Juvenile behavior vs. Adult behavior

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I got my Drogon in November, and I think (REALLY not sure!) that he/she is about maybe 5 to 6 months old? Drogon is now 93 grams and 12" long, and seems pretty scared of almost everything but his bugs... I'm just wondering at what age dragons are supposed to start head bobbing and/or arm waving? So far Drogon has not done either of these things and if he or she isn't scared, they just kind of act totally NOT interested in anything. It's not that I want him to be aggressive at all, I just kind of expected to see SOME kind of emotion once in a while. I'm a first time dragon mommy, so I don't know if this is just his personality, he's still really young, or what... maybe he or she just has a very chill, submissive personality? When do you tell? Does their demeanor change over time as they get older? SO many questions!!! Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
How old was Dragon when you got him? Did you post pics of him / her when you first got him or is this the first time posting? Hiccup is a wimp as well -- he is afraid of a lot of things too--- he is a little over a year-- any loud noises and hes running for cover --- lawn mowers snow mobiles --- the only thing he hasnt shown fear is the vacuum and I find that odd but whatever-- as far as the head bobbing and arm waving hes done none of that as well -- not sure how old they start that-- others on here would know more than I -- please post pics of his tank and lighting ----
thanks Karrie
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Those two behaviors are usually triggered by the presence of other dragons or when they see their own reflection. The arm wave is submissive and the head bob is aggressive. My dragon Otto (our 1st) never did either until he caught sight of our new dragon Helmut. I had purposely kept them completely out of contact with one another, but moved Helmut's viv to clean it. Otto caught sight of him and went berserk. Head bobbing, black beard, mouth open, the whole nine yards. Helmut, who is smaller & younger did the wave. It was fun to watch, but I got them out of line-of-sight quickly because I don't want either stressing. It actually took Otto about 2 days to fully calm down. He stopped black bearding almost immediately, but would bob from time to time. Silly critters!
 

advannoy13

Member
Original Poster
I have no clue how old he/she was when I got her... there's a picture of her tank and lighting, we're currently waiting for our 4x2x2 Zen to get here, so there will be a major upgrade soon (we're so excited!). I think I get one thing figured out, then Drogon totally flips on me and I'm more confused than I was before.... maybe I'm just super naive and don't know anything lol I've spent so much time scouring the internet and doing research and I STILL don't understand the little guy.... last night he sat and stared at me, and was flicking his tail all over the place... I don't know if that's aggression? Or love? (Ha ha ha) I just feel like I know nothing and I'm definitely not getting much from the net. Seriously, what's with the tail flicking?!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I can see your lighting -- what kind of UVB do you have and is it inside the tank? I have a Zen as well and I love it and so does Hiccup-- I will post pics of mine--- the tail switching I am at a loss for that -- I have never seen or heard of a dragon doing that---
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Karrie
 

advannoy13

Member
Original Poster
I have a zoo-med reptisun 10.0 uvb t5 HO lamp, and right now while we're impatiently waiting for the zen, I have the lamp on top of the tank kind of on a diagonal so it covers about 3/4 of the tank. I love your set up! When our Zen gets here it's going to be like Christmas morning! ?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
What kind of screen fine mesh or wide hole--- ? Thanks for the compliment-- screen tends to filter out the UVB rays--
Karrie
 

advannoy13

Member
Original Poster
It's a mesh screen with a wide hole, it's only on though when we're not home to prevent escaping, when we're home we leave the screen off...
 

advannoy13

Member
Original Poster
He's about 7 to 12" away from the uvb, depending where he is in his tank... When I said "flip" I was basically just meaning that Drogon's behavior changes drastically, one day I feel like I have him.her figured out, then he.she seems to turn into a totally different lizard. Maybe my baby is bi-polar? Lol, it is just so confusing. I can't tell when he's happy, when he's not happy, sometimes he seems super grumpy, and tries to just hide all day, other times he seems like he's happy and chillin. He has gone back to not eating in the evenings at all, he used to LOVE dubia roaches, they were his favorite, now he won't touch them, he used to take wax worms right out of my hand, now he absolutely will not even look at it until I set it down and walk away, then he'll eat it. I'm just at a loss here.... I just want Drogon to be happy, but I feel like I'm completely clueless
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
If its a female it could be hormonal ---what is she/he eating now? any only in the mornings? what are you feeding him/ her? greens? fruit? how big is he/ she ? I am assuming its a juvenile-- it doesnt look like you have any kind of hide in the tank --- like a cave or big log something for him / her to hide and sleep in
Karrie
 

advannoy13

Member
Original Poster
I'm feeding him lots of different kinds of greens (mustard, collard, bok choy, turnip greens), apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, I've tried giving him all kinds of fruits and veggies but he only ever takes a bite or 2 of greens and turns from everything else. His main diet right now is crickets, that's all he seems to want to eat... I dust the crickets with calcium and a multivitamin a couple times a week and I do have a rock hide for him but he won't go inside it, even if I try putting a treat (waxworm) in there for him so when I put his crickets in I have to take it out cause they just hide in it but I put it back in at night when I take the left over one's out. I have a pair of socks I think he likes and I'll put them in a corner of his tank before his lights go out and he digs and snuggles into them and goes right to sleep.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You might try some dubia roaches-- crickets tend to give parasites and worms-- eventually he will like his hide-- keep offering the fruits and that is cute about the socks they do like soft things-- alot of people use fleece--- I have a fleece blanket w/ hiccups name on his
Karrie
 
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