bearded color chages

[CKY]

what does it mean when a dragions underside gets darker and lighter.
i have a bearded dragion that is about 6 inches long i have had it for 2 weeks now i have a uvb/uva repta light, a white heat light and an uth. i have everythign on a timer from 7 am to 7 pm i added a second heat light for night time because the uta is getting the bottom of the tank too hot i added a net style hamoic as well but i fear the hamoc is obstructing the light the hamoic is @ a slight angel so it can get on it with a 2 inch diffrence from the top to the bottom part of it in in his cool side and part of it is in its hot side there is a 20 degree diffrence between the cold and the hot. the hot is 100 and the cool stays @ 80 but the hot gose down to as low as 75 @ night i need to knwo if a red bulb is so bad for nght time heat what about purple or any other colord bulb like a black heat light.
i feed it 25 crickets @ a time 3 times a day and let it eat what its goign to then remove them after an houre
it eats about 8 to 15 per feeding so i dont want to starve it i cant get it to take on any greens we tried carrots and musterd but nothign we mist about every hour and have soked it 3 times a week the last time i soaked it it sweled up as if it was bloated and the watter i think chilled it we have it in a 10 gallion tank for about 3 more week then i have a 20 gallion to chage it into i have unglazed tile that i cut to fit both tanks and it seems too slipery for it i think im going to have to put a light dusting of sand over the tile?

if the tile gets hottter then 100 is it bad
is the hamock makeing it sick
why dose its undeside change colors
what other color bulb can be used for night time
i have referd to flash as it becase im unabel to sex it at this time

this is my second dragion the 1st one i got, got was sick and died 3days after i got it
also why dose it seam like all the calcume that i add to its food comes out in its stool

it is sheding as well could this be a contributing factor

any questions or answers to my questions are welcomed
and thank you in advanced

 

[spikez123]

im pretty sure that all it is, is heat. my beardie is perfectly healthy and it does it. when she iis basking she gets darker but when i give her a bath she goes back to normal. try taking your beardie out of the cage for a few minute. if it goes to normal she is prob. fine.

 

[Wardo]

I my beardy is always changing color. Its dependant on heat I think My beardy is a really light brown color when he is warm, yet turns very dark green/brown when he is cold.

 

[1DRAGON]

Hello CKY. Black beards are normal for the most part. My Rex does it days before shedding his skin. Just like a snake does, it outgrows a layer of skin. As for misting, beardies are a desert lizard that does not require it, like a Water Dragon may. You may be shocking your beardie if the water is too hot or too cold. I would cut back on the water. It is important for the humidity inside to be 50 percent or below. Too high, and it may get sick and die. Remember, they are a desert lizard that is native to very hot and very dry conditions. Make sure you have a humidity gauge in the enclosure. A small shallow dish in the enclosure is enough for drinking. A swim every few weeks in a tub of WARM water is sufficient. The swelling you are refering to may be their "intimidation show". Basically they are harmless. They have spikes to make them look fierce in nature for survival, and they swell their bodies and show their beards when they feel threatened. The temps sound ok. My understanding of red or black lights is simply to provide them with a heat source at night using these colors they cannot see so they can sleep. You need to try a large variety of foods. My Rex hates carrots, and will pick through his dish and only eat what he likes. As for the calcium, sprinkle it on the food you give to the crickets. This is called gut-loading them. It also forces the beardie to eat nutrients from foods that they may not eat themselves, all hidden inside a tasty little cricket. It works well. Lastly, make sure you are up-to-date on enclosure info. Size, flooring materials suggested, foods not to feed that are poisonous to them, and so on. Keep an eye on poop samples, a good indication of health status. See a herp vet if in doubt. Hope this helps you. Good luck!

 

[CKY]

My understanding of red or black lights is simply to provide them with a heat source at night using these colors they cannot see so they can sleep. quote]

everythign on this site says not to use colored lights and the books i have say the same thing the reason im asking is because i cant sleep and flas isent sleeping when i leave the white light on 24/7 also i think my computer screens cause him to wake up should i put a blanket over it to block out the light and what color is sugested fr night time.

You need to try a large variety of foods. My Rex hates carrots, and will pick through his dish and only eat what he likes. As for the calcium, sprinkle it on the food you give to the crickets. This is called gut-loading them. It also forces the beardie to eat nutrients from foods that they may not eat themselves, all hidden inside a tasty little cricket. It works well. quote]
why on there food i thoght it was souposed to go on them i use a bad that i bought crickets in and put the calcium with vit.d3 ultra fine and thats what the directions say so am i doing it wrong?

 

[beardie parents]

O.K., you need to gutload the crickets, which is just feading the feeders. They die sooner without food then with food, besides crickets will eat anything, including your beardie if left in the tank with them, especially when they sleep.

What I do with the calcium, which should be phosophorus free, is to "shake n bake" the crickets with the calcium. Put the crickets in a bag (I use the cricket keeper tubes) and add the calcium in with it and shake to cover the crickets then put the crickets into the beardie feeding tank.

 

[1DRAGON]

Dear CKY. Please don't misunderstand my comment of "my understanding of colored bulbs are..." I researched extensively before adopting my Rex 2 years ago. With all due respect, white lights make them feel it's daytime 24/7. It is important for them to have day/night schedule. I never came across anything stating not to use them. I have used "night glow" (blue) to mock moonlight, stated by mfg, while still providing heat and a dim light for viewing. I also use infrared (red) in the winter months for a more direct aim, which I have read elsewhere, they don't see red light. Both, which I use successively. He sleeps like a log, and wakes to the "day glow" bulbs. It was stressed to me not to use heat rocks, as they can burn beardies. If temp is ok w/o lights, I wouldn't use any. Maybe cover enclosure w/sheet to block computer light, but ensure a fresh air supply. As for gut-loading crickets, it's just one technique. I have the best luck with it. The way you do it is not wrong, my Rex doesn't like the taste, and eats less. I also have bought cricket thirst quencher, fortified w/calcium to aid in the gut-loading. You may find it fixes the problem. Good luck!

 

[CKY]

ok thats how i been doing it but are you souposed to put it on the crickets food as well or just the crickets
or both

 

[CKY]

ok i did misunderstand im sorry 1dragionthank you for the clearfication

 

[1DRAGON]

Pick one, it really doesn't matter. You can put it on the food to gut-load. If you don't think they ate enough, you can sprinkle them, too. Just don't overdo the amounts. Too much may be bad for them. My bottle says only 1 or 2 times per week.

 

[1DRAGON]

You're quite welcome.

 

[CKY]

anyons dagion sleep with there eyes open?

 

[Judah'sHuman]

you should not be using any sort of colored heat bulb blue, red or anything like that for night time. This is why your beardie is keeping his eyes open. I reccomend that you invest in a ceramic heat emitter. these do not put out any sort of light and are the best source of infared heat. 75 deg for night time is perfect. I too had a red heat lamp the first few months I had Judah, it kept him awake at night, he kept opening his eyes and he started to become very lethargic durring the day. I noticd a segnificant differance in his over all activity when I switched to the CHE.

Also, your basking spot should be 105-110 for a baby beardie 100-105 is good for a little bit older beardie. So one end of the tank shoudl be 105-110 the center about 80-90 and the cool end about 75. You do not need to mist your beardie, this will acctually cause mold in the tank and respitory infections. Many beardies will not drink out of a water bowl, most of us give our beardies a bath 2-3 times per week. They soak up water from the vent area. You can put a water bolw in there but keep an eye on your humidity. I am not sure what you messure your tmeps with but you can buy a digital therm with a prob and messures humity, at Walmart for $12. the stick up thermometers can be up to 20 deg off

The white stuff you refer to in the poo is not calcium those are urites (water) that has been processed and then turned into the white waste. There are many cricket gut loads that do have a calcium supp in them, but you also dust the crickets with a reptile calcium, you can also put a bit of it on the salads from time to time. You should also pick up a Mineral suppliment such as Sticky Tounge Miner All O this is D3 free. For beardies up to 8 months you shoudl be using a calcium sup. 4-5 times per week and a mineral every other day or 3 times per . After 8-9 months you can cut back the calcium and supps to 2 times per week.

as far as the color changes, sheading can be a very stressful time for them and they tned to "Black Beard" this is more predominate in a liitle bit older dragons, they havent quite got the hang of it as youngin. When Judah is sheadding he gets really pissy and turns all sorts of black. Also, they do change color some what while basking. Judah soemtimes turns a bit greenish and dark when he is trying to soak up heat, when he is trying to refelct it he turns more yellow.

Carrots should only be fed in moderation, you can get a good list of items to feed at Beautifuldragons.com

 

[CKY]

thank you Judah'sHuman you have given me some good advice but like everyone else here i find my self haveing more questions such as

takeing out the red bulb helped with sleep

durring this shed he has gone from 25 crickets a feeding to 3 fed 2 times a day this is bad but how do i fix it

for some odd reasion he is sleeping vertical on the glass his back feet and talw are on the hamoic's suction cups but the rest of him is pressed agenst the glass is this because the glass is coller then the 75 degress of the hammoic its self ? and if so how do i get the temptuer down im not useing any heat @ night at the moment

how close can the uvb /uva bulb get to the dragion 12 inches is the furthest so how close is too close.

since he is such a lil guy im dusting every feedign with rep-cal calcium with vit d3 and 2 times a week with the multivitamins hes on his 3rd shed since christmass this is a good sign right???
he was 3 1/2 - 4 inches when i got him he is now 4 - 5 inches in length but how do i get him to eat more durring the day he will go from about 2 inches from the uvb light to about 8 inches from is this why he dont want to eat????

after takign a bath he laps watter out of his dish and latly he has been spiting his crickets into the watter in his dish and drowning them i think its funny

any futher help and information would be great

everyone on the fourm here says to dust crickets 1 time a day but is that enough for a hatchling?

 

[Judah'sHuman]

They tend to eat less when they are sheading, Judah hardley eats a thing when he is in a shead, it only lasts about a week. They will shead in sections, so once one part sheads then often another will start. Hears a mind boggeling thought: from the time of hatching they grow 4,000 % within the first 6 months, 5,000 % under optimal condidtions. This is equal to a 7lbs baby growing to 280 lbs in six months! So yeah they shead offten and consume tons of food, moslty protine and limited veggies the first 6 months.

If you have a reptasun 10.0 Floresent tube lamp you need to have the basking area so that he can only get with in 7-8" of it, any closer than that can cause eye damage and over exposure to UVB & UBA. Mercury Vapor bulbs he needs to be 12" away from it. I wouldn't worry about your night time temps if they are 75, sometimes they just like to sleep in odd positions, and yes they tend to find the coolest spot to sleep. Keeping the tank at 75 (and not any lower) will actually help keep his immune system up. Durring lower temps they tend to get weakened immune systems and get coccida easily. Again a digital thermometer with a prob is needed to messure your temps properly.

You should use a D3 free calcium every other day min. If he is too picky ,which most babies are, and your not able to feed the optimal nutricious greens such as collards, then Calcium once per day would be better. This will be the regimine untill he is about 8months old, then you can cut back to 2-3 times per week for both the minerals and calcium. If they are eatting lots a varety of greens and veggies to get proper vits, if not then youd still need to feed a little more per week.

I raised Judah on: calcium every other day and The Mineral ALL with D3 2 times per week, and I have a mercury vapor bulb (optimal d3 conversion). But I reccomend that you use the Miner All O (which is d3 free) or a like mineral sup. Since you have uvb lighting D3 can actually build up in the system and poision him. You can use a calcium (or Mineral) with D3 to 1-2 times per week. However, any more D3 than that could be fatal and it is better not to take the risk. I bought my Miner ALL with d3 before I knew it could build up, and for the first 4 months of his life he did not have the proper lighting with UVB. I am using it up, but I am very cautious with the amount I give him since he has the proper lighting.

That is funny about him drowning his crickets :laughhard: