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trying my best

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
3
My bearded has been glass surfing a lot recently, often with a black beard and I have tried so many things to get him to stop but I just don't know anymore... need help please. It is endless for hours.


Background;
-Drexel is 4 years, going on 5 years old soon
-Last time I went to the vet he got the bill of health
-I moved in August of this year (2023) but it's not the first time we moved. He went from the living room with windows to the basement that doubles as my office so I am down here a lot but there is a lot less direct sunlight and he can't see outside anymore. (Idk how important that actually is but I'm just laying everything out.)
-I upgraded to a 120 gallon tank about a month thinking that was the issue (previously in a 40 gallon. So this was big for him, but he was glass surfing non stop before that, only after we moved)
-He has about 95~100 basking temp, 85 and 75 for the rest of the tank. (I have a digital thermometer in there)
-Humidity stays between 20% and 30%
-He eates a lot of different veggies, fruits, and bugs. Big ones being collard greens, mustard greens, zucchini and other squash, (in little amounts very rarely he has banana, apple, raspberry, blueberries) he has other stuff too those are just the bigger ones i tend to feed more often, bugs are usually meal worms, super worms, neutrigrubs, dubia roaches (horn worms rarley)
-HE DID NOT USE TO DO THIS BEFORE I MOVED. He would glass surf before and after pooping but that was about it. Now it's non stop for HOURS at a time ever since I moved.
-I do have another bearded dragon ON THE OTHER SIDE of the room completely out of sight of Drexel.
-I've tried holding him when he does this and he wants nothing to do with me (we use to snuggle a lot) and runs away. So I try letting him run around on the ground but then just surfs on the fucking grey walls non stop.. (the rest of the house is anywhere between 65~75 degrees.)
-He is out of his tank less then he use to be as my schedule has changed but he still gets out. In summer I take him outside for walks but it's currently too cold. (THANKS MIDWEST)
-Sometimes wrapping him in a blanket calms him down but as soon as I put him back after an hour or so he freaks out again.
-His tank is MOSTLY wood, with only glass front but he surfs on all the walls.
-I recently upgraded to a bioactive encloser, hoping he would dig more and have fun but it didn't make it better either. He isn't digging like I thought he would.


I have been doing my best to give this guy the best life I can... I got him when I was 17 so it didn't start off great but has been getting better as I learned. He doesn't have any diseases or anything that I know of. Again the vet last time said he was in great health but I am considering taking him to the vet again bc this just wont stop and it worries me. I love him so much, I have been trying my best, so why is he still freaking out so much?

I don't know what could be stressing him out. I don't think he can see my other lizard but I'm not entirely sure anymore bc of this reaction. There is no where else I can move either of them. I am going to cover the front of his tank to see if that helps in the meantime. Also for clarification, the basement room is huge and separated into two different rooms by pillars and stuff lined up between the pillars. So it has a sort of wall, and the beardies are on opposite sides of this makeshift wall. So ugh. Yeah.

Any other advice, tips, or anything would be greatly appreciated right now. Thank you.

Pictures are attached! I plan on adding more plants to the tank after they quarantine a bit longer. (One picture was after I JUST GOT the new tank so don't judge that one too harshly please lol)

Also for even more clarification, MY OTHER BEARDIE IS NOT DOING THIS!!!
 

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trying my best

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
3
Update... I covered the glass part of his tank and he seems to have chilled the **** out and is basking I'm going to scream. At least from the time I wrote out the og post, till the time I am typing this comment he has chilled out.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
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Update... I covered the glass part of his tank and he seems to have chilled the **** out and is basking I'm going to scream. At least from the time I wrote out the og post, till the time I am typing this comment he has chilled out.
So which pic is the current one? The one with all the sticks in it? If so I would remove alot of those sticks -- dragons like floor space and all those sticks in there are too many--- this would not be causing the glass surfing- he cant see the other dragon which is good his beard would be black if he could -- your UVB is a T 5? it needs to be in the tank 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor --- this may or may not effect the behavior but its good to have it on par --- also how old is the bulb? It sounds like hes got spring fever w/ all the glass surfing- my 5 yr old does it in Jan - Feb drives me insane - hes in a 120 gallon tank - I take him out for 2 hrs per day and when I put him back in he usually calms down -- you want the tank on par so getting temps correct and UVB placed correctly will eliminate those reasons --
 

trying my best

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
3
So which pic is the current one? The one with all the sticks in it? If so I would remove alot of those sticks -- dragons like floor space and all those sticks in there are too many--- this would not be causing the glass surfing- he cant see the other dragon which is good his beard would be black if he could -- your UVB is a T 5? it needs to be in the tank 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor --- this may or may not effect the behavior but its good to have it on par --- also how old is the bulb? It sounds like hes got spring fever w/ all the glass surfing- my 5 yr old does it in Jan - Feb drives me insane - hes in a 120 gallon tank - I take him out for 2 hrs per day and when I put him back in he usually calms down -- you want the tank on par so getting temps correct and UVB placed correctly will eliminate those reasons --
Yeah the one with the sticks in it is the current one.
Yes the light is a t5, and maybe a couple months old now? I got it after the move in August but I don't know the date off the top of my head. Would have to check my Amazon shipping lol. I do have the ability to put it in the tank. Before I got the new tank I was worried about him hitting the light fixture if installed it inside, but with the new tank I could easily do that just didn't think to. I still have the attachments to do so, so i will do that thank you :). My other beardie has it installed inside the tank. (He climbes a lot less)

I always figured Drexel liked climbing. He constantly will climb all sticks when he is calm and just hang out. Now that he IS calm he is hanging out on the stick closer to the glass, away from the basking bulb. He loves (or I think he loves) basking on the other ones. Wouldn't hurt to take some out and see how he does!
Unless you mean the sticks ON the ground, those are actually palm bark for biodegradables, and that picture was fresh after set up so they havent really biodegraded yet. I guess I could burry them in the substrait a little more, that also won't hurt anything haha.

Thanks for your time and advice!!!
 

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