enrichment ideas

[DesertandKami]

just wondering what everyone uses in their vivarium's or outwith for enrichment?
ours have branches with different levels and widths but rarely use them, they prefer to climb over and in between their rocks, they come out to sit with me and watch tv or listen to music (they really like Muse) and I made some tubes with holes cut out so when they are getting a treat of worms etc they have to roll them around to get the worms out, I don't like sand as a substrate but give them a sand pit occasionally to allow them to dig as I feel I'm suppressing their natural behaviours by using a tiled floor, but I just feel like they sit around most of the day looking bored.
I'm not sure if I'm anthropomorphising them as they seem really happy, have never puffed or shown a black beard whilst I've had them ( 2years), never bitten, healthy.
most reptile shops in the UK just sell branches and rocks as enrichment but seeing other with swings and ladders etc makes me wonder what similar things I could use.

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

maybe setting up an outdoor enclosure could work for enrichment. You could also get hornworms or something and have them chase the worm around, Venus likes chasing it around which is good exercise i guess.

 

[Taterbug]

Sounds like you are doing fairly well with what you have already.

How large are your enclosures? More space will allow more environmental enrichment such as different elevations, temperatures etc. You can also vary things like lighting and heat if your enclosure is big enough for multiple basking areas. Changing the hottest area from time to time, for example. I have a large rope ladder pepper likes to use and some big chunks of cork bark in addition to branches and everything gets rearranged from time to time.

I use a soil substrate with offers digging opportunities and lets me simulate “rain” from time to time, pepper seems to enjoy it sometimes.

Food challenges like hanging leafy greens or veggies around the enclosure. Dietary variety is also a good form of enrichment and similar to your treat tubes slow moving feeders like hornworms and silkworms can be arranged in the cage to encourage a bit of foraging, or at least moving about.


Offering a view outside from the enclosure.

I have a “lizard tree” setup on my sunroom - basically a collection of branches with a big heat lamp. Pepper gets to sit out in it and have the whole sunroom to roam from time to time. Proper temps are important for any out of cage enrichment.

 

[DesertandKami]

Thank you both for the suggestions they are great!
I was thinking of converting our ground floor veranda into an outside enclosure for summertime only problem being we don’t get much of a summer in Scotland, but would still be nice on warm days for some natural light!

Our enclosures have enough room for different levels we bought some reptile safe modelling clay so just need to find something that we can build the structure with before adding the clay and then hopefully be able to adjust it to their individual needs as our oldest one can climb steep branches etc.
I never thought of soil for digging will look into that!
As for the sun room I think that’s a great idea would I need two separate ones as I have a Male and female who don’t get along and would worry about the scent of one putting the other off?

 

[Taterbug]

I’d think they would be fine, just separate times for use. Smells can be a good form of enrichment too. I let my snakes use the room from time to time as well, no one is really put off.