Bearded dragon won’t stop digging

Hi. Although my substrate is newspaper, I have a beardie that’s obsessed with digging. I feel really bad for him as I watch him attempt to dig through his solid floor each day for long periods. Even if the breeder had miscatrgorized the dragon’s gender, 7 months old seems like it would be much too soon for a female to produce eggs, so I’ve eliminated gravidness as an explanation. I’ve also ruled out husbandry issues (he has a 4x2x2 enclosure, 95-106 degree gradient in his basking zones, 83 cool end, new Reptisun T5 10.0). Although this particular beardie seems like he’d love nothing more than to dig in sand all day, I’ve never used loose substrates and don’t want to risk impaction. I’m wondering if anyone else has been in this situation with the conundrum of how to satisfy a beardie’s constant digging urges without using sand. Any tips would be much appreciated!

My Toothless loved shredding his paper bedding (absorbant paper sheets)..... he's likely a smarty and doing it because he's bored and wants the mental stimulation.

More time to dash about and explore outside the tank EVERY DAY and he'll likely be more settled after burning off some of that energy.

Good to know I’m not the only one with a beardie whose favorite hobby is attempting to dig to China. He gets a lot of exploring/play time outside his cage so I’m always surprised by the tenaciousness of his digging sessions. I’ve noticed when outside the cage he often gravitates toward soft and snuggly things like blankets and towels. He’ll hop on a blanket or comforter and do that full body beardie snuggle that often helps me convince people that reptiles do in fact do things that can be called cute. So now I’m wondering if there’s a fabric that’s durable and won’t catch on his nails when he digs that I can put on the bottom of his cave (his favorite digging spot). Maybe I can persuade him to exchange digging for cuddling. Would fleece work, or is there a better fabric or object I can use? If you can buy miniature wings and hats for a bearded dragon I’d bet money “beardie blankies” are already an Etsy thing.