Note to self (and everyone else): No fake leaves in room!

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A few days ago I moved my beardie into his new and improved home (upgraded from 20 gal to 40 gal tank), and he seemed comfortable and content to climb up the (higher) branch and basking area...
He was just chilling and basking until, while I was watching, he took a flying suicide leap off of the branch and into the rear glass wall of the tank, of course then falling straight down the ground! (which has non-adhesive vinyl liner as substrate, which is not a lot of cushioning!)

Of course, I rushed over worried about his well-being, and also baffled why he would do such a thing. Looking from his POV out the rear glass, I realized he could see my fake ivy vines which were hanging on the wall (these were not previously visible from his shorter tank), and I think he was taking a leap of faith because he was hungry for salad!

Anyway... he didn't seem to be hurt (nothing visible, no strange limping or anything, and no sense of pain or discomfort when I later picked him up), but is a lot more "hesitant" or cautious when biting at greens now (I guess he's worried an invisible barrier will smack him in the face.) To be honest, I was shocked he did it because, even without the glass pane, it would have been a risky maneuver, considering the leaf was hanging a good 12" off the ground.

I moved those ivy vines out of sight, but I noticed this morning he was pawing/clawing at one of the glass sides and, once again when I checked it out, he was eyeballing some other fake leaves I had in the room (this is in a classroom, and I have a dinosaur theme, hence sort of a jungle atmosphere)... I had just fed him dubia roaches, but he definitely wanted some greens, so tried to get some of his chopped greens out of the fridge, but they had spoiled (but since he was craving them that much, I made a quick trip to the store and got some collard greens.)

Looks like I will need to either remove all of those fake leaves (he even did it with a small piece of green paper he saw stapled to the wall!), or get a backdrop to surround the rear and side panels of the tank.
 

OhMyNord

Member
Do you feed him greens everyday? Also is he an adult? Adults tend to eat more greens than babies, so maybe offer greens more often ahah :) Can't believe he's trying to eat fake plants, or wanting to!
 

dezismom

Juvie Member
I had to laugh at your very accurate description of the flying suicide leap (after reading he was okay, of course). Beardies are famous for those leaps. Even my big, lazy boy Dezi will sometimes get it in his head that he can fly, and will try a fast unexpected leap.

He also has tried to eat a silk plant. For years, he hated greens. But suddenly, he loves them, which I am happy about. I had a nice silk plant in his viv for four years, no problem. Sunday, I look over at his viv to see him trying to take a big chomp out of the silk plant leaf! I caught him before he could succeed, thankfully. Then got him another big salad. No more fake plants in or around my beardies viv.

It may be that your beardie will figure out about the glass and you will not have to re-arrange your whole classroom, if you give him a few days. Because he is in a new, bigger viv, he is still getting to know where the limits are to his environment. They can learn and adapt, given time. And anything that restricts his view would also reatrict the students view of him. Still, if he is endangering himself, some kind of side and back cover would be good. Maybe some kind of frosted but almost transparent cover on the outside, to allow some light through? Nothing plastic or with adhesive in the viv--the smell would not be good for him. The side covering may also provide a more private feeling environment for him, if he seems at all disturbed by the noise and activity level that a busy classroom can sometimes have.

I am a retired 5-6 grade teacher, and if I had known about adorable beardies when still teaching, I would certainly have had one as a class mascot.Do you take yours home at night for snuggles and home time? I would have had two identical set ups, one for class and other at home, and Dezi would have traveled with me quite happily. He is very laid back and loves car rides. He also enjoys attention from strangers, petting, and showing off his magnificent self!

Would love to see photos of your beardie and his classroom!

Each beardie has different tolerance to sounds and activity. My big boy, DeziLu, four years old, is unaffected by this. He seems to like watching our two dogs barking and running around, ignores most disturbances. He stays in our TV room, where he can easily enjoy his football and nature shows. (also usually on my knees as we watch football together. I end up watching him as much as the game...he is such a hoot, as his head follows the action, spikes flared and beard half puffed in excitement--a true football fan!) My young girl, Penny Lane, freaks out from unexpected noises and visitors. I keep her in our more quiet parlor. They do grow more calm with age.

Good luck with your beardie, and with this years new batch of students! I always loved Fall, getting to know my new class. Each student became my own child. I followed them through college, and adored them all.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I can't keep any plants in my dragon's tank either, found that out long ago. And alas. the poor daft creatures sometimes don't understand the concept of glass and that what is beyond it can not be accessed through .

Oh, Dezi is a football fan, who is he rooting for ?
 

dezismom

Juvie Member
Sorry I did not answer right away...it must have been lost in my inbox, somehow. My hubby and I are southern, and his family has several generations of LSU graduates, so of course, Dezi is a Tigers fan... There was an Unfortunate Incident in which sweet Dezi took offense to a little LSU tiger toy, and we all laughed quite a bit about that. It seems he likes the team, but not the mascot. He has his own official LSU jersey for game days. My nephew named him Dez after a famous Texan football player, Dez Bryant, who is now with the Saints, another team we love. But Dezi seems to love any team with bright uniforms, like the Cardinals. He will pace in his viv, and demand to come out to watch football on my lap! His head follows the action, back and forth, very excited, with his spikes erect and completely mesmerized. I have more fun watching Dezi, than the games!

Dezi in uniform, ready for a game....
82765-7784836311.jpg

The infamous Unfortunate Incident...he almost attacked this toy! he was feeling hormonal and territorial, and was in no mood for an invader. He suddenly blacked his beard and flared, not at all happy. He is usually so easy going! It was kind of funny. But we got rid of the toy, and remade the jersey for Dezi to wear.
82765-2554410775.jpg

How are you, your class, and your dragon doing? Ready for the Thanksgiving break? I was happy for any holiday, but dreaded the crazy energy in classroom in the days before a break. Is your beardie still happy with his new terrarium?
 

karmakollector

Member
Original Poster
To answer the questions... no, I don't take Ash home just because I would need another tank (although I will be bringing him home over extended holidays)... I only live 15 minutes from the school, so it's easy enough to come up on the weekends, etc.

BUT it worries me that I can't easily tell if there are problems since he is not at home! For example... I sometimes forget to turn the heater on in the room at night (we have the AC on during the day because we are in warm, sunny California! But it still gets rather cold at night...), so I set up a CHE bulb on a thermostat to make sure he stays warm enough even if I forget to set the room's heater.

But this time, I forgot BOTH (I turned off the CHE temporarily to clean his tank, and forgot to turn it back on!), and it got very cold last night! Coldest so far of the year... :( So I showed up and the room was only 52 degrees! But he was sitting in his usual basking spot, seemingly alert and normal and fine, but I really hope that is the case...

As for kids and craziness... it's weird, but it doesn't freak him out. Honestly I think he kind of likes it. I let the kids pet him once and he was not jittery at all (did close his eyes, so he might have gotten a little nervous); he seems more freaked out when I show up on the weekend to take care of him, and it has been completely silent and empty in the room -- THAT seems to make him stir crazy!
 

MarlowAndMe

Juvie Member
Marlow was doing similar but not at a reflection, he had a rock wall background and he would leap off his 12” basking logs across 12” to the rock wall and hang off it! Almost 24” up. This went on for a week of us saving his life daily until one day he did it and fell and I only JUST I mean JUST caught him before he hit the ground of his viv
Needless to say the wall is now gone.
Last night he thought he would try it again, with no rock wall. He leaped like spiderman and hit the black wall of viv and face planted against it.
 

karmakollector

Member
Original Poster
They must do these suicide leaps all the time in nature, and can tolerate the tumbles pretty well...

Mine no longer lunges at the leaves (granted, I pinned all of the closer ones up and out of view; only distant ones are visible, not sure if he can see them or he knows they are just too far away)... however, I got him a nice big gnarled piece of grape wood as his basking spot / gym / shade spot ... and when I feed him, he will take a diving leap straight down off of that (which is about 12" up), face-first nosedive into the ground to eat the bug there... never seems to faze him in the slightest.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
If it's made for plastic , is green , looks like a leaf , and it's in reach of lizard , you are asking for trouble , if lizard manages to get any off and swallows it's this can become very unfunny very fast.
 
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I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

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