cave for hiding

[shrangley]

I'm the proud momma of two beardies. Nigel (1 1/2 yrs) loves basking on his log and watching the action. I inherited him. I got Falcor half a year ago, was told then he was 6 mo old & abused. He was very skittish for a long time & is still high wired. He loves to hide behind all his logs & rocks & I'm worried it'll encourage him to be unsociable even though I pet him daily & take him out a few times a wk for bath time (which he also hates). I want to take away his cave to encourage him to socialize more but don't want to traumatize him. Does anyone have this problem? He'd sooner hide in his cave than socialize, which he does under duress. He IS beginning to tolerate it because I reward him with supers afterward. I'd be interested in knowing what accessories (other than a basking spot) people have in their tanks.
Thanks for any input.

 

[Gail]

I firmly believe that caves are un-necessary, especially for dragons who choose to hide all the time. In the years I've been keeping dragons, I've only provided a hide for dragons that are brumating.

 

[jjh1]

I have caves they go in there female goes to dig around or find shade other then that she doesnt use it.
I do have to take the tiki hut out of my males viv because he loves to hid in there at times and its to cold in there for him as its on the cool side.
I usually put it back in when I know he is down for the sleepy count only

 

[shrangley]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll remove some of Falcor's rocky shelter to make the 55 a more open environment. Maybe he'll get a little more user-friendly. When I take him out, he scampers all over me & won't settle down. It's like he's ready to kamakazi from five feet up. It's a bit unnerving to have him hanging from my back. I keep readjusting him to my shoulder. I'm definitely determined to get him to settle down, hang loose, & enjoy life a little more. I tried a hammock but he didn't like it. My big guy, Nigel, loved his hammock but it collapsed under his weight so I thought I'd share it with Falcor, who's lighter. No go.