My dragon hates baths.

[ilovebeardeddragons]

So i use to be on here alot but just as an update for anyone who remembers i gave away Nyroc and Athena and kept my baby dragon. He is still VERY small only about 12inches and he is over a year old. Is that normal? Also he absolutly HATES baths. When i put him in the water he freaks out and tryed to jump out. I use luke warm water and its only about up to him little elbos not anywhere near his neck or sholders. He also will hold his breathe when i put him in the water(he will breahte in and hold it until i take him out) Any advice will be very helpful. Thanks!

 

[NuKe]

Maybe bath time isnt his thing , if he absolutely will not do it then just simply mist him often. Like any animal they are all different some like it, some dont.

 

[Gail]

12" is a little small, can you go over his care and lighting again please? My dragon hates getting a bath too but he still gets them every other day. Some dragons never do learn to like bathing but they still need it, misting a dragon does nothing except dampen their skin and raise humidity in the tank, please don't mist.

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

OK. So i turn his lights on at around 6:20ish (when i go to school because i cant rely on my sisters to turn his lights on i've tryed and i came home at 3 to his lights off) I put some lettuce in there just in case he gets hungry before i get home(he usuall doesnt eat it ) When i get home at around 3 i give him fresh lettuce and some crickets and i do homework then take him out and play with him. Hes pretty energetic . Then i give him a bath about 2 times a week sence he doesnt like them. I just went and mesured him and he is 13 inches long from tip of tail to tip of his snout. When i first got him(haloween day last year) he was smaller than my first finger including his tail. On his basking rock the temp is about 104F and on the cool side around 86ish. He always has a supply of water in his cage even though i never see him touch it. Yes he does have a usb light.

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

When i say last year i meant 2008

 

[RolandKyramere]

How often do you change your UVB?

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

I change it every 5 to 6 months i

 

[Gail]

What kind brand of UVB and how close can he get to it? When you say lettuce do you actually mean iceburge lettuce or greens? Lettuce isn't nutritional enough for reptiles, he needs dark leafy greens and should be feed more insects too. If you get silkworms, phoenix worms or even roaches, you can leave them in a bowl while you are at school.
check this for proper greens.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

No i dont mean icebearg lettouce. I said above that when i say lettuce i mean romain. thats what i use is romaine lettuce or collards

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

he is about the size of a 3 month beardie..

 

[Gail]

Romain is still lettuce and really isn't very good. Its ok mixed in with other green occasionally but not as a staple.
You never did tell us what brand of UVB you have or how close he can get to it, you can find it printed on the bulb if you don't remember. This is important as bad UVB will affect apatite and growth.

I really think its mostly due to diet, he has been getting improper greens and probably not enough insects. Look on the list I posted and find better greens and feed more bugs.

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

He can get about 9inches from the bulb(thats the closest he could get) Ok i went to the store and bought this lettuce mixture it says organic on it and this is what is in it, baby greens, red and green romaine lettuce, red leaf, red and green chard, red and green mustard greens. Is this good for him? I could just start buying this mixture. He seems to like it. I have been giving him about 20 or so insects every other day because we arnt the richest and its hard to convince my mom to get insects

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

The brand of uvb is zoo med. Its a 5.0 is that ok? Or should i get a different kind. Also if anyone wants to see pictures of bubba when i first got him and how big he is today you can look at my introduction heres a link
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=122026&p=968998#p968998

 

[Gail]

the zoomed (reptisun) is a good brand but you should get a 10.0, the 5 doesn't put out enough UV for dragons. They are cheapest at petmountain.com and make sure he can get at least 8" away from it.

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

Alrighty i will get one of those asap! Once i get this do you think he will still grow or did somthing stun his growth?