In this post, we will cover easy ways on how to lower humidity in bearded dragon tank during the day or night. You will find various ways you can lower the humidity and other important tips on humidity levels in a tank.
What humidity do bearded dragons need?
Bearded dragons need humidity levels of around 30-40%. Anything above 50-60% is too high.
What happens if humidity is too high for bearded dragon?
Bearded dragons are desert dwellers, so high humidity levels are harmful to them. Higher humidity levels can cause respiratory infections, bacterial and fungal growth on the skin and substrate and other associated problems.
How to measure humidity levels in a bearded dragon tank?
To measure humidity in a bearded dragon tank, you will need a humidity gauge, also called hygrometer. Please get a digital humidity gauge with a probe like this, to obtain more accurate readings. A probe will allow you to get a reading in a specific spot and give more flexibility.
Place at least 2 hygrometers, one on each opposite side of a tank, for a detailed view. Humidity readings will be different on hot, middle and cool side of the tank, so having 2-3 hygrometers will give you a better picture. Even better is to include another one in the middle of the tank.
Place a probe in the middle of the tank, and not near a water dish or live plants (if you have any). It’s even better to have hygrometers on the bottom and middle of the tank on each side, and it tends to be different at various heights.
How to lower humidity in a bearded dragon tank?
Tip 1: Improve and increase air flow in the tank and room
If there is no proper air flow in the tank, it will create stagnant air and humid environment in the bearded dragon’s tank. Air flow is one of the most important factors that impact humidity levels in a tank.
To allow proper air flow inside the tank, please make sure that the tank has an air screen. Air screen is a metal lid that goes on top of the cage and has small openings (often mesh wire). Never use plastic lids or similar that don’t allow any air to enter the tank.
What is more, make sure that there is fresh air flow in the room as well. But don’t put your bearded dragon’s tank near the window, especially if there is cold wind/draft. Lots of cold air will lower tank temperatures. Also, the direct sunlight hitting the glass can increase temperatures inside the tank dramatically.
If the humidity raises above 50-60%, you can turn air conditioning on to create a better airflow. You can also use a fan. This will quickly create an air flow in the room and in the tank.
If your tank is DIY, you can create your own ventilation holes. For that, you will need to get a square, round or other shape vent like this. Then, you will need to make a hole in the tank with a cutter and install the vents.
But please remember, that positioning of vent holes is also important. The way air and humidity travels up, you need to make holes that will allow the air to escape. Please have a look at the diagram below.
So if you have a glass terrarium with a mesh screen on top, just improve the air conditioning in the room and it should help with lowering the humidity. Otherwise, please make new vent holes.
Tip 2: Change the tank location
If the room that your bearded dragon’s tank is humid, it can be harder to fix the situation. You can first measure humidity in the room using one of hygrometers. This will show if it’s room humidity that is a problem.
If you confirm that the room is very humid, you can move the tank to a different room. Never put your bearded dragon’s tank in a cold basement room, garage or similar. It will cause problems with high humidity and keeping temperatures stable.
Tip 3: Use a dehumidifier
If the humidity levels in a tank are high, even with a proper airflow and good tank location, you can use a dehumidifier. For this, you will need to get a small dehumidifier like this and place it in a room where the tank is.
Dehumidifier will collect damp air and create a dryer environment in a room. Please use a dehumidifier along with other tips (proper airflow etc.).
To use inside a tank, you can get a rechargeable gel filled humidifier. There is also a small gel dehumidifier that you can put inside a tank like this. It is filled with silica gel that collect the excess moisture.
This dehumidifier is compact and the gel should not spill out regardless of the position you put it in. You can leave it on the bottom of the tank or hang it using a heavy duty picture stick on strips or similar.
If the humidity in a bearded dragon cage spikes at night, you can use a dehumidifier then. Colder air at night can hold less moisture, leading to higher humidity levels. Relative humidity tends to lower during the day.
Tip 4: Remove a water dish from the tank
If you have a water dish in the tank, it can increase humidity levels. The thing is, bearded dragons generally don’t drink freestanding water. If you have a large bowl with water, especially on the warm side, it will increase humidity levels.
This can also cause problems if a dish is on hot side of the tank or under a lamp. That is because heat will cause evaporation and increase humidity. Instead, drop water on your dragon’s nose few times a day and it will lick it off. Or, at least swap a water bowl for a small one if your dragon drinks from it.
Tip 5: Change the substrate
Which substrate do you use for your bearded dragon’s tank? Is it loose substrate? Please never use any loose substrate for your bearded dragon, as they ingest it. This can cause impaction.
What is more, loose substrate causes increase in humidity, especially if you spray the tank. Some types of loose substrate will especially increase the humidity – such as moss, coco fiber etc. Also, never use sand as it harbors bacteria when wet and is dangerous if ingested.
Tip 6: Sock with rice
Rice is good for absorbing extra humidity. For this, please fill a sock with rice and place it on a cold side of the tank. You can place it somewhere less visible, and just leave it there.
However, this technique will help to drop the humidity by only few percent. So, if the humidity in the tank is high by only few percent, then you can try this method. Otherwise, combine with other techniques.
Tip 7: Review temperatures in a tank
Sometimes it happens that the temperatures in a bearded dragon’s tank are too low. Low temperatures will create a cold and humid environment in a cage, which is very bad for your bearded dragon. Or temperatures can be optimal, but you can increase them a little. This will help fight high humidity.
Please note that stick on thermometers (especially analog) tend to be very inaccurate when measuring temperatures and can be off by up to 10 degrees. If you are using only a stick on thermometer, please swap for a digital thermometer with a probe like this. Most come with a hygrometer and a probe for it, too. Please place 1 thermometer on a hot, and 1 on a cool side.
Also, please get a handheld infrared thermometer like this. It will allow to get accurate temperature readings. Please point to any spot from 1.5-2 inches away to get accurate readings.
You should achieve high basking temperatures in a bearded dragon’s tank, to help keep it dry. The basking spot should reach temperatures of 92-110 degrees Fahrenheit (33-43 Celsius). And cool side – 75-85 F (23.8-29). So please review the temperatures and make any changes if possible.
You can read a full lighting and heating guide in this post (new tab). If you are struggling to make your dragon’s tank hotter, you will benefit from reading this post.
Tip 8: Remove live plants
If you have any live plants in the tank, they will raise the humidity. This is because you will need to water them, and water evaporation + transpiration (water evaporated from plants) will raise humidity in the cage. If this is a big problem, you can look to swap them for fake plants.
You can read a post on choosing safe plants for your dragon here.