Acting crazy?!

[KristineM]

Hi there everyone! Batman is 9 weeks old today and has been acting REALLY strange over the last couple of days. I had to remove his tall "tree" because he has started LEAPING from it to...well...anything at all. I'm not sure what is going on. He's always been active, his appetite is totally normal, baths every day, lighting, heating, etc. is all completely perfect. We took him out of his viv the other day for a little while to explore a little bit and get to know my 9 year old daughter (who he totally felll for immediately, snuggling up to her and everything). Ever since we put him back in from that moment on he has been trying to "escape" I think? Not so sure, though. Yesterday he literally jumped from his tallest point in his viv and grasped onto the lid, hung on for a bit and fell off I was so scared and watched him for about an hour. It seemed like his left hand may have been sore as he was favoring it for a little while. He stopped, though and started running around normal again. THEN...he did it all over again! So, I removed his tree and lowered his basking light to get the right temp on a log that he can't really jump from. It was "viv cleaning day" so he was taken out and I spent a good hour scrubbing and airing out his viv and baking the log, all of the usual cleaning I do.

He is back in his viv now...acting "normal" I suppose but still a little crazy. Is this normal behavior at his age? Does he just want to come out? I can't figure out what could possibly be bothering him as I haven't changed anything at all...and you can tell me if I'm just being a little neurotic. I tend to get that way with the little guy. This leaping thing though...what the heck?!? He's going to give me a heart attack!! If nothing else, I want him to quit doing that...

(A side note: he also is trying to climb on the wire attached to the probe of his thermometer so basically I can only place it where I want to test the temps when he isn't in the viv...or else he will go crazy trying to get at it and climb it...)

As always: advice, input, similar experiences are always appreciated.

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

SPRING! SPRING IS SO EXCITING! SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRI... sorry. I'll behave now.
But in seriousness, lots of dragons, particularly males, get very carried away when the spring season hits them.

Plus, it's probably gaining him a lot of lovely attention from his slaves.

If I were you, I'd give him some nice chunky bits of wood. Lay em flat for him to climb, jump, hide and generally act like a fool around. He'll calm down when he's done.

 

[KristineM]

So...basically treat him like I would treat my 3 1/2 year old son?! Haha! Seriously though...it's ok that he's LEAPING all over? Trying to hang from the lid of his cage? He's scaring me. It's not odd behavior?? Thanks for replying...I didn't want to post again but it was coming to that I went out and bought him a new log and a huge layered stone looking thing with a hide built into it. So he can get closer to his basking spot but maybe less likely to jump so much.

So let him be...a wild little boy? Sounds funny but I guess it makes sense!! Thank you!!!

 

[bunnyrut]

yeah... they think they can leap great distances.

Dargon has jumped and hung on the side. Tasty Treat will still randomly try to jump out. Once they realize they can't they eventually stop. They have both made it out by the way.
Dargon had a huge log and i came home to find him chilling on the edge of his viv. he no longer has that log.
Tasty Treat was in a smaller tank until we got her a bigger one. she apparently grew big enough to leap and, like Dargon, hang out on the edge of the viv.

When Dargon is out he still just randomly leaps. I think he thinks he has wings?

You will find that having a bearded dragon in your home is the same as having a toddler.

 

[KristineM]

Yeah...Batman has certainly calmed MY hormones down, haha! No more humans for us. It had still been on my mind until the last 2 months! Having our baby beardie has put those thoughts on the back burner

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

Bless 'em, they're lovely little buttaches.

 

[KristineM]

That's so funny! Today my husband literally said "he's such a butt" because he would only be hand fed for whatever reason. He's relaxed and giving us the "hunting eye" which really means "feed me" haha!