What does it mean when my water dragon scratches at the substrate in his cage and jumps into the side of his cage. Is he trying to escape?

It means the enclosure is too small and/or the dragon is trying to get through the glass (they do not understand glass).

How long is the dragon and what is the size of the enclosure?

no matter how big the enclosure they will always want out there animals heh but when you have a large enclosure for them the less they may try to get out, that and if theyre WC then they dont understand glass unlike CB which tend to be more layed back and kinda understand glass more heh...not sure if anyone understands what im say heh...

Also, cover the back and sides with paper or something. If if continues to run into the glass, it could cause snout damage and other health issues.

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MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!

I use white paper...it reflects less. Black or dark paper acts just like a mirror.

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***Tami***

for me I dont have that problem I guess I just got lucky and my WDs understand glass kinda or something....i dont know maybe it cause I let them out of their cage when im home

just a thought, but if "he" is scratching at the sub straight, maybe he isn't a he at all. could be a gravid female looking for somewhere to lay her eggs.

just a thought.

A dragon will snout rub far less in a large enclosure.

Yes, sides should be covered; but before that is done it should be determined whether or not the enclosure is too small. Covering the sides of the enclosure is not an answer if the enclosure is too small.

Also, if you have the dragon in the same cage as your ig or even just another dragon(Not sure if you do or don't but, it looks like you do from the pics on your intro thread) it could be having dominance issues with the other lizard...

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No one is implying that it is the fix, but its a start until they determine the size and until they get a bigger one if its to small



That is what I thougth when I saw the other post...

__________________
MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!