New Dragon Aggression.

[Aajvell93]

I just brought home my new dragon, he's at an awkward stage between juvenile and sub adult maybe about 6 inches long. (Haven't gotten him out to measure or weight him yet). I held him at the store and he was very calm also very alert. He is in very good condition, which came as a surprise to me seeing as they didn't have any heat source on the enclosure and sand as substrate. Today is his third day with us. He's not eating as much as he should be, but he is not picking at his greens (mixture of collard and mustard greens with a little bit of kale and calcium) and I've gotten him to eat a few crickets as well which I feed collards and kale and the cricket gell. He has also taken 3 very large and healthy looking poos. Now yesterday I stuck my hand in just to see a reaction and he puffed his beard and started gaping so I left him alone. Today I tried and he flattened himself out and puffed his beard a little so I left him alone again, I figure he's still adjusting. My problem with that is I can't get close enough to him to get him water with my syringe. I live in South Carolina so it's humid enough, but would it hurt to spray him in his cage for the time being?

Now with the aggression, I'm feeling that he's just adjusting as I said this is only day three. With me not wanting to touch him to avoid stressing him out, is there any other approach I could take to make peace with him? Do you think after he adjusts he may calm down to how he was at the store? I really just want to make sure I can get him friendly, but I figure I'll give him a few more days of space.

I have him in a 40 gallon breeder with carpet, warm side is 90-110 cool side is always right at 82, 100 watt bulb and 10.0 UVB, he loves basking. I have yet to see him go on the cool side other than to use the bathroom or chase crickets. And he has plenty to climb on and hide under.

 

[Tylerman]

Here's my suggestion. My male whom is about 5.5 years old will get cranky at me and show his beard and puff up and gape. So I just pet him on his head and under his chin. He will calm down. Yours is still young and is adjusting. I would just pet him on his head and under his chin. Maybe have food in your hand also. Your tank temp and set up sounds perfect to me.

 

[Aajvell93]

Here's my suggestion. My male whom is about 5.5 years old will get cranky at me and show his beard and puff up and gape. So I just pet him on his head and under his chin. He will calm down. Yours is still young and is adjusting. I would just pet him on his head and under his chin. Maybe have food in your hand also. Your tank temp and set up sounds perfect to me.

Oh yes, I did my research. I wanted to make sure my little guy has the best! I will give him a little more time to adjust and try petting him and offering food. I just want to make sure I don't start too late fearing that he will stay mean.

 

[Tylerman]

Trust me he will warm up! I'm glad you did your research. I own two beardies. The first pic (Charzard), I rescued him. Second one is my girl (Trisha, 2.5).

 

[kingofnobbys]

Pop one of his favourate food items into his mouth when he's trying to bluff you, and follow through with some petting or tickling under the throat.... He'll soon come to the realisation that you are not something to fear and he'll maybe even start to like you.

 

[Aajvell93]

Update: this is my Zeus. I tried petting him last night and still puffed up a little, but was showing improvement. So this morning I offered him a cricket by hand and he snatched that with NO hesitation. It was like an instant bond! I am now able to pet his back and even touch his face! He still looks extremely cautious so I am going to still give him a decent amount of time before picking him up.

Question: if I continue to hand feed him will this make him stop eating from his bowl or chasing live food?

 

[diamc]

Zeus is very cute. How long have you had him?

From the picture, it looks like he is VERY close to the heat bulb. Is there a way that you can position the log differently so that he isn't so close?

I noticed that you're using the round gauge (dial) thermometers and it is reading 110 on the side of the glass. Those thermometers can be 20 degrees off or more so since the glass is showing that temp, the actual basking log where he is laying could be 130 or more. The only 2 ways to get accurate readings are with either a temperature gun or a digital with a long wire & probe end. What you really need to know is the basking SURFACE temp and you can only get that reading with one of those 2 thermometers. Too high of temps can cause rapid dehydration so it would be a good idea to bathe him and offer drinks on his nose with a plastic medicine dropper.

What brand is the UVB bulb and is it a coil, compact or strip fluorescent tube? Is the UVB near the basking bulb or on the opposite side?

 

[Aajvell93]

Zeus is very cute. How long have you had him?

From the picture, it looks like he is VERY close to the heat bulb. Is there a way that you can position the log differently so that he isn't so close?

I noticed that you're using the round gauge (dial) thermometers and it is reading 110 on the side of the glass. Those thermometers can be 20 degrees off or more so since the glass is showing that temp, the actual basking log where he is laying could be 130 or more. The only 2 ways to get accurate readings are with either a temperature gun or a digital with a long wire & probe end. What you really need to know is the basking SURFACE temp and you can only get that reading with one of those 2 thermometers. Too high of temps can cause rapid dehydration so it would be a good idea to bathe him and offer drinks on his nose with a plastic medicine dropper.

What brand is the UVB bulb and is it a coil, compact or strip fluorescent tube? Is the UVB near the basking bulb or on the opposite side?

I have had him for 5 days now. He is showing quick improvement for me. He is eating very well and he will take crickets from the palm of my hand.
He normally doesn't go up that far on his log, but I will adjust it a little lower. As far as water now that he lets me close I have been giving him that through a syringe. Although I can pet him, he will not let us pick him up yet. As soon as he lets me I will be able to give him a bath. I have pedialyte and deer spring water(is this safe for him? If not what do you recommend for water?).
His UVB is a reptisun coil bulb.

 

[diamc]

I just read your other thread stating that your other beardie had passed away. I'm very sorry to hear that.

Since this one is only about 6", he is still a baby and they can get dehydrated VERY quickly so it's very important to be sure he is kept well hydrated. It's great he is now drinking from a syringe. Diluted Pedialyte is fine occasionally but wouldn't give it continuously. Deer spring water is also fine. Is there a reason you can't use tap water or is it treated? I bathe and give our beardies drinks from regular tap water and have been doing that for over 15 yrs. With a 40 gallon tank, you should be able to put a small plastic container in one side with warm water so he can sit in it & absorb the water through his vent.

It would be a good idea to get a digital probe thermometer or a temp gun so you know what the true temps are. Babies are quite particular with their needs and if the temps are off, it can affect their total health and behavior.

Great that he is getting more used to you now and will even eat crickets from your palm. That is a good start. Another thing that helps with the bonding is wrapping them in a small towel or blanket & laying them on your chest after a bath when they are tired. I wouldn't wait too long before you start picking him up by sliding your fingers under his chest so that he can sit in your hand so that you can get him accustomed to being handled. Then after that, you will be able to hold him outside of his tank. I wouldn't wait any longer than a wk before handling him though.

As you probably know, we don't recommend using any coil UVB lights. They put out a lot of UVB rays (too much) in the beginning and then decline very rapidly which won't prevent metabolic bone disease. The coil & compact UVB's have been known to cause lethargy, appetite loss, eye issues and other health problems. The UVB's that performed the best on the UVB testing are the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent tube and the Arcadia brands. Would be a good idea considering changing to one of those very soon.

Please keep us updated on your little one and hope you can make at least some of these recommended changes so your new beardie will be healthy and remain with you for many years.

 

[Aajvell93]

I just read your other thread stating that your other beardie had passed away. I'm very sorry to hear that.

Since this one is only about 6", he is still a baby and they can get dehydrated VERY quickly so it's very important to be sure he is kept well hydrated. It's great he is now drinking from a syringe. Diluted Pedialyte is fine occasionally but wouldn't give it continuously. Deer spring water is also fine. Is there a reason you can't use tap water or is it treated? I bathe and give our beardies drinks from regular tap water and have been doing that for over 15 yrs. With a 40 gallon tank, you should be able to put a small plastic container in one side with warm water so he can sit in it & absorb the water through his vent.

It would be a good idea to get a digital probe thermometer or a temp gun so you know what the true temps are. Babies are quite particular with their needs and if the temps are off, it can affect their total health and behavior.

Great that he is getting more used to you now and will even eat crickets from your palm. That is a good start. Another thing that helps with the bonding is wrapping them in a small towel or blanket & laying them on your chest after a bath when they are tired. I wouldn't wait too long before you start picking him up by sliding your fingers under his chest so that he can sit in your hand so that you can get him accustomed to being handled. Then after that, you will be able to hold him outside of his tank. I wouldn't wait any longer than a wk before handling him though.

As you probably know, we don't recommend using any coil UVB lights. They put out a lot of UVB rays (too much) in the beginning and then decline very rapidly which won't prevent metabolic bone disease. The coil & compact UVB's have been known to cause lethargy, appetite loss, eye issues and other health problems. The UVB's that performed the best on the UVB testing are the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent tube and the Arcadia brands. Would be a good idea considering changing to one of those very soon.

Please keep us updated on your little one and hope you can make at least some of these recommended changes so your new beardie will be healthy and remain with you for many years.

So in his tank I have a small water dish that I do change daily. I've noticed that he reacts better to being sprayed than dropping with the syringe. (I spray very little just on his face) is it possible for them to prefer water a certain way? The tap water here smells strongly chlorinated and sometimes our skin will get dry from it, so just me being paranoid I feel better getting him spring water. In addition his crickets are pretty juicy.
I will get a digital thermometer tomorrow. Any reccomendations? Same thing with the UVB bulb.
I will be getting him out first thing in the morning as he is due for a bath, we attempted last night but he was very against us picking him up. He is still letting us pet him though without gaping or showing his beard.
I greatly appreciate all of this information and you taking the time to provide this for me! We are very heart broken about losing our last one, so we are open to reccomendations as we just want him to have the best. I will update tomorrow on how his bath goes.

 

[diamc]

That's good that you have a small water dish in the tank but very few beardies drink from standing water actually. If he handles the spraying better, then do whatever works best. All of mine always preferred the dropper over misting, they like what they like. If your water affects you that way, it's fine that you use bottled water instead.

Great that he is fine with you petting him. They do get nervous. When we first rescued our 4" beardie from a pet store, he was very frail and scared. I got him used to sitting in my hand first & let him jump from a very close distance back into the bottom of his tank when he felt the need to. In a few days, he had made a game of it, would jump onto my hand & then back down into his tank, over & over again. It was so cute. Then when I could tell he felt at ease with me, I would let him jump into my palm and I would loosely cup my other hand over him so he couldn't jump and very slowly move my hand out of his tank. He acted nervous so each day, I would go further & further away from his tank until he realized that a different room wasn't going to gobble him up lol. During this transition period, I used a small transparent container than I set right under his basking light so that it was nice & warm & he ran in & out of the bath water while sitting in it at times. It worked out very well until I was sure that he felt secure enough to go into the kitchen to have his bath in a slightly larger transparent container with higher sides. Takes a lot of time & patience but it is so worth it.

Here's some links for decent probe thermometers that you can read about or even order. This first one is used by a lot of members here and I have 2 of them. It will give both the basking & cool side temp at the same time as well as the humidity level. You should be able to find one at Walmart or even Lowe's or Home Depot. http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00891A1-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1442284420&sr=8-5&keywords=acurite+probe+thermometer If you decide to go with a probe thermometer, make sure you place the probe right on (touching) the basking log or rock & then wait 45 min to an hr before getting the final reading.

I'm not sure what size fluorescent tube you would want but here's a couple of links to 2 different sizes: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun%C2%AE-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0009YHSWK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442284959&sr=8-1&keywords=repti-sun+10.0+uvb+light+tube Pet stores would carry these too.

Yes, let us know how the bath goes, thanks.

 

[Aajvell93]

That's good that you have a small water dish in the tank but very few beardies drink from standing water actually. If he handles the spraying better, then do whatever works best. All of mine always preferred the dropper over misting, they like what they like. If your water affects you that way, it's fine that you use bottled water instead.

Great that he is fine with you petting him. They do get nervous. When we first rescued our 4" beardie from a pet store, he was very frail and scared. I got him used to sitting in my hand first & let him jump from a very close distance back into the bottom of his tank when he felt the need to. In a few days, he had made a game of it, would jump onto my hand & then back down into his tank, over & over again. It was so cute. Then when I could tell he felt at ease with me, I would let him jump into my palm and I would loosely cup my other hand over him so he couldn't jump and very slowly move my hand out of his tank. He acted nervous so each day, I would go further & further away from his tank until he realized that a different room wasn't going to gobble him up lol. During this transition period, I used a small transparent container than I set right under his basking light so that it was nice & warm & he ran in & out of the bath water while sitting in it at times. It worked out very well until I was sure that he felt secure enough to go into the kitchen to have his bath in a slightly larger transparent container with higher sides. Takes a lot of time & patience but it is so worth it.

Here's some links for decent probe thermometers that you can read about or even order. This first one is used by a lot of members here and I have 2 of them. It will give both the basking & cool side temp at the same time as well as the humidity level. You should be able to find one at Walmart or even Lowe's or Home Depot. http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00891A1-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1442284420&sr=8-5&keywords=acurite+probe+thermometer If you decide to go with a probe thermometer, make sure you place the probe right on (touching) the basking log or rock & then wait 45 min to an hr before getting the final reading.

I'm not sure what size fluorescent tube you would want but here's a couple of links to 2 different sizes: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun%C2%AE-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0009YHSWK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442284959&sr=8-1&keywords=repti-sun+10.0+uvb+light+tube Pet stores would carry these too.

Yes, let us know how the bath goes, thanks.

His first bath was a success! Getting him out of the cage was a little rough, but once I got him out and put him in the bath he was fine. Dipped his head down a drank a GREAT amount of water, which made me happy. I did pinch his skin a little and it snapped right back rather than staying pinched so he seems well hydrated.
When he was done I laid him down on my belly and dried him off, then he ran up and laid on my shoulder and ran around the couch for a bit. I can now pick him up and pet him with no problem!

I went to the pet store this morning and purchased a tube florecent bulb. The only thermometer they had available looked very cheap, and I was short on time before work so I will get him one tonight or tomorrow. I have moved the log away from the bulb so he's not so close.

In the photo, his head is dipped down drinking water.

 

[diamc]

That's great that he had his first bath and got a big drink too. Awesome that he had some run around time & you can now pick him up & pet him with no issues. Good for you.

He looks so cute in those pictures as well as happy & content.

Were you able to find the Repti-Sun 10.0 tube? Great that you moved the log away a little & that you will look for a probe thermometer.

Thanks for the great update.

 

[Aajvell93]

That's great that he had his first bath and got a big drink too. Awesome that he had some run around time & you can now pick him up & pet him with no issues. Good for you.

He looks so cute in those pictures as well as happy & content.

Were you able to find the Repti-Sun 10.0 tube? Great that you moved the log away a little & that you will look for a probe thermometer.

Thanks for the great update.

Yes, I was able to get him a bulb. No, not my preferred one. Will be ordering one of the ones you suggested, but I wanted to get rid of that coil if it was bad. This one was one i picked up at petco that was reccomended for bearded dragons. It didn't say 10.0 or anything, which makes me a little nervous. So I am ordering him a new bulb.

We are somewhat back to square one with his anger as of this morning. He is starting to shed, and it looks like it is going well for him. He had some water and I sprayed him down today. He hasn't eaten much. He took two VERY large poos, one yesterday and one today. From what I read the appetite and anger is normal for shedding.
Do I let him have his space or continue to handle him?

 

[premammalian]

First, this wasn't aggression, just a threat display. Aggression would be if it lunge towards you with the intention to bite.
The dragon was with no heat source for so long, so it is natural to need to bask more. But to be safe, better to check the temperatures acurately under the light. Also, by being warmed up, he became more alert, so he realized the stressful situation and started behaiving fearfully.
Bearded dragons drink tap water, but if it so chlorinated that you cannot drink it yourself, then you are doing good by giving spring water. You can mist both on his nose and on objects in front of him, I mostly do the latter. Also in that age you feed mainly insects, try to make a variety of insect species.
And last but not least, when he calms down a little more and the temperatures are favorable, you can expose him to natural sunlight for maximum uvb absorbtion.