Hide opinions

[Anderous]

hi, ive been wondering about something for the few weeks ive had my skink. I know from personal experience that bearded dragons actually do better without a hide, mine is about the calmest reptile you can imagine with no hide. I tried introducing a hide to my dragon after i got him, but it made him more afraid.
Im mentioning this because i built a big huge hide for my BTS. i made it two stories tall and has this big long tube running off of it where he can stretch out if he wants to but ever since i did it, he is now acting more nervous when i am in the room, running immediatlly for his hide, staying in there all day and he tried to bite me too. so anyway, does anyone think i have too much hide in there and it is affecting the behavior of my skink. or has anyone noticed anything like this before with skinks, or any other lizard for that matter. Im pretty sure skinks do need a hide unlike dragons, but im thinking too much of a good thing is affecting his behavior in a negative way, any thoughts, thanks a bunch

[Katrina]

In my experience, you can't have too much hide. They need to feel secure and safe. I don't think the most docile, tame, unfazed reptile should be the goal. At least not at the expense of their sense of security. They might not end up hanging out in the open all day (some will, some won't) but you need to provide snug, secure hides or else you aren't meeting all of their needs. It reminds me of animals in zoos, where they aren't 'normal' at all just disengaged and almost trance-like because they can't hide, can't get away from crowds. I know that is a little extreme, but that is what I always think of when I hear that reptiles don't need hides.