Are young EWDs more scared being by the window + adapting to new bigger enclosure?
Very random topic, but for people who have ideas or experience with young lizards/reptiles, preferrably the skittish/shy little eastern water dragons(Anything really would be great), it would be great if you could help!
So I have a young little EWD, not sure of the age.. around 5-6months I think. And I was wondering if people ever put their enclosures by the window for the lizard to have a good outside view. Do they like this? I've had it like this for a long time, and the view is basically of the front yard with birds, minimal people passing by and the occasional cars driving by. Is this good for them or does this stress them seeing potential preditors and huge fast objects like cars? lol. I always get confused with this. I always think if the curtains in the room are wide open for him to view outside, with bright daylight lightening up the room a bit he would be happy and if they were to be closed that he might get depressed or something?
He has a 26watt UV lamp at the hot end of the enclosure so it IS a little light inside the enclosure (not as bright as broad daylight of course but still normal enclosure level light's brightness) but Ive noticed that even when Im not in the same room as him in the day, sometimes he can spend a whole day hidden in his fern or in the more open hot end under the UV but laying low on the rocks or buried in the bark substrate, not up higher in the sticks or vines. Or swimming (just defecates in there when he needs to, but never spends time swimming around much). EWDs are swimmers and he has a big pool with rocks in it that i replace daily and vines/sticks to climb around on like a normal arboreal reptile, but hes hardly up there or in the pool swimming. Even on the random days where he can stay hidden inside the big plant on the cooler side, sometimes I'll come back at about 11pm to see him on the hot side hunting etc. Then when I left the UV til 11pm one night, he was there basking! So maybe he likes the curtains shut? :\
Soo basically what I'm asking is, should I be less paranoid about not being able to see out the window? And see if thats the reason hes laying low even while no ones in the room and the house is quiet? Because I have a feeling he may feel threatened by the things he may see out there. I just want him to feel safe and be able to do whatever he wants!
Also, I forgot to mention. between a month or 2 ago when I upgraded my EWD into a bigger enclosure with more space and a bigger pool, etc. He became WAY more shy! It was so weird, like before he would sit on his little stick basking for ages in the day, and even spending more time in the smaller pool which he couldnt swim around in, but still just sit inside and go to the bottom without being seen etc., and even walk around upside-down clinging on the net at the top of the enclosure just for fun. He now does NONE of that hardly anywhere near as much as he did in the smaller one! So weird... I really dont know what to do? The smaller one was so much crappier :\ with just a cold end to sleep in under a tunnel of giant leaves, a much smaller pool just sitting in the middle between both sides, then on the hot side a few rocks with a stick above it under the UV light... Is there a problem with the bigger one? its basically the same just less crowded, more spacious to run around with everything enlarged and the light is higher (since the enclosures bigger and taller) and a thick layer of bark substrate. I dont get it, do they get attached to their first baby enclosures, does it take a while to get used to the new ones, or what? The smaller one was a window view also, just a little less of it (down lower and not AS much), and not as high up to see all the things he sees now. Ahh I dont know, hes just acting different in the new one! Im worried. I cant work out which part of the bigger better enclosure he doesnt like.... Maybe its the intimidating outside view since hes higher up now? Maybe he likes it to be crowded with more plants and less big open floor space? Ahh I dont know, its my first reptile so Ive never experienced this kind of thing of them being scared or shyer than before etc.
Has anyone else ever been confused with this type of thing? Where do you keep YOUR reptiles? what kind of view do they have, etc?
Do they just take a while to fully adapt to their new larger setups with all the space? All your answers are much appreciated and will take all your ideas into consideration.
Thanks for reading this long essay lol, M. :|
Very random topic, but for people who have ideas or experience with young lizards/reptiles, preferrably the skittish/shy little eastern water dragons(Anything really would be great), it would be great if you could help!
So I have a young little EWD, not sure of the age.. around 5-6months I think. And I was wondering if people ever put their enclosures by the window for the lizard to have a good outside view. Do they like this? I've had it like this for a long time, and the view is basically of the front yard with birds, minimal people passing by and the occasional cars driving by. Is this good for them or does this stress them seeing potential preditors and huge fast objects like cars? lol. I always get confused with this. I always think if the curtains in the room are wide open for him to view outside, with bright daylight lightening up the room a bit he would be happy and if they were to be closed that he might get depressed or something?
He has a 26watt UV lamp at the hot end of the enclosure so it IS a little light inside the enclosure (not as bright as broad daylight of course but still normal enclosure level light's brightness) but Ive noticed that even when Im not in the same room as him in the day, sometimes he can spend a whole day hidden in his fern or in the more open hot end under the UV but laying low on the rocks or buried in the bark substrate, not up higher in the sticks or vines. Or swimming (just defecates in there when he needs to, but never spends time swimming around much). EWDs are swimmers and he has a big pool with rocks in it that i replace daily and vines/sticks to climb around on like a normal arboreal reptile, but hes hardly up there or in the pool swimming. Even on the random days where he can stay hidden inside the big plant on the cooler side, sometimes I'll come back at about 11pm to see him on the hot side hunting etc. Then when I left the UV til 11pm one night, he was there basking! So maybe he likes the curtains shut? :\
Soo basically what I'm asking is, should I be less paranoid about not being able to see out the window? And see if thats the reason hes laying low even while no ones in the room and the house is quiet? Because I have a feeling he may feel threatened by the things he may see out there. I just want him to feel safe and be able to do whatever he wants!
Also, I forgot to mention. between a month or 2 ago when I upgraded my EWD into a bigger enclosure with more space and a bigger pool, etc. He became WAY more shy! It was so weird, like before he would sit on his little stick basking for ages in the day, and even spending more time in the smaller pool which he couldnt swim around in, but still just sit inside and go to the bottom without being seen etc., and even walk around upside-down clinging on the net at the top of the enclosure just for fun. He now does NONE of that hardly anywhere near as much as he did in the smaller one! So weird... I really dont know what to do? The smaller one was so much crappier :\ with just a cold end to sleep in under a tunnel of giant leaves, a much smaller pool just sitting in the middle between both sides, then on the hot side a few rocks with a stick above it under the UV light... Is there a problem with the bigger one? its basically the same just less crowded, more spacious to run around with everything enlarged and the light is higher (since the enclosures bigger and taller) and a thick layer of bark substrate. I dont get it, do they get attached to their first baby enclosures, does it take a while to get used to the new ones, or what? The smaller one was a window view also, just a little less of it (down lower and not AS much), and not as high up to see all the things he sees now. Ahh I dont know, hes just acting different in the new one! Im worried. I cant work out which part of the bigger better enclosure he doesnt like.... Maybe its the intimidating outside view since hes higher up now? Maybe he likes it to be crowded with more plants and less big open floor space? Ahh I dont know, its my first reptile so Ive never experienced this kind of thing of them being scared or shyer than before etc.
Has anyone else ever been confused with this type of thing? Where do you keep YOUR reptiles? what kind of view do they have, etc?
Do they just take a while to fully adapt to their new larger setups with all the space? All your answers are much appreciated and will take all your ideas into consideration.
Thanks for reading this long essay lol, M. :|
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lol I just hope that later when I get the huge 610x915x1216mm(WxLxH) enclosure, he'll be happy with that! lol. because right now he acts like a terrestrial lizard.. a really lazy sleepy one >_> (because hes too scared to come out of his hides recently)
