Slate under heat lamp in enclosure

[Cheesenugget]

She is in a 36x18x18 which opens from the top but I plan on getting her a front opening one. She’s a mature female who is quite large. I hate the carpet too but I’m too scared of impaction as much first BD died of either impaction or the wasting disease so I kind of have a big fear now. I wanted to give her slate as it was a nice way to keep everything warmer and looking natural while also keeper her nails down because she scratches me a lot. I have a uvb on the left side and a basking lamp on the right with a green hammock that she spends most of her time in underneath it. Her water and food dish are on the left side as well. She seems like she wants out more but with her nails it isn’t as easy for me due to my job, she also tries to escape to places I can get her a lot or is dangerous for her. That’s part of the reason I want to make her a naturalistic enclosure so she can feel more at home in it and have more to do besides run around a box. I thought I found the perfect thing with the slate but someone pointed out that it could get extremely hot for her.

Lots of beardie keepers use slate with no issues. It is all about checking your temps. Another option is stacking bricks like I do (Only because I can't find slate in my area) or tiles, if you want to keep the basking spot an area where she can climb up to keep her nails trimmed.

Here is the thing: your beardie should not want to get out of the cage or 'tank surfing' other than it is breeding season or 'spring fever' which is common around March-May. Beardies would run around the tank, not wanting to eat as much and trying to get out because they are looking for a mate. That can happen a lot to some beardies, not so much for others. If your temps are correct like I previously mentioned, and she is healthy, she is probably going through her mood. Just make sure to offer her some food every other day, keep an eye on her and let her do her thing. It should stop soon. Mine did that last month for 3 weeks and he is back to normal now.

Second reason it could be your tank's temps are too hot, too cold, too small and/or she needs to lay eggs. Females can lay without a male, so a lay hide should always be provided in case she needs it. If she is not provided that, and she needs to lay, the eggs can get stuck inside her and burst. This happened to my last beardie who I adopted after she had this happened to her, because her last owner did not know to provide lay boxes for her.

Once you rule out the above, you should know what is wrong with your lizard or if it is normal behavior. Changing the 'look' of the tank might not stop her from tank surfing if she needs more space or the tank is too hot.

I think it is a great idea to add enrichment in any reptile's enclosure. The green hammock, which I have too, is imo too small for a large beardie. Look into adding more hammocks, more climbing items, cheap plastic fake plants (away from the hot spot), etc. I line river pebbles across the front of my tank and Aegon would run around on them when he is about to poop. Whatever you do, no loose substrate.

Lastly, yes, the nails are sharp. Even the tiles and bricks don't help much with my beardie nails. Trimming can be done, and I had tried, it is difficult for a nervous lizard and imo not worth it, because you can't trim much without reaching the quick (blood vessel), and the nail grew back in days. I place my lizard on a towel and I hold him like that when we go sunning outside, or he climbs on my shirt.