New owner Questions

[Lunatic768]

Hey all
I just got my first beardie, A leusistic male from Mike at sunshinedragons.com (greatest experience ever, gave me loads of free stuff, and just super super helpful. Would very highly recommend, he has a lot of wonderful dragons. I don't think i would buy anywhere else now)
hes about 13 inches nose to tail, not sure how old, but the post says four months and his parents were really big....
i don't know how to post pictures, but this is him
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so i had some newbie questions
he winks his right eye a lot, in and out of the tank. not sure what that means or if i should do anything about it
next, yesterday he was really restless, and today he has started to shed a little on his face. are the two connected?
he also likes to scratch the walls and jump at the walls of his tank, even tho its a 48x16x16 (huge for cheap, another hookup from mike and sunshinedragons)
does he just need to settle into his new tank, or is it a problem? i covered the sides and back with newspaper, and he still does it. hes eating and pooping fine, so he doesnt have any other stress marks that i can see
also, how do you bath your dragons?
i just filled up a little rubbermaid with tepid water, and he kinda just sat there....
right now im just worried about the eye winking, he seems to do it a lot
(and how do i post pictures?thanks!)

 

[Angiecountrygirl]

First of all, congrats on your new beardie. What's his name?
***To post pictures you can go to http://www.photobucket.com and download you pictures. Then you post the IMG code, and it will show the picture once you post your info.***
As far as the blinking in his eye- keep an eye on it. It may be nothing, or he could have an infection (is there any discharge, etc.?). The other thing it could be is the lighting... What are you using for your basking bulb and what kind of UVB? Let me know and maybe I can better answer for you.
The scratching on glass and running around is normal- my beardie did that the 1st two weeks and every once in a while will do it now, lol.
If you have any other questions PM me, and I'd be happy to help. I'm sure you will hear from many others- there are alot of people who helped me when I joined (I got my beardie Falkor at the end of August, 2009). I swear if it wasn't for all the kind people on this site, my beardie would not be doing as wonderful as she is. Good Luck!

 

[Lunatic768]

His name is Winston, I call him Buddy for short
my basking/uvb buld is in the mail, so he has a pair of 100 watt reveal house lights on the hot side
no discharge, and his eye looks perfectly fine, he just seems to blink a lot, in and out of his terrarium
and i will make an photobucket account and post some pictures very soon

this is a test, excuse the newspaper

 

[Angiecountrygirl]

Winston (a.k.a. Buddy) is beautiful! I can't wait to see more pics. I wouldn't worry about the blinking, just keep an eye on it. My girl Falkor blinks alot. I'm glad you have the UVB on the way- that's very important. If you have proper temps for right now that should be good until the UVB gets to you. :mrgreen:

 

[Freeie]

Oh hes beautiful look at that white belly hes a happy camper

 

[Lunatic768]

here you can see his colors a little bit better
sorry for the cellphone camera, its all i got

 

[sweetiepie9]

What a cutie, he's got unusual colouring, amost silver. Yes, I think the eye blinking has to do with shedding. Our beardies can go nuts when their eyelids, etc, are shedding, takes them awhile to get that out. This is the only time I find our beardies scratching like little doggies, hid legs to their face (sound uncomfortable) or rubbing their heads, closed eyes, on anything they can find, including our fingers. So probably all part of shedding of the head. You should see that gone in a week or so, takes awhile to get all the head done.

Congrats on your new beardie, more pics when possible please!

 

[Lunatic768]

ok guys next question
this is the third time he's pooped on me
and its not fun
how do you guys not get pooped on when handling your dragons?
and when accidents do happen, clean up tips?
the smell is really bad, and the book he was sitting on may never be the same again
Help!
for your help, another picture

 

[Freeie]

A bath Mine will poop in the bath then they are free to roam. That way i know theres no pooping on me or other stuff.

 

[Lunatic768]

ok, a bath
ive filled up a little rubbermaid a couple of times but he just puffs out his belly and sits in the water, not bathing and not pooping, until he wants to get out
does he not have enough space?

 

[carmdac]

Hey! congrats on your new guy. As stated above try giving him a warm bath before you handle him for a period of time. you can try keeping an old t-shirt or rag folded on your shoulder and just toss it if he hits the target. Also, his poop shouldn't smell real bad, keep a nose on that. If the smell persists and or becomes runny you may want to think about possable parasites. I dont want to worry you. as i stated, if it persists. It could be something he ate. But typically there smell is not over powering.

 

[carmdac]

As far as the bath goes, try filling it w/ warm water to the arm pits and just leave him for up to 15 mins, if its in him it should come out. lol. occasionally you may have to dump & refill if the water cools or concider the fact that he may not have to go.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Your little one is so cute, congratulations

As far as pooping, we have 4 beardies out of 5 that poop in the bath, as long as we get the timing right. The fourth still poops in his tank, so where the other 4 have repticarpet, Rubio has 1/2 newspaper (he always poops in the same area) and 1/2 repticarpet (hide area). None of them are cuddled until poop has been detected, either in their tanks or on the floor somewhere & I agree, dragon poop shouldn't smell terrible, if it does, it's probably parasites. When beardies are moved to a different home, it can cause relocation stress, which can cause gut parasites to grow, thus bad smell. If it's still there in a week, time to take a fecal sample to your vet. It's just easier to clean up if he poops in the bath!

He sure is pretty, almost silver colouring, very nice. He looks healthy, too, so give him a bit of time re: smelly poops. And try not to handle him unless, like the prev poster suggested, you have an old t-shirt or towel handy to put him on. They give a distinctive wiggle when they're about to poop, keep that in mind, too.

Deb & my mostly awake dragons...brumation can sure take alot of time when you have 5 dragons!

 

[Lunatic768]

yeah he had to endure two long car rides in three days
that probably explains the bad poop smell
i'll definitely keep an eye on it tho

 

[Emeraldcoast]

Hello:

Welcome to the wonderful world of being a beardie slave! LOL

he winks his right eye a lot, in and out of the tank. not sure what that means or if i should do anything about it

As long as there is not a discharge or other obvious problem, don't worry. Keep a watchful eye on him. (NO PUN INTENDED!--LOL)

Stay away from the compact coil lights. They can damage your beardies eyes. Repti Sun 10. is the best flourescent out there. I recently found out myself that the Repti Glo and Repti suns are not the same quality of UVB. The Repti Glo is not as good a light.

They also do something called eye-bulging. It is EXACTLY what it sounds like! The first time you see it....it will freak you out! It looks as though their eye (can be 1 or both) is literally popping out of their head. It is scary to see if you don't realize what you are looking at. lol It is normal behavior. Sometimes, they do it to loosen shedding skin, or just because they want to freak us humans out. LOL


next, yesterday he was really restless, and today he has started to shed a little on his face. are the two connected?

Yes. They are most likely connected. Beardies sometimes get irritable, restless, or moody, when they shed. Not always, but it does happen.


he also likes to scratch the walls and jump at the walls of his tank, even tho its a 48x16x16 (huge for cheap, another hookup from mike and sunshinedragons)

This is called glass dancing. He might be seeing his reflection in the glass and think it is another dragon. Is he puffing, bearding up, or blackening his beard when he does it? How long have you had him? It could be a little relocation stress. He may want/need a break from the tank. Great time to give him a bath. You can stroke him and talk softly to him. Let him get to know your voice. Great time to get to know your dragon, and vice versa. Buy a ferret leash and go for a walk around the neighborhood. Great way for your BD to gcatch some natural rays. I carry mine everywhere on my shoulders, back, neck, sometimes the head! LOL The ferret leashes are small like shoe strings. Check out http://www.petmountain.com for great prices.

does he just need to settle into his new tank, or is it a problem? i covered the sides and back with newspaper, and he still does it.

This is a good start. Try the above ideas.

hes eating and pooping fine, so he doesnt have any other stress marks that i can see

After you have had him about 2 weeks, get a FULL fecal exam done. A basic test ONLY looks for parasites. A FULL fecal looks for parasites AND bacteria. It costs more, but it is worth it. Ask your vet if their test also checks for aspergillis and salmonella.


also, how do you bath your dragons?
i just filled up a little rubbermaid with tepid water, and he kinda just sat there....

I bathe mine (I have 4) in the bath tub. Separately,of course. Miss Sydney and Sir Darwin are the only ones that bathe together. They have been together since they were 2 months old. I bathe mine 2 to 3 times a week. 3 is ideal. Try for at least twice a week. This keeps them clean, the baths encourages them to go poop, and it gives them an opportunity to get a drink of water. If you see them lower their head, watch carefully. You may get a chance to observe them drinking. I also run the shower at the same time. It simulates a natural rainfall. They often will position themselves where they will catch the mist. They often will rise up and into the mist. They sometimes will drink at this time. I don't let the water go past their arrmpits for safety reasons. DON"T LEAVE THEM UNSUPERVISED!


right now im just worried about the eye winking, he seems to do it a lot

Watch for obvious signs: swelling, discharge, redness, anything unusual.

Reptiles can become very ill and will hide it extremely well. In the wild, they do not want the other animals or predators to know when they are sick. This is why it is so important to watch and get to know your dragon's personality and behaviors. It is also why it is so important to get the baseline exams done.

Please consider joining our free on line bearded dragon group.

Go to: http://www.yahoogroups.com

type: "pogona"

The dragon groups will show up.

You will see the group, [email protected]

The group has a photo of a baby beardie looking at the computer screen.


Also, you can go to: http://www.blackninjakitty.com

There, you will find a questionaire. You can copy the questionaire and paste it in an email to the group.

Answering the questions will enable the group to help you with your questions, set-up, etc.

I hope this helps you some. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions. Take care.

Emerald