Male Bearded Dragon Digging A Lot

[zandi202]

I have recently added my first bearded dragon to my family. I got him mid-November and he is about 3 months old now. He's ten inches long and is in a 30 gallon terrarium I got with the Bearded Dragon starter kit. I use Vita-Sand with him as recommended from the pet store since that is what they had him on and they had it with no problem. The temperatures are correct - 100 for basking and 85 for cool side. He eats and poops regularly. Anyways, it's always at night when his basking and UVB lights are off, he starts digging and he starts digging a lot. I know for a fact he is male, he just finished his first full shed, he's vary active/attentive. The only thing is is that he digs even when there is no more sand left. Thanks!

 

[Erok000]

100 is a lil low for daytime temps. Do you have a hide for him or a blanket for him to crawl in? Do you use any kind of heat light at night? Also it is highly recomended that you dont use sand, even if no problems have occured, they can. Not worth the risk in my book.

 

[zandi202]

I have two heat lamps on during the day as well as at night on either side of the cage and during the day he also has his basking and UVB. I'll look into other substrates. I'm saving up for a temp gun, right now I have the cheapy air thermometers and I know that the actual temps are off. I have a dual branch basking spot where he hides in the shade on the ground as well as a turtle shell on the cooler side he loves to hide in at night. The only time he shows any distress is at night when he starts digging in the corners and in his shell. He does eventually settle down. During the day he isn't stressed at all. The two heat lamps, one is purple and you can't see the light, but the other is red.... Is there a chance the red could be upsetting him?

 

[snazzyglasses]

Sometimes if they're too warm they'll try to dig someplace cooler, so maybe his temps are the issue. Hopefully you can get that temp gun soon! (I love mine. Got it off Amazon.com for about $35)
A cheaper alternative would be an "indoor-outdoor" digital thermometer w/ probe, you can get one for under $15 at a place like WalMart or a home improvement store.

 

[AHBD]

I agree with Snazzy, he is too hot at night. The temps. should drop to 65 -75 or so at night , if not they can become dehydrated and also if you have experienced trying to sleep when it's hot, it's just uncomfortable. Aside from that, beardies love to dig,but he is probably trying to escape and find a cool spot.

 

[KatfaceinWonderland]

I'm having the same trouble, I literally came on to put a post about this myself.

My temps are all correct (I think) about 102 usually during the day on his basking side generally, and about 71 at night.

But he digs like mad, all the time, on the cool side and the hot side, during the day and just before bed.

He eats really well, rarely ever has stress lines, goes to the toilet regularly. All normal and happy.

I gendered him myself, I can quite clearly see the femoral glands on his legs and the two bumps are definitely there, but could I still be wrong? I know both genders dig, but isn't it much more common in females?

 

[AHBD]

Beardies are like other animals, they enjoy different activities and behaviors. Just like some dogs + cats are mellow, some hyper....dogs are a good example of liking to dig/tear at things, but not all do. You may just have a spunky monkey. Sometimes the behavoir comes with dissatisfaction of their environment, sometimes it's just a quirky little personality .

 

[KatfaceinWonderland]

Heehee! That's a brilliant reply, thank you. He's my little spunky monkey.

 

[zandi202]

The air temps at night are about 72-ish. I found a temp gun at Petco for $20, just waiting for pay. Thank you guys so much for your advice. I'm a new mother to bearded dragons and I have a hard time finding the answers in the books.

 

[Breebaby11]

My bear die is a crazy digger. Except I don't think he does it to get cool. I check his temps constantly. Some times are get too low because it's cold outside so it gets cool in my room easily. But he has dug when its warm and cold. He digs so much that right now he has mountains in his viv lol. We have sand and a piece of tile on the warm side. He will div under the tile and I won't be able to see him at all. At first I was worried that he would get hurt or stuck but he is fine and can get out. I have no idea why he does this but its just been here lately that he has started to dig.