Why does my bearded dragon not move to his sleeping spot when lights turn off?

[Bearded dragon lover]

So I have been recently noticing that whenever the lights turn off which is at 7 he gets up and moves the hide i have for him and snuggles in, this is what he used to do when he was younger but now he will be basking and the lights shut off and he just stays there for the whole night. Just found him today in his same basking spot at high elevation just chilling there. I left for 2 hours and same spit in total darkness. I find this weird as he usually goes somewhere to sleep but now he just stays and sleeps where he is at when lights shut off. Does anyone know why?


(In the photo his lights are turned off i just had my flash on so it lit up)

 

[KarrieRee]

So I have been recently noticing that whenever the lights turn off which is at 7 he gets up and moves the hide i have for him and snuggles in, this is what he used to do when he was younger but now he will be basking and the lights shut off and he just stays there for the whole night. Just found him today in his same basking spot at high elevation just chilling there. I left for 2 hours and same spit in total darkness. I find this weird as he usually goes somewhere to sleep but now he just stays and sleeps where he is at when lights shut off. Does anyone know why?


(In the photo his lights are turned off i just had my flash on so it lit up)

He's fine - they will stay where they are comfortable

 

[Sue E.]

Some days they are so tired they just pass out whereever they are lol

 

[xp29]

I think it has a lot to do with the fact they have learned to feel secure in thier environment. When you first get them they are scared and insecure. They look for a secure place to sleep. Now he is relaxed and feels safe. He'll sleep just wherever

 

[Rowdy Rex]

I am a new beardie owner so take what I am going to say with a grain of salt… My little guy would do this also. It didn’t seem right to me along with a few other issues I was having. I ended up purchasing a UVB meter and I learned that my UVB wasn’t strong enough on top of the enclosure mesh, even though all the charts and everything I was reading said it would be good for my brand of enclosure. I mounted the UVB light inside of the enclosure and now his UVB is where it needs to be. He hangs out mostly where it is about 4.8-5.

I’m not saying that the other responses are wrong or that I am even right. I honestly have no idea. I just know getting Rex’s UVB correct stopped him from sleeping out in the open like that. I feel like Rex was needing more UVB than what he was getting so he was making sure to be under the light right when it would come back on.

 

[xp29]

I am a new beardie owner so take what I am going to say with a grain of salt… My little guy would do this also. It didn’t seem right to me along with a few other issues I was having. I ended up purchasing a UVB meter and I learned that my UVB wasn’t strong enough on top of the enclosure mesh, even though all the charts and everything I was reading said it would be good for my brand of enclosure. I mounted the UVB light inside of the enclosure and now his UVB is where it needs to be. He hangs out mostly where it is about 4.8-5.

I’m not saying that the other responses are wrong or that I am even right. I honestly have no idea. I just know getting Rex’s UVB correct stopped him from sleeping out in the open like that. I feel like Rex was needing more UVB than what he was getting so he was making sure to be under the light right when it would come back on.

That could also factor into it. Their lighting is the most critical aspect of their care.
I wish the solarmeters weren't so expensive so that everyone could have them. Without them all we can do is guess on the amount they are getting. I think we guess wrong a lot of the time. I think we over compensate and give them way to much as often as to little. That causes a whole other set of problems. Eye issues, cancer, ect.

 

[hdochow]

sir henry of scales sleeps all over the place. it just depends on where he feels like being. tonight he's on his grape vine, other times it is with his nose stuffed in a corner, then also on his basking spot. the only time he sleeps in his hide is when he's been out after lights out for snuggle time and it's the closest spot to where we put him back in.

 

[KarrieRee]

Solar meters are nice that is why since a lot of people cannot afford them I always recommend they change those bulbs out in 10-11 months - and since they say a year you know the bulb is not expired and its better toe be on the safe side

 

[xp29]

Solar meters are nice that is why since a lot of people cannot afford them I always recommend they change those bulbs out in 10-11 months - and since they say a year you know the bulb is not expired and its better toe be on the safe side

With 5 habitats it's cheaper in the long run for me to buy the meter vs replacing bulbs that aren't bad yet
But what I learned after getting the meter is that it very easy to over expose them uvb. Even at 13 to 15 inches some if my Arcadia's were to strong. I had to put them back above the screen to get them within range.
Also there was more variation in the strength of the bulbs than I expected. They were all purchased at about the same time, but I suppose they could have been manufactured at different times. Who knows how long they sat in a warehouse.

 

[ChileanTaco]

On most days, my dragon goes into one of his caves to sleep (generally he uses caves on a daily base, also often during day, he likes to retreat there and poke out), but on some days stays up late at the basking spot (when I enter the room, without switching on the light, I can still see him clearly awake as I can see him against the window, slightly moving), and then sleeps just right there.
I let him do so, I don't move him somewhere else. It is not dangerous, so this is up to him.

I remember I opened once a thread here asking whether other dragons are also doing so. I have no idea why he's doing so, but I suspect he knows this will give him an early start in the morning - being right at the basking spot. I also suspect maybe it is curiosity at least in our case, as the enclosure is by a window (so when it's dark and he stays up there, he can see the city lights, moon and such and he generally loves looking out), and we close the curtains some hours later.

 

[KarrieRee]

This is why it's best not have the uvb full length of the tank so they have the option of not sitting under it

 

[ChileanTaco]

This is why it's best not have the uvb full length of the tank so they have the option of not sitting under it

Absolutely. My dragon has plenty spots to sit under neither the UVB nor the basking spot.
Having a large tank benefits that, too.

Often I see people say a dragon won't need a large enclosure as it doesn't very much run around. Okay, the dragon might not. But what is crucial: having different zones. A large tank, and the lamps positioned accordingly, enables that.

 

[AHBD]

Mine would sometimes fall asleep right where they were, other times would scratch around in a corner or go under a log or somewhere. In the wild they sleep in burrows or even in trees, wedged under a log or rock at other times. I think babies in the wild would stay closer to some sort of hideaway .

 

[ChileanTaco]

Mine would sometimes fall asleep right where they were, other times would scratch around in a corner or go under a log or somewhere. In the wild they sleep in burrows or even in trees, wedged under a log or rock at other times.

This is what mine does in most cases (more than 90 %): burrow, and then wedging himself in under something. There always has to be something on top of him.
There is a cave he didn't use for sleeping until I added a knotty dry root that makes the entrance narrower plus allows him to wedge in. He also made himself a burrow that is behind and under a large aloe.
Same behavior for brumation, or when he hides on a cloudy day once in a while: burrow, cave, and then in there wedging himself under something.
First picture: Taco when younger, behind aloe (once he became larger, this shifted more to "under aloe" as then he started digging out in the direction of the plant).
Second picture: adult Taco, he also brumates in there.