# My Beardy keeps scratching corner of viv



## benjefreys (Sep 28, 2009)

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if anyone knows why my beardie keeps scratching the corner of the viv at the back.

Viv set up 

beardy is 1 yr old
4x2x2
100w spotlight basking area is 50 celsius hot end is 40 celcius
arcadia uv not sure how old it is as i only bought him + setup less than week ago and the woman wasnt very helpfull
cool end is 30 celsius 


i let him out often to roam around my living room 

any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Ben


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## Gemstone Dragons (Jul 29, 2009)

They like to dig its a ntural behaviour, most do in the evening and then sleep in the hole after lights out 4 eg so nothing to worry about lol


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## benjefreys (Sep 28, 2009)

Gemstone Dragons said:


> They like to dig its a ntural behaviour, most do in the evening and then sleep in the hole after lights out 4 eg so nothing to worry about lol



Thanks i just was getting worried thinking the temps were wrong and he was getting too hot and bothered and trying to get out the Viv :2thumb:


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## Dynamos Dragons (May 23, 2009)

Is it male or female ? 
What substrate you got it on?
As above really, my female only digs when she is gravid, she spends most of her time on her rope bridge i made her but my male is always digging the corners and stuff i just think he is making a spot to rest lol. They dig in the wild too so i wouldnt worry to much.


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## lolly (Apr 2, 2008)

i keep mine on sand and he will spend hours digging,

its a beardie thing:2thumb:


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## hollypops (Nov 3, 2008)

To be honest you either need to buy a new uv tube or use a proper uv meter to check the one you have is emitting enough uv.If you dont know how old it is it may not even be emitting uv!


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## benjefreys (Sep 28, 2009)

Dynamos Dragons said:


> Is it male or female ?
> What substrate you got it on?
> As above really, my female only digs when she is gravid, she spends most of her time on her rope bridge i made her but my male is always digging the corners and stuff i just think he is making a spot to rest lol. They dig in the wild too so i wouldnt worry to much.



Hey, 
Hes Male
there is no substrate just the bottom of the tank (wood plank) can you recommend anything? i heard sand is not good 

Thanks guys for saving me the worry


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## kirstyink (Mar 6, 2009)

benjefreys said:


> Hey,
> Hes Male
> there is no substrate just the bottom of the tank (wood plank) can you recommend anything? i heard sand is not good
> 
> Thanks guys for saving me the worry



sand is fine, just beware of the very small risk it may cause impaction ALOT of people use childrens playsand - bake in th oven to kill any nasties and to dry it out beforhand.

you can use a lot of others such as kitchen roll, lino, tiles etc etc.


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## Quiller (Sep 8, 2008)

I have mine on sand and he loves it. He 'makes his bed' each evening, scratching away for ages until he's satisfied. Then it's lights out. :roll:


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## oceanmachine (Oct 3, 2009)

i usually go with beech chippings as bedding due to its size and that it looks quite nice. my brother came home with some ground walnut last week. it actually looks really nice. i think that he should have bought two bags though, just to make it a little deeper. i hear that sand tends to warm up a lot more than other substrates, so if anyone says that's true, you might want to watch that so you're beardie doesn't get a burned tummy


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## Dynamos Dragons (May 23, 2009)

Hmmm id be worried about putting my beardie on wood chips or walnut in fact i would never do it at all and i would never recommend it.

OP to be honest its up to you what you use in the bottom as substrate i use paper for my babys and sand for my adults, but the digging thing is nothing to worry about really


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## becky_johnny (Jul 13, 2009)

Ours scratches at the corner of his viv, he has tiles with a small gap running down the edge so I think he likes scraping the sides of them. The first time he did it I freaked out cos I had no idea where the noise was coming from =)


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## RyKate (Jul 6, 2008)

oceanmachine said:


> i usually go with beech chippings as bedding due to its size and that it looks quite nice. my brother came home with some ground walnut last week. it actually looks really nice. i think that he should have bought two bags though, just to make it a little deeper. i hear that sand tends to warm up a lot more than other substrates, so if anyone says that's true, you might want to watch that so you're beardie doesn't get a burned tummy


I think most would NOT recommend chippings OR walnut!!!! I've seen some very scary posts on here about both of those substrates. Research carefully.....


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## Hewitt (Aug 8, 2009)

I use paper tpwels as a substrate for the moment (he's in a temp viv) sometimes at night he'll scratch the towel til it comes loose from the corner then slide under it so it looks like he's under a blanket...He does some funny things.


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