Bearded dragon acting strange! Help!!!

Hi i recently got a bearded dragon. He was 5 when i got him and he is very alert and active after he got over his rehoming stress. Hes only recently let me start picking him up and holding him but yesterday he wouldnt let me touch him at all he would puff his beard up and start hissing. Also he hasnt really been eating much lately. He swims in his water bowl all the time too. Today he has done nothing but lay down and has barely had his eyes open and his skin has gotten much darker than normally. Please help this is my first dragon and i dont know what he is doing is it normal??

Need more info...
Tell use about your enclosure, lights, diet, temps...as much as possible.
Could be a myriad of problems (or none at all) hard to say without more info.
I wouldn't put a water bowl in his his enclosure. Not needed if your dragon is eating greens...

Rankins":1zgjpvrr said:

Need more info...
Tell use about your enclosure, lights, diet, temps...as much as possible.
Could be a myriad of problems (or none at all) hard to say without more info.
I wouldn't put a water bowl in his his enclosure. Not needed if your dragon is eating greens...

Click to expand...

He is in a 36 gallon tank which is the same dimensions of a 40 gallon except it is just a little shorter. He has a 50 watt red bulb on at night and a 75w bright heat bulb on during the day and also a long uvb light on during the day for 12 hours. I feed him dubia roaches some days and the other days kale. He doesnt seem to really eat much of the kale but he will eat a few roaches when he is fed them. He likes to lay in his water bowl thats the only reason it is in there. He is usely very active in his cage and very alert but like i said, yesterday he was mean but still up and about and today he is just lying flat on top of his house with his eyes barely open. He is breathing. His house is on the cool side of the tank. The hot side is usually about 91 degrees F and the cool side usually 83 degrees F. Also yesterday i saw him digging at the sand for a quick second could this mean something??

Hey Toby,
The first thing that comes to mind when reading your setup is that there should be no light on at night. The red light will disturb their sleep and can definitely leave them grumpy.

The other thing I noticed is the cool side is a little too high, and the warm side might be a little too low. Ideally they like the basking to be around 95-100 for an adult, and a cooler side of upper 70's.

How large is the dragon? A 36gal tank sounds too small for an adult. A 40g breeder (36x18x18) is considered the minimum for an adult, but larger dragons will need larger homes.

How long have you had him? You said recently but you did not give a time frame. He is likely still trying to settle in, and the above suggestions could be making it extra stressful for him.

I would recommend making a few changes to his setup and giving him time to adjust before interacting too much with him.

traildrifterphalanx":3cb3opnd said:

Hey Toby,
The first thing that comes to mind when reading your setup is that there should be no light on at night. The red light will disturb their sleep and can definitely leave them grumpy.

The other thing I noticed is the cool side is a little too high, and the warm side might be a little too low. Ideally they like the basking to be around 95-100 for an adult, and a cooler side of upper 70's.

How large is the dragon? A 36gal tank sounds too small for an adult. A 40g breeder (36x18x18) is considered the minimum for an adult, but larger dragons will need larger homes.

How long have you had him? You said recently but you did not give a time frame. He is likely still trying to settle in, and the above suggestions could be making it extra stressful for him.

I would recommend making a few changes to his setup and giving him time to adjust before interacting too much with him.

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thank you. What is the best way to keep one side cooler?? I was able to get the hot side to around 94 but the cool side will stay just under 80. Is that fine?? Ive had him for about a week and a half

Around 80 isn't terrible, though a larger tank will create a better temperature gradient to work with by default. My cooler sides are usually around 76-78 so it's not far off.

I personally work with the height of my enclosures, making the basking spot about halfway up the enclosure and completely to 1 side of the tank, allowing the opposite side to be lower and cooler. With a shorter tank it would definitely be more difficult.

I haven't had any issues with the temps on my cooler sides, but they ended up more shaded due to decor, so I would recommend some hide caves or ways to shade a side of the enclosure.

traildrifterphalanx":2h3hlxzm said:

Around 80 isn't terrible, though a larger tank will create a better temperature gradient to work with by default. My cooler sides are usually around 76-78 so it's not far off.

I personally work with the height of my enclosures, making the basking spot about halfway up the enclosure and completely to 1 side of the tank, allowing the opposite side to be lower and cooler. With a shorter tank it would definitely be more difficult.

I haven't had any issues with the temps on my cooler sides, but they ended up more shaded due to decor, so I would recommend some hide caves or ways to shade a side of the enclosure.

Click to expand...

his tank is the same length and width as a 40 gallon tank it is just shorter in height so his light is a bit closer. I do have my basking lights at one end and his uvb in the middle and i looked yesterday and it was about 77 or 78 on the cool side. I think he might be brumating? I slept with my window open the night before he was acting strange so maybe the cooler temp triggered his brumating???