Habits

[Warro]

My beardie, Rocky, has always been odd. Sometimes he just wants to crawl into a corner and sleep, other times he wants to climb up to the highest point he can reach - He loves to watch traffic go up and down our road out the window, but he goes very black when he isn't in his tank or when I'm not around him (or anyone he knows well). He also does this when he's cold, I guess its to attract heat.

He sometimes will go off his food for a few days, but then be fine. A while ago he actually did this and wouldn't move much in his tank so I gave him a bath and he finally pooped and was fine, running around again. He's always been quite lazy though and the most he does is run up our stairs (to get to a high point of course). He never likes to be low-down. If you annoy him he lets you know by head bobbing - although he only does this in his tank.

He also puffs his beard out - yet it doesn't go black when he does this, its like puffing his throat out so that it comes perpendicular with his nose. His beard only goes black if he head bobs. Really though, he just likes to laze around and bask, although he enjoys sitting by the fire and getting nice and warm downstairs. Is there any way I can get him a bit more active, or his having a lazy beardie a good thing? :mrgreen: He also loves to look for a surface to get his feet on - He always pushes out into the air to find something to steady himself on. He usually wont move unless provoked or if there's something tasty not withing biting-range. OR if there's a higher point within reach. :roll:

Warro

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello Warro and Welcome to BD.ORG,

I'm sorry Rocky is acting up and worrying you. Is he an older beardie? Sometimes the older ones can be somewhat lazy. If you want to answer some questions about your set up...it might better help us figure out what"s going on with Rocky.

How old is your beardie?
What brand & type UVB are you using?
What are your temps, both in basking and coolside?
What are you measuring your temps with? Digital thermometer, Stick On, etc...
What type of substrate is in his enclosure?
What do you feed him and how often?
When was the last time he pooped?
How often are you bathing him?

 

[Warro]

How old is your beardie?
Coming up to 1 and a half now

What brand & type UVB are you using?
Repti Glo 10.0 Exo Terra, recently bought new. Also a new spot light, a 60 Watt

What are your temps, both in basking and coolside?
I have a thermometer in the middle of his tank which reads 80 degrees F - about 26 degrees Celsius

What are you measuring your temps with? Digital thermometer, Stick On, etc... Stick on made by Exo-Terra that shows Fahrenheit and Celsius

What type of substrate is in his enclosure? Actually, I have tiles. Ceramic ones that seem to keep heat in. He enjoys them. I got them after hearing that sand was bad.

What do you feed him and how often?

His diet varies but at the moment he's having a few small locusts a day along with some waxworms (which he loves but I don't give him too much) I also notice that he absolutely loves and will try to eat "NUTROBAL" calcium powder from Vetark.

When was the last time he pooped? Yesterday. A big one too :silent:

How often are you bathing him? Not too often, once every 3 weeks maybe or when he doesn't go to the toilet for a while. Should I bathe him more often?

 

[Lennifer]

I would recomend bathing him atleast twice a week to help keep him hydrated
Also, those stick on thermometer's don't read the temps accuratly. I would suggest purchasing a digital one with a probe on the end or a temp gun.
You give him wax worms daily? Wax worms are very fatty & should be fed as treats only. Beautiful Dragons.com has a chart of good & bad nutrition if u are interested.

~Sandy

 

[Tigg]

Yeah I would also reccoment bathing a few times a week, even once every second day? The baths are also another great way of keeping your BD hydrated as they can absord the water through their vent. It also Helps them when they shed.

I don't mean to be the negative one in this thread but I thought I should mention to you that the "Repti glo 10.0" is linked to several long term eye problems as well as a slew of other severe health issues. I would urge you to change it right away if at all possible? The Reptisun 10.0 flourescent tube (not compact coil style) and MVB bulbs through Mega Ray, and T rex would be your best options!

 

[Lennifer]

Yes Tigg...I agree. I totally didn't even notice that they were using the ReptiGlo 10. Def bad lighting. I use the ReptiSun10 & have had no issues thus far

~Sandy

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello again Warro,

You got some great info from the above posters. I also reccomend you get another UVB. Unfortunately, the ReptiGLO 10 is not a good source of UVB. The UVB emissions are really low,not to mention it being hard on their eyes. The ReptiSUN 10.0 fluorescent tube, as mentioned is a great UVB and used by many on this site. Were you using the ReptiGLO 10 previous to getting the new one?

As for Rocky acting sluggish it could be the ReptiGLO and also some dehydration. How was he after you bathed him?

Also as mentioned....getting a good digital thermometer with a wire and probe end or a infrared temp gun will help measure your temps correctly. The stick on thermometers are not very accurate and can be off as much as 20 degrees.

You should be measuring the basking spot temps as well as the cool side temps. With your beardie being an adult....basking temps should be between 100-105 and cool side should be 80-85.

Giving your beardie frequent bathes will help him from getting dehydrated, every few days...for a good 15-20 minutes is good.

You said Rocky loves the calcium supplement....it seems alot of beardies have an aquired taste for the stuff :lol:

As for feeding him, at his age he should be getting 30 -50 live feeders a week, plus fresh veggies daily. Here is a list of good foods to feed him http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html. You mentioned calcium, are you giving him any multivitamins? He should be getting Calcium 3 x a week and multivitamins 1-2 x a week.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Dawn

 

[Warro]

Hello again Warro,

You got some great info from the above posters. I also reccomend you get another UVB. Unfortunately, the ReptiGLO 10 is not a good source of UVB. The UVB emissions are really low,not to mention it being hard on their eyes. The ReptiSUN 10.0 fluorescent tube, as mentioned is a great UVB and used by many on this site. Were you using the ReptiGLO 10 previous to getting the new one?

As for Rocky acting sluggish it could be the ReptiGLO and also some dehydration. How was he after you bathed him?

Also as mentioned....getting a good digital thermometer with a wire and probe end or a infrared temp gun will help measure your temps correctly. The stick on thermometers are not very accurate and can be off as much as 20 degrees.

You should be measuring the basking spot temps as well as the cool side temps. With your beardie being an adult....basking temps should be between 100-105 and cool side should be 80-85.

Giving your beardie frequent bathes will help him from getting dehydrated, every few days...for a good 15-20 minutes is good.

You said Rocky loves the calcium supplement....it seems alot of beardies have an aquired taste for the stuff :lol:

As for feeding him, at his age he should be getting 30 -50 live feeders a week, plus fresh veggies daily. Here is a list of good foods to feed him http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html. You mentioned calcium, are you giving him any multivitamins? He should be getting Calcium 3 x a week and multivitamins 1-2 x a week.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Dawn

Thanks for the great help! I'm going to get a ReptiSun 10 soon. As for locusts, at the moment I'm just throwing them in for him until he's full, that seems to work. Also, after I bathed him, he was very active, so I'm going to bathe him more often now, twice a week as instructed

I'll call into the pet shop and have a look for a good thermometer. My basking light is connected to a sensor which automatically turns off if the temperature is too high. I seem to have to keep it in a slightly hidden location as it seems the maximum on the sensor is about 100 degrees F and it regularly turns off if I leave it in the basking spot. The cool end feels cooler than the warm end so everything seems OK.

Thanks for the link, I'll have a look at it. I put calcium powder on his veggies (he loves these leaves called Rocket) and sometimes if I can manage I sprinkle some on the odd locust. Also, are multivitamins bearded dragon food - the pellets? If so, Rocky refuses to eat them.. perhaps if I covered them in calcium powder...? :mrgreen:

Thanks again, will follow your advice

Warren

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello Warro,

Glad to know you are getting the ReptiSUN 10.0. I wanted to also mention, since I noticed you are in Belgium, that if you cannot get your hands on a ReptiSUN UVB light, you could also try the Arcadia 12%. We have a member in the UK and that is their equivilent to the ReptiSUN 10.0. Not sure if you can get it, but thought I would mention it seeing how you are much closer to them than the U.S.

The member in the UK also feeds her beardies Rocket leaves and they love it from what she says. I believe you can only get that over there, not sure if they sell it here in the states(since it is English)

I am happy that Rocky was doing better after the bath. He could have been very dehydrated. I would reccomend bathes every other day minimum for Rocky.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the digital thermometer. I believe Exo Terra makes a decent digital thermometer. Make sure what ever thermometer you get that it has a wire with a probe on the end of it. When taking the temps in Rocky's enclosure...put the probe directly on the basking spot and leave there for at least 45 minutes for the best reading. Most people here use a particular one called AcuRite, which we get at our local Walmart. Considering you are in Belgium...might be a little hard for you to get...LOL... :lol:

Lastly..the multivitamins that I mentioned, that also comes in powder form just like the calcium powdered supplement. You should be able to find that at a pet store or online.

Good luck and keep us updated on how Rocky is doing.

Dawn

 

[Warro]

Hello Warro,

Glad to know you are getting the ReptiSUN 10.0. I wanted to also mention, since I noticed you are in Belgium, that if you cannot get your hands on a ReptiSUN UVB light, you could also try the Arcadia 12%. We have a member in the UK and that is their equivilent to the ReptiSUN 10.0. Not sure if you can get it, but thought I would mention it seeing how you are much closer to them than the U.S.

The member in the UK also feeds her beardies Rocket leaves and they love it from what she says. I believe you can only get that over there, not sure if they sell it here in the states(since it is English)

I am happy that Rocky was doing better after the bath. He could have been very dehydrated. I would reccomend bathes every other day minimum for Rocky.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the digital thermometer. I believe Exo Terra makes a decent digital thermometer. Make sure what ever thermometer you get that it has a wire with a probe on the end of it. When taking the temps in Rocky's enclosure...put the probe directly on the basking spot and leave there for at least 45 minutes for the best reading. Most people here use a particular one called AcuRite, which we get at our local Walmart. Considering you are in Belgium...might be a little hard for you to get...LOL... :lol:

Lastly..the multivitamins that I mentioned, that also comes in powder form just like the calcium powdered supplement. You should be able to find that at a pet store or online.

Good luck and keep us updated on how Rocky is doing.

Dawn

Belgium? I'm from Northern Ireland! :lol:

I've heard of Arcadia lights and I'll have a look, although I'll check for ReptiSUNs first. I'll have a look somewhere like eBay for the Acurite etc.

Thanks for all the help, I'll keep you updated. I gave him a bath earlier and he was scraping the glass to get out, he then raced up our stairs

Thanks again!

Warren

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

LOL...sorry..my bad!! I looked too quickly I guess and only got the Bel....And I filled in the blanks myself :roll:

 

[Warro]

Rocky Update!

Today he ate alot of locusts after having a bath and pooping, so he seems more active, far more active than ever. I cleaned his tank out and he ate a few more locusts as well as a few waxworms as a treat. He's running around his tank and seems very hyper . For the past few days I've been feeding him more and bathing him more and it's really made a difference in how active he is. I took a few pictures just now, I'll upload them sometime in the future. Thanks for all your help as it seems to be working giving him baths more often. I will be ordering the new light soon as well as the thermometer. Thanks again for all your help, I'm really glad to see him more active!

Warren

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

I am so thrilled Rocky is doing better already

Just wait until you get the new UVB light. You will also see an incredible amount of improvement from that.

Best of luck to you and Rocky!

Dawn

 

[Lennifer]

Yes I agree w/ Dawn! Def keep us posted after u get the new UVB light. It will make a huge diff

~Sandy

 

[Warro]

Hey guys!

Rocky update!

UVB light coming soon. He's been more active generally and is eating more. He's getting more baths and i just today took him outside, i set him on the grass and watched him- but he didn't move, so I walked over and I lifted him a bit too suddenly - his head shot up and his mouth flew open and his beard went pure black really quickly. I had to lift him and comfort him before putting him back into his tank. So it was a bit of a thrill for him (and me!) Was he just scared? And felt threatened as he was somewhere he's never been before?

The baths are really helping, and I'm going to get him (for the first time ever!) cockroaches next week. He's loving the locust at the moment so he's doing much better than he once was. There were times he'd crawl into his corner and sit there all day, but not any more, I'm pleased to say

Also I would like to ask if there's anything wrong with something he does. He seems to walk about fine but he walks a bit and then stops for a while before walking again - but he does this in places he knows. Why does he stop? Is he just cautious? Is he planning where to go? Or is something wrong?

Thanks again!

Warren