CooperDragon":1z1jguof said:Yeah he is a little young for brumation but if everything else is OK I'd just let him do his thing. Which UVB light are you using and how far is it from the basking site? What are the surface temps across your tank? Keep offering food on a regular basis and keep his lighting on a regular summer cycle (about 14hrs on). As long as his basking area is easily accessible I'd let him do what he wants. I would also keep close track of his weight. Setting up a weight chart in a spreadsheet will help detect weight drops which could indicate illness. When they brumate they slow their metabolism so their weight stays relatively stable. My dragon was in brumation for about 3 months and lost only about 4% body weight.
CooperDragon":1gz3iasz said:He looks nice and healthy, so that's encouraging. Such a cool orange color! The basking spot is a bit out of the way and the ramp may be a little too steep. They are pretty good climbers but you might want to try making some adjustments and see how he responds. Maybe try lowering the basking area or offering a flatter basking spot like a stone or flat piece of wood and see how that goes. They all tend to have individual preferences so it may take some trial and error to get it just how he likes it.
CooperDragon":sn30vnsv said:I definitely understand the worry that comes with caring for these guys. They can be tough to figure out sometimes. I'd start tracking his weight and yeah if you see it start to trend downward (look at the longer term trend rather than individual stats) then a vet visit is probably warranted. If you have an experienced reptile vet in the area it's good to have wellness visits done too. This allows you to build a relationship with a vet, makes your dragon familiar to them, and allows for baseline readings which makes it easier to detect and treat illness down the line if needed.
AHBD":jzryzdpn said:Hi there, I agree with Cooper, that's a beautiful boy.And I agree with you that the ramp is actually keeping him from basking. I see these more + more in the forums but they do lead to confusion and some beardie actually become lethargic because they don't get up where the heat + uvb are. A much better option is a good old large basking log. Beardies naturally climb + cling to them. You might consider replacing the ramp with a log or propping a large log up to it alongside the ramp. Block off the empty cave under the platform or he will start to spend too much time there. But I'd personally get rid of the platform.
CooperDragon":30mc4uuq said:That's a 36x18x18'' enclosure? You can adjust the lighting to be more powerful and effective at a greater distance as needed. I have mine set up with a T5 UVB light and a 90w PAR38 halogen flood light for basking which is set above the tank on an adjustable stand. It provides basking temps from about 25'' above the floor of the tank. That allows me to keep the basking areas lower (which is both good and bad, but works in my case).
CooperDragon":3o0lo7vx said:Yeah the flat driftwood he likes to sit on is about 18'' below the bulb and it's sitting between 105-112 at the moment.
The half log is an XL habba hut. The rock is hollow underneath but very heavy from the pet store, as is the bridge. The two pieces of driftwood I picked up on the beach.
CooperDragon":37jukntt said:Yeah it's propped up against the corner and the weight of the rock holds it in place. The other one rests on the habba hut and against the first log and is kind of wedged in place a bit.
I think just lowering your platform and using a stronger bulb should do the job. Maybe cut the height in half which will make it a less steep angle to get to and will still provide a cozy hide underneath.
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