Just want to make sure my beardie is ok

[Dagron]

Hey all,

I just want to make sure my beardie's change in behaviour is alright. He has had some big changes recently and I expected him to behave differently but the concerned parent part of me just wants to make sure he is ok. The things that have changed for him recently are :

Moved to a new house
Changed to a much larger tank size
Now using a calcium substrate, he was previously on paper towel.

He used to fall asleep everywhere in his tank, wherever he happened to be at bed time he would plunk down and snooze. Now he sleeps inside his rock cave, which I expected but he is now spending larger portions of the day in there. He spent a bit of time basking on one of his branches, he was tucked in behind it out of most viewing, but he doesn't seem to be basking as he normally does.

Now I am sure the changes will have an effect on him but I want to make sure that he can be as happy and comfortable as possible.

Thanks

 

[riceko]

How old is he? And what UVB and Heat lights are being used? Are the basking temps correct?
Also, remember to breathe Being a parent to a newly relocated beardie can be full of worry, but I'm sure in the end they will adjust and be happy as a clam!

Welcome to BD.org!

 

[Dagron]

Thanks for the welcome

He is about 3 months old and 11.5". He has a 75 watt heat light and a coil UVB. I just read the article on lighting and first thing in the morning I am picking up a tube UVB light. THe absolute warmest basking point is 113 degrees I am still tweaking at the moment to make it optimum. The cool end of his tank is 85 degrees. He ate plenty this morning his salad with crickets later on and a dandelion treat mid afternoonish. He is moving around the tank a bit now, as I brought him out to be handled by myself and a friend. He was content being held but a little cool from hiding in the cooler end of his tank.

I'm sure he is ok but I can't help but worry about him, even the cat was fussing over his tank when she didn't see him in his usual spot. I think she thinks he's a cat, both lounge in the sun, eat bugs, and like to be held.

 

[Rachella]

There's a chance he's just being lazy. Try removing the hide or blocking it's entrance in the morning. I've definitely witnessed the beardie's capability of being as lazy as it can be and they will lounge all day sleeping in a cozy dark spot if they can get away with it. With no place to sleep he should eventually go to his basking spot and get more active.

P.S. Make sure to get a Reptisun 10.0 if you can.

 

[riceko]

Yes as Rachella said be sure to get the Reptisun... Reptiglo is no good, and may do more damage in the end than the coil.

 

[Dagron]

Thanks for all the info. I must say I am not impressed by retailers carrying product that could be harmful.

A bit of an update when I brought him out of his hole and plan his hammock he ran around the tanks eating and of the dandelion leaves I had dropped then went back into hiding. So I figure he is probably just as exhausted as the rest of us from the move. I'll keep a close eye on him.

 

[Dagron]

Update:

When I woke up today Dag had already been up for a few hours with my husband so I went and stuffed the hole in his cave with a small log to prevent him from hiding all day. So after some bribing with dandelion greens he is much more energetic and basking properly. He even was up for some snuggling as I wrote this. He is also interested in my keyboard again, a favorite spot to hang out due to the rubberized keys.
His new light is on and he looks like he is getting back to his pampered little self.

Thank for all the info guys

 

[riceko]

Glad to hear he's doing better! Haha I never would've guessed how lazy a beardie can be!