Hi, why is my belly spotted

[gs160tt]

This past weekend, after some careful study, I got two beardies from a local breeder, hopefully they are both female :wink: , they are only 5 weeks old but they are both 6.5 inches. Their names are Draco and Issabelle. Right now they live in a 10 gal tank with a reptisun 10.0 light, and a basking area, and both temps are good. I will build them a custom tank when they get a little bigger. I took a fecal sample to the vet today and they are clean so now we have a baseline if we ever need one to compare to. Anyways, to make a long summary short, I have a question. When we got them, on Saturday, both had fairly white bellies, and now they have both started darkening and getting leopard spots on them??? :? What causes this?? Both are eating ok (Izzie eats noticably more than Draco though) and both are pooping regularly. Sorry to be so long winded but I am a very excited new owner! Thanks
Tony

 

[ReptileMom]

alot of times the spots come when they are stressed or sometimes because their temps are a little low. are you keeping 2 bearded dragons in 1 10 gallon tank? that is definitely not enough room. that could be your problem. are you using UV? what are your temps?

 

[ReptileMom]

sorry, your UV is good. and i see your temps must be too

 

[gs160tt]

We decided to go with a 10 gal tank since they are still so small and we didn't want them to be overwhelmed. Plans for a bigger enclosure are in the works.

 

[gs160tt]

Triumph! I think I figured out pics, Izzie is on the left, Draco on the right. Thanks for having such a great site!

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[Bianca]

Those marks are usually stress marks. I would think it's probably the move if you bought them so recently, and they are still getting adjusted. I am also not sure about housing 2 dragons in a 10 gallon tank, I know they seem small but they do like their space. When I bought Kramer she was about 6 inches and I put her in a 20 gallon tank. Even that did not seem big enough for her, and she outgrew it really fast.
I know of people who keep 1 baby in a 10 gallon, I think you will very soon find that you need another tank...

 

[summerland]

are the spots like these?

 

[diamc]

Between the move and being housed together, it sounds like stress marks. Have you thought about separating them?

 

[gs160tt]

sorry for the slow reply. the spots are exactly like the ones in the pic above. We were planning on keeping them together because the seem to do well together (other than the spots). if the stress keeps up, then we'll try the separation. hopefully it is just from relocation.

 

[gs160tt]

just to update. we gave our babies a bath and let them splash around for about 30 min and the spot dissapeared and her overall color lightened after we put them back, they came back, though lighter than before. they will be getting a new enclosure (we have decided to separate them) in 2 weeks once i have the time off to build one properly!

 

[gs160tt]

I'll post pics of their new home in the enclosures part

 

[summerland]

my dragon's spots darken when he starts basking.. when he is warm I don't noticed them.. until he gets cold again and needs to warm up once more.. He has a basking area at 110º with plenty of room and levels for variences and adjustment. see post in the behavior section: SEEING SPOTS for a contrast image of his spots darkening!

 

[diamc]

I'm glad that you decided to separate them. The dark markings can have different reasons for appearing. Stress, being the main one. I really think you will notice a big difference in how they both act after they are separted and that's when their individual personalities will develop. We couldn't believe the change in Gizmo after we separated him & Sabrina. He wasn't as shy anymore and his color became much brighter, not to mention his increased appetite.

 

[gs160tt]

I separated them on Monday and I can already tell a difference.
izzie is the shy one, but now she is opening up some. the spots are still there but go away if we take her out and play with her. She doesn't like being cooped up. One more week until i can build them a condo, and get them some more room.

 

[spaceo]

i am harldy and expert with 1 baby beardie. but i notice mine's spots are more disstinct in the morning before his basking light is on. i've yet to seem him act stressed. (only irratied when i spritz him and he's not in themood for water)