Beardie Hide questions??

[ReptileRy]

okay, so everywhere i look im getting a different answer.. so i wanna see what everyone here has to say.

what are your takes on having a hide in a beardie tank? people say its bad because they will spend more time hiding then basking, some say its good because its a place to sleep.. i have a homemade rock hide that doubles as her basking spot and a cave. is this good or bad to have in there? i have that and a piece of driftwood and hopefully a hammock soon! but what are your takes on that and what else do i need in there?

 

[ReptileRy]

anyone have anything to say about this?

 

[kjinxx2]

I'll give you my opinion based on my experience. My bearded dragon is a hide junky. If I do not take him out and block the hide, he'll spend all of his days inside of it. That being said, sometimes a hiding beardie is indicative of something wrong with your husbandry. I've changed temps, etc to make sure that everything is optimal. He even basks all day long once I take him out. I believe that it really depends on your dragon. If he basks responsibly (lol) then leave the hide, if you find that he's constantly hiding you may want to check out your temps, etc. Otherwise he just may be a dark addict like mine

 

[ClydesGirl]

I have two hides in Bert's viv and he's never hidden in either of them. He's never once set foot in the hide under his basking rock and the only time he's been in his half-log hide is just to pass right through the other side.

I have one hide in Stanley's viv and I found him in there for the very first time this morning when the lights came on (he wasn't in there last night for lights out), but he was out an basking as soon as the lights warmed up.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

I have two hides in my viv, and my dragon still spends 80% of his time out or basking. He will really only go inside them when

he is mad at me
He is hiding from his poo
He is sleeping

 

[nordica]

Both of my current beardies (as well as others that I've taken care of) each have a hide, and they each use them. In my experience, it gives them not only a place to sleep, but also a place to just "get away from it all" if they need.

 

[stangbanger]

I would provide a hide on the hot side and the cool side... Hiding is a natural behavior and they will do it for security or privacy or any other reason... All dragons are different... My male never hides at all, my female will spend days at a time hiding