New Owner

[gdavilan]

Hi everyone! I'm a brand new beardie owner, I got Gastón yesterday at petsmart, he is around 4 months old. How long should I let him adjust for, and how minimum should my interactions be? I'm worried he won't ever adjust or like me since everytime I see him he has stress marks. He ate when I hand feeded him and pooped today but he is very skittish and jumped from his log to the glass of the tank. I'm worried he'll hurt himself.

 

[Klub708]

I would let him adjust for two weeks for minimum stress. Start off slow with handling. Handle him for just a few minutes each day and in time he will acclimate to handling and might even start to enjoy it. Hand feeding him will likely speed up the process because he will associate you with the positivity of food.Unless he is Calcium deficient I wouldnt worry too much about him hurting himself. Lastly, the stress marks will go away with time as he settles in.

 

[Reptilelady]

Hi, welcome aboard!

It sounds like relocation stress. I got my beardie from petsmart too and it took him 7 days to actually calm down and enjoy his new environment. Every beardie will be different so yours may get calm sooner or a little later. I would avoid handling him until he starts to get acclimated to surroundings. Stress marks will go away and that's how you know hes relaxing.

 

[gdavilan]

I would let him adjust for two weeks for minimum stress. Start off slow with handling. Handle him for just a few minutes each day and in time he will acclimate to handling and might even start to enjoy it. Hand feeding him will likely speed up the process because he will associate you with the positivity of food.Unless he is Calcium deficient I wouldnt worry too much about him hurting himself. Lastly, the stress marks will go away with time as he settles in.

Thank you! How would I know if he is calcium deficient?

 

[gdavilan]

Hi, welcome aboard!

It sounds like relocation stress. I got my beardie from petsmart too and it took him 7 days to actually calm down and enjoy his new environment. Every beardie will be different so yours may get calm sooner or a little later. I would avoid handling him until he starts to get acclimated to surroundings. Stress marks will go away and that's how you know hes relaxing.

Thank you! I stayed up all night last night worrying about his temperature, I just got him today a CHE because it was going down a lot, and I got worried, I think I'm over thinking everything but he likes veggies so that's good I suppose!

 

[Chanza]

It was the same for me when I got my beardie, I was so scared something would go downhill. He didn't mind being handled the day I got him, but every beardie is different, and that's what makes them unique little pets! Best thing is to let him adjust, walk infront of his terranium occasionally, talk to him through the glass so he can get used to your face and voice. Don't worry if his feceal matter is not very well formed, this is normal with new dragons as they are still adjusting to their environment. At first the temps might seem quite low, but just keep adjusting the tempature and the lights will get used to the routine eventually and it should be all good

'Stress marks' are also common when they are basking as they use the dark colored lines to absorb more heat. He has a very interesting name, is it from a particular country?

 

[gdavilan]

It was the same for me when I got my beardie, I was so scared something would go downhill. He didn't mind being handled the day I got him, but every beardie is different, and that's what makes them unique little pets! Best thing is to let him adjust, walk infront of his terranium occasionally, talk to him through the glass so he can get used to your face and voice. Don't worry if his feceal matter is not very well formed, this is normal with new dragons as they are still adjusting to their environment. At first the temps might seem quite low, but just keep adjusting the tempature and the lights will get used to the routine eventually and it should be all good

'Stress marks' are also common when they are basking as they use the dark colored lines to absorb more heat. He has a very interesting name, is it from a particular country?

He lets me handle him whenever I have to fix something and hand feed him, he seems at ease sometimes and he pooped which I think it's good, tonight will be his first while night of sleep, so hopefully that will help his mood, and Gastón I believe is a French and/or Spanish, I got it from the Beauty and The Beast, I thought it was a cute name for my little Gato

 

[Permutation]

If you see it getting to cold at night you can get a ceramic heat emitter they are perfect for creating heat without the need for light or under tank systems which I've been told aren't great. Plus like a bulb you can raise or lower it to get the temp right.

I wish you all the luck on your beardy journey!