I need help... stressed dragon alert lol

[silverblade760]

Hey,

I've had Jake for about a month now, which makes him 4 months old. Last saturday i made changes to his viv like i added cage carpet, a new rock and i changed my ESU UVB to a Reptisun 10.. In his old viv he had stress marks but they weren't that bad, since i made the changes though they've gotten darker and more frequent. Not only that but i also changed his eating habits on the same day, i now give him veggies in the morning and crickets at night. Any idea as to what the stress marks are from??

Also, he used to show teeth as if to bite and i used to back off when he did, but now i just dont care and i go after him anyways. I guess what im concerned about is that its been a month and he's still not used to me. I cant do the beardie burrito b/c he won't sit still, and getting him just before he sleeps doesn't work either.. any ideas about this??

My basking temps are around 105-110... the cooler side is usually around 78... at night they drop to about 67.

Here are some pics of the stress marks and viv setup

 

[vickson420]

Hi
Have you checked his temps after making the alterations?I am also thinking he is hungry all day which would affect his mood. If he is 4mos old he should be eating live food more then once a day.Generally the rule is as much as they can eat in 15 minutes 3xper day.Now even if everything is correct relocation stress should be expected when making changes.As for getting used to you it does take quite a while especially when dealing with babies.Make sure when you approach that you make it known your there and also pick up from the side instead of above to stop the fight or flight instinct that kicks in when something looms above them.

 

[silverblade760]

well he hates it when i get him from the side... he's more comfortable when i approach him head on.. but yeah i guess i'll feed him crickets more often and still offer the veges... as for the temps there fine

 

[vickson420]

Well they are all different so if he doesnt like coming from the side then you must do whats good for him.Also you could up his baths to add bonding time.Have you tried hand feeding occasioanlly(not every time or it will become habit)?This can help with bonding.As for the stress just give it some time even the littlest things can set them off.The tank looks good.The only thing I would change is the UVB location.It should really be beside the basking bulb so your beardie can get proper uvb exposure.The only other thing I recommend is multiple feeding and def offer live food in the morning.Think how grumpy you would be if you had to wait all day to have your first real meal :wink: I know I am wicked without my coffee and bagel :lol:

 

[silverblade760]

lol ok... yeah id be pretty mad if i didnt get my muffin in the morning lol.. ok i'll fix the UVB... and i have hand fed him wax worms occasionally, thats how i know he's semi-comfortable with me lol

 

[BrownEyes87]

My Brians stress marks go away with baths, but then come back after a few min in his aquarium :?: