Concerning Bearded Dragon Behavior

[spaceballs]

Hi everyone! For the last few months, my boy has been in brumation. He has recently woken up in the last week or so and has been displaying frantic and concerning behavior including the following:

• Black beard most of the day
• Glass surfing and scratching at the glass doors of the tank
• Lots of head bobbing
• Making a mess of his tank - throwing the food around and walking through the food bowl
• Frequent (but small) white and normal-looking urate surrounded by clear/white fluid (looks almost sticky) - he has been doing this in various areas of his tank once or twice a day

He has normal-looking poops and poops few times a week. He was at the vet a few months ago for a hardened plug which the vet took care of - the vet said he was otherwise healthy, femoral pores looked good, and he also had a fecal done and said it was healthy/no parasite concerns.

He is eating but not very much - he will go crazy for his bugs (gets dubia roaches only) but has always been picky with greens. For the last 2 weeks he has been awake he usually will ignore his greens for a day or two then on the third day he'll eat the whole bowl. He gets collard greens and soft/cooked butternut squash every day which is his favorite. I switch his greens up from collard to dandelion and turnip greens on occasion for variety but keep the butternut squash as a staple. I will also occasionally give bell peppers as a treat/variety. I also occasionally sprinkle a tiny bit of bee pollen on his veggies to entice him which he enjoys.

Due to the plug issue, he had several months ago, the vet informed me to give him Rep-Cal herptivite vitamins 2x a week - so he gets bugs twice a week which are dusted in that vitamin powder and calcium powder. I will also sprinkle calcium powder on his veggies lightly once a week so 3 times a week in total for calcium powder. He was not being given bugs during brumation - only offered greens and veggies which he barely ate the last few months.

He has a Reptile Habitats 4x2x2 (120 Gallon) PVC Bearded Dragon Enclosure - shown in the photos below. His basking area is at 106 degrees, ambient temps on the hot side are usually around 90-95 degrees, and the cold side is at 78 degrees. He has a reptisun 10.0 uvb T5 HO mounted on the inside of the tank.

I work from home so I spot-clean his tank at least once a day and every other week I give it a deep clean with water and reptile-safe cleaning spray.

I do let him run around a few times a week for about 15 minutes at a time and give him baths at least once or twice a week (he HATES baths and they stress him out so it is mostly just for a quick clean). I wish I could let him free roam more but I have multiple dogs and cats so it is just not safe - I have to monitor his free roaming and keep the other animals away with a baby gate.

Can anyone please help me understand this behavior? He seems very lively and I do not believe he is sick but does seem incredibly stressed and angry and not sure why. A photo of him is attached. Please excuse the greens in his tank - he has been throwing them around but as I mentioned the tank is cleaned daily. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Chris.]

Sounds just like the pist brumation vibes kicking in.
Are yiu taking him out frequently? If so, how does he behave there and when yiu put him back in?

 

[spaceballs]

Hi Chris,

I take him out of the tank a few times a week for about 15 minutes - 30 minutes at a time. I have multiple dogs and cats so it is not safe to let him free roam the house. He can run around the kitchen when I put the baby gate up. When I let him run around he is very lively - usually will urinate/poop. Due to the other animals in the house, letting him out means me having to supervise the entire time. When I put him back in the crazy behavior resumes. He has a large tank already and places to climb.

 

[Chris.]

That is very common behaviour post brumation and will probably last somewhere between a couple of weeks and a couple of months. He is looking to mate.
Try to take him out for a little longer as long as it's safe for him. That is of course easier said than done with a cat and a dog in the house....

My boy has already gone through this phase this year (for the most part) and he did always calm down when I sat him on my shoulder and just did stuff. He just sat there for an hour and enjoyed the free ride.

 

[spaceballs]

Hi Chris,

Thank you for the advice and that's good to hear that this will eventually subside haha! I actually just took him out and held him for a bit now he is running around. I will try to set aside more time for him to come out throughout the week. Thanks again

 

[ChileanTaco]

I agree with what the others posted: This is post-brumation behavior and in nature, he'd now be ready to find a female and mate.

Adding to the above:
- You write you give him a bath once or twice a week and he hates it. It is not necessary to bath a bearded dragon, unless he's really dirty (like: walking through diarrhea).
- Some people offer their male dragon something like a stuffed toy or a washcloth or stuffed sock (stuff a sock with another sock) so he can simulate mating behavior with it. Typical mating behavior would be biting the "female" (toy) in the neck, dragging it around and then... well, mate.

My boy is down for his first brumation now, so...

 

[spaceballs]

I agree with what the others posted: This is post-brumation behavior and in nature, he'd now be ready to find a female and mate.

Adding to the above:
- You write you give him a bath once or twice a week and he hates it. It is not necessary to bath a bearded dragon, unless he's really dirty (like: walking through diarrhea).
- Some people offer their male dragon something like a stuffed toy or a washcloth or stuffed sock (stuff a sock with another sock) so he can simulate mating behavior with it. Typical mating behavior would be biting the "female" (toy) in the neck, dragging it around and then... well, mate.

My boy is down for his first brumation now, so...

Hi Chilean Taco,

Thanks for your response. I usually only bathe him after a poop as sometimes he drags his tail through it. Hmm I'm not sure I want to see him going buck wild on a sock LOL but maybe if I put something like that in his tank it would alleviate some of the frantic behavior. I've never had a male beardie my first was a female so this is all new to me! Thanks again for your advice! Good luck with your boy

 

[mommatojack]

Someone mentioned giving them bath wasn’t important unless they got dirty, but the act of “bathing” them just means allowing them to soak in warm water. It helps immensely with keeping them hydrated (you can even add an electrolyte powder (specifically for beardies) to their water for added hydration) and it’s enjoyable for many beardies. My girl is a huge fan of her soaks, and she loves to swim in hers! The more often you give them baths, the more comfortable they get with them, till eventually they don’t want to get out!

 

[xp29]

Someone mentioned giving them bath wasn’t important unless they got dirty, but the act of “bathing” them just means allowing them to soak in warm water. It helps immensely with keeping them hydrated (you can even add an electrolyte powder (specifically for beardies) to their water for added hydration) and it’s enjoyable for many beardies. My girl is a huge fan of her soaks, and she loves to swim in hers! The more often you give them baths, the more comfortable they get with them, till eventually they don’t want to get out!

Baths are insanely dangerous for beardies. If you do a soak the water should not be deep enough for them to get their upper lip into it. I've been keeping beardies for a decade, in January I lost my 4 year old boy Zen because he aspirated in a soak. I was standing right there and it still happened. It only take a second or less. As for swimming, beardies use the same muscle group to walk and to breathe, they can't do both at once, so it goes without saying if they are swimming they can't breathe at the same time either.
All the soaks in the world will not hydrate a beardie unless they actually drink the water. They do not absorb it through their skin or vent. The only reason to bathe a beardie is if they are dirty i.e. got poop on themselves. It's much safer to hold them and rinse them under the faucet.
If you are going to do soaks, or let them swim I suggest you learn how to do cpr on them. (I'm not being a smart ass, I'm being serious. If they aspirate you have to get them nose down and drain the water, they have a simple respotory system and can't expel the water the way we can. You may have to help them breath also, which is dangerous as hell because you can explode their lungs.) Best to just not put them in water in the first place

 

[ChileanTaco]

Someone mentioned giving them bath wasn’t important unless they got dirty, but the act of “bathing” them just means allowing them to soak in warm water. It helps immensely with keeping them hydrated (you can even add an electrolyte powder (specifically for beardies) to their water for added hydration) and it’s enjoyable for many beardies.

I know what is usually meant by "bathing" - still: It is not necessary.
Bearded dragons cannot absorb water through their skin. The skin might look "nicer", but there is no water absorbed. Unless they drink - which can be easily done by dripping some water on their snout.
Over all, if a bearded dragon is dehydrated, or has problems shedding, something is wrong and that needs to be fixed.
At least I can say for sure: My bearded dragon won't get a bath. In case he might get dirty (never happened so far), I would clean the affected area.

I love to offer my bearded dragon a lot of enrichment, and before reading more about it, I had also thought that giving them a bath is something worth to try once my dragon gets older. Luckily I have read about it and never gave him a bath, no soaking, no whatever it is called.
There are many things that animals/pets enjoy but are in fact dangerous for them. Think about all the things a dog would love to eat. Some decades ago, I had cockatiels - smart and funny birds, and they were always up to try what people eat, being it a sip from a glass of wine, being it reaching into a bag of snacks, and yes, they enjoy it and yes, it looks cute; I had to take care this not happening.
Even if it seems to be safe so far (pet is still alive and healthy and likes the activity) is not necessary in the long run.

 

[AHBD]

It's always good to hear other people's experiences and opinions, also good to point out potential dangers concerning beardie care. While it may not be good to soak them daily I certainly will soak mine if they step through some poo. I think a certain % of beardies enjoy a soak while others don't but if they do like it, especially if they have a good drink, it's fine. It definitely warrants being very cautious when a dragon is in the water but it can't be the stance of an entire forum that beardies should never be bathed.

 

[xp29]

It's always good to hear other people's experiences and opinions, also good to point out potential dangers concerning beardie care. While it may not be good to soak them daily I certainly will soak mine if they step through some poo. I think a certain % of beardies enjoy a soak while others don't but if they do like it, especially if they have a good drink, it's fine. It definitely warrants being very cautious when a dragon is in the water but it can't be the stance of an entire forum that beardies should never be bathed.

Zen was actually taking a drink when he aspirated, it was the first time in his four years of life that he ever drank in a soak, and it cost him his life. The reason for the soak was he had a sperm plug and I was trying to soften it for removal. I'm not implying that there is never a reason for a soak, some instances warrant it. But if a soak is necessary I think a hand should be under their front legs at all times. I don't think baths should be given "just because" I was literally standing right there when it happened, he went from taking a drink to drowning in less than a second. Luckily I was aware of how to handle an aspirated beardie and even at that we spent several hours helping breath after the fact. It still ended with pneumonia and him passing. I'm sorry but I just can't in good conscience ever reccomend putting a beardie fully in water, even if it's shallow.

 

[spaceballs]

Someone mentioned giving them bath wasn’t important unless they got dirty, but the act of “bathing” them just means allowing them to soak in warm water. It helps immensely with keeping them hydrated (you can even add an electrolyte powder (specifically for beardies) to their water for added hydration) and it’s enjoyable for many beardies. My girl is a huge fan of her soaks, and she loves to swim in hers! The more often you give them baths, the more comfortable they get with them, till eventually they don’t want to get out!

Yes exactly I use a shallow plastic bin and fill it up just a bit so they can soak but they just sit in it - not deep enough to swim. My boy hates baths/soaks so I keep them brief like 10 minutes. I use a soft old toothbrush to gently clean his femoral pores and any poop on him if he pooped that day!

 

[spaceballs]

Baths are insanely dangerous for beardies. If you do a soak the water should not be deep enough for them to get their upper lip into it. I've been keeping beardies for a decade, in January I lost my 4 year old boy Zen because he aspirated in a soak. I was standing right there and it still happened. It only take a second or less. As for swimming, beardies use the same muscle group to walk and to breathe, they can't do both at once, so it goes without saying if they are swimming they can't breathe at the same time either.
All the soaks in the world will not hydrate a beardie unless they actually drink the water. They do not absorb it through their skin or vent. The only reason to bathe a beardie is if they are dirty i.e. got poop on themselves. It's much safer to hold them and rinse them under the faucet.
If you are going to do soaks, or let them swim I suggest you learn how to do cpr on them. (I'm not being a smart ass, I'm being serious. If they aspirate you have to get them nose down and drain the water, they have a simple respotory system and can't expel the water the way we can. You may have to help them breath also, which is dangerous as hell because you can explode their lungs.) Best to just not put them in water in the first place

I understand and appreciate your concern and agree it shouldn't be that deep - my "baths" are in a shallow bin so the water just touches his underbelly - not enough that he can swim. This allows me to gently brush his femoral pores (my vet recommended this) and if he poops sometimes his tail drags in it so I do like to clean him after that has happened

 

[spaceballs]

Zen was actually taking a drink when he aspirated, it was the first time in his four years of life that he ever drank in a soak, and it cost him his life. The reason for the soak was he had a sperm plug and I was trying to soften it for removal. I'm not implying that there is never a reason for a soak, some instances warrant it. But if a soak is necessary I think a hand should be under their front legs at all times. I don't think baths should be given "just because" I was literally standing right there when it happened, he went from taking a drink to drowning in less than a second. Luckily I was aware of how to handle an aspirated beardie and even at that we spent several hours helping breath after the fact. It still ended with pneumonia and him passing. I'm sorry but I just can't in good conscience ever reccomend putting a beardie fully in water, even if it's shallow.

I'm sorry to hear that your little Zen passed in such a tragic way - it sounds like you did everything you could to save him <3 I think supporting them if that makes you comfortable in a shallow bath is a great idea! When I give my beardie a "bath" in his shallow bin the water is just enough to get his underbelly and barely halfway up - I do mist his greens and have never seen him try to drink the bath water so I think it's okay if your beardie does not hydrate as such. My beardie has also had quite a few sperm plugs - luckily some have come out when he pooped and yes the baths can help soften them for sure. I try to bathe him and then when he poops glove up and gently pull it out. This has happened to him quite a bit and my vet recommended adding Herpivite multivitamin to his food 2 times per week (apparently frequent sperm plugs can be due to vitamin A deficiency according to my vet) it has helped a lot