just bought a adult beardie

[bdragonLN]

hi my name is louis and i just purchased adult beardie off of a woman who owned for its whole life . she said he was a year and ahalf and he is a very big guy measuring at least 13 iches . but i had few questions about his behavior since this is my 4th day owning him. he ate 3 adult crickets the first nite i got him and thats it . i tryed to feed him a nice mix of greens the second day , fruit for the next morning i even left a cricket in the tank that he hasnt touchedhe hasnt eatin any of it .he seems to be healthy except he just stays on the baskig side of the tank and just stares at me and he sleeps . ive also found him a in his wooden hide which he dug out all the sand to sleep. i gave him a 10 min bath yesterday and a 25 minute bath todayhe was just drinking some water and dipping out in the tub.im ot sure if he may be going into brumation or he is just trying to get used to me ? i keep him in a 40 gallon tank with a basking light and uvb bulb on one side with a cool side on the other . the basking spot is 90 degrees and cool side about 75 to 78 degrees and hygrometer reads 50 . he also seems to shedding because he is a dark red and about a quarter of he tail has shedded from that red to a light tan. any help and info would be greatly appreciated .
thank you

 

[BeardieGrandma]

Hi Louis,

welcome to the board!

Often when lizards are in a new home, they go through relocation stress - may eat the first day or so, then not eat for a week as they adjust to their new surroundings. Handle him for 5-10 mins a day as he settles into his new home.

You may want to review your setup and make sure it's optimum:

Your basking spot should be 95-100 for an adult, some like it cooler, but they need heat to properly digest their food. Your cool side should be 80-85. I have a 40 gl too, and have the basking spot on one side, a secondary heat dome on the cool side with a lower wattage bulb, and a UVB tube that spans across the back of the tank. UVB bulbs last about 6 months - sounds like you might have a coil type, that is not the most optimum for beardie health, appetite, activity, etc. Consider getting a long tube bulb fixture instead, update your UVB and span it across your tank. The reptisun 10.0 UVB 24" tube would probably be good size for your tank.

Sand as a substrate can be a challenge as well. While it looks good and your beardie might like to dig into it, it can harbor a lot of bacteria from him pooping in it, plus he can potentially ingest it, which can cause impaction (constipation), which can cause all sorts of problems for your beardie. Many folks on the board suggest using reptile carpet, slate tiles, or non-adhesive shelf-liner as alternatives, that are generally cleaner, easier to clean, and safer for your pet.

It's good to keep giving him baths 3-5 times a week to keep him hydrated.

 

[bdragonLN]

i just bought a uv bulb that spans the basking area the day i got him , however today i got him a pinkie today which he did eat so that is a good sign. i also took away his wooden hide away to force him to bask soo im hopeig he will poop soon just to know hes ok

 

[Vacren]

No more mice. Mammal fats are not metabolized well and small bones can lead to impaction.

Lose the sand. Anyone who tells you sand, bark, or any other loose substrate is acceptable is probably giving you bad advice somewhere else, too. It's not just "difficult" to maintain, it's DANGEROUS for your dragon.

Any UVB is better than none. That said, compacts can cause blindness, some tubes don't offer the correct wavelength of light and the more intense tubes can cause blindness as well, and MVB's are very expensive and always changing. Best "bang" for your buck would be the ReptiSun 10.0 UVB tube light (USA) or the Acadia 12 (UK). It's good for about 6 months and they run around $25.

Your guy is already stressed. Removing his hide is going to magnify that stress. I would suggest you put it back in.

welcome to Beardy Slavery, enjoy.

*edit*

3-5 baths a week is excessive. One is plenty. Two if you notice signs of dehydration. If two baths a week doesn't take care of any hydration issues you're having, and correct diet is being fed, then it's time for a vet visit.

 

[mellu]

^ My three beardies get baths every day or every second day, one won't poop without her morning bath, 3-5 a week isn't excessive. No such thing as too hydrated.

 

[bdragonLN]

whoo! hang on guys . In regards to the substrate when i bought him there was a sand like substrate in his tank soo if it hasnt killed him yet i feel like he will be ok.since my beardie has a water bowl in his tank that he never goes in i think the baths for right now are a good idea ,today i gave him a bath for 5 minutes but he kept wanting to get out and explore so i let him , i also mist the cage down i spray him to just soo he can stay hydrated . i am gonna put the hide back in the tank and leave it up to him wether hes gonna poop, but i heard that forcing him to bask helps because the heat will help with digestion. im just worried that only ate the pinky and three crickets since ive had him now for 7 days and on day one he pooped and thats it.that right now is my main concern. does anyone have experience with the way he is acting or wat it might be?

 

[Sierra1167]

I agree with the other post that it could very well be relocation stress. I would think any animal that only had one owner for a year or more would have to have time to adjust to a completely new situation. I think baths are great and agree that they can't get TOO hydrated. You may notice excess water around the poop/urates but as long as the poop/urates are well formed it's just their system getting rid of the extra water. Even if he doesn't seem to like it much, keep it up. Loose substrates can cause problems at any time and the safety of my beardies far outweigh any aesthetic value for me. If you do insist on using it you may want to at least feed your beardie in a different container without it just to be on the safe side. You said that you are misting down the tank. It's okay that you mist him, but misting down the whole tank does nothing for him and can raise the humidity in the tank. That can lead to nasty respiratory infections. The suggestions people are making are just trying to help you give your beardie the best and longest life possible, they aren't attacking you. I know it can seem like that when it seems all you are hearing is what you should do differently, but they do it with the best interest of your dragon in mind.

 

[Vacren]

I'm not going to start a debate on this thread re: excessive bathing. Listen to what you'd like there, but there is a difference between hydration vs unacceptable risk of introducing fluids into the lungs and hyponatremia.

As for the sand, just because poor husbandry was applied before he came to you is not a reason to continue it. Sand (wet sand, from misting inside the tank) is a bacterial breeding ground. It's dangerous. The threat cannot be overstated. He eats it, he breathes the dust from it, his food crawls on it. One grain of sand in the eye and an abscess is inevitable.

I've seen dozens of cases of abscess-turned-cyst on here and locally since opening my rescue. 100% of the issues found on the ER/Health boards here could have been prevented by proper research prior to taking on the responsibility of another life and 99% can be corrected and even have damages reversed by actually listening to the board members here.

Your call, but you came here bc your issue (likely relocation stress, very common) was outside of your means to deal with.

Again, good luck.

 

[bdragonLN]

ya see thats all i needed to hear.lol i do understand about the sand and think i am gonna just take it out and lay down taped papertowel.as far as the bathing goes the poor thing hasnt had a decent meal when i feed him greens and fruit he hasnt eaten or hasnt drank anything so i feel like a bath everyother day wont kill him given the situation of the his stress fator . and when i meant i mist the cage down i dont mist the whole cage the way i have his tank on the cool side i have fake little leaves that i mist when hes there or basicaly anywhere he is but not the whole tank.

 

[PuffTheBeardeDragon]

I just wanted to say that misting inside the tank is a bad idea generally... They live in the Desert and the humidity needs to be low. I take mine out and when they are outside of the tank is when I mist them. Also having a waterbowl inside the tank can raise the humidity too... So yeah like other people are saying keep the humidity in your tank down, and bathe your beardie and spray him outside the tank for his water.
But yeah as for the substrate, definitely paper towel is better than sand but eventually upgrade to tile or non adhesive shelf liner for nicer looks :wink:
Do you have any pics of him??

Also what kinda salad are you giving him? Mine sometimes wont eat her collard greens or kale, but goes crazy for squash, rasberries, and cut up green beans. And these are all easy to feed them because you can just keep them chopped up in the freezer and then just defrost them for their meals

 

[bdragonLN]

i dont have a camera sorry guys. but i feed him mustard greens , zuchini a very little bit of carrots strawberrys , honey dew all of the things the previous owner fed him he doesnt eat. he does seem to be a tad livelyer but still not himself i assume.