First: inside or outside?
Everything else depends on this. Check every door, window and gap your dragon could have fitted through, and think back to exactly when and where you last saw it.
If it can only be indoors, run the indoor search below. If you're not sure, do a quick sweep of the room it escaped from, then go outside while there is still daylight and warmth.
Why temperature decides everything
Bearded dragons, like all reptiles, are cold-blooded: their body temperature follows the temperature around them. VCA's veterinarians explain that the environment sets a dragon's activity level, metabolism and digestion, that all of its body systems slow down in cooler temperatures, and that a dragon kept too cold may become immunosuppressed and more prone to infection.
For comparison, VCA recommends an enclosure whose cooler end sits around 75–80°F with a warm end of 90–100°F, and says the cooler end can drop to 65–80°F at night.
If you live in Philadelphia or South Jersey, that matters. At Philadelphia International Airport the normal overnight low is below 65°F in every month except July and August: about 44°F in April, 54°F in May, 61°F in September and 49°F in October. Outside high summer, a night outdoors is colder than a bearded dragon is kept at home. Treat an outdoor escape as urgent.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Bearded Dragons – Housing"; National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly, climate normals for Philadelphia International Airport (1991–2020)
Searching indoors
Search slowly, room by room, and close each door behind you once a room is clear, so the search gets smaller instead of going round in circles.
- Floors first. Look low: under and behind furniture, appliances and radiators, inside shoes and bags, behind curtains and in the backs of cupboards.
- Think warm. Dragons move to warmer spots to warm themselves up, so check places near anything that gives off gentle heat.
- Set a warm hide. Reptile keepers suggest leaving a hide with gentle heat underneath it in the room where you think your dragon is.
- Look for tracks. The same keepers suggest dusting hard floors lightly with flour overnight, so you can see in the morning which way it went.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Bearded Dragons – Housing"; Reptiles Magazine, "Tips for Creating Your Lost Reptile Flyer"
Searching outdoors
Start where it got out and work outward slowly, at ground level. A dragon that is cold may be very still, and very easy to walk past.
- Go now, while it's light. Every hour of daylight and warmth counts.
- Look where the sun is. Because dragons warm themselves by moving into warmer spots, sunny patches of paving, walls and steps are sensible places to check, especially in the morning.
- Check the sheltered gaps: under decks, sheds, steps, hedges and piles of leaves or wood.
- Leave its familiar hide near the spot it was last seen, and check it often.
- Ask your neighbors to look in their yards, garages and sheds. A still, quiet dragon can be much closer than you think.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Bearded Dragons – Housing"
Tell the people nearby
The ASPCA's advice for any lost pet applies to reptiles too: call your local animal control, veterinary hospitals, shelters and rescue groups, and put up flyers with a clear, recent photo. Reptile keepers add: say the species plainly, list the date and place it was last seen, and post flyers in the streets around where it got out.
You can also post an alert on Petside's Lost & Found. Choose the species, add up to five photos and the place it was last seen. Anyone can browse the alerts, filter them by species and by a radius of 5 to 100 miles, and add a sighting. People nearby who have lost & found notifications turned on are told when a pet goes missing near them. Posting needs a free account.
Petside is only just getting started in Philadelphia and South Jersey, so use it alongside your calls and flyers, not instead of them.
Sources: ASPCA, "Finding a Lost Pet"; Reptiles Magazine, "Tips for Creating Your Lost Reptile Flyer"
Found a bearded dragon?
Keep it somewhere safe, indoors and away from other pets, and report it as found: on Petside's Lost & Found, and to your local animal control or shelter. If it seems cold, weak or hurt, call a veterinarian who treats reptiles. The Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians keeps a directory.
Wash your hands after handling it. The CDC notes that reptiles can carry Salmonella even when they look clean and healthy, and advises washing with soap and running water after touching a reptile or anything from its enclosure.
Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Reptiles and Amphibians"; Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, "Find a Vet"
Once it's home: making the next escape less likely
When your dragon is back, a few habits help keep it that way.
- Check the enclosure's lid, latches and doors, and any gap where cables go in.
- Supervise all time outdoors. VCA recommends always supervising a bearded dragon basking outside, to prevent escape or attack from other animals.
- Keep a clear, recent photo of your dragon on your phone, so a flyer or alert takes minutes.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Bearded Dragons – Housing"
See a reptile vet
If your dragon spent a night outside, seems cold, weak or not itself, or has any injury, have it checked by a veterinarian who treats reptiles, even if it seems to recover. VCA's veterinarians note that a reptile kept too cold may become immunosuppressed.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Bearded Dragons – Housing"; Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, "Find a Vet"
Questions people ask
- How long can a bearded dragon survive outside?
- There is no reliable number, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. It depends on the temperature, the shelter it finds and its health. What veterinary sources agree on is that cold slows every body system down and can weaken the immune system, so a cold night outside is a real risk. Search as soon as you can, and have a reptile vet check it once it is found.
- Will my bearded dragon come back on its own?
- Don't count on it. We could not find a reliable source saying that bearded dragons find their way home, so plan as if it won't: search, leave a familiar hide near where it was last seen, and tell the people nearby.
- Can a bearded dragon survive a cold night?
- Some may, but it is a genuine risk. VCA gives 65°F as the lowest night temperature for the cooler end of an enclosure, and the normal April low in Philadelphia is about 44°F. If your dragon was out overnight, see a reptile vet even if it seems fine.
- What should I do if I find a bearded dragon?
- Keep it somewhere safe indoors, away from other pets, and report it as found on Petside's Lost & Found and to your local animal control or shelter. If it seems cold, weak or hurt, call a reptile vet, and wash your hands after handling it.
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. Every pet is different: if you are worried about your animal's health, talk to a veterinarian who treats that species.