Just a 4 minute walk

[NickAVD]

I just thought I'd share a small snippet of Foxy's daily walk.
He asks to go for a walk every day and explores his territory every day.
This fitness usually lasts 2-3 hours every day.

 

[xp29]

I just thought I'd share a small snippet of Foxy's daily walk.
He asks to go for a walk every day and explores his territory every day.
This fitness usually lasts 2-3 hours every day.

I love the way he just hops right on his 'climbing wall' Foxy is a very lucky beardie having that much freedom and enrichment.
I wish I could let my guys roam like that but Christina is always thinking 2 day out and not in the present. I'm terrified she would step on them or flop down in the recliner without making sure no one is under it.
I only let mine roam when I'm with them to supervise.

 

[NickAVD]

I love the way he just hops right on his 'climbing wall' Foxy is a very lucky beardie having that much freedom and enrichment.
I wish I could let my guys roam like that but Christina is always thinking 2 day out and not in the present. I'm terrified she would step on them or flop down in the recliner without making sure no one is under it.
I only let mine roam when I'm with them to supervise.

Yes, you have to be very careful when free-ranging. When watching the video, it all seems so simple. But we've been working towards this for a long time. You know that dragons don't like changes in scenery, so Foxy gradually mastered his territory. Now he knows exactly where he is the boss (these are the fleece blankets on the floor), and where the territory is, where he only goes temporarily to check what's going on there.
All this is located in the living room, so we've all developed a reflex - before entering the room, we look where Foxy is sitting. Usually he warms himself up and looks at us, sitting on his little house. If he's not there, then we enter the room very carefully, trying to find where he went to explore, find him and return him to his territory. Previously, he often went to explore the room, but now he's well remembered where his space is and almost never leaves this perimeter.
I saw that you've already taken the first step towards the same walks by buying a playpen. That's great! I'll be looking forward to hearing about how it all works for you!

 

[xp29]

Yes, you have to be very careful when free-ranging. When watching the video, it all seems so simple. But we've been working towards this for a long time. You know that dragons don't like changes in scenery, so Foxy gradually mastered his territory. Now he knows exactly where he is the boss (these are the fleece blankets on the floor), and where the territory is, where he only goes temporarily to check what's going on there.
All this is located in the living room, so we've all developed a reflex - before entering the room, we look where Foxy is sitting. Usually he warms himself up and looks at us, sitting on his little house. If he's not there, then we enter the room very carefully, trying to find where he went to explore, find him and return him to his territory. Previously, he often went to explore the room, but now he's well remembered where his space is and almost never leaves this perimeter.
I saw that you've already taken the first step towards the same walks by buying a playpen. That's great! I'll be looking forward to hearing about how it all works for you!

It's amazing how smart they are. I think Foxy is probably on the higher end of that range also.
My guys always run straight for my bed room or straight for the dining room. Every one of them has been like this. I have no idea why. I don't mind the bedroom so much it is carpeted but the kitchen and dining room are tile and they get cold really quickly.
The new play pen (fencing really) should solve several problems. I'll have to figure out some enrichment to encourage them to take advantage of the floor space though. Zsa Zsa has become quite lazy.

 

[NickAVD]

It's amazing how smart they are. I think Foxy is probably on the higher end of that range also.
My guys always run straight for my bed room or straight for the dining room. Every one of them has been like this. I have no idea why. I don't mind the bedroom so much it is carpeted but the kitchen and dining room are tile and they get cold really quickly.

There is probably an explanation for this. Also, dragons think in patterns, if dragon wants to run, he remembers that last time he ran to the kitchen and nothing happened, so this is a safe route and it needs to be repeated. We need to support their natural instincts and try to form the right patterns.
I am sure that your guys think similarly to Foxy, and it will not be difficult to show them how to use the large space of the room. Your idea with the playpen will be a great enrichment.

The new play pen (fencing really) should solve several problems. I'll have to figure out some enrichment to encourage them to take advantage of the floor space though. Zsa Zsa has become quite lazy.

You can put branches, beautiful stones, pillows. I think they will be interested in all this.
And I think Zsa Zsa will lose the extra weight when she has space to run around.

 

[ChileanTaco]

Yes, you have to be very careful when free-ranging. When watching the video, it all seems so simple. But we've been working towards this for a long time. You know that dragons don't like changes in scenery, so Foxy gradually mastered his territory. Now he knows exactly where he is the boss (these are the fleece blankets on the floor), and where the territory is, where he only goes temporarily to check what's going on there.

We do it just the same way But he's always semi-supervised, means, I am in the same room doing something that is not dangerous for him, like reading, folding laundry...
Taco is also very much about walking always the same routes, checking the same things.
(But after about 30 minutes he wants back into his enclosure. Likely because he gets cold, we have tile everywhere. Room temperature is currently 27 °C (summer, no heating, no cooling).)

What's also positive about this: His nails aren't longer so sharp.
Before we did this often, his nails were razor-sharp. Really. Despite his naturalistic enclosure setup will all the sand, branches and stones, his nails not only hurt, they were so sharp they made deep cuts into my skin just when climbing around on me or being picked up. He didn't fight, but I looked like he did.... Now, I won't get cuts anymore.

@xp29

I'm terrified she would step on them or flop down in the recliner without making sure no one is under it.

We don't have a recliner or chairs with pillows he could hide under, but our biggest fear - or let's better say, caution - are office chairs. My husband is working from home, and I partially do so, so one room is a fully equipped office with 2 normal office chairs and 2 extra ergonomic office chairs (kneeling). For this reason, he's only allowed very much supervised into the office.
Taco can go into the bedroom (there is not much other than a bed, it's literally a bed-room) where he likes looking under the bed, he's allowed to run around in the room where there is his enclosure (there are bookcases and a dining table with chairs) and into the kitchen when nobody is using it. Bathroom is a no-no - even when the toilet seat lids are closed, one danger remains, there might be residuals of sharp cleaners, such as on the toilet brush.

 

[xp29]

We do it just the same way But he's always semi-supervised, means, I am in the same room doing something that is not dangerous for him, like reading, folding laundry...
Taco is also very much about walking always the same routes, checking the same things.
(But after about 30 minutes he wants back into his enclosure. Likely because he gets cold, we have tile everywhere. Room temperature is currently 27 °C (summer, no heating, no cooling).)

What's also positive about this: His nails aren't longer so sharp.
Before we did this often, his nails were razor-sharp. Really. Despite his naturalistic enclosure setup will all the sand, branches and stones, his nails not only hurt, they were so sharp they made deep cuts into my skin just when climbing around on me or being picked up. He didn't fight, but I looked like he did.... Now, I won't get cuts anymore.

@xp29

We don't have a recliner or chairs with pillows he could hide under, but our biggest fear - or let's better say, caution - are office chairs. My husband is working from home, and I partially do so, so one room is a fully equipped office with 2 normal office chairs and 2 extra ergonomic office chairs (kneeling). For this reason, he's only allowed very much supervised into the office.
Taco can go into the bedroom (there is not much other than a bed, it's literally a bed-room) where he likes looking under the bed, he's allowed to run around in the room where there is his enclosure (there are bookcases and a dining table with chairs) and into the kitchen when nobody is using it. Bathroom is a no-no - even when the toilet seat lids are closed, one danger remains, there might be residuals of sharp cleaners, such as on the toilet brush.

Yup sounds like Taco has about the same ability as my guys. If I'm there to supervise them I let go anywhere except the bathrooms. But I watch them like a hawk if Christina is home. She nearly stepped on Sinatra a few days ago coming in from the patio. I was yelling full voice but she gets so in her own head she has Zero situational awareness. I ended up rushing toward her which scared her and caused her to stop moving. If I hadn't been there she would have stepped on him. It scared her even more when she realized why I seemily charged at her. But she is always like that so I have to be extra careful

 

[NickAVD]

We do it just the same way But he's always semi-supervised, means, I am in the same room doing something that is not dangerous for him, like reading, folding laundry...
Taco is also very much about walking always the same routes, checking the same things.
(But after about 30 minutes he wants back into his enclosure. Likely because he gets cold, we have tile everywhere. Room temperature is currently 27 °C (summer, no heating, no cooling).)

Foxy is also under control. I work in the same room, I have a desk and a laptop nearby.
If I leave Foxy alone, for example, to make coffee in the kitchen, then this happens for 5 minutes, if I need to go away for more time, then I periodically look into the room to check that he is sitting on his home.
But 30 minutes of walking is definitely not enough for Foxy. If I return him to the terrarium, he will ask to go back. He is very nervous when his territory is left unattended.

 

[NickAVD]

Yup sounds like Taco has about the same ability as my guys. If I'm there to supervise them I let go anywhere except the bathrooms. But I watch them like a hawk if Christina is home. She nearly stepped on Sinatra a few days ago coming in from the patio. I was yelling full voice but she gets so in her own head she has Zero situational awareness. I ended up rushing toward her which scared her and caused her to stop moving. If I hadn't been there she would have stepped on him. It scared her even more when she realized why I seemily charged at her. But she is always like that so I have to be extra careful

I would be VERY scared too.
That's why we created a place for Foxy where he will be comfortable and where he won't want to leave.
Last year he tried to leave the living room, so I blocked the doorway with a small box.
This year he doesn't try to do that.
Your idea with the fences is a great solution so that the dragons only walk in their own territory.

 

[ChileanTaco]

But 30 minutes of walking is definitely not enough for Foxy. If I return him to the terrarium, he will ask to go back. He is very nervous when his territory is left unattended.

He always wants back because of the heat, I think.
Regarding territory left unattended: He is very much into that, but maybe a bit differently in how he does it. I think he's thinking of his enclosure as his territory, and the apartment as some extended territory. When he was younger, once I put him back, the checked everything (including licking things) in his enclosure very thoroughly. Even if he'd been only out for literally a minute, or - when we were still training to take him out - I just picked him up inside his enclosure and set him down 30 seconds to a minute later.

 

[NickAVD]

Regarding territory left unattended: He is very much into that, but maybe a bit differently in how he does it. I think he's thinking of his enclosure as his territory, and the apartment as some extended territory.

Yes, you are right.
During the spring fever, Foxy asked to go for a walk so often that he got used to this room and decided that his territory was in the room, lol.

 

[ChileanTaco]

@NickAVD
Mine about 3 - 4 times a week, but often not for days as Taco also often hides for some days. (Like he currently does, hiding the second day. He's also finishing shedding, but also otherwise usually hides for 1 - 2 days per week.)

 

[NickAVD]

@NickAVD
Mine about 3 - 4 times a week, but often not for days as Taco also often hides for some days. (Like he currently does, hiding the second day. He's also finishing shedding, but also otherwise usually hides for 1 - 2 days per week.)

Foxy doesn't hide at all during spring fever.
Every morning I go to the terrarium and he's already waiting, leaning against the glass doors.
I think this will last another month or two.

 

[ChileanTaco]

@NickAVD
Currently here is no spring fever time anymore, but hiding 1 - 2 days per week despite being awake, he does this all year round (brumation is another thing). I've read there are dragons who aren't using caves or hides at all - tell this Taco
How Taco signalizes he wants out: As his enclosure opens from the top, he has (quickly) learned I can only get him out* if he's on the branch or climbing wall on the right side (so: front, up). He then goes up there and looks at me. When I then reach in, almost sure he really wants out, i.e. steps up.

*In an emergency, I could get him out from everywhere but might need something to access him. But to "nicely" get him out: Only from "front, up".

 

[xp29]

Foxy is also under control. I work in the same room, I have a desk and a laptop nearby.
If I leave Foxy alone, for example, to make coffee in the kitchen, then this happens for 5 minutes, if I need to go away for more time, then I periodically look into the room to check that he is sitting on his home.
But 30 minutes of walking is definitely not enough for Foxy. If I return him to the terrarium, he will ask to go back. He is very nervous when his territory is left unattended.

Some other beardies might try to move in on his turf