# Can a lizard get "bored"?



## StimiLove (Aug 13, 2012)

My dragon has a desent sized cage and has sand as substrate and a fat log/branch from the ground leading up to her heat and UV light. 
I have nothing else in the cage as keeping it bare ensures easy spot cleans every day, and no where for crickets to hide so i can monitor exactly how much she eats.
But then i got thinking, could she be bored in there? She digs in her sand and makes a mess, so each day i put the sand back level again.
I'd hate to think my "easy care" cage was boreing the crap out of her.
Do they need stimulation and things to do??


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## Snowman (Aug 14, 2012)

Get him foxtel.


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## Boidae (Aug 14, 2012)

No, reptiles do not get bored.


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## caliherp (Aug 14, 2012)

Boidae said:


> No, reptiles do not get bored.


where did you get that info from? IMO they can. Snakes not so much. But lizards do. I have kept two of the same species of geckos(Rhacodactylus ciliautus) in a simplistic cage and another in a vivarium. The one in the vivarium was out more often and ate a a lot more. The one in the simplistic cage hid all the time dident eat as well. I have also tried this with my leopard geckos same thing. As soon as I put more sticks, rocks, plants, and hides in there cages they seemed more happy to me.


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## moussaka (Aug 14, 2012)

caliherp said:


> where did you get that info from? IMO they can. Snakes not so much. But lizards do. I have kept two of the same species of geckos(Rhacodactylus ciliautus) in a simplistic cage and another in a vivarium. The one in the vivarium was out more often and ate a a lot more. The one in the simplistic cage hid all the time dident eat as well. I have also tried this with my leopard geckos same thing. As soon as I put more sticks, rocks, plants, and hides in there cages they seemed more happy to me.



I wouldn't call that boredom so much as feeling comfortable or not in its enclosure.

@StimiLove, while your dragon probably won't be looking for 'things to do' it may be happier with somewhere it can hide, and maybe an extra perching spot or two, if you're looking for something to change.


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## PeppersGirl (Aug 14, 2012)

Dragons do get bored, I think they're smarter than some of us realise  Try adding interest by putting different things in the enclosure for them to figure out, and doing some minor rearranging every so often to keep them occupied.
I have a male beardie that feels 'comfortable' in his enclosure (he never tries to glassdance or escape). But when he has sat there all day, and I take him out to roam the house for a while he really perks up.


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## disintegratus (Aug 14, 2012)

I don't know how smart they are, but it stands to reason that if they're smart enough to figure out that they don't have to spend their life trying not to die (because they're safe in their tank), then they could get bored.


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## AnimalsGirl (Aug 14, 2012)

In my experience, both snakes and lizards can get "bored". Each have their own personality though, so it can really depend. If you even change their enclosure around every so often, or just change out one log for a new one or add a new piece, they will always want to check it out. I have personally renovated an enclosure for a brown snake - man was he excited when he went back in! He explored every new crack and crevice for a good hour or so. I really think it is important to give them a change up; even if you don't think they're bored, it's great stimulation & sprucing up an enclosure always looks nicer & doesn't hurt!


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## CheekySod (Aug 14, 2012)

get him a xbox that should do the trick


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## Icarus (Aug 14, 2012)

i don't think lizards necessarily get _bored_ as we know it, but i think they benefit from some stimulation like they would in the wild. I have three dragons (2 lawsons and a central netted) who are all in together, and they dig constantly! so every night, i fill the holes back in and level the sand off again... and the very next day, they re-arrange it how they want it. I think this keeps them at least slightly amused, and it only takes 30 seconds for me to flatten the sand out. I also change the logs and basking rocks around every month or so.


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## crocdoc (Aug 14, 2012)

I don't keep dragons, but I think monitors suffer from lack of stimulation (their equivalent of what we call 'bored'). In the wild they spend a lot of time exploring their home range, even when they're not that hungry, so I try to mix it up for my animals by letting them roam around my place and also by swapping their cage 'furniture' with that from enclosures housing other animals, so there are new scents.


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## Red-Ink (Aug 14, 2012)

StimiLove said:


> My dragon has a desent sized cage and has sand as substrate and a fat log/branch from the ground leading up to her heat and UV light.
> I have nothing else in the cage as keeping it bare ensures easy spot cleans every day, and no where for crickets to hide so i can monitor exactly how much she eats.
> But then i got thinking, could she be bored in there? She digs in her sand and makes a mess, so each day i put the sand back level again.
> I'd hate to think my "easy care" cage was boreing the crap out of her.
> Do they need stimulation and things to do??




Get more stuff for the prey items to hide in... annoying for you to maintain but "entertainment/stimuli" for them.


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## saintanger (Aug 14, 2012)

they do get bored, i let mine out and watch them play also let them swim in my bath tub and put rocks, logs ect


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## jordo (Aug 14, 2012)

I don't know if they experience boredom in the way we would in a confined space but all animals need enrichment. Try putting a new object in the enclosure every few weeks, even just a piece of bark. Snakes and lizards with a heavier reliance on smell will really get going if there is a new scent in the enclosure. 
http://www.animalskingdom.com.au/files/ENRICHMENT FOR REPTILES.pdf


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## StimiLove (Aug 14, 2012)

Thanks for your input everyone. I have another branch and some rocks to put in there to stimulate her and her x-box, internet and foxtel will be instaled by the end of the week


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## PMyers (Aug 14, 2012)

Well, I certainly get bored reading some post content on forums concerning hobbies I am passionate about, so I guess anything is possible really :lol:


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## Ambush (Aug 14, 2012)

My Beardie has a log that he runs up and dives into his water when he's bored. He will do this for hours when he does.


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## Cypher69 (Aug 14, 2012)

I definitely think stimulation is the key. If they're enclosed in an x-sized enclosure for most of their natural life then yes, it would be ideal to change the decor every now & then...especially to give them interest in scavenging & looking for crickets.

A mate of mine has a unique bond with his beardie. The beardie gets a couple hours free roam every night but will do nothing but follow its "master" everywhere & cling to his trouser leg. If it feels threatened, it perches on his shoulders.


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## crocdoc (Aug 14, 2012)

This is an old video of a routine my lace monitors have learned for being let out of the enclosure. I'll update it soon with fresh video material, as they're much better at it now. The only reward they get for this behaviour is being allowed out to explore the room, but it's clearly enough of a reward for them to learn very quickly.
[video=youtube;PxeB8kYPP0A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxeB8kYPP0A&amp;list=UUP2bVYHJLk7KIelwHewTMHg&amp; index=2&amp;feature=plcp[/video]


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## caliherp (Aug 16, 2012)

crocdoc said:


> This is an old video of a routine my lace monitors have learned for being let out of the enclosure. I'll update it soon with fresh video material, as they're much better at it now. The only reward they get for this behaviour is being allowed out to explore the room, but it's clearly enough of a reward for them to learn very quickly.
> [video=youtube;PxeB8kYPP0A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxeB8kYPP0A&amp;list=UUP2bVYHJLk7KIelwHewTMHg&amp; index=2&amp;feature=plcp[/video]



Nice video. I did the smae with my iguana. And got the same results.


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## jordo (Aug 16, 2012)

crocdoc said:


> This is an old video of a routine my lace monitors have learned for being let out of the enclosure. I'll update it soon with fresh video material, as they're much better at it now. The only reward they get for this behaviour is being allowed out to explore the room, but it's clearly enough of a reward for them to learn very quickly.


It's great to see that you've adopted a technique like this, people always claim to know and trust their animals but for you to have this routine it no doubt greatly minimizes the risk of a feeding response in the enclosure - very good keeping practice for a potentially dangerous animal, well done!


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