need advice about my enclosure

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

so i got a baby beardie for christmas (ive been asking for years and my parents got a promotion)
and i need some enclosure advice. he for some reason is near the window and staring at the curtains often.
one time i was getting some water when i woke up and noticed he was pressed on the window with his tail in the water
my uncle has a beardie and sometimes i ask for advice from him
also, strangely my humidity detector things are never in the blue zone
heres my enclosure because i dont wanna describe it:

 

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

Dragons do not play w/ toys -- the best way to keep him from getting bored is to take him out of his tank if hes a year old-- if hes still a baby I would recommend handling him in the tank especially if he biting -- you dont want to lose him they can get into places that are hard to get out of - you can take him place him on the back of a chair or couch in front of a window let him look out the window they like that - you can set him on the floor and let him explore your room / LR but you must beardie proof it --- no stuff on the floor he can eat get under something you cant get him out of - no cats or dogs etc --- sounds like he got traumatized by the glove --- what are you trying to hand feed him? Horn worms super worms are good treat worms use those when hand feeding -- that will get him used to you -- now the lamp on the screen I think is your basking bulb -- the UVB you got is the T 5 correct? Please post a pic of the screen so I can see it --- we need to get the UVB properly placed w/ placement and distance

most likely traumatized by my little brother's persistence on touching him, yeah. im hand feeding him mealworms (one of his favorites) and dandelion greens (another one of his favorites) and most of the time, crickets. and the screen looks like this:

 

[KarrieRee]

most likely traumatized by my little brother's persistence on touching him, yeah. im hand feeding him mealworms (one of his favorites) and dandelion greens (another one of his favorites) and most of the time, crickets. and the screen looks like this:

View attachment 66661

Ok so do you have the T 5 on top- if so that's good place a piece of decor directly underneath- 8-10 inches-+ your gonna haft to keep w/ working w/ him -- key here is trust and patience

 

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

Ok so do you have the T 5 on top- if so that's good place a piece of decor directly underneath- 8-10 inches-+ your gonna haft to keep w/ working w/ him -- key here is trust and patience

i usually hand feed him with the gloves to try to get him think "gloves = food", but he seems sorta comfortable with my bare hand. i sometimes (carefully) hand feed him some of his favorites without the glove, since he seems to think the glove is a threat. and yes, tis a t5. im planning to get artificial plants and some more stuff for him to do other than bask, cool, eat, drink water, sleep, repeat. maybe like some more stuff to climb or (as i read on a bearded dragon care website) a mini hampster ball kinda thing where you put food in it and they chase it around

 

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

i usually hand feed him with the gloves to try to get him think "gloves = food", but he seems sorta comfortable with my bare hand. i sometimes (carefully) hand feed him some of his favorites without the glove, since he seems to think the glove is a threat. and yes, tis a t5. im planning to get artificial plants and some more stuff for him to do other than bask, cool, eat, drink water, sleep, repeat. maybe like some more stuff to climb or (as i read on a bearded dragon care website) a mini hampster ball kinda thing where you put food in it and they chase it

maybe ill try putting the gloves in there idk

 

[KarrieRee]

maybe ill try putting the gloves in there idk

I would use your hand you want him hand tamed-

 

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

I would use your hand you want him hand tamed-

ive been hand feeding him (bare, because he seems to be deeply afraid by the glove and i dont wanna make him upset) mealworms, crickets, and greens. not comfortable enough to let me handle him, but he seems to trust my bare hand a little bit

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Congratulations and welcome to the club! The lighting and temperature info given already is really good, follow that and you are off to a good start. Does s/he seem to like having the window there and looking out or does it seem to stress them out? Is s/he just hanging out staring or is s/he scratching at the glass and surfing? If that is the case you might want to consider a picture cling that will block the view and keep them from seeing their reflection and feeling threatened by it. Otherwise, good decor would be things to climb on or hide under. You could even get a background that s/he can climb on. My guy loves his ZooMed cork tiles so much, he will sleep on it sometimes!

 

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

Congratulations and welcome to the club! The lighting and temperature info given already is really good, follow that and you are off to a good start. Does s/he seem to like having the window there and looking out or does it seem to stress them out? Is s/he just hanging out staring or is s/he scratching at the glass and surfing? If that is the case you might want to consider a picture cling that will block the view and keep them from seeing their reflection and feeling threatened by it. Otherwise, good decor would be things to climb on or hide under. You could even get a background that s/he can climb on. My guy loves his ZooMed cork tiles so much, he will sleep on it sometimes!

planning to go to petsmart tomorrow to buy some more places to hide and climb since they couldnt deliver the artificial plants . however, i saw this really funny little beach thing they can chill on. he looks out of the window sometimes, mainly to stare at my tv, but strangely he glass surfs next to my monitor sometimes. like, i watch a video and he runs over and starts glass surfing. he seems interested in his reflection but doesnt seem to think its a threat. he also likes to chill on his hammock like how i sleep (laying down, one arm off the bed) and it looks comfortable. also, quick question, should i change the timer thing on my lamps to not make a loud click sound and turn off, and instead slowly darken?

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

planning to go to petsmart tomorrow to buy some more places to hide and climb since they couldnt deliver the artificial plants . however, i saw this really funny little beach thing they can chill on. he looks out of the window sometimes, mainly to stare at my tv, but strangely he glass surfs next to my monitor sometimes. like, i watch a video and he runs over and starts glass surfing. he seems interested in his reflection but doesnt seem to think its a threat. he also likes to chill on his hammock like how i sleep (laying down, one arm off the bed) and it looks comfortable. also, quick question, should i change the timer thing on my lamps to not make a loud click sound and turn off, and instead slowly yo

planning to go to petsmart tomorrow to buy some more places to hide and climb since they couldnt deliver the artificial plants . however, i saw this really funny little beach thing they can chill on. he looks out of the window sometimes, mainly to stare at my tv, but strangely he glass surfs next to my monitor sometimes. like, i watch a video and he runs over and starts glass surfing. he seems interested in his reflection but doesnt seem to think its a threat. he also likes to chill on his hammock like how i sleep (laying down, one arm off the bed) and it looks comfortable. also, quick question, should i change the timer thing on my lamps to not make a loud click sound and turn off, and instead slowly darken?

Might start seeing the reflection as more of a threat as he gets older and more territorial so it might be something to watch for, but for now it seems like he is just getting used to surroundings and interested in what's going on. I use the ZooMed timer power strip that just clicks them on and off and it works fine, but if you are able to do it more like a natural sunrise/sunset dimming effect I think that would be really cool! I'm sure it exists somewhere as like a climate control system, but I've always wanted a timer that could be programmed with date and time and then it would automatically turn the lights on and off with the sunrise/sunset every day. The more closely we can recreate their natural environment, the better right?

 

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

Might start seeing the reflection as more of a threat as he gets older and more territorial so it might be something to watch for, but for now it seems like he is just getting used to surroundings and interested in what's going on. I use the ZooMed timer power strip that just clicks them on and off and it works fine, but if you are able to do it more like a natural sunrise/sunset dimming effect I think that would be really cool! I'm sure it exists somewhere as like a climate control system, but I've always wanted a timer that could be programmed with date and time and then it would automatically turn the lights on and off with the sunrise/sunset every day. The more closely we can recreate their natural environment, the better right?

yeah, the closer the better, but before i researched like crazy i wanted a sand substrate, but they can eat it and screw up their intestines, so i just went with reptile carpet. btw, should i get more places to hide? he has under this piece of wood and his little cave, and i bought him this little log thing but i feel like there isnt enough. also, he runs from my hand because my brother was picking him up roughly when i was visiting a friend, and i dont know how to fix it.

 

[KarrieRee]

yeah, the closer the better, but before i researched like crazy i wanted a sand substrate, but they can eat it and screw up their intestines, so i just went with reptile carpet. btw, should i get more places to hide? he has under this piece of wood and his little cave, and i bought him this little log thing but i feel like there isnt enough. also, he runs from my hand because my brother was picking him up roughly when i was visiting a friend, and i dont know how to fix it.

Time and patience and no more handling by the little brother- he has traumatized the dragon it sounds like -- they are very scared when getting moved into a enclosure and not sure of their surroundings -- your going to haft to learn his trust -- keep working w/ him every day talking to him place a piece of cloth w/ your scent in his hide or a blanket like fleece so he gets used to your scent - approach from the side not the top - he will think you are a predator -- they have a 3rd eye on top of their heads - he only needs one hide for now does he use the one you have now?

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

How old is your brother? Is he old enough to learn how to properly handle the lizard? If so, you should teach him. It would be a good bonding exercise for everyone, and if you will have the dragon in the same house he will need to learn eventually. I would wait until your dragon has settled down and is trusting you first. If your brother doesn't learn though, it will be very difficult to keep your little guy from continuing to get retraumatized unless you have a way to keep him completely away from your brother.

 

[AFirst-TimeLizardOwner]

How old is your brother? Is he old enough to learn how to properly handle the lizard? If so, you should teach him. It would be a good bonding exercise for everyone, and if you will have the dragon in the same house he will need to learn eventually. I would wait until your dragon has settled down and is trusting you first. If your brother doesn't learn though, it will be very difficult to keep your little guy from continuing to get retraumatized unless you have a way to keep him completely away from your brother.

7-ish. i told him to not like grab him from the sides because he doesnt like it, if he is opening his mouth he's angry, most likely will bite, and doesn't wanna be touched. also, i offered my older sister to (gently) handle him but she declined, and i dont think my parents wanna hold a tiny bearded dragon. i also told him only to touch him when i give him permission so he doesnt get bit. also, an update on the handing thing, he wont attack me but prefers to not be held. i was able to get him to walk around on my bed and on my arms n legs and belly, and he seems to be getting used to my bare hand now. hopefully he'll be chill when he becomes gargantuan, because i've seen some giant beardies.

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

That's good. Emphasize that he doesn't want to hurt the little guy and to be gentle, and only with your supervision so that they are both safe. Your brother might be feeling left out because you have this cool new pet, so giving him a way to participate safely could give him a way to not feel like he has to go in there when you aren't home. As far as the trust with the dragon, it just takes time and patience. If he is crawling around near you and on you that's a good start. Hand feeding is really good too. He might never really like to be just held. My guy doesn't like to just sit still and chill with me, but he gets on my hand when I open his cage so I can lower him to the ground, eats out of my hand, doesn't freak out or run away when I do pick him up and just generally tolerates me doing whatever needs to be done with him. There are times though that I think he feels whatever the lizard version of love toward me, like when he hides somewhere and pops out as I walk by, or follows me into the next room, or the rare occasion that he does lay down on my chest and snuggle down. Those are the moments that make all of the stress over lighting and small behavior changes and eating habits and poop (I never thought I would be so obsessed with poop!) worth it though!