…
First and foremost, if you can try to make the switch to a mesh lid if you’re not already using one as this will allow the tank to air our properly.
Also, try removing the water dish or at the least, moving it as far away from the lights as possible so less of it will evaporate.
Needless to say, if you are spraying down your beardie and their cage, STOP!
A couple of drops on your dragon’s nose won’t hurt, but definitely stop wetting the entire cage.
Another way you can lower the bearded dragon humidity is by raising the temperature of the basking bulb.
Now, keep in mind an adult dragon’s basking spot should be around 100 degrees, while a baby’s should be more around 110.
Don’t raise these temperatures for the sake of simply trying to burn up any excess moisture! But do check that they are hot enough, as low temperatures can attribute to some extra moisture.
Lastly, try to put a fan like this or dehumidifier near the tank to help pull out the moisture
Just bear in mind that a fan is only going to be bringing in the air around it, so if it’s pulling equally humid air into the room/near the cage, don’t expect much.
How to Raise the Humidity in a Bearded Dragon Tank
If your bearded dragon’s humidity is well below 30%, there are a few things you can do to try and raise the humidity a little.
However, it is important to closely monitor humidity levels with each of these little tricks as you do not want the humidity getting too high (obviously).
Option #1: Put a Water Dish in Your Dragon’s Vivarium
If your pet doesn’t already have access to water 24/7, try adding in a dish to help boost humidity for a bearded dragon. Try to use a sturdy dish that can’t be tipped over and isn’t too deep as well.
If you can put the water dish on the side of the basking light, that should help as well to evaporate the water and add moisture into the air.
If you aren’t seeing the results you’d like, try adding in a larger water dish.
This method will likely take some trial and error on your part, in terms of figuring out what quantity of water will be sufficient to raise the humidity to the right level.
Also, playing around with where the dish is in the habitat will likely factor in as well.
Option #2: Decrease Ventilation Through Covering Part of the Lid
If your dragon has a tank with a screen lid, consider trying to cover half of it with a piece of wood, plastic, anything really.
If you have placed a shallow water dish inside the tank, try to cover the side it’s on with the makeshift top.
Trapping some water and moisture should help raise the humidity for a bearded dragon.
Option #3: Frequently Mist Your Tank
Another great way to boost humidity is to gently spray down the inside of your tank with water a couple times a day.
I recommend using purified water as this will prevent water spots from forming.
Use a gentle mister like this one and don’t be afraid to even get your dragon a little wet in the process!
Of course, if the dragon seems to dislike it definitely avoid dousing them. I recommend a thorough misting every 3 hours or so.
Final Words on Bearded Dragon Humidity
It is important to note that upping the humidity in your dragon’s tank may require a combination of efforts and much trial and error.
The best thing you can do to save yourself time and effort is to invest in a reliable hygrometer as often times many cheaper ones do not produce accurate readings.
Some cheap hygrometers can be off by as much as 15 degrees and therefore have you thinking you need to adjust humidity levels when in actuality, they’re probably fine!
I hope you found these suggestions on bearded dragon humidity and how to lower humidity in bearded dragon tank helpful!
As always, if you have any great tips or tricks, please be sure to leave them in the comment section below as they could prove really helpful for anyone trying to figure out how to tackle the humidity in their dragon’s cage!
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