We are new Dragon Parents and are STRESSED. OUT!

Hello All! We are the new parents of a wonderful beardie named Norbert. We got him a few days ago at a reptile shop and are kind of freaking out as we were told a whole bunch of wrong info and are afraid we are making our new baby's life miserable. This is only day three, so maybe we are over reacting? We would love some advice!

Here is what is going on:

The dude we bought him from gave us ALL the wrong info. Wrong substrate, wrong diet, wrong night lighting, wrong thermometer. Norbert seemed so unhappy his first night. The next day after researching all night we bought new things for him to climb on, additional light, and some ceramic tile. New thermometer is on amazon order and should be here in a few days, but we are so worried about the temperature in his cage as our crap thermometer is the worst. He was so chill and warm when we were at the petstore. Literally sat in our hands for about an hour, climbed on our shoulders, normal beardie behavior. Now, he is cold to the touch and looks constantly agitated. He is fidgety and even bit me (totally my fault, I think I scared him). When in his cage, he isn't basking at all. He keeps going into the cold corner of his cage, and for the most part, doesn't move all day. When he is moving, he is glass surfing in the same corner. No idea if he is brumating or not as we have only had him a few days. Our house can get a little chilly in the evenings and mornings so we have a ceramic heater for the night. He also hasn't eaten. We tried hand feeding but he wasn't having it. I am going to try and leave some food in his cage all day to see if anything happens.

Here are pictures of Norbert and his enclosure.


The guy at the shop thinks he is about three years old. There was a pervious owner so we don't know too much about his past. He was in the tiniest cage at the pet store, so maybe his new surroundings are freaking him out? Also, we don't have substrate yet. The dude at the pet store gave us loose particle substrate and after reading about how awful it was we removed it right away. We got ceramic tile but it didn't fit, so that is going to be taken care of today. I am worried the glass is making him immobile because it is probably so slippery.

We feel like at every turn we are doing something wrong and just want our little guy to be stress free, warm and happy.

Norbert looks good. It is possible for him to be stressed out in new surroundings. The non adhesive shelf liner is a great substrate, you can pick up a roll at Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Walmart. It’s cheap, easy to clean & bugs can’t really hide under it. A few scraps of fleece blanket he would love. Mine loves hiding under his blankets.

Here’s a good link for nutrition.
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

He does not need any light at night.
Just the CHE is great.

Beautiful looking beardie
I know how stressful being a new owner is , that was me 2 months ago ( and still today over some things!) but your doing the right thing learning more and making necessary changes
I use linoleum as substrate - it’s easy to clean as mess rights right off, easy to fit since you only need a craft knife and ruler , and I think it looks good too. Just get the type that’s rolled not the self adhesive type as the glue isn’t safe on them
A slightly textured one is best for grip
I just place rocks so his nails still wear down

As far as the feeling cold to touch- what temps are you currently getting? A cheap infrared temp gun has been a fantastic asset - hold it 2inches from the spot you are checking.

I got my 1.25 year old about a month ago and went through the same experience. Took a couple weeks for my guy to feel more comfortable in his new big home. I did find covering the back and sides of the enclosure helps him relax a bit. You could even buy some wax paper up for now until you find a background you like. Great looking dragon and setup you have there, he's a lucky guy.

He is so handsome! I would suggest getting a UVB light since it looks like you only have a basking light. Ceramic heat emmiters are awesome and would recommend for a little bit more warmth at night. I use it for beardie since it's getting colder now. I've heard from a few vets that heating pads aren't the best. Beardies regulate temp from the tops of their bodies, not the bottom. As far as him glass surfing and staying on one side of the cage, he's adapting to his new home, so it's nothing to freak out over. Although it is concerning as a new beardie parent. I hope all of our advice helps!

It's soothed our ruffled dragonparent's beards to know that Norbert is not only beautiful and handsome, but most like just a little stressed out right now. Thank you so very much for all of the tips, nutrition facts, and encouragement!

vrenee1018":3879779d said:

I would suggest getting a UVB light since it looks like you only have a basking light.

Click to expand...

We actually do have a UVB light on top of the tank just in the front, although it's a touch difficult to see. Also, we were originally using a red lamp in the evenings (another scurrilous recommendation form the dude who sold us Norbert) and have quickly switched to a CHE. Unfortunately we don't yet have a super accurate indicator of the temps we're achieving in his basking spot or during the evenings, but our thermometer is arriving Wednesday(!) and we'll let you guys know the temps since we could definitely use the first-hand opinions.

Thank you all again! This thread has been beyond encouraging for us newly bearded parents.