Is a back drop important in a bearded dragons tank?

Question

I have a baby bearded dragon. I have his tank in the middle of the room on the island between the kitchen and tv room because everything I've read says they should be in the mix of things. I have the dragon in a 75 gal tank. Right next to it I have a 10 gal aquarium with fish in it that I had to seperate from my 55 gal aquarium. When I say right next to it I mean right next to it. My question is should I put a back drop between the tanks. The reason I ask is because he sits there for hours up on his hind legs with his fronts up on the glass just staring into the fish tank. Now and again he scratches on the glass like he is trying to get to them. The fish (Convicts) have babies so when he does this they swim over to "protect" there kids. It appears my bd is obsessing. Do ya'll think this is the case and I should put something between the tanks or do you think this is great entertainment for the bd and all is well.

Answer 1

What he is doing is referred to as "glass dancing". He is not trying to get them. He doesn't understand that he cannot get through the glass.
It's important to cover 3 sides of the tank with babies. Sometimes, all four. They will feel more protected and less threatened this way.

Answer 2

We just got our first bearded dragon and it has been a real education! First of all, with babies, don't use any of the substrates you can find in pet stores (and never use sand of any sort). Babies are clumsy eaters and they can end up eating the bedding and then getting an impaction that can lead to paralysis and death. Just line the bottom of the tank with paper toweling. When it is older you should then switch to Yesterday's News which is a cat litter product and much more econimical than the substrates marketed for lizards. Second, and this is very important, do not keep a water dish in the tank with your Dragon. This can raise the humidity level to a dangerous level causing respiratory infections that can lead to death. Third, no matter what the sales person at the pet store tells you, don't use a black light for your night time heat source. You want to get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter). Beardies are very sensitive to light and cannot get proper sleep unless their tank is completely dark (they need 8 hours each night). Fourth, don't feed crickets if you can help it. Find a meal worm source (I'm going to order some) and feed the small white ones that have recently shed. Crickets often carry parasites which can infect your Beardie and make it sick. Also, you need to only feed items that are NO BIGGER THAN THE SPACE BETWEEN YOUR BEARDIE'S EYES. Feeding bigger items can cause it to choke or create an impaction (again, paralysis and death are a concern). I strongly suggest joining the DragonTank community. The people there are extremely knowledgeable about Beardies and are really nice and eager to help out new owners. They also have scads of caresheets to help get you on your way.

Answer 3

Lol, I actually think that's kind of cute. Most people use backdrops to prevent their beardies from seeing their reflections and getting stressed/territorial.

If he doesn't seem to be acting agressive towards them, and is just merely intrigued, I don't think you need a backdrop.

Also, a 75g tank might be a bit large if it's just a wee baby. It might be hard for him to find the basking and cool spots. You should maybe section a bit off until he's older. Also, large spaces can overwhelm them when they're small.

One more thing, I hope you're not using sand!

Here's an example of what I had my baby housed in: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/ms_lotr_freak/Pets/Gideon/Gideonsetup100-1.jpg?t=1194818906
Keep it really simple. Don't use a lot of hides, because chances are he will hide out instead of basking and getting his UV rays.

Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Answer 4

It's common for baby dragons to "glass surf". They will even fall asleep against the glass. As long as you have several hiding places for him, don't worry about the backdrop. He'll outgrow this behavior.

Answer 5

Not sure.