Why is my leo wall surfing?

[AM217]

For a few days now my Leo has been wall surfing. He is kept in a 20 gallon tank with three hides and I have kept him for around five months now, so I know he is acclimated to his setup. I also noticed that he was climbing the backdrop of his terrarium a lot, but I had seen him do it before, so I wasn't too worried. Regardless, I added a branch to his setup to facilitate any urge to climb, but he seemed to largely ignore it and continued to attempt to climb the glass of his cage. Most recently, I put up some airplants to try and spruce up his cage, but he still is wall surfing. He is fed well on a diet of dubias, mealworms, and superworms. The cool side of his setup is a bit warm at 80 degrees F and that may be the problem and if so, how can I get it cooler? Any help is appreciated, still new to the site so apologies if I post In the wrong area.

 

[indyana]

Wall climbing can be triggered by discomfort or boredom. It's okay to see periods of it when first putting into a new enclosure or during the breeding season, but constant repetition year round should be addressed.

I'd check the temps with a temp gun or digital probe. Floor should be 85-95 F in the hottest spot and drop below 80 F on cool side as a broad guide. Also ensure the humid hide is providing refuge from dry air.

If all the conditions seem okay, he may need more climbing and hiding opportunities. They are more likely to climb broader logs or rocks than thin branches.

Last resort is a larger enclosure. Some very active individuals might need more room.

 

[Heloguy]

My Leo (2 years) tries to climb the corners when she's looking for attention. As soon as I put my hand in the cage, she moves, slowly so as not to let me think that its her idea, and then moves into my hand as if to say, "What the hey?" I usually keep her on my shoulder until she gets bored then let her explore a table top of clutter on my rolltop desk or the kitchen table. Another problem I found was that my background scenery, taped to the outside of the terrarium , was beckoning to her wild side so she would try and climb out to enter the scene. Lastly, I noticed that reflections from the inside off of the glass confuses her as to the real location of her prey or my hand. I solved this by taping the outside scenery to the inside of the terrarium which cut down of the reflections and her confusion.

 

[AM217]

Ordered way more air plants than I needed. I may be able to arrange the plants to line the glass where he typically wall surfs in order to cut back on reflections and how much of the outside world he can see.

 

[AM217]

If all the conditions seem okay, he may need more climbing and hiding opportunities. They are more likely to climb broader logs or rocks than thin branches.

He has been under my care for months now, so he should be well acclimated. Humid hide is misted almost daily, but cool side temps are bit warm, with my digital thermometer reading around 80 degrees F. I have my light on a fixture, so I could mess around with it until I reach more acceptable temperatures. Also, how would you recommend creating more climbing opportunities?

 

[indyana]

Some great options are larger cork rounds or store-bought items like climbing ledges/hides or magnetic ledges that can be fixed higher up on the glass.

 

[AM217]

Yes, I'm familiar with the cork rounds, as I use them in my bioactive Dubia setup. It may be a bit difficult to fit one in his setup, so I will probably go with magnetic ledges. Found a nice looking one off of Amazon and they even make magnetic hides so there are a lot of options. Thanks for the help, much appreciated.