6 month old beardie acting WEIRD please help

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AnnaC109

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I've had Peatrie for about 5 months now. He is in a75 gallon tank. UBV mounted inside, basking side is at about 97 and cool side is about 80. He's been in this tank for a couple months now with no problem at all. Over the past few days he has been getting a black beard which I have only seen him have like once before. He has been hanging on the cool side or against the wall or hiding. He isn't basking. If I put him there he will stay there for a little but he moves. Which is weird he always basks. He is eating well. I feed him medium dubia roaches and vegetables every couple days and he eats those too. He usually poops once a day but yesterday he didn't and today he did. If I take him out of the tank he gets super orange and happy and walks around. He isn't shedding right now so it's not that. His temps are fine so idk why he wouldn't want to bask. He's way too young for brumation my breeder said and she said to put him in front of a mirror to see if he head bobs bc it might be sexual maturity but he didn't do anything. One thing he does do it look up at the light whether it be his basking bulb or a light in my apartment. It's weird idk why he does that. I'm sorry this is long I'm just not sure what is wrong with him.

Also I did just get two pet rats and their cage is next to his. Not right next to it but if he's looking he can see them. But he was acting this way before I got them. And he also isn't bothered by other animals. I had a cat here for a week and he was acting totally normal and didn't care. But idk if that could be bothering him at all.
 

CooperDragon

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It's a good sign that he's active and has an orange beard when he's out and about. That does point to a possible issue in his setup or environment that is bugging him though. How are you measuring those temps? You'll want to be sure you have an accurate reading and provide basking surface temps around 100-105 with a nice gradient down to about 75-80 or so on the other end. Which kind of UVB light do you have? How old is it? How far is it above his basking spot?

How old his he now? 7-8 months? That could be hormonal but that usually shows up as active/aggressive behavior more than hiding and lethargic behavior. At that age he should probably still be getting a bug meal every day too unless he is overweight. If you can post some photos of him that will help to determine his general physical wellbeing.
 

AnnaC109

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CooperDragon":z8qnqvcw said:
It's a good sign that he's active and has an orange beard when he's out and about. That does point to a possible issue in his setup or environment that is bugging him though. How are you measuring those temps? You'll want to be sure you have an accurate reading and provide basking surface temps around 100-105 with a nice gradient down to about 75-80 or so on the other end. Which kind of UVB light do you have? How old is it? How far is it above his basking spot?

How old his he now? 7-8 months? That could be hormonal but that usually shows up as active/aggressive behavior more than hiding and lethargic behavior. At that age he should probably still be getting a bug meal every day too unless he is overweight. If you can post some photos of him that will help to determine his general physical wellbeing.

That's what his temps are I have a thermometer it's zoo med. I have a reptisun UBV bulb 10.0. I just got it about 2 months ago maybe less. He is 6 months old. He eats dubia roaches twice a day and has a huge appetite. Nothing is wrong in his tank. I have a few log type things. A couple rocks he can sit on or go under if he wants. I have two hammocks and plants on the back wall on the outside not in it so he can't eat them but so he can't see his reflection or anything. The bottom of the tank is lined with tile.
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CooperDragon

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He's a big dragon. He looks older than 6 months in those photos but my adult dragon is relatively small. He looks like a healthy weight if not a little big so that's good too. Sometimes they just go through moody phases like that and the only thing to do is wait it out. If he seems to like being out of the tank I'd give him some more time out and see how he does.
 

AnnaC109

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CooperDragon":1onwvb92 said:
He's a big dragon. He looks older than 6 months in those photos but my adult dragon is relatively small. He looks like a healthy weight if not a little big so that's good too. Sometimes they just go through moody phases like that and the only thing to do is wait it out. If he seems to like being out of the tank I'd give him some more time out and see how he does.

I know he is really big. Is that a problem? I always wonder if his age is right bc I got him at the end of April and the breeder said he was 5 weeks old. I don't want him to get fat but he is constantly shedding like as soon as he finishes his whole body he starts again it's crazy. Should I back off of the bugs?
 

CooperDragon

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If he's shedding a lot he's still growing. It's not necessarily a problem. How long is he nose to tail? How much does he weigh? Adults are generally around 18-20 inches long and anywhere from 400-800g in weight so there are a lot of body types. It's good to track his weight so you can compare his growth against his past and just keep an eye on how things are generally trending. Since he's still only 6 months old I'd keep offering bugs daily but maybe think about pushing the salads a little earlier than usual (I usually suggest between 12-18 months).
 

AnnaC109

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CooperDragon":2lkkjspn said:
If he's shedding a lot he's still growing. It's not necessarily a problem. How long is he nose to tail? How much does he weigh? Adults are generally around 18-20 inches long and anywhere from 400-800g in weight so there are a lot of body types. It's good to track his weight so you can compare his growth against his past and just keep an eye on how things are generally trending. Since he's still only 6 months old I'd keep offering bugs daily but maybe think about pushing the salads a little earlier than usual (I usually suggest between 12-18 months).

Idk how much he weighs bc I can't find my scale for him. But he's about 16 inches long. I was giving him a bath this morning and I noticed this I'll post a pic. Do you know if this is normal or if this has anything to do with sexual maturity?
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EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Are you sure of his sex? No, that has nothing to do with sexual maturity, it's not a "prolapse" but it could have been, he may have had a quick hemipene prolapse that went back in on its own and that you weren't aware of, I doubt that's the cause of his moods. The only thing concerning is the black beard, that typically indicates discomfort, pain, or sexual behavior around a female or dominance around another male.

I would first move the rats out of sight. You have no idea what he thinks about them, he may fear them, he may feel dominance or jealousy towards them, who knows, but its definitely not helping him, so move them out of sight (don't move him, as that can upset him but the rats won't care). Generally when they are only upset inside their tank their is an issue in the tank, just makes sense. I'd move the rats, check your temps again (make sure you're using a digital probe thermometer and not a stick-on thermometer), and get his basking spot between 100-105, hot side ambient between 88-93, and cool side ambient between 75-80. Make sure your Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube is inside the tank and has a reflector behind it, and is within 6-8" of his basking spot. Make sure it's right alongside the basking bulb and both are directly over the main basking spot. Make sure his basking bulbs is not a coil bulb but rather a regular, bright white bulb. No loose substrate. If you move the rats and check all these basics again and everything is correct, then think about putting paper up around any glass (if his enclosure is glass) to block his reflection, as if he sees his reflection that can trigger either aggressive dominant behavior or sexual behavior.
 

AnnaC109

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":6fodjcm0 said:
Are you sure of his sex? No, that has nothing to do with sexual maturity, it's not a "prolapse" but it could have been, he may have had a quick hemipene prolapse that went back in on its own and that you weren't aware of, I doubt that's the cause of his moods. The only thing concerning is the black beard, that typically indicates discomfort, pain, or sexual behavior around a female or dominance around another male.

I would first move the rats out of sight. You have no idea what he thinks about them, he may fear them, he may feel dominance or jealousy towards them, who knows, but its definitely not helping him, so move them out of sight (don't move him, as that can upset him but the rats won't care). Generally when they are only upset inside their tank their is an issue in the tank, just makes sense. I'd move the rats, check your temps again (make sure you're using a digital probe thermometer and not a stick-on thermometer), and get his basking spot between 100-105, hot side ambient between 88-93, and cool side ambient between 75-80. Make sure your Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube is inside the tank and has a reflector behind it, and is within 6-8" of his basking spot. Make sure it's right alongside the basking bulb and both are directly over the main basking spot. Make sure his basking bulbs is not a coil bulb but rather a regular, bright white bulb. No loose substrate. If you move the rats and check all these basics again and everything is correct, then think about putting paper up around any glass (if his enclosure is glass) to block his reflection, as if he sees his reflection that can trigger either aggressive dominant behavior or sexual behavior.

I'm not POSITIVE of his sex but I have checked and it looks like a boy to me. I have all that stuff. I have tile in the enclosure and I have a really good tank for him. He has lots of space and his temps are fine. Hot side around 100 cool side around 80 and I have a digital thermometer too. The thing is I have no where else to put the rats. I have a fairly small apartment. He was acting like this before they even got here. I also used to have a cat and she was always in sight and he never cared at all. He MIGHT be jealous bc I am very close with him and I am giving the rats attention but I also give him LOTS of attention. I will try to find a place to put the rats. I'm also afraid he's older than I thought bc he is very large. So I really think it might just be hormones
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
It's very possibly just his hormones. They don't need to see or smell another dragon at all, they just are growing up and it's part of becoming a manly beardie.
 
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