Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my juvinile beardie doesn't like his hide box. i've had him for a few months now and i've NEVER seen him in his hide box or under anything in the cage. he's in a 50 gal rubbermaid tub. the sides and top have been cut away to form windows with 1/2" hardware cloth covering the cut outs. there's play sand at the bottom with several rocks forming a hide, as well as a big piece of bark and some sticks to climb on. he's always on one of the sticks or he's stuck to the wall, hanging from the hardware cloth. he usually sleeps on the wall like that. The cage is outdoors on my back porch. usually, the only time i see him on the ground is when he's chasing crickets. is this behavior ok?

sounds fine really, i would be worried if he was always in his hide box, being out basking and hanging out on his climbing areas is good behaviour, it may just be where he is most comfortable. Does he have a shaded area to go to aside from his hide box? do you know what the temps are in his enclosure during the day? especially where he sits most? i would check these things out, make sure its staying warm enough for him and his basking spot is hot enough. So long as his temps are fine, he is eating and giong to the bathroom, he sounds like a happy fellow my dragons only hit the dirt to sleep, even then my one girl Gobi likes to sprawl out on her log rather then the dirt, so its just an individual thing

It's perfectly normal for the dragon to sleep outside of his hide box. I had my dragon for about 4 months now and he probably only used his hide box maybe 15 times in that time. He prefers sleeping ontop of his basking log for the most part though I did find him sleeping ontop of his hide box. I think he blends in better with his basking log so he stays there at night, feeling more safe than under the terra cotta coloured box I used for his hide.

If he is active in the day time, eats his greens and insects and goes to the bathroom regularly (and has firm shaped stools) I wouldn't worry about it at all, just one of the pecurlar habits of a breaded dragon.

thanks for the replies, i guess i'm just used to my red tegu who ALWAYS sleeps in his hide box, with dirt barricaded around the entrance.