# Bearded Dragon Hiding



## ShaggyKebab

Hi All,

I have noticed that everyday for around an hour or maybe a bit longer my baby (3/4months) Beardie has been going into his hide (Cork wood that is hollow log) and sometimes as it gets later in the day he goes in there.......... like he is getting ready for bed. 

Are both these behaviours normal? 

My temps are good Basking 105/110, Hot end 90/95 making it way thought to 80 cold end. The temp in side the log is 75/80, I also notice when he is in there his belly colour gets darker. Again is that normal?

He is eating, toileting and generally quite active, I realise they need to spend time in the colder areas of the viv to reduce body temp but I just wondered why he hides away (except he sticks his head out)


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## Meko

you're better taking the hide out if he's hiding too much. The hide is really supposed to be an option for them to get out of the heat.

If he's just in for a while then it'll be fine and he's just getting away from everything for a bit.


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## Tarantula Person

Yep I agree with the above
A hide is not needed at all, as long as temps are fine and he/she can thermoregulate then he/she will be fine. It is normal for them to go into their hides just before lights out so nothing to worry about. Like said above if the beardie does use the hide alot then think about removing it from the tank.


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## ShaggyKebab

What would you consider a lot?
he will go in there once or twice a day but will come out after a small while, once he comes out he will generally bask again. 

He acts and looks health and will spend much more time out the hide than in. I will remove it but it is also used as a means to get close to his UVB and to his basking rock.


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## Tarantula Person

ShaggyKebab said:


> What would you consider a lot?
> he will go in there once or twice a day but will come out after a small while, once he comes out he will generally bask again.
> 
> He acts and looks health and will spend much more time out the hide than in. I will remove it but it is also used as a means to get close to his UVB and to his basking rock.


Sounds fine : victory:
If he is in there all the time then you should remove it but if he's only in for little while then there is nothing to worry about.


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## Chazbang

As long as he is still coming out to bask regularly it's fine. My bubbas start to 'get ready for bed' about an hour before the lights go out!


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## ShaggyKebab

Should the hide be at floor level where it is cooler? and if I take it out where will he cool down. It seems like he is getting to hot but my temps are all fine ( I check them with a food probe) what behaviours should I look out for to make sure he isn't getting to hot.


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## Charlottie

If he is too hot you could see him gaping his mouth all the time and he would show signs of dehydration - eyes sunk in. 

Please someone correct me if I am wrong.


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## ShaggyKebab

I don't think he is to hot he sometimes open's his mouth like a yawn but I have only seen that 2/3 times. His eyes don't appear sunk but I may just be a untrained eye.
His cold side does drop to around 80F but he seems to try and hide away (when I think he is trying to cool down) higher up the viv.i.e. off the viv floor, its as if he doesn't realise that its nice and cool on the floor. 

When his under belly goes dark, like a pattern, is this him trying to cool down?


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## ptsmith

it all sounds fine, if he is basking regularly and then cooling down then he is thermoregulating well, but the hide is not essential but can also prove a bonus to their health if they feel stressed.

if he starts to hide to much he will not receive enough UVB. the only option is to get some logs/branches where he can not hide to reach the UVB or to lower the UVB light if it comes to this but all at the moment sounds fine.


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## ShaggyKebab

My fiancée has just called again (same yesterday) to say he has been active all day running around, eating, toileting but has now went into the log and has been in there for some time (exact same pattern as yesterday). 
I think he stays in for so long because the log is higher up and it is hotter than say a hide on the floor, so it will take him longer to cool down. But why wont he just sit in the cold end

I do think I am maybe worrying about nothing but as this is my first reptile I don’t want to get it wrong.


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## AuntyLizard

As long as he is active and spending most of his time outside of the hide then I really wouldn't worry about it. I prefer not to have hides in my beardie vivs but provide them with hiding places like rocks, wood, fake plants. This is because I have found that beardies will become possesive about their hides and stay in them most of the time.

Liz


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## loulou87

take the hide out, the baby needs to get UV and if he/she is in its hide for most of the day it wont get what it needs. your temps are fine and so thats nothing to worry about. 

if they have a lack of uv they cant digest food properly. remove it and problem solved 

Edit: 
the dark lines on his belly are stress lines. they tend to get darker when they are grumpy. 
he wont get too hot, they gape to regulate twemperatures and if your cool end is 80F he will be fine as he can move around to that sode. they sometimes sit and gape becasue they like to be hot, if he does that dont panic 

remove it and youll see the improvement


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## thunder_cat

just add my questions on here since it's similar problem. my beardie doesn't have a hide but he's taken to hiding underneath the kitchen roll (don't ask me how he got under, i'm not sure) to sleep or as it gets near when he wants to sleep but today he's only stayed out for a couple of hours and spent the rest of the day under the kitchen roll in the warm end. tried tempting him out with food but he didn't seem hugely fussed about the crickets. any suggestions?


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## loulou87

remove the kitchen roll- if he has nowhere to hide he will have to be out. also if he is hiding he will not be getting the UV he needs and it will affect his health. youll see a huge improvement after you remove it


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## lee young

If he is hiding all the time it is for a reason. Removing the hide isnt a miracle cure, it just means they will be more stressed as they have no safety or security. No hide is bad news from a stress point of view, and if a beardy is stressed it will affect its appetite, mood, health etc.

a good compromise is a large rock or bushy plant placed at the front of the viv, so he can get out of your sight whilst still receiving UVB.

Unless he is literally in the hide all day long you dont have anything to worry about.


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