Noob Owner/Adopted Beardie

[nheps]

Hello All,
I understand it can take weeks for a dragon to adapt to new surroundings. Here is what I'm observing in his time outside the enclosure...

I'd like to have him free in the house as much as possible, both for his exercise/recreation and to naturally file his claws on our slate floor.
I set a heating pad on the floor (with his towel) to offer a familiar place for thermal regulation. I also bring his food dish there.

He is relatively inactive outside his enclosure. And mostly drawn to the drafty portion of our sliding glass door, which I find odd given our current weather conditions (30-40deg F).

Anything to be concerned about? Any advice on how to help him more quickly adapt to the new home, and be more active when outside his enclosure?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Aaradimian]

Hi,
It does take them a while to adapt, but you may want to keep him in his viv so he realizes it's "home" before letting him out & about. As long as there aren't kids or other pets roaming around, and there aren't places he can get behind or stuff on the floor to eat, it's probably okay to let him out unsupervised for a little while. However, they do need their UV, and if yours is like mine & seems to gravitate to cold, dark hideaways, he's not going to get enough if he's out for a long time. I personally restrict my 2 to "known" areas of the house, keep an eye on them, and only have them out about an hour or so per day (never together). I guess it varies with the situation, but I'd keep the above in mind whatever you decide.

 

[Blackenedsabbath]

I did something similar with my beardie after I had him for about a week(which was probably too early), and he didn't really run too much either, but now he patrols the house; give your beardie some time to adjust and I'm sure you'll notice a difference. What are your basking temps like in his terrarium? Mine tends to get super zoomy after basking for awhile.

But in terms of running in the house, for right now I'd suggest keeping him in a smaller or more confined area, foam puzzle pieces for kids can be used to make a cheap fenced in area, and the colours can intrigue him. Having a much smaller area helped Pancake a lot, but once he felt more confident he tried to climb up the side, so keep an eye on that if you choose to make a fenced in area :lol:

Regarding the drafty door, my beardie does the exact same thing; they want to observe the great outdoors. If there's a less drafty area near a window you could try setting him there or holding him (if he lets you) in front of the window and let him look around for a bit.