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Butterfly Agama-bizarre behavior. Help!?

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Posted by: Trinkapuppy at Wed May 7 00:05:57 2014  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Trinkapuppy ]  
   

So I have five butterfly agamas (belliani). Three females and two males.
After a ten week quarantine and vet check (two treated for minor RI, all for internal parasites, one male passed away shortly after importation to unknown cause, as originally it was three females, three males) they were moved into a HUGE Tupperware type tub--almost four feet deep, three of which is coir/sand mix. Footprint is roughly that of a forty breeder. I have modified the lid and have a 160 watt Powersun hung so that there is a basking spot at 100 degrees. I rigged a PVC drip system to provide increased moisture lower in the soil.

Now for the odd part. In the past few months, two of the boys and two of the girls have partnered up, leaving an odd girl out. I would like to find her another male but the prospect of all the quarantine/vet time is, TBH, daunting. So anyway...

I know anthropomorphizing here but...I can't figure out her behaviour. During quarantine they were kept on paper towel and handled almost daily just to check their condition, give treatments, etc. Once I moved them over, I stopped handling entirely. Except for this female. During daylight hours, she flings herself at the lid, paces the sides, etc. (the tub is mostly clear. It was for storing some sort of specialized equipment. I don't remember--bought it years ago, but is like the sterilite tubs in my snake rack.) she only enters her (small compared to the others, based on the dirt at the surface) burrow at night.
When I open the top to access the cage for feeding/etc., she RUNS to my hand, often jumping and climbing my arm to hide in my hair. She would spend the entire day climbing around on me if I let her. I worry about her digestion/heat/UVB exposure too much for that, though. She never attempts to get off, even when I'm sitting in a chair, standing by a counter, etc. Putting her back us always a struggle.
To be honest, she behaves as if she has bonded with me.
I'm guessing the behaviour is more along the lines of the others bullying/shunning her as the odd one out, but I don't get why she never attempts to leave me. Warmth?...

Any opinions? Anyone else experience anything like this?
I know they aren't well studied yet, but it's very un-lizard like behaviour. Or (more likely) I'm reading too much into it.

I have a puppy dog tame tegu and even he more or less sees me as the food bringer/neck scratcher. I have kept many lizards in my day...never seen anything like this.


   

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