New Beardie with some questions :)

[darcypogona]

Hi, so I'm new to this forum and new to owning beardies as a matter of fact. I got a baby beardie (Darcy) a couple days ago and I had a few questions that I would love to get some answers to!

1) What morph is he?

2) Stress marks... are they normal for baby beardies? I read somewhere that it is natural for babies to have stress marks on their bellies, but Darcy has them 24/7! I never see them go away!

3) How often should you bathe a juvenile? Mine is currently shedding on his tail and face so I gave him a shallow bath today and yesterday but is that ok? Should I continue?

4) I've noticed that Darcy is "winking" quite a bit. He will close one eye for a couple of seconds and then open it again. It isn't one particular eye either! I thought this was a result of the lighting fixture but he tends to do this even when he's not in his tank.

Answers to any of the questions above are much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[CooperDragon]

Welcome to the forum! Darcy is a nice looking dragon. I'm not sure if he is any particular morph. Does he have completely clear nails?

The term stress marks is misleading. It's common for young dragons to have dark lines along their bellies and it seems to be more closely related to them darkening to bask and absorb heat. It's not something to be concerned with.

You don't need to bathe them at all. If they like baths you can offer them. If they don't seem to like it, I would avoid it unless they get soiled or smelly. It's not worth the stress. You can offer them extra water by dripping it on their nose to lick up. They will get most of their hydration from well hydrated bugs and fresh veges though so reserve baths for cleaning unless he really seems to enjoy them.

The winking might be related to the shed. If they have shedding skin around their face it can irritate them a bit. You might also see eye bulging which looks pretty terrifying but it's totally normal and helps them loosen shedding skin around their eyes.

 

[darcypogona]

Oh I see! No, Darcy has black nails, does this mean he is the normal kind?

Thanks for the reply, it was super helpful!

 

[CooperDragon]

Probably. He is a good looking dragon and looks nice and healthy =)