keeps going to his cool spot and getting very cold

[belladonnamini]

im a new dragon mom, Puck is about 2(that is what i was told when i got him) and from nose to tip of tail he is 14inch long(from nose to base of tail he is 7in) he lives in a glass aquarium that is 4'x2.5'x3'(LxWxH). I have two heat lights to make sure his basking spot is up to temp, and I have the uvb light. But he has been finding the few spots of glass bottom uncovered and laying on them until he is very cold. He is still eating well, and going potty. but im worried about how cold he is getting and why he is not getting to the warmer area. i know he can get to the basking area he gets up there a lot. Is this normal? what is to cold or him to be, I would love an experienced dragon parent as a mentor because im defiantly a nerves first time mom.

sarah beh

 

[kcarello]

What type and brand of uvb do you have?
What are you temps, basking SURFACE, hot side and cool side?
What are you measuring your temps with?
What does his diet consist of? Veggies, greens, insects?
Are you using calcium and vitamin supplements?
How often?
Do you give your dragon baths, how often?
When is the last time he went poo?
Have you ever a fecal test done for him?

 

[snazzyglasses]

Welcome aboard! I'm a new dragon mom too and everyone on here is super wonderful and helpful. All of my zillions of questions have either been answered in previous threads, or answered on here very nicely

This might sound silly or obvious, but is your little guy hydrated? The previous owner of the two beardies we adopted told us that the female refuses to bask and stays in the cold side of her tank if she hasn't had enough water.

 

[belladonnamini]

he has a water bowl but im not sure he was ever taught to drink out of it, but i try and soak him daily but i do soak him every other day, i have tried dripping water over his nose like so many places suggest but he never licks it, he is a good veggie eater and i make sure to make them most, so i think he is getting water but how would i tell if he is not?

 

[belladonnamini]

What type and brand of uvb do you have?
What are you temps, basking SURFACE, hot side and cool side?
What are you measuring your temps with?
What does his diet consist of? Veggies, greens, insects?
Are you using calcium and vitamin supplements?
How often?
Do you give your dragon baths, how often?
When is the last time he went poo?
Have you ever a fecal test done for him?

I am measuring his temps with in cage thermometers i have two one on the cold side on on the basking area, the basking area is at 100 and his cool side 85(those numbers are rounded because are ac is on the fritz and so i have to adjust his lamps according to how warm or cool the house gets but that is supposed to be fixed tomorrow) His diet is very varied, he eats greens, some fruits, crickets, wax worms(or what ever they are called), I have not had him long so im still learning what he likes and does not like. i do powder the crickets with calcium. I also have a vitamin food supplement that i sprinkle over his salad to make sure he gets everything. I try to soak him every day but if i cant i do it every other day, he loves his bath. He had a very good poo, Friday(sorry i am not good at keeping up with days they run together for me) but it was a good healthy poo. He had a fecal test done before i got him and he came with his vet records showing it was negative for everything and i have only had him a month.As for the brand of lights the lady told me when i got him but i can not remember, when i got him he came cage, set up and all. I hope i gave all the info you need. i just dont want to harm him do to my ignorance and him being my first, i have wanted a dragon for years read all the books i could get my hands on but nothing prepares you for the real deal.
--thanks
Sarah Beth

 

[kcarello]

First of all..the temps are one of the most important things..If you have the dial type that stick on the glass..they can be off 20 - 40 degrees! You need to get a digital one with a probe...you can get one at walmart for around $10th. The brand is Accurite...or they have ones at the chain pet stores also. I will get back with you shortly on the rest of it....I am just about 100% positive that it is way too hot in the tank for him. You should change his basking light to a lower wattage...you can use a regular household bulb for that. Just a plain clear one. No soft white lights. Do this first..like right now. Then go get the thermometer.

 

[kcarello]

Sorry, leave the lights you have now..just get the thermometer I mentioned and check your temps. Also, what type and brand of uvb light do you have...this is also very important.
I needs to be either a ReptiSun 10.0 tube type, or a tube Arcadia d3 12%.

 

[snazzyglasses]

As for the brand of lights the lady told me when i got him but i can not remember

I'm not sure about other brands' markings, but ReptiSun UVB tubes say ReptiSun right on the tube. Usually near one of the ends (turn it off and it should be easy to see )

 

[battlenation]

Really sounds like brumation it's a way beardies take a winter shutdown. Sounds like it how's your dragon eating.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

If your dragon is around 2, he is most likely exhibiting symptoms of brumation.
However, lets review your set up to be sure everything is good for him.
You are using the round, stick on type of thermometers to get the basking spot/temperatures of around 100? Can you get a digital probe to better measure the temperatures?
Are you using the Reptisun 10 tube bulb? If so, how old is it & how close to him is it? Does it have screen or plastic in between him & the light?
How often do you give calcium for him?

He could be too hot or possibly too cool as those round stick on type of thermometers are not very good at measuring the higher temperatures.
You can get the Acurite brand online which is a digital probe, or there are other brands that are pretty decent too. Walmart or Home Depot carry the Acurite brand as well.
He looks quite colorful too & his length is acceptable as well. What is his weight?
You could also consider getting a fecal done on him, too just to ensure he does not have worms or parasites.


Tracie

 

[kcarello]

How is Puck doing now? Did you get the thermometer?

 

[belladonnamini]

Sorry to not reply sooner, i have good news though. I got a hold of pucks previous mom, I got very lucky when adopting him that his previous mother and me found that we had a lot in common and now have a good bond. She had told me to call her if i needed her, however in the area she lives there is no cell service so i have to leave a message and wait. She called me and talked to me calming me down and told me to give him a tiny bit of gateraide that in the past she has had to do that(she does animal rescue for the odd animals that the shelters here don't know how to care for) and to see if that helped him,that he might be a tiny bit dehydrated. i was also given advice threw here to rearrange his lighting so that his UVB light was more concentrated in his basking spot that he might be trying to get more UVB. So he got a good long soak, a little bit of gateraid that he seemed to like it (it was diluted), and i moved his uvb light to be mostly over his basking area.He moved back to the warm part of his cage and his body temp feels like he normally does. Today he was back to himself 100% his body temp was where it should be,my mom noticed him getting into his water bowl so i made him a salad and he ate it like it was the worlds best, then he went back to his basking spot and so i let him chill for a bit when he was active again i tried some crickets and he ate them like a champ. Thank You to everyone who so quickly came to my aid when i needed it. it is wonderful to know that when i am worried for my baby i dont have to pray his previous mom gets my message and gets back with me, or wait for days for someone to get back with me. Also someone here told me that the type temp gauge i was using could be very inaccurate and so i got a new type and my old one was off by about 10deg. So yet again thank you to everyone so much, i cant express how happy i was to see him eating his crickets today.
--Sarah Beth

 

[kcarello]

so happy to hear the great n
ews!

 

[snazzyglasses]

Yay!!!!! I'm glad!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is excellent news he is doing better now! I am happy to hear that.
Let us know how he is doing & post more pictures. The lighting & heating make all of the difference in the world for him.

Tracie