Hide or NO Hide??

Hello all!!

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on having a Hide for our babies! I just was reading another discussion about a beardie either using it too much or never!! I am thinking my guy is using it too much! He wakes up, warms up and either spends the day on top( under his light) or under laying around like a lazy boy!! Mostly under it unless i pull him out and have him cuddle or place him back under his basking lamp. He is suffering from the Winter Blahs lately so im thinking that is his reason but i just was wondering in general!

THOUGHTS??

Rudy has had one since day one but has been in it one single time. Seems to just be one more place for crickets to hide, not the dragon. So, I guess I can't really give any advice :dontknow:
Oh, and I just discovered he was pooping inside and I didn't realize it! Little stinker! (literally) :silent:

It all really depends on your beardie's preferences and your own, I guess. I have two Beardies, and they're basically the complete opposite. They like opposite foods. Basically the only thing they both like is their bugs. Other than that, they love different things. My big boy, KD, loves his hide. He sleeps in it EVERY night. Ever since we got that cave, he hasn't slept one night outside of it. It gives him a place to hide away when he gets sleepy before the lights come out. I let him use it because he basks and eats and isn't in it all day long, just at night. On the other hand, my little boy Fiz doesn't use his hide. He basically just uses it as a basking platform and when the lights go off, he scampers over to a corner in the viv and goes to sleep. Actually for Fiz I don't use his hide because he has a shelf in his viv that is used as a basking platform, but underneath is "cave-like" and underneath is out of reach of the light. He hardly goes under there, really.

So I guess it's your preferences and your beardies. I think you can decide whatever is best for your little guy

I guess I probably spoil Rudy a bit. He really hasn't had much chance to use his hide. When it's almost time for lights out, I take him out, wrap him in his little blankie and he goes to sleep on my chest. After a while I put him on his hammock where he stays until his lights go on. It's our little ritual.

All four of my beardies have hides. They use it to brumate & sometimes sleep in it during the rest of the year, too. If one of them spends too much time in it, I'll take it out for awhile, they all have basking areas away from their hides, that are on the cool side of their tanks. I've never seen any of my beardies in their hide all the time unless they're sleeping. Winter time, no matter what the weather, seems to be a slowing down time for all dragons, even if they don't actually brumate. I find once spring is here, they'll get on top of their hides to cool off but rarely do they go into it unless there's something wrong. So I wouldn't worry about your dragon, he sure looks great in that picture. Pretty colours, too. Hope this helps,
Deb