My baby Bearded Dragon keeps burrowing under his bark Help?

[1131035]

Hi, my baby bearded dragon who is 6 weeks old continues to burrow under his bark. He burrows so far down that you could not even see him until I move some of the bark to find him/her. Is this a problem, does anyone know why they may do this and what is causing it? I hope someone can help

Thanks

 

[Defective]

remove the bark as a start....and replace it with Terraturf or newspaper or paper towel.
what are the enclosure temps, hide locations, things for him to climb on, feeding size etc??

 

[damian83]

mine are near 2yo and randomly do it under branches or bark, your heart jumps thinking there gone

 

[HonestPirate]

They do occasionally like to dig around. though check your temps- it could be that its not getting warm enough especially if you are using a heat mat or heat cord underneath/outside the enclosure... Also if you dont have enough shelter for him/her; it could be that as a young baby he's looking for a little spot to hide and feel less vulnerable.

 

[Herpaderpa]

I had a gorgeous beardie who for a long time would constantly bury himself or sit in the hide all day. He wouldn't bask and refused food when he was like this.

I had to remove all hides.

He would eat and bask and was happy and active without hides, the second a hide was put back in he would not come out.

He eventually became accustomed to captive life and was fine, I could put the hides back in, but I still never put full hides in, just half hides or fake plants.

I agree with defective... dont leave loose substrate in with this little guy, buy the fake grass from bunnings, I love this stuff. It does get smelly when used with beardies but I used to use litter box sanitiser on it (because of the deodorizing element) and leave it in the sun for a couple of days, rotating two pieces.
If you want to use a hide, get a fake plant that he can partially hide under but still be seen.

I put this down to survival of the fittest. I think in the wild such guys would have perished, but being captive we are able to keep them alive regardless of their bizarre quirks. Not so many per clutch would make it in the wild... but in our captive breeding just about all hatchies make it regardless of their ability to adapt and survive.

My guy was a fantastic outgoing lizard without a hide, he was the most outstanding of the bunch... the most colourful, cleanest markings and most handleable.

 

[Defective]

not only that but the possiblities are endless with little ones and eye splinters

 

[1131035]

Thank you all for your responses. My dragon does eat and there are no hides besides some plants that provide shade. The thermostat is on 30 and the cool end is at 27. I have another dragon of the same age that lives with him and never burrows. Thanks

 

[Defective]

ok few things there:
1. hot end needs to be hotter and cool end should be a few degrees cooler (Hot:37-38 Cool:24-25)
2 splinters from the bark MIGHT come off and get in its eye so its highly recommended you change the substrate.
3 do you have room for another enclosure to put the 2nd dragon in when they are older. 2 males cannot live together, male and female cannot live together maybe possible for 2 females to live together....something to think about.

 

[Herpaderpa]

1131035... All beardies are individuals. Your other one not burying itself doesn't mean anything. Only one of mine was a digger, the others were big fat and lazy and basked most of the day lol
They love to dig and in the wild bury themselves under logs and rocks and things to hide/brumate. Sometimes they do it for fun... sometimes they do it to hide. It becomes a problem when they spend days buried and don't come out, especially if they are sluggish asthough they are brumating through summer. If they skip meals or do not bask this will effect their growth and may contribute to MBD. If he otherwise basks and feeds daily, then everything is fine.

So, if he comes out and basks and feeds properly, then there is probably nothing to worry about. Why is your thermostat at 30degc?

Defective is also right about the bark. I had bark and my girl got it in her eye causing a bit of an infection. I gave the bark up right away

 

[1131035]

the thermostat is at 30 which keeps the hot end at 34 and the cool end at 27 as the thermostat reader is located in the middle of the enclosure. If I do not use bark what should I use as I was told that it is best to replicate their environment rather then using things such as paper

 

[Defective]

Ha! who told you that?? I told you in a previous post what some alternative substrates are and you have clearly just totally ignored my advice...*mutters to self* why do i bother!

 

[Herpaderpa]

Ha! who told you that?? I told you in a previous post what some alternative substrates are and you have clearly just totally ignored my advice...*mutters to self* why do i bother!

Thats exactly how I felt lol Beardy help threads generally end up frustrating

 

[LizardLady]

Hi, my baby bearded dragon who is 6 weeks old continues to burrow under his bark. He burrows so far down that you could not even see him until I move some of the bark to find him/her. Is this a problem, does anyone know why they may do this and what is causing it? I hope someone can help

Thanks

Hey 1131035!

First things first, any "particulate" substrate for young dragons is NOT recommended - the possibility of impactions is extremely high... If your dragon, when chasing his/her crickets, gets a mouthful of the substrate (which happens often, even as adults), a particulate substrate such as bark, sand etc, is quite possibly going to become a health-issue, as this stuff cannot be digested... PLEASE take this out ASAP... Defective and Herpaderpa have already suggested this, please take note...
Secondly, as others have mentioned previously, the temps in his enclosure don't seem "right" for a growing dragon... I will explain further through one of your other posts...

Thank you all for your responses. My dragon does eat and there are no hides besides some plants that provide shade. The thermostat is on 30 and the cool end is at 27. I have another dragon of the same age that lives with him and never burrows. Thanks

Okay, with this post, there are a couple of "issues" going on here... The most important is that you have TWO dragons, irrespective of age, in the same enclosure... I could just about guarantee one will be bigger than the other, even though they're the same age... Correct? The bigger one will be the dominant one - first up to the basking site, first in for the food, first in for the hides... This behaviour will stress out the little one (which, I presume, is the one doing all the hiding?) to the point the little one WILL NOT thrive... Please make sure your dragons have separate enclosures, and can't even see one another - this will ensure BOTH dragons get everything they need, with minimal stress involved... This has also been highlighted to you previously by Defective, please take note... Bearded Dragons are solitary animals - they don't "need" company to survive and thrive...
Regarding your temps, again, as highlighted previously by others, you will need a basking site (warm end) at at least 37, with the cool end around 24 or less... Your dragon will thermoregulate him/herself quite comfortably within this range, and still be warm enough to properly digest his/her meals, therefore grow...
Could you please tell us how you are heating your enclosure? Are you using a white "spot" light/globe for basking? Do you have a good quality UV tube? What is the size of the enclosure? (I'm going to work on a process of elimination here, so please bear with me!)...

 

[1131035]

Thanks, I have a uvb 10.0 and a ceramic heater, the temperatures are correct and I see both self regulating at times (mouth open), when I first got the dragons the dragon not burrowing arm waved as submission and sense then there has never been a problem. They sleep together and both eat together both being feed live food twice a day and a constant plate of veg which they both eat. There food is also coated in calcium powder. They have not fought YET, and the one dragon both of which very similar in size, burrows. This is not happening all the time. There is a small reflection at times on the glass which they both show interest in at times and originally thought this was the reason to the burrowing - trying to get to the dragon on the other side being the reflection. The only reason the dragons were put together was because unfortunately their are conflicting with some sources saying that although they are not social creatures they can be housed together if from a young age and same clutch. They have a large enclosure with plenty of room.

 

[ajandj]

hi ya and welcome. I would definately remove the bark and replace with papertowel. I know it doesn't look natural but it's very practical, easy to clean and isn't going to cause impaction. I would also bump your temps up a little. My thermostat is in the middle of the enclosure and l have mine set at about 34. This brings my hot end to about 39 and my cool end around the28 mark.
i only had one dragon but l have heard some terrible stories about dragons fighting even when they have been housed together all their lives. Some of the photos l have seen from war wounds have been shocking. I would definately seperate unless you have a huge outdoor pit with plenty of space and hide.
I dust crickets 5 times a week with calcium and dust veg twice a week with vitamins and minerals. Just remember too much calcium is as harmful as not enough. What greens are you feeding? My Yoda loves added flowers and herbs. Goodluck and enjoy

 

[1131035]

Thanks, I feed them boc choy, peas, carrot, baby spinach. I mix them up however as some of these I believe are not good staple e.g. carrot as impaction. Unfortunately when doing my research I have received numerous conflicting advice from the Internet and pet shops and other bearded dragon owners. I will change the substrate but had one question, why does the melbourne zoo use sand in their reptile enclosures?

 

[LizardLady]

Thanks, I feed them boc choy, peas, carrot, baby spinach. I mix them up however as some of these I believe are not good staple e.g. carrot as impaction. Unfortunately when doing my research I have received numerous conflicting advice from the Internet and pet shops and other bearded dragon owners. I will change the substrate but had one question, why does the melbourne zoo use sand in their reptile enclosures?

Bok Choy is good; peas are to be fed "rarely" (high Phosphorous content); carrot - "occasional" (too much Vitamin A will contribute to Vitamin A Toxicity); Baby Spinach is "questionable" as it is high in Vitamin A, very high in Oxalates and Goitrogens (binds Calcium)...
PM me for a list of what is good, and what is not!
For what it's worth, you're quite right - there is SO much conflicting information out there, but I can guarantee you, "pet shops" know very little, if anything at all!

 

[BigWillieStyles]

Its not a science, I dont see what all the fuss is about. You have two healthy dragons and one likes to burrow? You havent provided a hide at all. Reptiles dont like open spaces with no where to hide, he is just trying to feel safe.

I find all this talk about impaction from sand pretty hard to swallow. Bearded Dragons come from an enviornment of sandy conditons and heaps of owners keep them on it with no worries. I feed my animals in plastic tubs anyway as I dont like escapee crickets chirping all night

 

[ajandj]

l would try a few different things with feeding, they love dandelion flowers and leaves (cheap, most people have them in their garden or lawn), nasturtium flowers and leaves, endive is great for everyday. carrot greens, beetroot greens and celery leaves are also really good and l get them for nothing from safeway and my local grocer. I also offer things like rose petals, pansy flowers, lavander, rosemary, rockets, basil and parsley.Crickets are great, just don't leave them in the enclosure when the lights go out and your beardies get cold, crickets will actually bite/eat them. Because they are cold, they don't seem to feel it. I feed crickets using a freezerbag and offer 1 at a time. Takes a few minutes but safer than the alternative. Here is a food list l use and it works well.

 

[Defective]

Its not a science, I dont see what all the fuss is about. You have two healthy dragons and one likes to burrow? You havent provided a hide at all. Reptiles dont like open spaces with no where to hide, he is just trying to feel safe.

I find all this talk about impaction from sand pretty hard to swallow. Bearded Dragons come from an enviornment of sandy conditons and heaps of owners keep them on it with no worries. I feed my animals in plastic tubs anyway as I dont like escapee crickets chirping all night

actually its more a clay /compacted soil environment

Thanks, I feed them boc choy, peas, carrot, baby spinach. I mix them up however as some of these I believe are not good staple e.g. carrot as impaction. Unfortunately when doing my research I have received numerous conflicting advice from the Internet and pet shops and other bearded dragon owners. I will change the substrate but had one question, why does the melbourne zoo use sand in their reptile enclosures?

Don't trust pet shops AT ALL...THEY SHOULDN"T EVEN BE ALLOWED TO SELL REPTILES!!!! and don't trust google... only ever talk to breeders or ask on a forum of this calibre! people that have been breeding beardies for 15+ years is a good start not first timers....