Help First Time Owner. Beardie hiding

[michelleelynn05]

Hello. So i got my beardie (Spyro) on Monday not sure how old he is but looks fairly young hes small but not the smallest ive seen. We placed a few crickets in his cage along with some water. He walks on sand and has a log type thing in with him. He usually sits om the top of the log closest to his heating lamp. Well Wednesday i decided to move his log a little to clean out his cage and i saw all the crickets inside his log. So I'm guessing he hadn't been eating. Then Thursday morning i moved it again and they were mostly gone after that i went to check on him again and he had gone under his log. Its now Friday and hes still under there. I moved his log a little to get him from under it and he didn't move. Even tried pushing him a little and wouldn't budge i then place the log next to him so i knew i wouldn't crush him or anything and i left the room and came back and i think hes under there again. Should i be worried??

 

[CooperDragon]

He may still have some relocation stress which would account for the hiding or skittish behavior. What are the temperatures on top of his log in the basking spot? He may be hiding if they are off. I have a few suggestions about the setup and feeding. I would get rid of the sand and replace it with a solid substrate such as non adhesive shelf liner or tile because the sand is difficult to keep sanitary. Also, I wouldn't leave crickets in the tank with him because they can gang up on him and cause damage. They are nasty little critters. I advise feeding them in small batches of maybe 5 or so at a time (an easy to track number). Once he's eaten all 5, offer another 5. Repeat until he's done or about 10 minutes has passed. Remove any remaining crickets until the next feeding.

 

[michelleelynn05]

He may still have some relocation stress which would account for the hiding or skittish behavior. What are the temperatures on top of his log in the basking spot? He may be hiding if they are off. I have a few suggestions about the setup and feeding. I would get rid of the sand and replace it with a solid substrate such as non adhesive shelf liner or tile because the sand is difficult to keep sanitary. Also, I wouldn't leave crickets in the tank with him because they can gang up on him and cause damage. They are nasty little critters. I advise feeding them in small batches of maybe 5 or so at a time (an easy to track number). Once he's eaten all 5, offer another 5. Repeat until he's done or about 10 minutes has passed. Remove any remaining crickets until the next feeding.

So i should removed the sand what if i dont have tile atm? Could i just leave it bare? Just the glass or whatever at the bottom? Or should i try paper towels? Ive seen a few people do that

 

[CooperDragon]

Sure, paper towels will work for a temporary substrate.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....I agree with Cooper, and I have one more suggestion, if I might offer it. Either take the hide out so she can't spend her time there and replace it with something else, or just turn it upside down so she can climb on it rather than under it. Also, to be sure she doesn't get dehydrated [ beardies rarely drink from a bowl ] try dribbling water on her snout and/or give her a 10 minute, shallow warm bath. If she's really scared of the bath you can put a small tupperware container in her tank and let her soak in there, supervised as well, then take it out after. I guess that was 2 suggestions.

 

[michelleelynn05]

Hi there....I agree with Cooper, and I have one more suggestion, if I might offer it. Either take the hide out so she can't spend her time there and replace it with something else, or just turn it upside down so she can climb on it rather than under it. Also, to be sure she doesn't get dehydrated [ beardies rarely drink from a bowl ] try dribbling water on her snout and/or give her a 10 minute, shallow warm bath. If she's really scared of the bath you can put a small tupperware container in her tank and let her soak in there, supervised as well, then take it out after. I guess that was 2 suggestions.

I put him in a large but short container with water filled till a little past his feet (wasn't covering his back) til i was finished taking out all the sand. He kind of just stood there sticking his tongue out every once in a while then when i put him back in his home he just stood there looking. An hour or two later in found him on the very top of his cage he had climbed the back of his cage (Styrofoam). And was just there looking down at everything (not the first time he's done this)
I took out the log and bowls and dusted 5 crickets and put them in there. Waiting to see if he'll eat or not

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

It's probably all a bit scary for the little guy. If I were you, I'd make sure his food bowl is close to his hiding place. How big is he?

 

[diamc]

Sorry to hear that your beardie is worrying you. Part of the hiding could very well be from relocation stress that can last about 2 wks.

If the temps are off, that can be a reason for hiding too. Could you fill us in on the type of thermometer and what the tank temps are?

Also, what brand & type of UVB do you have & what is the distance of it to the basking log?

Good that you removed the sand, that will be much safer & healthier for him.

Did he eat anything for you today? Please make sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they don't chew on him causing sores to develop.

Would it be possible to post a picture of him in his tank for us?

 

[michelleelynn05]

Sorry to hear that your beardie is worrying you. Part of the hiding could very well be from relocation stress that can last about 2 wks.

If the temps are off, that can be a reason for hiding too. Could you fill us in on the type of thermometer and what the tank temps are?

Also, what brand & type of UVB do you have & what is the distance of it to the basking log?

Good that you removed the sand, that will be much safer & healthier for him.

Did he eat anything for you today? Please make sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they don't chew on him causing sores to develop.

Would it be possible to post a picture of him in his tank for us?

I'm not exactly sure what the temperature is. . I didnt get a thermometer. . (First time owner) the pet store i went to gave me "everything i needed"
I don't know how to post a picture on here

 

[diamc]

That's a shame that the pet store didn't fill you in on how important it was to have accurate temp readings. If the temps are off, that certainly can cause them to hide & to not want to bask and will also affect their appetite and digestion which can make them very ill.

Here's some link to good thermometers and temp guns.
http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00891A1-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861221&sr=8-8&keywords=chaney+digital+probe+thermometer (this one is very accurate and Walmart carries it)

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digital-Terrarium-Thermometer/dp/B000MD3MFA/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861164&sr=8-15&keywords=digital+probe+thermometer

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Outdoor-Humidity-Hygrometer-Thermometer/dp/B00IZ3ZYIM/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861386&sr=8-32&keywords=digital+probe+thermometer

http://www.amazon.com/CNZ-Thermometer-Aquarium-Vivarium-Terrarium/dp/B00KPXVI94/ref=sr_1_50?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861454&sr=8-50&keywords=digital+probe+thermometer

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiTemp-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B0053Y6IPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861489&sr=8-1&keywords=reptile+temperature+gun

http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-Digital-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861528&sr=8-2&keywords=laser+temperature+gun

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Accuracy-Non-Contact-Temperature-Thermometer/dp/B009RUPQGW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861528&sr=8-7&keywords=laser+temperature+gun

http://www.amazon.com/MeasuPro-IRT20-Temperature-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00PPMU3XM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861528&sr=8-10&keywords=laser+temperature+gun

Also, what brand & type of UVB do you have & what is the distance of it to the basking log? Some UVB bulbs can cause the beardie to avoid the basking spot because they don't put out the right amount of UV rays, either too much or not enough.

This will help you with downloading pictures directly to this forum: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=213367#p1670033 / https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/

 

[michelleelynn05]

That's a shame that the pet store didn't fill you in on how important it was to have accurate temp readings. If the temps are off, that certainly can cause them to hide & to not want to bask and will also affect their appetite and digestion which can make them very ill.

Here's some link to good thermometers and temp guns.
http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00891A1-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861221&sr=8-8&keywords=chaney+digital+probe+thermometer (this one is very accurate and Walmart carries it)

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digital-Terrarium-Thermometer/dp/B000MD3MFA/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861164&sr=8-15&keywords=digital+probe+thermometer

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Outdoor-Humidity-Hygrometer-Thermometer/dp/B00IZ3ZYIM/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861386&sr=8-32&keywords=digital+probe+thermometer

http://www.amazon.com/CNZ-Thermometer-Aquarium-Vivarium-Terrarium/dp/B00KPXVI94/ref=sr_1_50?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861454&sr=8-50&keywords=digital+probe+thermometer

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiTemp-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B0053Y6IPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861489&sr=8-1&keywords=reptile+temperature+gun

http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-Digital-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861528&sr=8-2&keywords=laser+temperature+gun

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Accuracy-Non-Contact-Temperature-Thermometer/dp/B009RUPQGW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861528&sr=8-7&keywords=laser+temperature+gun

http://www.amazon.com/MeasuPro-IRT20-Temperature-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00PPMU3XM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1425861528&sr=8-10&keywords=laser+temperature+gun

Also, what brand & type of UVB do you have & what is the distance of it to the basking log? Some UVB bulbs can cause the beardie to avoid the basking spot because they don't put out the right amount of UV rays, either too much or not enough.

This will help you with downloading pictures directly to this forum: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=213367#p1670033 / https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/

 

[diamc]

Thanks for posting those pictures. If you could post a few more showing the whole tank and the way the lights are, that would be very helpful. Do you have a UVB light, if so, please give us the specifics of it.

Your beardie very cute and quite young, maybe about 3 months old. How is he acting? How many feeders is he eating daily now? Also, what greens are you offering him? I see some bananas in the bowl and something red but can't tell what it is. Here's a site that shows the best foods to feed in green print. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html Bananas have a high phosphorus count and should only be fed rarely.

Did you decide which thermometer you're gonna get?

 

[nldaniels86]

heya, I was told not to use sand as the babies can eat it and cause a lot of damage, I was in the same boat too about what to use and was advised to use kitchen roll if I didn't have anything else. It is so easy to clean that way too as I just change the square that has got dirty until I do a full vivvy clean