Charles needs help!

[J23MD64L]

Ok, so, I've had two Beardies for about a month and a half and they are both completely different. The one that I am concerned about is acting very strange. at first, he was fine, for about the first three days he was completely normal. Then, one day, he fell asleep. It almost seemed as if he began to go into a brumation phase. I found out that the problem was insufficient heat. I went out and got a higher wattage bulb and he woke up the next day. Ever since then, he has become jumpy if I try to pet him, he runs around the perimeter of the tank when I walk into the room. Sometimes, if I put my hand in, he even gapes at me and puffs his beard. I try to put my hand in the tank every day, moving slowly of course, so that he gets used to me, but nothing seems to work. Now, he will even go after motion in front of his tank and try to eat my fingers through the glass. He is just a juvenile BD and I am worried for his health. He eats fine, his light and night light are fine, he gets water, vegetables, it seems to be a social problem.

 

[reptilelove]

well all you really need to do is have a fast hand. while he is puffing his beard at you just shoot to his back and hold him down,not hard but hold him down. then just stroke his back and let him no that you are not a threat. do this at least once a day for about 3 to 5 minutes then he will get used to you and be sweeter and much more calm.remember not to put ur hand or fingers to close to his mouth so he/she wont bit you. hopefully this works for you
good luck.

 

[J23MD64L]

Ive actually tried to grab him, but he is dead set on not being touched. The only way I would really be able to grab him would be if I cornered him, and I feel like that would just scare him more.

 

[reptilelove]

hmmmm you really have to try to to tame him. in time he will get used to you and then be much more freindly. you have to be really fast to grab him but if he gets away you always have a million more trys. just give him time and space leave him be for about 3 to 4 days but if he still is like that do that method .he may still be ajusting to his new home.

 

[quigleysmom]

Hey. I am sorry to hear that your beardie doesn't like to be handled. That has to be frustrating. One thing others have suggested is to take an old tee shirt or article of clothing that you don't mind if it gets nasty and put that in the tank with him. What I do with mine is when he is ready to go to bed I get him out and put him in my hoodie on my chest so he is smelling me while he sleeps. He seems to love it. We took him camping and on another vacation. He traveled the whole time in my sweatshirt. One thing I did when mine was blowing up his throat at me I would pet him just to let him know he could not bully me. Also, just be patient with him. He should calm down over time. I would make sure to be consistant and move slowly.

One last thought, make sure the tank temps are with in the correct range and there is nothing around the tank that may be upsetting him. Can he see the other dragon you have? Maybe it is a dominance thing with the other one bulling him if they are housed together. If they are together it is highly recomended that you separate them as most do not do well and can even kill one another or injure very badly.

Good luck and I hope he settles down soon.

 

[J23MD64L]

Ok, so I put a shirt in that I wear and have been trying to grab him, but whenever I grab him he runs out of my hand because I dont wanna hold him too tightly. However, I have been petting him and he seems to stand still for it, for a little while at least. Now, Im not sure if that means that he is freezing himself to make me go away or if he is starting to enjoy it. As far as keeping them housed together, they are in separate enclosures in separate rooms, so he doesnt even see the other one. the UVA bulb im using is a 100 watt Zoo-med repti basking spot, and my UVB is a 10.0, 26 watt Repti-Glo from Exo Terra. He is in a ten gallon tank with a shallow water dish, reptile carpet so there is no risk of him accidentally eating the substrate. After I have been trying to grab him, I see him wag his tail a little, Im not sure what that means. Also, when i try to pet him or grab him he begins to breathe heavily. If i wiggle my fingers he makes like he is going to eat a cricket, where he opens his mouth just enough to stick his tongue out, its not so much a gape movement, but more like an eating movement. Its just so frustrating that he doesnt like to be held. the other one is the complete opposite, same exact setup, but social, calm, and normal.

 

[imaginarium]

There's 3 things I can think of from your posts (I may be wrong though). One, a 100 watt basking lamp keeps my 40 gallon breeder at 92 degrees in the basking spot and my room temp is 60 degrees. What kind of thermometer did you use to measure the temps, because I can't help but imagine a 100 watt in a 10 gallon is making the temp waaay too high. Second, if you're using a night heater that emitts light (even if it's red, blue or black) it can disrupt their sleep pattern and make them stressed out and jumpy. Three, the UVB you're using has a history of causing eye problems in beardies, it seems like the RetipSUN 10 is the way to go. So, if you combine those you may just have a stressed and grumpy beardie...

 

[libinoz]

I agree with the above poster. A 10 gallon tank is too small and is too difficult to control temperatures. Your dragon needs to be able to thermoregulate (ie move to the cool side of the tank if he is too hot and vice versa. In a 10 gallon tank I think that you will find that the overall temperature of the tank would be too hot (especially seeing as you're using a 100 watt bulb). The minimum size tank for an adult beardie is a 40 gallon breeder. The Repti-glo bulbs (both tubes and compacts) have issues with people reporting eye problems, not eating lethargy etc. As suggested get a REPTISUN tube (not compact) as soon as you can. Your beardie will be fine without any UVB for a week or two until the new bulb arrives.

 

[J23MD64L]

The temps in the tank underthe basking spot fluctuates from 91-93. The ambient are has a temperature of 70 degrees. The only reason why I have the 100 watt bulb is because I kept tryin different warrants and the temperature was too low. As far as the night light it Doesn't really emit any light. But the UVB I had actually read about just yesterday.

 

[J23MD64L]

Wow, sorry about the typos, I'm posting from my iPhone...damned auto correct