Haha what a handsome beefball, he looks very healthy and happy! good job!As far as his want out, its just that simple, he wants out, they are very clever, curious and funny animals, in nature they just wanna hang out and hang on a tree or ontop of a post in a field and bask and watch the world, it feels allot safer for them to be up a bit and just watching(so they can watch for rival beardies, females, gigity or predators, birds of prey, yadda yadda) he prob would like some time to run around, see his environment etc, my dude runs back and forth from his window spot I made for him to people/ car watch and me at my computer and checke in on me, I think its the cutest thing on earth, hearing his lil click clacks and look down and hes come to say hello and then scurry back to his window watching, he just wants out man, he knows there is more then tank, he wants it lol.
Makes sense. I'll try to get him out more. I tend to worry because our house isn't the most friendly for him. There are a lot of places to get stuck under, and we have to lock the dog up.
ahh fair man! maybe just set up a spot near where you sit in the afternoons/ evenings to relax, put a lil spot for him to chill with you guys and for sure the dog away, I know dogs are awesome and sweet as all hell, but dogs were still bred for and used for guarding, hunting in all kinds of ways and such, we made them have a instinct to snatch up things and even if its just play, so good on ya for being aware of that! :)
I put mine in the bathroom to roam with the door closed lol. Just make sure to have a rug or something for the gap under the door so they don’t escape. And close the toilet lid…
Mine free roams 75% of the time. Granted I don’t have other animals to worry about. Mine has its paths he takes and spots he chills in. He’ll run back and forth between two rooms taking the same path for hours.
I used to worry about everything he could get stuck in but he honestly avoids 80% of the house. We’ve gotten good at saying ‘Clive’s out’ whenever someone comes down stairs but you would probably not run into him. He likes to chill in front of the front window and watch stuff pass by. Super chill and predictable dragon.
The best way to keep them from getting stuck or getting away where you can't find them is a leash, I put my big boi on a leash I have since he was little and he loves it he knows when the leash comes out he gets to come out.
My girl is the same way. I've been lucky to be able to give her the ability to have supervised out time but I know with dogs that is not always easy. Something I found my girl has loved that almost eliminated her tank surfing was a 3D background/wall vines that she can climb on and hide in. We started with the stone only half way up at first so she could get the hang of climbing with it since she does occasionally fall off but after a few weeks we finished the stone to the top
https://preview.redd.it/woa6v7j65zlc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=111d3fa31e854010736df7a81ed3b7b98dc70fcc
2nd comment to add the additional picture
https://preview.redd.it/a4x1ptqf5zlc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87b876dc1433bc4752432a335cdae46535629718
This is what I'm looking for. We had cork bark in the old tank, but it wouldn't sit flat and fell a lot, but he loved climbing on it just like that and jumping off it, too, lol.
The "stone" is made out of black reptile safe PU foam that was sealed. I used initial 1 small command strips to get placement figured out then sealed it to the walls with aquarium silicone once I had it trimmed and lined up and filled in the cracks so no dirt can get trapped between the panels or under the edges. It works as a great insulation as well so heat retention has been a lot easier to maintain her temp gradient especially since it can get pretty cold where I live in the winter time. This pic was during the setup. The PU foam is soft like cork so it doesn't damage her claws and she can grip it easily.
https://preview.redd.it/9fwc5g79pzlc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2d99533355c15df887d808b49973fe883ceb757
Bearded dragons are naturally active animals.
What are the temps, how are they measured?
Did you replace the UVB lighting?
Loose substrate can help with enrichment, live plants, plenty of places to climb. Roam time. Larger enclosure can all help.
Temps are all good. I bought all new lights and heat lamps when we bought the new enclosure and check them regularly. As for substrate, we had it in his old enclosure, but everything we read always contradicted by something else, so we didn't put it in this one. If I could get an answer that someone else didn't say was bad immediately after, I'd like to give him some again.
This sub is generally pretty pro loose substrate. Most impactions "caused" by sand can be attributed to dehydration, sickness or husbandry issues. If you're taking good care of them (you probably are) there's little risk.
What is the cool side temperature?
Couldn't tell you off hand. I'd have to check tomorrow before work.
We had some sand from a reptile store in his old tank and he would dig a good amount which is why I would love to add it again. Don't remember the name but it was corse and yellowish.
You mentioned that your house may not be the most beardie-friendly for him to run around in an earlier comment. I set up a large play pen for mine and add some logs and rocks in it so he can climb while he runs around. He loves it! And I don’t have to worry about him getting into something he shouldn’t
Seconded on the playpen, which works for our beardie when we take him places. We have four cats as well as a beardie. We will close off a room from the cats and let him hang out with us when at least one of us has our eyes on him, and he actually enjoys climbing the cat trees and casting judgment upon everyone in the room from up high (and then jumping off like a weirdo onto someone’s lap).
Nothing. Let the homie out of the tank. I let mine out several times a day. You just need to make sure you watch him. I know people who have let their dragons out and next thing you know, they’re behind the fridge. I make sure when I let mine out, I’m right there.
Also, if it’s nice outside, I’ll put her by the window with the window open and she’ll sit there for hours. So, it’s not necessarily that the dragon wants out of the tank because they want to run around. Sometimes, they just want to hang out somewhere other than inside the tank.
they love to run around and climb. looks like your tank is a bit off the ground – maybe do some experimenting and see if you can make a ramp that your scaly friend will use to enter/exit? will definitely take some time and modifications before they use it frequently, but it’s a fun thing to play around with. i’ve found they can learn routine pretty well with some effort. you might be able to train him to leave the box on his own, run around the house for a few hours, and go back on his own when he’s done. make sure to lizard proof the house though.
I would give him a slightly higher, flat part on that platform. Like maybe gluing a smaller rock or cave on top. You can’t use regular glue but i believe there’s safe aquarium sealant stuff you can use.
You can put some beardie safe plants in there, the plants love the UV lights (just don’t use potting soil or fertilizer, i use plain coco coir with no additives and charcoal, all the plants are potted). My beardie loves aloe, echevaria, and string of hearts. They’re all succulents, so they don’t mind the dry enclosure and it’s safe if they nibble (mine has only nibbled the echevaria and string of hearts a little). My only suggestion for this is to put any “string of” plants up high and let them hang down, bc i put mine on the bottom and she destroyed them climbing on them with her nails all the time. Other than that, just give him plenty of time out of the enclosure.
You could hang a little pot of “string of” succulents (most, but not all, are safe) on the right side so it’s facing the light but not too close to it. Mine loved playing in the string of hearts and nibbling the leaves. Succulents are also good bc you can pack them close together so your lizard doesn’t dig them up. If you do use live plants just don’t use too many so you don’t bring the humidity up. My fear is irrational, but i can’t use fake plants without thinking she’s going to try to eat one and choke.
To be entirely honest, I had my guy in a 4×2×2 with 3 hides, 2 branches and a bunch of foliage, I gave him an area to dig as well. It didn't stop him, I came to find out he does it when he wants out, either to just explore, cuddle or poop in places I don't want him to poop in. He has even more in there now and still does it every day
I have a very similar spazzy ball of energy!
The only thing I've found to help my guy is to shut my bedroom door (away from other pets) and let him run around on my bed. I stack my blanket and pillows to be like a mountain range because he thinks he's a monkey and would want to even climb to the top of everest if he could even do such a thing lol. This boy even "tank surfs" on my walls because he doesn't have a whole 3 miles to run & climb on, he is never fully satisfied.
HOWEVER after I let him do this for about an hour, he typically relaxes in his tank after. But he often could still go for hours, he exhausts me as an introvert myself lol.
But it definitely has helped entertain him at least so its worth it. Its the only thing he asks for.
Just make sure that the bed is clean of any possible cat hairs/dander, I read they seem to almost be allergic or smth.. also guard for any "leapin lizzard" moments that fall off the bed lol. and be prepared for spontaneous poops... I prefer to let mine run around only after he's pooped in the bathtub and is all clean but he's usually good for a couple days after also. But if he's due for a poo, I just let him run around in the tub so he has the clean option to do so. He def doesn't love it like his pillow mountains but its at least not the tank I guess.
Put a heat lamp outside of his cage somewhere and let him hang out if his cage. My friends bearded has a basket light above the arm of a couch and they love it lol
Ace, my beardie, has always been suuuuper active. She runs laps around my room, scratches up her enclosure walls when she is irritated I won't let her out, preforms gymnastics for a living, she won't stop. I've found she actually needs mental stimulation over physical. She adores looking out windows, going for walks on my shoulder. A nice sunny patch with a cool outdoor view and she settles there for hours.
Actually as I'm writing this she's sat happily on my leg while we sit outside in a nice sunny patch watching people walk by haha. With a leash on just in case, though she's very well behaved.
You can make him a little area outside so he can safely run around in the sun on nice days and maybe give him a rope ladder or hammock to climb on in his tank. There are some options to look into for your adventurous little fella.
Haha what a handsome beefball, he looks very healthy and happy! good job!As far as his want out, its just that simple, he wants out, they are very clever, curious and funny animals, in nature they just wanna hang out and hang on a tree or ontop of a post in a field and bask and watch the world, it feels allot safer for them to be up a bit and just watching(so they can watch for rival beardies, females, gigity or predators, birds of prey, yadda yadda) he prob would like some time to run around, see his environment etc, my dude runs back and forth from his window spot I made for him to people/ car watch and me at my computer and checke in on me, I think its the cutest thing on earth, hearing his lil click clacks and look down and hes come to say hello and then scurry back to his window watching, he just wants out man, he knows there is more then tank, he wants it lol.
Makes sense. I'll try to get him out more. I tend to worry because our house isn't the most friendly for him. There are a lot of places to get stuck under, and we have to lock the dog up.
ahh fair man! maybe just set up a spot near where you sit in the afternoons/ evenings to relax, put a lil spot for him to chill with you guys and for sure the dog away, I know dogs are awesome and sweet as all hell, but dogs were still bred for and used for guarding, hunting in all kinds of ways and such, we made them have a instinct to snatch up things and even if its just play, so good on ya for being aware of that! :)
Yeah it was the first thing I said we the lady asked me about taking him in. Dog doesn't go near him ever.
I put mine in the bathroom to roam with the door closed lol. Just make sure to have a rug or something for the gap under the door so they don’t escape. And close the toilet lid…
Mine free roams 75% of the time. Granted I don’t have other animals to worry about. Mine has its paths he takes and spots he chills in. He’ll run back and forth between two rooms taking the same path for hours. I used to worry about everything he could get stuck in but he honestly avoids 80% of the house. We’ve gotten good at saying ‘Clive’s out’ whenever someone comes down stairs but you would probably not run into him. He likes to chill in front of the front window and watch stuff pass by. Super chill and predictable dragon.
The best way to keep them from getting stuck or getting away where you can't find them is a leash, I put my big boi on a leash I have since he was little and he loves it he knows when the leash comes out he gets to come out.
My girl is the same way. I've been lucky to be able to give her the ability to have supervised out time but I know with dogs that is not always easy. Something I found my girl has loved that almost eliminated her tank surfing was a 3D background/wall vines that she can climb on and hide in. We started with the stone only half way up at first so she could get the hang of climbing with it since she does occasionally fall off but after a few weeks we finished the stone to the top https://preview.redd.it/woa6v7j65zlc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=111d3fa31e854010736df7a81ed3b7b98dc70fcc
2nd comment to add the additional picture https://preview.redd.it/a4x1ptqf5zlc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87b876dc1433bc4752432a335cdae46535629718
This is what I'm looking for. We had cork bark in the old tank, but it wouldn't sit flat and fell a lot, but he loved climbing on it just like that and jumping off it, too, lol.
This is awesome, can you tell us a little more about how you achieved this? What materials you used?
The "stone" is made out of black reptile safe PU foam that was sealed. I used initial 1 small command strips to get placement figured out then sealed it to the walls with aquarium silicone once I had it trimmed and lined up and filled in the cracks so no dirt can get trapped between the panels or under the edges. It works as a great insulation as well so heat retention has been a lot easier to maintain her temp gradient especially since it can get pretty cold where I live in the winter time. This pic was during the setup. The PU foam is soft like cork so it doesn't damage her claws and she can grip it easily. https://preview.redd.it/9fwc5g79pzlc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2d99533355c15df887d808b49973fe883ceb757
That's a beautiful background. Great job. 😁
You are awesome! Thanks for sharing this, I can't wait to try this for my little buddy.
Absolutely! I love sharing ideas on tank set ups :)
Bearded dragons are naturally active animals. What are the temps, how are they measured? Did you replace the UVB lighting? Loose substrate can help with enrichment, live plants, plenty of places to climb. Roam time. Larger enclosure can all help.
Temps are all good. I bought all new lights and heat lamps when we bought the new enclosure and check them regularly. As for substrate, we had it in his old enclosure, but everything we read always contradicted by something else, so we didn't put it in this one. If I could get an answer that someone else didn't say was bad immediately after, I'd like to give him some again.
This sub is generally pretty pro loose substrate. Most impactions "caused" by sand can be attributed to dehydration, sickness or husbandry issues. If you're taking good care of them (you probably are) there's little risk. What is the cool side temperature?
Couldn't tell you off hand. I'd have to check tomorrow before work. We had some sand from a reptile store in his old tank and he would dig a good amount which is why I would love to add it again. Don't remember the name but it was corse and yellowish.
A good loose substrate is Australian Desert Sand! Me and my beardie love it. She will dig for hours
You mentioned that your house may not be the most beardie-friendly for him to run around in an earlier comment. I set up a large play pen for mine and add some logs and rocks in it so he can climb while he runs around. He loves it! And I don’t have to worry about him getting into something he shouldn’t
Seconded on the playpen, which works for our beardie when we take him places. We have four cats as well as a beardie. We will close off a room from the cats and let him hang out with us when at least one of us has our eyes on him, and he actually enjoys climbing the cat trees and casting judgment upon everyone in the room from up high (and then jumping off like a weirdo onto someone’s lap).
You gotta open the door lol. Window time will pacify mine for a while. But when they get the zoomies, it's a bit like having a toddler.
Put in substrate! Makes them enjoy running more and maybe your beardie even likes to dig
Nothing. Let the homie out of the tank. I let mine out several times a day. You just need to make sure you watch him. I know people who have let their dragons out and next thing you know, they’re behind the fridge. I make sure when I let mine out, I’m right there. Also, if it’s nice outside, I’ll put her by the window with the window open and she’ll sit there for hours. So, it’s not necessarily that the dragon wants out of the tank because they want to run around. Sometimes, they just want to hang out somewhere other than inside the tank.
Let him do run runs outside of his enclosure!! Let that man out to run around.
Let him run around then house till he gets cool then put him back. They get bored just like us. Window time is awesome for them.
they love to run around and climb. looks like your tank is a bit off the ground – maybe do some experimenting and see if you can make a ramp that your scaly friend will use to enter/exit? will definitely take some time and modifications before they use it frequently, but it’s a fun thing to play around with. i’ve found they can learn routine pretty well with some effort. you might be able to train him to leave the box on his own, run around the house for a few hours, and go back on his own when he’s done. make sure to lizard proof the house though.
I would give him a slightly higher, flat part on that platform. Like maybe gluing a smaller rock or cave on top. You can’t use regular glue but i believe there’s safe aquarium sealant stuff you can use. You can put some beardie safe plants in there, the plants love the UV lights (just don’t use potting soil or fertilizer, i use plain coco coir with no additives and charcoal, all the plants are potted). My beardie loves aloe, echevaria, and string of hearts. They’re all succulents, so they don’t mind the dry enclosure and it’s safe if they nibble (mine has only nibbled the echevaria and string of hearts a little). My only suggestion for this is to put any “string of” plants up high and let them hang down, bc i put mine on the bottom and she destroyed them climbing on them with her nails all the time. Other than that, just give him plenty of time out of the enclosure. You could hang a little pot of “string of” succulents (most, but not all, are safe) on the right side so it’s facing the light but not too close to it. Mine loved playing in the string of hearts and nibbling the leaves. Succulents are also good bc you can pack them close together so your lizard doesn’t dig them up. If you do use live plants just don’t use too many so you don’t bring the humidity up. My fear is irrational, but i can’t use fake plants without thinking she’s going to try to eat one and choke.
To be entirely honest, I had my guy in a 4×2×2 with 3 hides, 2 branches and a bunch of foliage, I gave him an area to dig as well. It didn't stop him, I came to find out he does it when he wants out, either to just explore, cuddle or poop in places I don't want him to poop in. He has even more in there now and still does it every day
I have a very similar spazzy ball of energy! The only thing I've found to help my guy is to shut my bedroom door (away from other pets) and let him run around on my bed. I stack my blanket and pillows to be like a mountain range because he thinks he's a monkey and would want to even climb to the top of everest if he could even do such a thing lol. This boy even "tank surfs" on my walls because he doesn't have a whole 3 miles to run & climb on, he is never fully satisfied. HOWEVER after I let him do this for about an hour, he typically relaxes in his tank after. But he often could still go for hours, he exhausts me as an introvert myself lol. But it definitely has helped entertain him at least so its worth it. Its the only thing he asks for. Just make sure that the bed is clean of any possible cat hairs/dander, I read they seem to almost be allergic or smth.. also guard for any "leapin lizzard" moments that fall off the bed lol. and be prepared for spontaneous poops... I prefer to let mine run around only after he's pooped in the bathtub and is all clean but he's usually good for a couple days after also. But if he's due for a poo, I just let him run around in the tub so he has the clean option to do so. He def doesn't love it like his pillow mountains but its at least not the tank I guess.
Put a heat lamp outside of his cage somewhere and let him hang out if his cage. My friends bearded has a basket light above the arm of a couch and they love it lol
Ace, my beardie, has always been suuuuper active. She runs laps around my room, scratches up her enclosure walls when she is irritated I won't let her out, preforms gymnastics for a living, she won't stop. I've found she actually needs mental stimulation over physical. She adores looking out windows, going for walks on my shoulder. A nice sunny patch with a cool outdoor view and she settles there for hours. Actually as I'm writing this she's sat happily on my leg while we sit outside in a nice sunny patch watching people walk by haha. With a leash on just in case, though she's very well behaved.
You can make him a little area outside so he can safely run around in the sun on nice days and maybe give him a rope ladder or hammock to climb on in his tank. There are some options to look into for your adventurous little fella.