got a few questions

[allaboutfish]

first question- my bearded dragon seems to have like color patches i guess. he's orange most places but half of his tail is a brown color and so is his head. could he be close to shedding? i mist once daily.

second question- recently he's gotten pretty aggressive with me. when i try to get him out to feed him he opens his mouth and kind of hisses at me. usually what i do is take a cloth and drop it over his head to calm him and then i pick him up. is there a reason for this? anything i should do?

third question- he eats like every other day or so. ill feed him everyday but he'll refuse it somedays. could this be from possibly starting to shed?

ok i think thats it for now.
thanks

 

[bdalton]

Hey, do you know how old your dragon is? Is it a male?

Everything your saying seems normal, the darm spots are most likely him shedding. Does it look like his colors are really dull? Usually juvies will shed their head,tail and legs and then their body. Also, when they shed they can get really cranky. Mine wants nothing to do with me while shes shedding. It can be uncomfortable for them. Also, if yours is male and hes still under a year, he could be going through beardie "puberty", males tend to go through this stage worse than females right around the time they are maturing. It doesnt sound like anytning id worry about, as long as your setup and temps and such are correct, he should either grow out of the stage if its puberty or calm down once hes done shedding. You can bath him daily for about 15 min in warm water yo help shedding. Also, i wouldnt drop the towel over his head, this cou,d scare him more. Its usually very rare for a beardie to bite. My girl will open her mouth at me if shes cranky, and i just pet her head and shes shuts her mouth. Just make sure you dont approach him from above, let him see your handcoming from the side. They have a third eye that detects shadows from above as predators so this could be a reason as well if you were approacning himfrom above. If hes still small, even if he bites it wont hurt, but i really dont think he will bite you. They try to seem scary by opening their mouth but most of nthe time its out of fear and they wont bite. Ive had many open and gape at me but never bit. You can hand feed him buggys so he associates your hand with treats and not scary.

 

[allaboutfish]

Hey, do you know how old your dragon is? Is it a male?

Everything your saying seems normal, the darm spots are most likely him shedding. Does it look like his colors are really dull? Usually juvies will shed their head,tail and legs and then their body. Also, when they shed they can get really cranky. Mine wants nothing to do with me while shes shedding. It can be uncomfortable for them. Also, if yours is male and hes still under a year, he could be going through beardie "puberty", males tend to go through this stage worse than females right around the time they are maturing. It doesnt sound like anytning id worry about, as long as your setup and temps and such are correct, he should either grow out of the stage if its puberty or calm down once hes done shedding. You can bath him daily for about 15 min in warm water yo help shedding. Also, i wouldnt drop the towel over his head, this cou,d scare him more. Its usually very rare for a beardie to bite. My girl will open her mouth at me if shes cranky, and i just pet her head and shes shuts her mouth. Just make sure you dont approach him from above, let him see your handcoming from the side. They have a third eye that detects shadows from above as predators so this could be a reason as well if you were approacning himfrom above. If hes still small, even if he bites it wont hurt, but i really dont think he will bite you. They try to seem scary by opening their mouth but most of nthe time its out of fear and they wont bite. Ive had many open and gape at me but never bit. You can hand feed him buggys so he associates your hand with treats and not scary.

yup it looks dull. he's male and he's about 4 months old. he's already bit me and i cant figure out a way to get him out other than putting that over his head, bc he runs so fast and i have to feed him in a seperate container. also my enclosure has a door at the top so the only way to approach him is from the top.

 

[bdalton]

Okay he is still too young for puberty, and itnis somewhat normal for babiez to be that way. You can try putting a peice of your clothing that you wore for a day in his tank so he gets used to your smell. Its probably freaking him out more having a shirt over his head, and at 4 months a bite wouldnt hurt at all. Id try hand feeding him in the cage. Also, everyday jst put your hand in the cage for a few minutes, not touching him, and everyday move it closer and closer. Eventually start petting him in the cage, then start holding him in the cage. After everytime you touch or hold him offer him his favorite bug. He will soon stop seeing you as a threat and instead as the person with treats. Another way is to hold him right before he goes to sleep so hes tired and most likely wont have the energy to run away. Its still possible to not approach him from above, my tank opens at the top and i talk to her as i open it and stick my hand in front of her and not over her, that way she knows im coming and scoop her up. Hes still young so i would give him time and the biting should stop and he will come around soon enough, just dont give up and dont let him think hes boss. You willl have a sweetheart in no time

 

[allaboutfish]

but he just started this a few days ago.