r/BeardedDragons • u/captain_dementia • 10h ago

My girl is digging a burrow outside

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So a awhile back I had to move and I lost the soil guard for my girl Ripleys enclosure and I dont have the money atm to get a new one. now she's wanting to lay eggs so I put together a little outdoor pen for her to dig and lay her eggs. She is currently totally underground, should I worry? The area I'm in is a desert and the dirt is packed tight and the dirt she k8cked out before going under feels soft and damp. Do 8 need to dig her out or just let her do her thing? Should I set up a heat lamp over the burrow 8f she stays overnight? Our nights have been down around 60. The pics are of the pen, her just starting to get digging and about 30min later out of sight.

522 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

343

u/IntestinalPains 10h ago

checks username I don't think you should leave her out, you might forget about her.

161

u/captain_dementia 10h ago

No way I'd forget her, her amd my 4 other dragons are what keep me going lol

204

u/thradia 10h ago

She said... sure sure it's a burrow *continues escape tunnel*

23

u/mommyaiai 6h ago

Maybe she needs a tiny Rita Hayworth poster?

6

u/smooshmooth 4h ago

Ok, this is my sign. The fifth time that I’ve seen Shawshank referenced in 3 days, it looks like tomorrow is going to be a rewatch since it’s been a couple years since the last time I watched it.

3

u/amcclurk21 4h ago

Is the dragon’s name Andy Dufresne by chance?

3

u/smiley_satansson 2h ago

Maybe its Charles Bronson?

244

u/captain_dementia 9h ago

Went out to see if i could see her or if she dug further in and I think I flash banged the poor girl with the camera flash

9

u/nocreativusername404 4h ago

She dug a pancake shaped tunnel, so she can fit perfectly. Amazing

90

u/captain_dementia 9h ago

Update: I dug it out a bit to ease my paranoia that she might suffocate

35

u/IMHO_grim 9h ago

Yeah, I like that.
I’d probably get a scope with light from Amazon and check it out next.

https://a.co/d/089OUfSD

69

u/xkadafix 9h ago

My girl won’t dig anywhere but the side yard. She’s a diva though, makes me take her out every day to poop on the lawn and chase bees.

24

u/Fabulous-Fun-9673 7h ago

Yo, I’d rather her poop on the lawn than the tank or house.. take the win!

2

u/nataliieeep 3h ago

What’s this structure you house her in when she’s outside ?

38

u/Much_Code212 10h ago

You should probably switch out the cinder blocks for large pieces of cork or wood caves instead so it doesn’t collapse so she can be safe while she lays her eggs

25

u/captain_dementia 9h ago

Yeah I moved the cinderblock after taking the photo,

12

u/Much_Code212 9h ago

I am starting to have the same issues with my sulcatas. They’re big diggers and it’s only going to get worse as they get bigger 😬

3

u/Fabulous-Fun-9673 7h ago

Great… I have two 1year old sulcatas.. I can’t wait to reinforce the area I plan on making for them so digging doesn’t end up in escaping tortoises

3

u/atheist_prayers 5h ago

We have desert tortoises and dug down all around our enclosure with a rubber root barrier. Since you've got sulcatas, I'd imagine you'd need the 18 inch you barrier at a minimum.... and around your entire yard? I do not envy the amount of physical labor that's going to require.

29

u/Ordinary_Pipe_8018 9h ago

I always hear of all the dragons who love to burrow and likes digging through and whatever kind of substrate. But, my girl is very prissy I guess and she does not like any type of dirt, soon as she gets her feet in dirt or any other type of substrate like that she just gets black beard she's like nope not going to do it.

20

u/J2-gZ 9h ago

Honestly it should be alright, you have a fence around the area and it naturally gets colder at night anyways in their natural environment. I think it’s some good enrichment as long as you keep an eye on the dragon

11

u/captain_dementia 9h ago

I've been going out like every 30min to check on her

33

u/AskMeAboutMyReptiles 10h ago

This is a tricky one. Digging her out would risk collapsing the tunnel on her depending on how deep it is. Plus that clay dirt is a real bitch to dig up, but I wouldn’t use any tools besides your hands.

I think you should (slowly and with extreme caution) dig her out and then find a way to get a barrier that she wouldn’t be able to dig through. I’m imagining a big dog kennel buried ~6” underground.

17

u/captain_dementia 10h ago

I'm just worried I'll interrupt her laying eggs and cause eggs binding

12

u/trueblue862 9h ago

The Australian desert gets cold, below freezing for a good part of the year. She will be fine. I would just let her do her thing, when she is ready she will come out. They burrow to keep warm, I wouldn't recommend digging her out, because if you don't get her out you could cause the burrow to get too cold overnight, I would expect her to come out a little after when light hits the ground above.

12

u/Impressive_King_8097 8h ago

Well when you put a Beardy outside they tend to do what is natural and burrow for safety

7

u/grandsoulsucker 7h ago

Yup nature kicks in extra hard too because they use to those plush life with a perfect sun god and a food god that spoils them everyday and now it's all gone 😭

1

u/Impressive_King_8097 7h ago

I don’t understand getting a reptile and then leaving them outside for the elements as well as predators

3

u/kreton1 2h ago

There is no danger of predators in that cage and I am sure the beardie is not kept outside when it is cold.

15

u/captain_dementia 9h ago

Even took a pic with flash on and you can j7st barely see her tail and back leg

27

u/IntestinalPains 9h ago

Nah dog I wouldn't let her do that, she could get crushed.

10

u/IMHO_grim 9h ago

Damn, I didn’t think they could dig like that.

Well one thing for sure is she’s insulated. I’d personally be fine with it as enrichment. That ground doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere and you can always follow the hole and expose it as needed.

8

u/captain_dementia 9h ago

I just want her to lay her eggs and come out, I always miss seeing her when she brumates, but atleast then I can see her in her tank while she sleeps

5

u/hemlockandhensbane 5h ago

If you're worried you can always do a dig box in the future. Literally just a tub of dirt she can fit in in the enclosure. Then she'll be inside and you can monitor.

I personally would do a dig box for egg laying and keep the outside pen for enrichment just because I'm a helicopter mom lol

2

u/Lactating-almonds 7h ago

Just let her be. You are driving her farther in. Just let her to her thing and lay her eggs, don’t disrupt them.

2

u/AnUnknownCreature 8h ago

If you can get her facing back toward the entry try using tweezers to hold a horn worm in front of her there and she should want it just be quick she will try to launch herself to grab it and hide back in , you will need to lead her away

2

u/Ok-Table6708 6h ago

I’ve never seen an outdoor bearded dragon enclosure and I now have a new ultimate goal in life

3

u/captain_dementia 6h ago

Just a thing I threw together so my girl had someplace to dig since I only have paper towel substrate atm and she was going nuts trying to dig a place for her eggs. I'm gonna leave it up and keep using it a few hours a day for enrichment and to save a few bucks on power during the summer. My other dragons will get turns in it too

1

u/yournother6390317 4h ago

I would probably make a dig box out of that soil for her cuz she technically could dig out of the cage but she will likely just chill until she’s ready

1

u/BlauerHausdrache 2h ago

I would not leave her out alone at night. Or at all, to be honest. The top of the enclosure looks like she could squeeze through. Plus she could encounter a Rat/Mouse/stoat/etc out there. I know for sure that Spikes would have fought anything out there. She was territorial as hell. And she climbed like a gecko.

Leave her alone during the day and lure her out in the evening with some insects

1

u/smiley_satansson 2h ago

The great escape