Afraid of roaming?

My silly boy is about 5 months old. Seems very healthy and and happy. Comes out every day and usually seems very happy having me as a personal playground/poop spot. A couple of behavior questions. Is it normal that suddenly he seems to only poop when he is out of his viv and on me? And now that he is getting bigger I am trying to let him roam and explore but I’m not so sure he likes this idea. When I put him down he seems to run for the nearest wall and bangs his head and/ or lay flat as a pancake and close his eyes and plays dead. Even when I pick him up he will play dead lizard and I have to pet and cuddle him till I feel him snuggle and then he will open one eye look around and usually go back to sleep. Is it normal for them to be afraid of roaming?

Yes, beardy behavior can vary. Some beardies immediately want to explore, others need warming up, and I'm sure some don't prefer to explore at all. It does depend on how large the space is and how exposed your beardy may feel. For example, when i let my beardy in the bathroom and i sit down with him, he explores and does just fine. When i put him in a tub and let him go outside(can't actually let him out since there is a chlorine pool in front and easy beardy sized escape routes, plus he might be able to climb a portion of the wall, I also live in the interior west) he starts acting funny and gets so stressed he'll poop a quite liquidy one which he unfortunately runs in sometimes. In the bathroom, he is exposed to similar lighting at a farther distance but he is limited to a smaller safer area. Outside, the Sun is shining brightly, he is in a "clear" tub and he can see that there is so much more open space than the bathroom and no where to hide. Reptiles want to feel secure, hence why beardies will also hide in extremely tight crevices around the house if given the chance.