IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP WITH BEARDIE

HI I HAVE A PET BEARDIE WHO IS ABOUT 1 YEARS OLD THE PROBLEM IS HE IS VERY AGGRESSIVE AND TRYS TO BITE EVEN THROUGH THE GLASS TANK IF YOU LOOK AT HIM HE DODGES THE GLASS WITH HIS MOUTH OPEN I REALLY WANT TO TAME HIM BUT IM NOT SURE WHAT TO DO ANY SUGGESTIONS WILL BE VERY HELPFUL WE BOUGHT HIM AT A PET STORE FOR MY 8 YEAR OLD SON FIGURING HE WOULD BE ABLE TO CARE FOR IT AND HANDLE IT BUT ITS BEEN IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO DO SO! :x

How long have you had him.??

Hi,

Can you give us some information about your setup?

How long have you had your dragon?
How long is your dragon?
What is the sex of your dragon?
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
What are the basking temps?
What is the cool side temp?
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?


If you could answer these questions it will helps us figure out what has your little guy so upset.

~Allison

HERE IS THE INFORMATION IF ANY ONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND THANK YOU FOR THE RESPONSES!!

How long have you had your dragon? I HAVE HAD HER A LITTLE OVER THREE WEEKS
How long is your dragon? ABOUT 12 INCHES FROM HEAD TO TAIL
What is the sex of your dragon? I BELIEVE IT IS FEMALE
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? SHE IS IN A 20 GALLON BUT IM WORKING ON GETTING A LARGER SIZE
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? THE CALCIUM SAND
Do you use UVB lights? YES
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? I HAVE A FLOURESCENT TUBE THAT SAYS 7% UVB
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? ZOO MED DESERT 7%
How old is your UVB bulb? BRAND NEW
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? IT IS DIRECTLY ON TOP OFF THE TANK
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? YES 75 WATT ZOO MED
What are the basking temps?90-95 DEGREES
What is the cool side temp?70-80
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?STICK ON
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? RIGHT ON THE SIDE OF THE GLASS WHERE SHE USUALLY LAYS ON THE LOG
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? NO THE PET STORE SAID I DID NOT NEED ONE BUT I DO HAVE ONE

Short answers,

Aggression - adjustment period with you and your dragon, it's most likely a relocation thing give her some time and she should calm down.

Substrate - the calci-sand is really bad it causes inpaction in bearded dragons, i suggest switching to play sand or a solid substrate tile or repti-carpet which is safer.

Temperature - too low the basking temp needs to be between 110 -115.

Heatpad - don't need it it could do more harm than good.

Lighting - you need repti-sun 10 or a MVB, the Zoo-med 7% does not give enough UVB for dragon requirements. Wait for a bigger enclosure if you decide to use a MVB, 20 gallons and an MVB results in a fried dragon.

Temperature measurement - should be measured directly on the basking spot with a digital probe thermometer or a temp gun.

Hope this helps.
What do you feed her?

i feed her crickets, she actually eats alot of the dried food which she seems to like very much some leafy greens i also heard that it is rare that they will eat the pellets but she really likes them are they good for her? she seems to be content except when i try to touch her or pick her up or even approach her tank if she doesnt see us she is fine.

Hello,

I would not raise your basking temps to 115 in that small of a tank. A 20 gallon tank, 95-110 is high enough. Since you are using a stick on thermometer, she is most likely getting overheated. They are known to be off by quite a bit. So I recommend you get a digital probe or a temp gun for better measurements of your temps.
Do not raise any temperatures until you get a better thermometer, ok?
The basking light, what wattage is it?
Your UVB is an ESU 7% slimline desert light? If so, that light is not a good UVB light. You will need to get the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb for better UVB emissions. You can get it from http://www.petmountain.com for a great price.
Pellets are fine, but she needs a good balance of greens & feeders as well.

How do her eyes look, are they sunken in at all?

Tracie

no her eyes seem fine not sunken in they look healthy

i rescued my dragon that had been barely cared for for years.

he was super crabby for MONTHS, but now he's my little buddy.

the above mentioned advice regarding substrate and lighting and temperatures is all sound, but you just need to give your dragon some time.

it'll be a good lesson in respect and patience for everyone involved.

i am sure its just a matter of getting used to you. She is probably nervous, spend a little time with her and hopfully she will relax and let you touch her. :mrgreen:

it sounds like a few little things need to be changed which others have already mentioned but overall it seems like he/she is trying to adjust. Beardies CAN go through moods. Mine will be my baby one day and then the next day he runs. My two friends have young beardies who are the same way. Try to be patient. If he/she looks frightened or doesn't want to be held then just leave it alone for a little while. Sometimes they just don't want to be bothered, like when they are basking or trying to eat. The older they get, usually, they will calm down some more. Hope all of this makes you feel a little bit better!