Constant stress marks...

[Agonistes]

My beardie, Vlad, has had constant stress marks ever since I got him. I never really took much note about it until I was holding him one day and came across "stress mark" pictures. For some reason I just assumed my dragon didn't have them, until I saw an actual picture. I read many articles about stress marks and I was just wondering if I could get either a formulated opinion or some facts. Here are some of the things I've been reading about the stress marks : It's a husbandry issue, some younger beardies just have them (Vlad is about a month or so old), there's something wrong, he's shedding, temperature issue, stressed (obvious one). Although I read a long blog about research on stress marks and from what they figured out is that sometimes they are just there to be there, or they appear when a beardie is darkening itself to absorb more heat and in this process their bellies may darken as-well. The blog also went on to say about how little the stress marks are about actual stress. His basking point is a constant 109 degrees and he never complains about me taking him out. Most of the time he loves to fall asleep on my shirt while I'm on the computer or he likes to climb on my arm and fall asleep. During the day he enjoys to watch TV with me or while I'm doing homework he will be on my laptop keyboard looking intently at the screen. Perhaps I'm worrying a bit too much about nothing, because he seems in great health--a very active and fun dragon. I am a very concerned and dedicated owner so much of anything makes me curious.

 

[Judah'sHuman]

At a young age it is not nessasarily stress marks. It is so tell at that age if they are acctually stress marks. They change colors to thermoregulate to absort or reflect the heat, so it could just be this his body adapting to getting his skin to change colors. When my guy was young his belly looked like that pretty much all the time too. check it out:

It started to go away at about...hummm 8 months? Then his belly turned white. So now when he is ticked or "stressed" it is very apperent, his beard turns black. At this time I dont think you have much to worry about unless he is not eatting or antisocial, etc.

 

[Agonistes]

I appreciate the input, I was assuming they weren't stress marks. My dragon is very, very, very, spoiled and I worry about him all too often!

 

[Judah'sHuman]

Thats ok it just mean that you are a good beardie slave :whip: :mrgreen:

And your not the first one to think that either.
I have seen many pics of little guys with the same "leapord spot" markings on the tummy. Like I say they usually are there most of the time and tend to start to fade as they get older. I always thought it looked kinda neat, and wished they stuck around.

 

[nair88]

falkor had them pretty much constantly for the first couple of months i had her. they stay away most of the time now and she's left with a nice white belly. she's a little over five months old. i don't think you have anything to worry about.