Odd night behavior

Kelseyensley

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Ramses
My bearded dragon Ramses (2 year old female) has been having some strange behavior the last couple of nights. When I turn her lights off, she usually goes to sleep immediately or a few minutes afterwards. These last couple of nights, when I turn her light off, she will slide off her basking rock, pace around her enclosure then start glass surfing. Last night, I open her door to see what was wrong and she jumped out of her enclosure into the bag full of bags next to her enclosure (I use these to clean up messes in her enclosure). She wasn’t harmed and just laid on them. I picked her up and held her then put her back on her basking rock in her enclosure. She fell asleep afterwards. This evening, same routine. Except after putting her back in the first time, she glassed surfed again. I then opened her enclosure and put my hand in. She immediately crawled up my arm, put her nose in the crease of my arm, and fell asleep. I held her for a bit before putting her back on her rock where she finally fell asleep. Could she just be wanting me to hold her more? Or is she having this weird behavior change because of hormones due to being in the process of making eggs (her appetite has been off a bit as well as she’s been wanting bugs like dubia roaches more than her greens here lately)? Or is this something that I should be very concerned about?
 

Chris.

Juvie Member
Beardie name(s)
Luis and Lilith
What is your light shedule comoare to sunrise and sunset?
Do you have night time heat or light?

She could also be just clingy.
My boy startet waiting for me to bring him to bed also. But he will just go sleep in his hide if I'm not around (he never does that if I'm around, he usually sleeps high up on a branch)
 

ChileanTaco

Hatchling Member
Beardie name(s)
Taco
I would think of an insect annoying her at night: she goes to sleep, after a while the insect awakes. Any chance that a feeder insect might have become loose inside the enclosure?

In case you have any kind of a night vision camera, you can use it to check.
 

Kelseyensley

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Ramses
What is your light shedule comoare to sunrise and sunset?
Do you have night time heat or light?

She could also be just clingy.
My boy startet waiting for me to bring him to bed also. But he will just go sleep in his hide if I'm not around (he never does that if I'm around, he usually sleeps high up on a branch)

I would think of an insect annoying her at night: she goes to sleep, after a while the insect awakes. Any chance that a feeder insect might have become loose inside the enclosure?

In case you have any kind of a night vision camera, you can use it to check.
No insects in her enclosure. I feed her live bugs by tongs to prevent that lol. But her food sits in a drawer next to her enclosure, but I hardly hear them make any noise. I feed her dubia roaches and worms since she doesn’t care for crickets. They are also very quiet lol. I should add that her food has always been right next to her enclosure for the last almost two years.
 

Kelseyensley

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Ramses
What is your light shedule comoare to sunrise and sunset?
Do you have night time heat or light?

She could also be just clingy.
My boy startet waiting for me to bring him to bed also. But he will just go sleep in his hide if I'm not around (he never does that if I'm around, he usually sleeps high up on a branch)
Her schedule is 7:30am-7:30pm until first day of spring, then I will make it until 8:30pm or 9:30pm (I can’t remember right now if it’s 13hrs or 14hrs in the spring/summer time). And yes, she has a moonlight that I turn on low since it gets pretty chilly in my house at night still. Especially in the room she’s in.

I was wondering if she was really comfortable and use to me now b/c after having her for almost two years, she has never just walked on my hand and up my arm willingly. This was the first time. I had to rock her in my arms last night for a bit then put her on her rock to sleep. She fell asleep instantly afterwards.
 

Chris.

Juvie Member
Beardie name(s)
Luis and Lilith
Her schedule is 7:30am-7:30pm until first day of spring, then I will make it until 8:30pm or 9:30pm (I can’t remember right now if it’s 13hrs or 14hrs in the spring/summer time). And yes, she has a moonlight that I turn on low since it gets pretty chilly in my house at night still. Especially in the room she’s in.

I was wondering if she was really comfortable and use to me now b/c after having her for almost two years, she has never just walked on my hand and up my arm willingly. This was the first time. I had to rock her in my arms last night for a bit then put her on her rock to sleep. She fell asleep instantly afterwards.
If you've had the moon light for two years, it is probably not the reason. In general people tend to use CHEs instead of lights for night heating as bearded dragons like it really dark.

Might be she is just ready for the switch. My boy did go to bed before the lights turn off until a couple of weeks ago. Now he will wander around a bit even when they are off. (Mine go on at sunrise and turn off at sunset).
 

Kelseyensley

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Ramses
If you've had the moon light for two years, it is probably not the reason. In general people tend to use CHEs instead of lights for night heating as bearded dragons like it really dark.

Might be she is just ready for the switch. My boy did go to bed before the lights turn off until a couple of weeks ago. Now he will wander around a bit even when they are off. (Mine go on at sunrise and turn off at sunset).
Yes, she’s had the moonlight since I’ve gotten her. Her previous owner used it as well! but I’m wondering that as well. That’s what I did, but I’m gonna start slowly transitioning her into the 13/14hr schedule since now that we spring forward. I didn’t want to start until then. I just found it odd, but adorable that she crawled on my arm and wanted to be rock to sleep lol.
 

lilith13

Member
What is your light shedule comoare to sunrise and sunset?
Do you have night time heat or light?

She could also be just clingy.
My boy startet waiting for me to bring him to bed also. But he will just go sleep in his hide if I'm not around (he never does that if I'm around, he usually sleeps high up on a branch)
I've only been giving Clapton 6-7 hours of night (w/o the lights). Should I leave them off longer than this?
 

Kelseyensley

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Ramses
I've only been giving Clapton 6-7 hours of night (w/o the lights). Should I leave them off longer than this?
Yes, definitely. They should be on a 12 on and a 12 off schedule. So lights on for 12hrs and lights off for 12hrs. Now in the summer you can still do the 12 on and 12 off, but it’s recommend that you do a 14 on and 10 off due to days being longer.
 

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