Beardie won't stop glass surfing... please help

[LilCheeto]

I got my Beardie back in July of 2018. He is 11 months old. I feed him daily, and his tank measurements are 36x18x18. I frequently check the temperatures and humidity, and buy new UVB fixtures and heat lamps every 6 months. They turn on and off every 12 hours.

Ever since I got him, he has been glass surfing/scratching at the glass. At first I thought it was just something he would grow out of, but now he does it daily and is getting more intense about it. He will go for hours straight, non-stop. I will take him out of his cage to run around 2-4 times a day, until he gets cold then i'll put him back in to warm up. The moment he warms up he wants out again.

At this point, I don't know of what to do. I cannot constantly take him in and out of his cage, and since it is high off the ground he cannot go in and out as he pleases. The noise coming from his glass surfing wakes me up early in the morning when his lamps turn on, and is very irritating to listen to throughout the day. I love him very much, but if this continues I am unsure if I will be able to keep him.

How did you guys get your beardie to stop glass surfing? Is it something they grow out of? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[CooperDragon]

Some of them are very energetic. This may be the case if he's been doing it since last summer. He's also at an age when his hormones may be kicking in and making it more intense than usual. This will subside, but if his personality is energetic then he may want out to explore and run around even as an adult. My guy is this way too. He hates being stuck in his tank for very long. I've compensated by setting up portable basking spots for him in the house. He returns to them when he wants to warm up. One is just a plain halogen flood light for heat and the others are mercury vapor bulbs to provide UVB too. I'd start with one portable light with a plain basking bulb in it for him to warm up under and see how he responds to it.

 

[LilCheeto]

Some of them are very energetic. This may be the case if he's been doing it since last summer. He's also at an age when his hormones may be kicking in and making it more intense than usual. This will subside, but if his personality is energetic then he may want out to explore and run around even as an adult. My guy is this way too. He hates being stuck in his tank for very long. I've compensated by setting up portable basking spots for him in the house. He returns to them when he wants to warm up. One is just a plain halogen flood light for heat and the others are mercury vapor bulbs to provide UVB too. I'd start with one portable light with a plain basking bulb in it for him to warm up under and see how he responds to it.

Thank you very much! I will definitely try this out

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, getting a light for basking while out of the tank may help out. We have had a dragon
in the past, who just did not want to stay in his tank at all. We did the same thing & he was
happy spending time out with supplemental lighting & then part of the time in his tank, too.
Do let us know how this works out for him!

Tracie