Scared Beardies

[ChileanTaco]

Too bad the window glass blocks all the uvb rays huh?

But at least it can warm up through the window Taco likes that little extra heat for sure.
I really see his (even more) increased activity on days that are brighter.
(I also don't take him out right now (as in: the last few days and maybe the next fews) as we have, despite the temperature is nice, some wind due to the now larger temperature difference between in the shade vs. in the sun.)

 

[BeardieFromTheNorth]

Another sign how intelligence and memory play together:

I have a transport box for Taco, just in case he has to go to the vet or similar.
Its like a small tote, clear plastic. To keep him used to it, each time I weigh him, I put him into the box.
The first time I put him in - he was a bit older than half a year old, and he scratched me up badly. He also hit me with his tail, too. I nevertheless put him in. I took the weight, then took Taco out and back into his enclosure.
First, I expected a similar bad reaction when I come with the box the next time. But no: I could put him in, he didn't fight.
My interpretation: The first time, he associated being put into a small - small compared to his enclosure - box with being given away. I got him from the pet store in a cardboard box (picked him up here in town), and he was not bred there but comes from a breeder about 1500 km away (yes, those dragons are quite unusual here, so the long distance) and was shipped from there to the pet store.
So he was twice in boxes and that meant: being brought away, environment changes, stress.
The second time I put him into the transport box, however, he knew that won't happen.
There was never any problem with the transport box after.

Picking one can be a difficult question, but I believe one always gets some lovely coloration - being it that deep orange of this one, with a weird pattern in another one, with an unusual dark coloration in the next one....
For my Taco, when I went to the reptile store the second time (the first time I was there to ask if they have bearded dragons at all, because reptiles are quite unusual pets here, and after they told me they have regularly some, I ordered the enclosure and all the equipment with help of this forum ) I just wanted to ask whether they either have some right now or if I can reserve already one of the next they will get.
They had exactly one beardie left, already 3 months old (normally they sell them from really baby-size on). I reserved him and picked him up a week later. What I got was a chocolate-brown (with a bit grey) beardie with a pattern that reminded me a bit of a carpet. I didn't mind, but I just wondered as I automatically thought when I get a bearded dragon, this animal will have a light, sand-tone coloration. Over time, his coloration got much lighter and brighter. That's him, approx. 4 months old vs. over a year old.

That's really interesting! It's crazy to me that they have such a great memory. Truly amazing animals. I use a large cardboard box to feed crickets to Kepler and it honestly didn't even occur to me that, when I first put him in, his desperate reaction of clawing at me and seemingly apathetic attitude to the crickets may be related to how they are shipped to the pet store. That's actually quite intriguing to me! Thanks for the insight.

Taco is awesome! First of all, love the name. That's an amazing choice. The drastic change between colours is super cool - I like how he almost looks like a zero morph, but with more character. I did try to do research into predicting a beardie's colouring, but everything told me that it's all random and there isn't a surefire way to know what colour a beardie will become. So I abandoned my hope of vibrance and just went for the healthiest and spunkiest! I think it worked out well.

 

[xp29]

I am too! Thank you for all your help when I initially posted here. I have seen the exact same behavior in Kepler - if there isn't sunshine to warm him up, he's searching for some way to climb onto my shoulder.

He is gorgeous, isn't he! For $150 CAD, I'm super happy with the vibrant orange that I got. I just picked the most spunky beardie I saw and hoped for the best - definitely got the best!!!

Your very welcome
Personally I LOVE spicy beardies. (Well I love all beardies) but the spicy ones there's just something about!!
I agree that was he the best 150 you could've spent

 

[BeardieFromTheNorth]

Its quite cold over here too..sunny and no snow but only 30 degrees this morning and frost on all the cars! Too bad the window glass blocks all the uvb rays huh? We cant take them out in this cold weather sigh like our desert friends can.

We've had weird weather this year - we started to see spring with 20C (~68F) days, but then we had a huge snow storm and now we can't seem to get over 0C (~32F). I've been able to open the window for Kepler to get some UVB exposure - he loves being out of his tank now, to the point where I get a little worried about how much UV he gets. I ordered a cat tent thing that I'll throw out on the deck for Kepler to roam around in, once the weather gets warmer, I think he'll love that.

 

[xp29]

Its quite cold over here too..sunny and no snow but only 30 degrees this morning and frost on all the cars! Too bad the window glass blocks all the uvb rays huh? We cant take them out in this cold weather sigh like our desert friends can.

 

[BeardieFromTheNorth]

Your very welcome
Personally I LOVE spicy beardies. (Well I love all beardies) but the spicy ones there's just something about!!
I agree that was he the best 150 you could've spent

My sister jokingly suggested that I bring him back to the pet store just to show what they missed out on. I couldn't find a citrus/full orange dragon for less than $400 at the time - and I would have had to order a red dragon in from Mexico. Very very happy with what I got! Absolutely would have loved him either way, but having a vibrant orange crazed hooligan running around makes it even more fun!

 

[ChileanTaco]

Taco is awesome! First of all, love the name. That's an amazing choice.

I wanted something related to desert, Hispanic, Chile. (We live in Chile, but neither me nor my partner are from here.)
First I looked into traditional Chilean pet names, but there wasn't much (just human names used for dogs, like Pedro or Emma). And I didn't want a name that is the same as somebody at work (I like my workmates, and exactly for this reason for sure I don't want to have a pet named like my boss, officemate or so )
Thought then about names like Cactus. Then thought - "pancaking? pancake? no, that must be a Taco here!" Also, in Germany (that's where we are from), tortilla chips are called taco chips instead and the triangular shape is so much similar to the shape of a dragon's head, and the color also fits despite it didn't fit that dragon from the beginning on. So that name was born.

He, by the way, reacts mostly to the "Tac" part of his name.

I guess their great memory has something to do with them being from the desert where food likely is scarce, so it is important to remember locations.
I also think that their great memory helps them adapting to living with humans. Just how many they have to get used to which are absolutely not like in their natural environment - unlearning the fear of common household items and sounds, learning to take food from a human's hand (took my dragon long until he dared), unlearning the fear of being picked up and such.
For a mammal or bird very likely it is much easier, as they are raised by their parents or at least a single parent - so they know that it is possible that somebody shares food with them, that somebody picks them up without bad intentions, and that generally something bigger than them cares for them. For a bearded dragon: totally new.

The drastic change between colours is super cool - I like how he almost looks like a zero morph, but with more character.

When heated up very well, he gets quite orange and the pattern almost disappears. Otherwise, he has a pronounced pattern.
He has spots on his head that are normally there, but when basking for a long time, like in the above photo, they are gone. I find this funny as each "version" looks like the opposite is impossible - like, those spots they just could not disappear, or?

So I abandoned my hope of vibrance and just went for the healthiest and spunkiest! I think it worked out well.

 

[xp29]

That's really interesting! It's crazy to me that they have such a great memory. Truly amazing animals. I use a large cardboard box to feed crickets to Kepler and it honestly didn't even occur to me that, when I first put him in, his desperate reaction of clawing at me and seemingly apathetic attitude to the crickets may be related to how they are shipped to the pet store. That's actually quite intriguing to me! Thanks for the insight.

Taco is awesome! First of all, love the name. That's an amazing choice. The drastic change between colours is super cool - I like how he almost looks like a zero morph, but with more character. I did try to do research into predicting a beardie's colouring, but everything told me that it's all random and there isn't a surefire way to know what colour a beardie will become. So I abandoned my hope of vibrance and just went for the healthiest and spunkiest! I think it worked out well.

It used to be called color phasing, but I haven't seen that term used lately. But it is a real thing. A drab baby can be a quite beautiful adult. Or a colorful baby could become more of a plain adult. Their patterns can change drasticly as they get older also.
When talking morphs I describe it like this. A morph is a genetic mutation that can be reliably reproduced. Color is more like melting crayons together and swirling them, you kind of have an idea what you'll get, but it's completely random, unpredictable and impossible to duplicate exactly.

 

[xp29]

My sister jokingly suggested that I bring him back to the pet store just to show what they missed out on. I couldn't find a citrus/full orange dragon for less than $400 at the time - and I would have had to order a red dragon in from Mexico. Very very happy with what I got! Absolutely would have loved him either way, but having a vibrant orange crazed hooligan running around makes it even more fun!

For sure!!!!

 

[ChileanTaco]

@xp29
@BeardieFromTheNorth

I occasionally showed and show photos of Taco at the pet store I got him from, as I sometimes buy the insects there.
I remember they also asked me about his temperament, e.g. whether he is aggressive. As they have some beardies themselves as pets, I guess they had picked at least a spicy one

It used to be called color phasing, but I haven't seen that term used lately. But it is a real thing. A drab baby can be a quite beautiful adult. Or a colorful baby could become more of a plain adult. Their patterns can change drasticly as they get older also.
When talking morphs I describe it like this. A morph is a genetic mutation that can be reliably reproduced. Color is more like melting crayons together and swirling them, you kind of have an idea what you'll get, but it's completely random, unpredictable and impossible to duplicate exactly.

What I especially find fascinating with them is the change of coloration and pattern.
Well, with other animals including humans, how the kids looks like is always some mix of both but how, you can't predict (a lot of us might also know funny cases of siblings looking very different as of one got more the hair of mom and the eyes of dad and the other just the other way round, and you'd never think those are siblings unless you see the parents).
But then the change while growing up, it tops it off IMHO. For most animals I only know the distinct difference in juvenile vs. adult coloration (like in the common five-lined skink which loses his stunning bright juvenile coloration as an adult), or subtle changes like in humans (like often the hair color gets a bit darker while growing up).

When I got Taco, I was not knowing about this and thought, okay, then I have a brown-grey beardie (and stays like that).

 

[xp29]

@xp29
@BeardieFromTheNorth

I occasionally showed and show photos of Taco at the pet store I got him from, as I sometimes buy the insects there.
I remember they also asked me about his temperament, e.g. whether he is aggressive. As they have some beardies themselves as pets, I guess they had picked at least a spicy one



What I especially find fascinating with them is the change of coloration and pattern.
Well, with other animals including humans, how the kids looks like is always some mix of both but how, you can't predict (a lot of us might also know funny cases of siblings looking very different as of one got more the hair of mom and the eyes of dad and the other just the other way round, and you'd never think those are siblings unless you see the parents).
But then the change while growing up, it tops it off IMHO. For most animals I only know the distinct difference in juvenile vs. adult coloration (like in the common five-lined skink which loses his stunning bright juvenile coloration as an adult), or subtle changes like in humans (like often the hair color gets a bit darker while growing up).

When I got Taco, I was not knowing about this and thought, okay, then I have a brown-grey beardie (and stays like that).

My first beardie was a leatherback back and was in shed the day we got her. Under the poor light in the pet store she looked kindda green. Christina pointed and said that one looks different than the others pick it. Of course she shed within a day or two and was brown.
As an adult she was a very pretty sandy color with the brightest orange beard. Now Christina is hooked on beardies with orange beards lol. (It don't matter what color the rest of the body is, she wants an orange beard )

 

[Sue E.]

We've had weird weather this year - we started to see spring with 20C (~68F) days, but then we had a huge snow storm and now we can't seem to get over 0C (~32F). I've been able to open the window for Kepler to get some UVB exposure - he loves being out of his tank now, to the point where I get a little worried about how much UV he gets. I ordered a cat tent thing that I'll throw out on the deck for Kepler to roam around in, once the weather gets warmer, I think he'll love that.

Nice!

 

[Bearded dragon lover]

You guys are lucky, my bearded dragon is boring. I think he likes to cuddle with me during bed time as he snuggles right in with a bright beard, but he absolutely refuses to come to me. He has never ever not once came to me. I always have to pick him up. Makes me think he hates me

 

[Sue E.]

He will get there. Some are shyer than others.

 

[xp29]

You guys are lucky, my bearded dragon is boring. I think he likes to cuddle with me during bed time as he snuggles right in with a bright beard, but he absolutely refuses to come to me. He has never ever not once came to me. I always have to pick him up. Makes me think he hates me

Most beardies are like that, don't raje it personally. Some are extremely outgoing but most more like a cat. "You wanna pet me, you come over here and pet me"