Bearded Dragon Quarantine: Why & How Long
| Minimum quarantine period | 60–90 days |
| Key early step | Vet fecal exam |
Why it matters
Parasites and some infections can be present without obvious symptoms and spread readily to other reptiles through shared equipment, water, or even air handling in the same room. A new dragon, however healthy it looks, is an unknown quantity for the first several weeks.
Duration
60–90 days minimum is the widely recommended standard, in a completely separate space if possible, or at minimum a separate enclosure with no shared tools, hides, or dishes.
Fecal exam
A vet-run fecal test in the first couple of weeks of quarantine catches common parasites like Coccidia early, before any risk of transfer to other animals in the household.
Handling order
During quarantine, always handle and care for existing, established reptiles first, then the new quarantined dragon last, washing hands and changing clothes between if practical, to minimise any cross-contamination risk.
See the full care guides guide, or browse all 467 info pages.
A single adult bearded dragon needs a minimum 4ft x 2ft x 2ft enclosure, with 6ft x 2ft x 2ft increasingly recommended as best practice — plus a linear T5 HO UVB tube, an overhead basking bulb on a thermostat, a real thermal gradient, a sturdy basking platform, and a shallow water dish.
A complete bearded dragon setup needs a 4ft+ enclosure, a linear T5 HO UVB tube, an overhead basking bulb on a thermostat, two thermometers, a basking platform, a hide, a shallow water dish, and age-appropriate substrate — all running and stable for at least 48 hours before the dragon arrives.
Hatchlings can start in a 20-gallon long tub, juveniles need to move to roughly a 40-gallon breeder footprint by a few months old, and adults need a minimum 4ft x 2ft x 2ft enclosure, with 6ft x 2ft x 2ft recommended.
Basking surface temperature should run 95–110°F depending on age (hotter for hatchlings, cooler for adults), with a cool side around 75–85°F, all provided by an overhead basking bulb on a thermostat — not a heat mat or heat rock.
Bearded dragons need a linear T5 HO UVB tube at 10.0 or 12% output, running the length of the basking third of the enclosure with nothing between bulb and dragon, replaced every 6–12 months regardless of whether it still produces visible light.
Bearded dragons should be kept at roughly 30–40% ambient humidity. Sustained humidity above 50% significantly raises the risk of respiratory infection in this dry-climate species — brief daily misting or a shallow soak handles hydration and shedding needs without pushing ambient humidity up long-term.