gray marks on belly?

[cartweasel]

Hello, I just got a new baby beardie (a month old) in the mail about 10 days ago. I put him in a terrarium -- 36" x 18" x 18" (yes, I heard vivariums are better but I asked the pet store owner the difference and he said there wasn't a considerable difference). Obviously when I un-boxed him he had gray marks on his belly and under his chin like stripes or leopard prints, which I've found is a common sign of stress in young beardies.

He still has those markings though, and it's been over a week. I'm hoping it's just because he's still adjusting to his new environment.

His tank is on the floor in a little nook in my bedroom. On one side of the tank is his basking spot, where I have a hiding cave for him to sit on under a 100 w daytime basking light. On the other side I have a uvb light, and in the middle I have another 75 w basking bulb (which I keep about a foot above the tank; I have it because my room gets cold in the winter). His basking spot is about 100 degrees and his cool spot with the UVB is about 85. I have some driftwood going up to the uvb light so he can get closer (about 10 inches away). I feed him 3 times a day small crickets. He won't eat from my hand or feeding tongs so I put them in his tank. I sometimes see him catch them but mostly he ignores them. Although when I come back a few hours later the crickets are gone. He poops once a day as well but refuses to eat any greens. I've tried giving him baths with warm water but he hates them and also hates to be picked up. I've seen him drinking out of his water dish and I've also used a feeding syringe to put water on his nose for him to lick up.

I'm worried that I might be doing something wrong, because he still has those dark markings on his belly.

 

[CooperDragon]

The dark marks are typical for young dragons and nothing to worry about. They often become more pronounced when they darken themselves to bask (they absorb heat/light by darkening). The tank is a good size and should be fine. Your temperature gradient sounds good. Are you using a digital thermometer with a probe or an IR temp gun to measure surface temps?

Which UVB light are you using? At 18'' you'll want a fairly powerful one. I have the same sized tank and use a T5 tube http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/ It sits about 12'' above the basking area. Either way, I advise moving the UVB light over next to the basking bulb. That way the highest temp and highest UVB concentration are over the basking area to imitate natural sunlight. Creating a gradient with less UVB and less heat on the other side is good.

 

[cartweasel]

The dark marks are typical for young dragons and nothing to worry about. They often become more pronounced when they darken themselves to bask (they absorb heat/light by darkening). The tank is a good size and should be fine. Your temperature gradient sounds good. Are you using a digital thermometer with a probe or an IR temp gun to measure surface temps?

Which UVB light are you using? At 18'' you'll want a fairly powerful one. I have the same sized tank and use a T5 tube http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/ It sits about 12'' above the basking area. Either way, I advise moving the UVB light over next to the basking bulb. That way the highest temp and highest UVB concentration are over the basking area to imitate natural sunlight. Creating a gradient with less UVB and less heat on the other side is good.

I made some modifications, and now instead of the second basking light, in the middle I have two 10.0 desert UVB and a spot about 6 inches away from it. To keep warmth I have a third UVB light (only 3.0, but it’s mostly there because it emits some heat to keep a smooth gradient.