likes front of viv?

[anwyn]

Newbie here, just joined, but really have one silly question...

Mort, 5 months old, likes to hang out at the front of her viv. It's nice and big 4', UV strip, basking light, additional night heat light which is on most of the time to keep the warm end at good temp right now - as I'm in the UK and don't have house heat on most of the day. Has a cave on warm side which she never uses, a nice branch with hidden area behind in cool area but she never goes back there either.

But she loves being right up to the glass. She basks there. Cools down there. Sleeps there. Just watches me through the glass. Or glass surfs a bit. (but not much, at pretty set times, and usually then I open it up and we have quality time.) She does like to burrow under the newspaper in the front corner to sleep, but she doesn't go in any of her cave or hide areas except when once when she was a bit poorly. (I have repticarpet underneath the paper in her sleeping corner for her now.)

I've moved a couple nice rocks to the front so she can see over the bottom metal edge of the glass slider because she was always lying there but trying to prop her head up to see out. So now she has a nice round rock to lie on and a slate for basking.

Is this strange? She seems perfectly happy and healthy. Perky and runs around like a crazy thing at feeding time, eating well and pooping well so I figure she is getting the basking light/temp she must need. Would it be weird to move the basking lamp forward a bit to adjust to where she wants to be?

 

[KahliLizard]

It is perfectly normal. With it being a new place, she might just feel comfortable in the front. I know when I add new stuff to my beardies viv, he will avoid it as well as he can. It then takes him a few more months before he starts going over there and playing on it. I have this one thing, called a reptile ladder which I set up so it's at a slope that I'm not afraid he will fall off of, and he still avoids it if he can, but sometimes, I will catch him on it. Then he will run off it, and act like he was never on it. He does that with other things as well. Some beardies just take time getting used to things, and then they will go on it, or go into the back part in your case. That is just the way some beardies are. It does make things quite interesting, I must say.

 

[anwyn]

haha, I like the idea that they secretly play when we're not looking. I'm hoping at some point she'll discover she can climb the branch she has.

 

[KahliLizard]

if you want, you could probably pick her up, and put her on the branch. maybe then she'll see how much fun it can be :wink:

 

[anwyn]

I moved the branch to a different position and put up a hammock for her. She's still a front o' viv girl, but I did catch her on the hammock! It's very new so might take her a bit of time to brave it more often. It's on the cool side and she doesn't go there often, but there just wasn't room to hang it on the warm side.