Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello -

My dragon (approx 3 yrs old) seems to hate the sunshine. I have his cage set up by a big picture window so that he can be exposed to natural light. When I open the blinds and allow the sun to come in, he immediately moves out of the way. I thought he would love the sun. Any ideas?

Thanks!

I have heard that some dragons go "crazy" in natural sunlight, i dont know why. perhaps your dragon is afraid of skin cancer or freckling.

Some dragon are different. I have seen ones that like the sun,
but many do not. Mine do not. In their natural environment,
they are not exposed to blaring sunlight all the time.
They bask but usually have coverage from trees, so IMO,
they are not like desert lizards and do not 'worship" the sun as much.

Also, naturaly sun through a window isn't going to do anything for him, since glass filters out all of the good UV rays. Water dragons don't like to feel exposed, seeing the outdoors is probably frightening to him. Mine always liked hanging out on a windowsill with a screen tho.
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Yes the window will block all UV rays. I leave it open some afternoons with just the screen so that he can get some real light. You are right, I think he may feel exposed when the window opens. I've added some more coverage (plants) and he seems to be less scared of the sun. Thanks for your help!

He probably doesn't dislike sunlight, it's just not the right
set up.

If you want your dragon to benefit from sunlight, put him in a well ventilated cage and make sure that there is a good amount of shade on one side, and put him outside when it's warm. We built a cage just for that and he loves it.

It is true however that when a dragon is put in sunlight he gets a little nuts. My dragon becomes way more aggressive when I try to take him out of the sun, so much so that he bites me, whereas he has never bitten me indoors.

From what I've heard, you should never put your actual cage indoors in the sun. THere's no breeze or proper ventilation that way. He could be too hot and that's why he's hiding.

Anyway, good luck

Yes, most dragon's will stay out of direct sunlight. That's why they are from tropical rainforest's. They like the heat and the basking area's during parts of the day, but most of the time will stay away from direct sunlight under the cover of tree's and plants. Bearded dragons will do the same thing (most anyways)except to bask, from what I hear.