3 Mnth Beardie Not Looking So Good :(

[bongripper420]

Hey I was wondering if any of you guys would know what I'm doing wrong. One of my beardie's hasnt been active at all. Once growing like crazy but the other one seems to be smaller. It has really dark stress lines underneath it and it seems not be really lazy. It gets up once in awhile but mostly goes in awkward places and hides. I feed them mixed greens in the morning and dusted crickets later in the day. I mist them with water 2-3 times a day and usually bathe them every other day. I have a heat lamp not too sure what brand but it's 100-150w bulb cant remember which one. With a ReptiGlo 10.0 bulb which I just found out is bad...Do you guys have any ideas? One's perfectly fine he's sitting on my knee right now just chillin but the other guy is very fidgity and doesnt like staying put.

Please give me any possible ideas/solutions you can find.

Thanks, Greatly appreciate it.

 

[beardie parents]

First, are they house together? Sometimes when 2 baby dragons are housed together one feels dominated and won't eat as much as the other one. Second, yes the reptiglo 10 tube isn't very good, you need to keep that bulb at least 10 inches away from the basking spot and put a bright white bulb next to it. This is until you can get the reptisun 10 tube, this one needs to be between 6 to 8 inches from the beardies' basking spot. If you have a compact or coil bulb, turn it off immediately and don't use it at all until you get the correct bulb.

Also, what are your temps? What do you use to measure them?

 

[bongripper420]

Yes there housed together
And it's a coil bulb
I'm getting the flourescent one tomorrow
My asking spot temp is 98 taken with a laser temp gun

 

[Ethelia]

Other than their desperate need for a UVB (they will not grow without it) bulb which is NOT acoil bulb, the other serious issue is them being housed together.

The general belief on this matter is that beardies are solitary and territorial creatures and so should always be housed alone.
It drives us crazy that pet stores and local breeders often insist on it being fine.

Males + females especially shouldnt be housed together because they can overbreed.

Furthermore when beardies are housed together one usually becomes dominant causing the other beardie to not grow properly due to stress, which sounds exactly like what has happened here.
I cannot tell you the amount of times we have read about one beardie not eating well, we advise the owner to seperate and then within a week we get replies saying how much better their dragon is doing.

Also beardies can and do attack eachother, unfortunatly dragons are not like dogs, who can be taught about naughty aggressive behaviour. They can live in apparent harmony for months and then one day snap. Once it has happened once, it will happen again and again.
Dragons will think nothing of nipping off a chunk or tail/toe in order to defend their basking spot, its just in their nature.

I dont mean to scare or scold you, but I want you to appriciate what can happen:
In my time keeping dragons I have rescued two dragons who were living in a viv with other dragons.
Dexter was small for her age and was missing a bit of her tail, most of her right arm, most of her right foot and alot of her toes.

Ruben had his leg and arms ripped off at the joints by his clutchmates.

There are rare cases where dragons show no signs of agression towards eachother, and there isnt too much bullying but it is a risk that is simply not worth taking.

I would suggest you separate your beardies with a cardboard screen for now until you can figure out a perminant solution.
Your dragons will lead much happier healthier lives apart ^_^

Holly

 

[bongripper420]

I just got a flourescent fixture and a new flourescent bulb.
After putting that bulb there the stressed one started to shed its whole head within 20 mins of having it there!!

 

[Freeie]

You need to take one of them out its stressing the other beardie and when the bigger one gets a wee bit bigger its going to start picking on the other one might injure it or kill it Beardies dont like other beardies sorry to say.

 

[Ethelia]

Please consider seperation.
We dont want you to have to learn the hard way

 

[LJean]

Yes there housed together
And it's a coil bulb
I'm getting the flourescent one tomorrow
My asking spot temp is 98 taken with a laser temp gun

Glad to hear you changed out that bulb.
Try raising the basking spot temps to 105. Babies need warmer temps.
Hope all works out for them.

 

[bongripper420]

See now I dont know what heatlamp I have
Cause there basking spot is only like 3 inches away from the light
Ok at work right now so I'll check when I get home
I'm hoping it says on the bulb I never kept the box it came in
This whole bearded dragon thing is stressing me out
I did research before I got them and all I read was that there great pets and how east it is to take care of them
I've spent so much money on them and it still doesn't seem like there happy
I want to give one away but that's harsh to take them away from there siblings I think anyways
Ughhh I don't know what to do

 

[Ethelia]

Every bulb has the watt and brand printed on it somewhere dont worry.

You must not feel guilty about seperating siblings. Beardie are solitary creatures and very rarely bond with their own kind. Just as after a mother has laid her eggs she will leave them.
They will not be distressed at the seperation.
They may undergo a little relocation stress at the change, but try not to presume it is because they are lonely.
Dragons thrive alone.
Seperating them is the kind and responsible thing to do in this situation ^_^

Holly

 

[bongripper420]

it's gonna make me sad but I think I have to do it
Ughhhh this is gonna hurt

 

[Freeie]

I think when mine were 6 weeks or so the bigger one picked on the littler one during bathtime. So i couldnt bathe them together anymore and they were sisters. Its a hard thing to do But they are much happier for it. Things will get better for you soon once you get everything they need they are pretty easy to take care of.

 

[bongripper420]

Yeah thing is that I have to actuakky get rid of one and it's quite upsetting
It was hard enough to convince my gf to get what I've got now nevermind running two tanks lol
This sucks that's all I've gotta say

 

[LJean]

See now I dont know what heatlamp I have
Cause there basking spot is only like 3 inches away from the light

The basking spot should not be as close as 3" away. With the tube light they will need to be 6-8 inches away from the bulb.

 

[bongripper420]

Yeah as soon as I get home I'm rearranging my whole tank around
I just don't know if the basking spot will be hotenough though