Really, really stressed dragon

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norbertbd

Hatchling Member
Our beardie is almost continually hiding. He had been very outgoing until early September. Then he started hiding more often in his log.

Last week the house alarm accidently was set off and apparantly rang for 5-10 minutes before the alarm company turned it off. The same day the dishwasher broke and flooded under the cabinets. So there was a lot drilling and sawing going on to try to get the water out. Now, since Wednesday, the house is filled with the roar of high powered fans and dehumidifiers to dry things out. He's been moved to a quieter part of the house, but maybe needs quieter still.

How long do they need to bask after eating to make sure their food gets digested?

Should I remove his hiding places until it's close to bedtime or just long enough to let his food digest?

He had his beard puffed out a couple times in the morning for several minutes at a time. I thought maybe he's shedding and doing it for the reason. But when I gently stroked him he went back to normal.

He's 6 months old and only about 12.5 inches long. He's still eating his crickets like a piggy. His temps are all good and he has the Repti-Sun 10.0.

How do I know if I need to be worried about this?

Any help would be appreciated.
 

akingsley9000

Gray-bearded Member
Hi,

Sounds like you both have had a rough week.

The general rule of thumb is 2 hours for basking after eating to properly digest their food.

I would go ahead and remove the hides until close to bed time. At his age, he needs the UVB exposure.

As far as the bearding goes, some do beard stretches in the morning so thats pretty normal and nothing to worry about.

Does he have stress marks on his belly?

What are your temps?

How are you taking them?

~Allison
 

norbertbd

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
He doesn't seem to be showing stress marks, at least not over his entire belly. Sometimes you can see them on the sides a little towards his rear.

In September I was wondering if he could be starting to bruminate, but thought he was probably a little young for that. Of course, school had also started, so the activity level in the house has decreased dramatically during school hours. So I think he was already sulking a little bit.

His basking spot is 110-113 and cool side 78. The temps are measured with a probe stuck to the basking spot.

He's pooping every couple days. Right now he's also ignoring his greens, which he usually liked a lot.

I'm trying to get water into him by dripping it on his nose. This is having limited success. He gets very stressed with baths, so I'm hesitant to really push that right now. He HATES, HATES, them!!!!!!
 

akingsley9000

Gray-bearded Member
Well your setup sounds fine. The reptisun 10.0 - is that a coil/compact or a tube?

He is a little young for brumation but it wouldn't be unheard of.

I would try spending some extra time with him and see if it is just him sulking.

Have you had a fecal done?
 

norbertbd

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
The Repti-Sun is a tube. It's almost 5 months old, so I'll be ordering a new one shortly.

I haven't had a fecal done, but maybe at this point it wouldn't be a bad idea. It's just a killer thinking of another $100 bucks at the vet after forking out a lot to the insurance company, etc. this week.

Hopefully the fans will be gone today. Then at some point the repair work on the floors will start. Hopefully the local hotels don't have a problem with a lizard! But it'll be just another move to cause more relocation stress. Poor thing. It's almost worse than a baby.
 

akingsley9000

Gray-bearded Member
Yeah, i know buts its better to be safe than sorry.

some vets will do a fecal without an exam. If you can find one that will then a fecal usually runs around $20.00.
 
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