Black beard? Stressed?

[Fury1212]

Help again please :? We got Fury on Christmas. He has some dark patterns on his beard and belly but they are (were) faint. I'm attaching 2 pics. One from day 1 in the bath where he looks very light underneath him. Now today we noticed he's very dark underneath. The second picture is just now, 3 days later. Is he just growing and his coloring is darkening or is he upset? Could still be relocation stress? He's moving around and even did his first arm wave this morning to us! (wow was that adorable!) He's pooping fine but has only eaten one cricket so far today.

ReptiSun 10.0 in tank
100 basking 71 cool side with digital 2 channel thermom


Thanks!!



Can you see how light the markings are under his chin? This was day one...


This is today..noticably darker..

 

[Melody12]

Congratulations on your new beardie. Yes, it's relocation stress. Give him time to get acclimated and keep handling down to a minimum. Also keep his tank simple that way he doesn't feel overwhelmed or even stressed out even more. If you feed him live crickets, they'll hide in the crevices and hideaways so it's best to keep an eye out on his live feeders while they're in his tank. Make sure you remove any live crickets or they'll nibble on your beardie while he/she sleeps. Good luck with your baby. He looks cute.

He probably won't eat much, but keep offering him fresh turnip, collards, and mustard greens even if he won't touch them. (You can also entice him to eat by dabbing a small amount of squash baby food which is optional.) They seem to love orange or white.

 

[Fury1212]

Thanks for your reply! We bought Mustard greens yesterday and fed him some off tweezers, he ate like 4 pieces! He won't touch it today. He's up to 2 crickets now. Thanks for the info, any help is appreciated! Should we take a stool sample in for testing or not until he shows signs of parasites?

 

[Melody12]

I went for my yearly check up with Melody in October and they wanted a stool sample from her. Unfortunately, at the time, I didn't get one til she got home. (I haven't been able to get to the vet lately, but she was dewormed in January to February.)

I would take a sample to the vet just to be sure he/she doesn't have parasites or worms. (They'll have a normal amount of parasites for digestion, but if too much, it's not good.) Heck, I almost forgot about someone on here that does the test for $5, but I don't know who and maybe someone that does will chime in with an answer. Also, the vet may want to see him/her for a check up to make sure they're really okay.

 

[daner923]

Hold off on the stool sample for now. Stress tends to raise coccidia and other parasite counts. Wait about a month before you take a sample in. That way you won't unnecessarily put your baby through a drug treatment so early on, and so small.

 

[Fury1212]

Good news!! Fury has returned to his normal light colored under belly!! He is tearing around the tank and has eaten more greens and 3 more crickets! Guess we have to keep him in the tank for awhile and quit messing with him! My 8 yr old is dying to walk around this house with him on her shoulder! Thank you all so much for the replys, its awesome having a place you can trust to ask these questions!

 

[Melody12]

You're welcome.