Derobmi
Hatchling Member
Good morning, Karen!
I'm glad to hear Scooby is doing better!
When you say that Zack is giving you a black beard when you approach, do you mean he is puffing out his beard and it turns black? Is he opening his mouth and acting aggressive as well?
Is his beard black at other times? Is it black or gray when it is not puffed up?
How much is he eating now? Is it more than he was?
I looked again at the pictures you posted. Zack's tank has a wooden structure in it. What is that? I'm looking to see if it is made of pine or cedar.
His tank looks very crowded. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. I've been talking to some people and my views on what a tank should include are changing. However, he should be able to move around the tank - is Zack able to do that? I'm hesitant to have you make anymore changes to the tank because if this is just relocation stress, more changes could prolong it.
Are you removing crickets from the tank after feedings?
Is he allowing you to handle him at all?
You can take a worn t-shirt (that has your scent on it) and put it in the tank with him. That can help a beardie get used to you. I had much success with a rescue who wasn't too fond of me by holding her at night right around her lights out time when she was sleepy. I would put her on my chest and cover her with a blanket, even her head. She would just sleep on me for an hour while I was watching tv or whatever and after... I'm not sure how long, less than a week.. she became much more docile.
I see that Zack is also the smaller of the two dragons. He was probably being dominated by Scooby while they were sharing a tank. This could just be the lingering effect of that. I don't have any experience housing two beardies together, so that is an assumption. If the other suggestions don't help, we might need to consider moving his tank to a different room.
I'm sorry this is so scattered, I'm trying to read through everything and I keep referring back and coming up with different ideas. Another thought is that Zack might not like his basking temp at 110F. Do you see him bask at all? It is the recommended temp, but some beardies prefer other temps. I'm just brainstorming.
Did you have a follow-up fecal done? How did you sanitize the tank during/after treatment?
There are many questions scattered through this reply. I appreciate you digging through and answering all of them. I'm sure we'll figure this out.
Do you kids like the beardies? I'm forever doing impromptu educational "shows" when I have my beardies in public. Kids just think beardies are so cool. Adults always think they are iguanas. Haha!
I'm glad to hear Scooby is doing better!
When you say that Zack is giving you a black beard when you approach, do you mean he is puffing out his beard and it turns black? Is he opening his mouth and acting aggressive as well?
Is his beard black at other times? Is it black or gray when it is not puffed up?
How much is he eating now? Is it more than he was?
I looked again at the pictures you posted. Zack's tank has a wooden structure in it. What is that? I'm looking to see if it is made of pine or cedar.
His tank looks very crowded. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. I've been talking to some people and my views on what a tank should include are changing. However, he should be able to move around the tank - is Zack able to do that? I'm hesitant to have you make anymore changes to the tank because if this is just relocation stress, more changes could prolong it.
Are you removing crickets from the tank after feedings?
Is he allowing you to handle him at all?
You can take a worn t-shirt (that has your scent on it) and put it in the tank with him. That can help a beardie get used to you. I had much success with a rescue who wasn't too fond of me by holding her at night right around her lights out time when she was sleepy. I would put her on my chest and cover her with a blanket, even her head. She would just sleep on me for an hour while I was watching tv or whatever and after... I'm not sure how long, less than a week.. she became much more docile.
I see that Zack is also the smaller of the two dragons. He was probably being dominated by Scooby while they were sharing a tank. This could just be the lingering effect of that. I don't have any experience housing two beardies together, so that is an assumption. If the other suggestions don't help, we might need to consider moving his tank to a different room.
I'm sorry this is so scattered, I'm trying to read through everything and I keep referring back and coming up with different ideas. Another thought is that Zack might not like his basking temp at 110F. Do you see him bask at all? It is the recommended temp, but some beardies prefer other temps. I'm just brainstorming.
Did you have a follow-up fecal done? How did you sanitize the tank during/after treatment?
There are many questions scattered through this reply. I appreciate you digging through and answering all of them. I'm sure we'll figure this out.
Do you kids like the beardies? I'm forever doing impromptu educational "shows" when I have my beardies in public. Kids just think beardies are so cool. Adults always think they are iguanas. Haha!
