Scratching on Glass/Glass walking... Normal?

[kaitquestions]

My Beardie is 1 year old. He is having normal pooping, eating, etc. But he around midday runs around the tank, all alart and seeming cool. I just get worried when he stands up against the glass/scratches at it... claws at it like he wants to get out...hits his head on the glass and in corners. The basking is 110, cold side 75... Is this normal behavior, or is he angry/hurt/hungry... needing anything!! Many people talk around this subject, I just want to make sure he's not in dire need.

Thanks!

 

[Embee]

Hi! :wave:

Typically, glass dancing/wanting out can be attributed to either or a combination of the following:

Poor or old UVB: which UVB light are you using (type AND brand), and how old is the bulb? Also, what type (bright white?) and wattage of basking light?

Too high of temps: with what and how are you going about gauging temps?

Being that it isn't happening all day long... it may just be that he wants to come out at a certain time of day for some human contact/run around time. :dontknow:

Thanks!

Em

 

[kaitquestions]

I have a Reptisun 10.0 UVB Bulb. It is brand new. The basking spot can get pretty hot. I am using a metal dome lamp with a 100 watt bulb. Should I decrease down to a 75 watt? I have a probe thermometer which is working well, but I am having trouble regulating the dome lamp- it always seems to get too hot. I work all day, so I do worry that he just gets way too hot. However, he has plenty of room to move away, (I have another dial thermometer in the cold side- gets at max up to 80 over there) he just chooses not to.

I also get worried to move the light away again, because I was afraid I was cooking him alive a while ago, freaked out, moved the lamp away, ended up constipating him... figured out the problem... I dont want it to be too cold.

I was worried it might be anxiety. He started doing it when I had company, and after I tried to pick him up. He seems to usually get more active, then poop... and so I'm not sure. I was wondering if it was normal. Today I was able to pick him up and have him be relaxed and chillin. He might be over excited and wanting to run around the house- which has many hiding places for little dragons.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Embee]

I have a Reptisun 10.0 UVB Bulb. It is brand new. The basking spot can get pretty hot. I am using a metal dome lamp with a 100 watt bulb. Should I decrease down to a 75 watt? I have a probe thermometer which is working well, but I am having trouble regulating the dome lamp- it always seems to get too hot. I work all day, so I do worry that he just gets way too hot. However, he has plenty of room to move away, (I have another dial thermometer in the cold side- gets at max up to 80 over there) he just chooses not to.

As to whether you should down the wattage, that depends on the temps. What is the probe thermometer giving you temp-wise then? As to the dome, is it pet specific clamp lamp type (ceramic fixture) or a hardware store type (many have plastic fixtures and they do indeed, get too hot). However, our clamp lamp gets pretty hot to the touch which to some extent is normal. All depends on the temps then. Is your dragon actually avoiding the basking spot?? Also, what is the size of your tank?

I also get worried to move the light away again, because I was afraid I was cooking him alive a while ago, freaked out, moved the lamp away, ended up constipating him... figured out the problem... I dont want it to be too cold.

Again, all about temps, which for a baby/juvie should be running 105-110. If the lamp is giving you this range on the basking surface, then all is good. Too high or too low of course, creates problems (dehydration/constipation, respectively). If you are using a dome with a plastic fixture, I would recommend switching to one with a ceramic fixture as they are designed to handle the heat better.

I was worried it might be anxiety. He started doing it when I had company, and after I tried to pick him up. He seems to usually get more active, then poop... and so I'm not sure. I was wondering if it was normal. Today I was able to pick him up and have him be relaxed and chillin. He might be over excited and wanting to run around the house- which has many hiding places for little dragons.

Could be... sometimes little dragons are VERY curious!! :wink:

Thanks!
Em

Em

 

[kaitquestions]

I have a hardware basking lamp- It can get as hot as 120, but today it stayed at 105-110. Thinking he might be dehydrated, I diluted a little pedisol into his water.

He hasn't pooped in a day... Should they be pooping every single day? He does not avoid the basking lamp, and he has plenty of room to run around. His tank is 40 Gal, and I will need to make it larger eventually (hopefully by the end of the summer). He has room to put his whole body under the lamp, and take his whole body out.

Now I'm just worried because he hasn't pooped in a day, well yesterday or today. He's eating fine, and doesnt seem distressed. I will try to put him in a warm bath tomorrow, but the last time I put him in one, he wasn't too happy... He's chillin out day by day so hopefully he'll release his poops in a bath. He's only really eating greens, pellets, some fruit and some proteins. So... we'll see what happens.

Any bathing suggestions?

 

[Embee]

I have a hardware basking lamp- It can get as hot as 120, but today it stayed at 105-110. Thinking he might be dehydrated, I diluted a little pedisol into his water.

Oh yes, I see your problem. Not a ceramic fixture then? I would suggest a ceramic when you can manage it. It will likely be a great help. Also for us, with summer in full swing, I find I have to keep an eye on the household temps and adjust the viv accordingly. Hot days when the house gets above 72, 73 degrees can really heat up the enclosure. We have our lamp (a MVB) on an adjustable stand which helps. Do you think it's just the fixture or is the enclosure reacting to household temps as well? I agree that the temps could be causing dehydration, and you'll want to remedy that (see below as to baths).

He hasn't pooped in a day... Should they be pooping every single day? He does not avoid the basking lamp, and he has plenty of room to run around. His tank is 40 Gal, and I will need to make it larger eventually (hopefully by the end of the summer). He has room to put his whole body under the lamp, and take his whole body out.

It's not out of the ordinary for them to skip a day now and again. However, dehydration can cause pooping difficulties.

Now I'm just worried because he hasn't pooped in a day, well yesterday or today. He's eating fine, and doesnt seem distressed. I will try to put him in a warm bath tomorrow, but the last time I put him in one, he wasn't too happy... He's chillin out day by day so hopefully he'll release his poops in a bath. He's only really eating greens, pellets, some fruit and some proteins. So... we'll see what happens...Any bathing suggestions?

About how much is he eating daily, and what kind of feeders are you offering presently? What is your dragon's size, nose to tip of tail?

As to baths, indeed 2-4 per week, more if you are concerned about temps/dehydration. Baby warm water, up to shoulders for a good 15-20 minutes. A couple of things that can help are (1) hold onto him while he's bathing... sometimes a helping hand can give beardie a little extra security in the bath. (2) Have him out and about for a bit BEFORE placing into the bath. I find that if I place beardie into the bath directly from the viv, she just won't have any of it. If she has some run around time, and time to get cooled down, then the bath can actually feel good, soothing. She might fight it a bit, but usually she'll calm if I stay close, hold her hand. Sometimes a bit of gentle "tough love" is in order as the regular bathing is so crucial to them staying well hydrated (as they take in the bulk of their water at the vent).

Hope those suggestions are helpful.

The best,
Em

 

[kaitquestions]

I will try a ceramic if I can get a hold of one. The woman I adopted him from said she used a hardware lamp with 100 watt bulb, so I'm going to stick by her word for a little while longer.

I don't have him on many feeders- live prey. He just doesnt seem to catch them, then they hide in the substrate, and I don't want him to get bitten by the live stuff. I had been feeding him freezedried mealworms and crickets that were in a pellet mix he loves, but I read and was told meal worms have hard shells which are hard to pass, and crickets can be hollow and useless. What do you suggest is a good way to feed live prey? I don't want them to keep escaping, but I want Borris to get all the vitamins he needs. He loves greens, so I try to keep him on the healthiest and the most calcium/fiber rich ones. I am feeding him currently collard greens and turnips greens.

I will try tomorrow for a bath. Your suggestions are good ones. Hopefully by tomorrow he will have pooped.

Thank you for all of your guidence. It feels good to have someone to conferr about Borris' health and behavior.

 

[kaitquestions]

and i've been trying to moniter dehydration also, by doing turgor tests on his sides - I read on beautiful dragons.com that if the skin on their sides returns to original shape after being pinched, that they are not dehydrated. He doesn't stick when I pinch, so I'm hoping he just doesn't have much protein to push out.

Are there any high protein foods other than crickets you can suggest? How do I feed crickets? They always get away!

 

[Embee]

I will try a ceramic if I can get a hold of one. The woman I adopted him from said she used a hardware lamp with 100 watt bulb, so I'm going to stick by her word for a little while longer.

I don't have him on many feeders- live prey. He just doesnt seem to catch them, then they hide in the substrate, and I don't want him to get bitten by the live stuff. I had been feeding him freezedried mealworms and crickets that were in a pellet mix he loves, but I read and was told meal worms have hard shells which are hard to pass, and crickets can be hollow and useless. What do you suggest is a good way to feed live prey? I don't want them to keep escaping, but I want Borris to get all the vitamins he needs. He loves greens, so I try to keep him on the healthiest and the most calcium/fiber rich ones. I am feeding him currently collard greens and turnips greens.

I will try tomorrow for a bath. Your suggestions are good ones. Hopefully by tomorrow he will have pooped.

Thank you for all of your guidence. It feels good to have someone to conferr about Borris' health and behavior.

You are most welcome.

So, Borris isn't eating much live prey? This could be why he's lost a day in the pooping. Live food is the best source of nutrition and protein. Live crickets are actually an excellent source of protein for dragons if well gut-loaded. I do imagine the freeze-dried types would be lacking, yes. I gut load with moistened beardie pellets as the crickets seem to like it better than the actual cricket food mixture. also add whatever veggies and fruit I have around (mustard greens, collards, apple, sweet potato, peas, etc.). Many here on the site feed dubia roaches rather than crickets and swear by them. I haven't tried them yet myself, but if you post in the "Feeders" forum, you likely get some excellent information on how to go about feeding them.

As to other sources of protein, you can add in some more nutritious (and safe) worms such as phoenix and silks which are both excellent sources of protein, and very nutritious. The phoenix worms are full of natural calcium, very good for dragons. Either can be used as staples. Here is a link to the Beautiful Dragons food resource list (in case you don't already have it): http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html. Other good, but occasional worms would be horns, butters and supers (supers only if beardie is 16 inches or larger)... you didn't happen to mention the size of your beardie?

You say that he's having trouble catching crickets, that they get lost in the substrate? What are you using for substrate btw? One thing many of us do is feed crickets in a separate enclosure, a smaller tank or rubbermaid container perhaps. Make sure there is something on the bottom so he can grip. The smaller space, with no cage decorations can help a lot and once the meal is over, just plop beardie back in his enclosure to bask. This way you know exactly how many he's eaten, and catching uneaten crickets is a snap. Additionally, it helps to keep the beardie enclosure free of cricket poop which is a BIG plus, less chance for harboring bacteria/parasites.

and i've been trying to moniter dehydration also, by doing turgor tests on his sides - I read on beautiful dragons.com that if the skin on their sides returns to original shape after being pinched, that they are not dehydrated. He doesn't stick when I pinch, so I'm hoping he just doesn't have much protein to push out.

I haven't read of these tests myself. I'll have to try it. I just make sure that beardie gets regular baths of course, and if eating live feeders and veggies, beardie will be getting water that way as well.

I'm still not sure what to say about the fluctuating temps. Could be the fixture or perhaps something else, like fluctuating room temps... hard to say for sure. :dontknow: I do know the ceramic fixtures (most pet stores carry the standard 'clamp lamp' types) are designed to handle high heat, and as the lamps are on all day, this could possibly contribute to the temps being challenging to maintain.

The best,
Em

 

[kaitquestions]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

I am going to start feeding him crickets in a seperate enclosure. I have another fish tank ,unused in ages, that I can clean out and give to him, just for crickets.

Borris is abuot 14 inches long, 1 year old. He's been pooping rather regularly, about every other day. I have been feeding him a lot of greens, (collard, turnip, yellow squash, pellets) and so it takes him aday off, then a day to poop. I'm going to start feeding him crickets much more, I know I should. I would like to find those other kinds of worms too... they're eaiser to handle

I think his enclosure is a little too small, though he seems happy as a clam getting as close to the basking lamp as he can. I was able to give him a bath (nearly 10 min... he was grumps) on Wednesday afternoon. I get home from work around 6, so he's getting sleepy then, more relaxed. I took your advice and held him for a while before I put him in, but he still was jumpy and dying to get out... even with the warm water! I'll be trying again soon, But i was happy to just get him in there and hydrated.

Thanks for all your help! I'll post picutres of his cuteness soon

 

[Embee]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Ah, you're welcome.

I am going to start feeding him crickets in a seperate enclosure. I have another fish tank ,unused in ages, that I can clean out and give to him, just for crickets.

Great. If he's a little tentative at first, just keep on with it. Any time you change the routine (feeding or otherwise), it can take beardie some time to get accustomed to it. I think you'll be happy to feed in a separate enclosure... so much easier, and keeps beardie's home that much cleaner!

Borris is abuot 14 inches long, 1 year old. He's been pooping rather regularly, about every other day. I have been feeding him a lot of greens, (collard, turnip, yellow squash, pellets) and so it takes him aday off, then a day to poop. I'm going to start feeding him crickets much more, I know I should. I would like to find those other kinds of worms too... they're eaiser to handle

I think his enclosure is a little too small, though he seems happy as a clam getting as close to the basking lamp as he can. I was able to give him a bath (nearly 10 min... he was grumps) on Wednesday afternoon. I get home from work around 6, so he's getting sleepy then, more relaxed. I took your advice and held him for a while before I put him in, but he still was jumpy and dying to get out... even with the warm water! I'll be trying again soon, But i was happy to just get him in there and hydrated.

A 40 gallon is the minimum size for a full sized beardie, but is usually plenty suitable. Your beardie is running a bit small for his age however. I would highly recommend you get some more live feeders into his diet, yes: dust with calcium 5 meals per week, vites 1 - 2 times per week. Phoenix worms are wonderful for growing beardies/beardie's on the smaller side, and may provide a good boost for him, size wise: http://www.phoenixworms.com.

Keep trying with the baths. Our girl will beard me off and on throughout hers, but she'll also swim a little so I know she doesn't totally hate it. The bottom line is, they are so important to hydration so hang in there.

I'll post picutres of his cuteness soon

Ah, I look forward to it... thanks for keeping me posted.

 

[peera]

Em, as always, has wonderful advice, but I thought I'd mention that Dora freaks out if she has to poop in her enclosure. She'll glass dance for hours rather than poop in her tank. Taking her out and giving her a bath almost always works to calm her down and get her to poop.

 

[BeardedDad]

I too bath everyday...saves mess/poo in her enclosure and makes sure shes well hydrated. I too feed out of the enclosure, i get a seperate container, dust the crickets and let her in....saves a lot of mess in ure enclosure over all.

 

[kaitquestions]

Yesterday I went NUTS shopping and getting the proper supplies for Borris. I bought a tuppaware wide and tall enclosure for him to Run around in. Worked AWESOME for feeding crickets- neither Borris nor the crickets could hop out. I bought a container of Herpavite and calcium, both RepCal. Yesterday I fed him 20 crickets, dusted with the vitamin and calcium, and he scurried around catching them all. He seemed really happy, and was really active the rest of the night.

What has helped me the most (besides all the AWESOME and SWEET advice I've been recieving here) was going to a reptile specility store near my home (MASS- Bird & Reptile Connection the 2245 Providence Hwy Walpole MA 02081) where they had beardies in EVERY stage of development... they had SO MANY! I got to see behaviors in those beardies that mine was doing, was able to compare my beardie size and appearance to all the other ones. They have babies, prego-mom's, adolescents... everything!! I spoke to many reptile enthusiasts, and it was just really nice to see. If anyone is from or goes to this area, check that place out!

So thanks AGAIN so much. my brother told me to check out a forum for help, and he was SO RIGHT!! (dont tell him I said that though... I'll never live it down haha) I am going to be feeding crickets 5 meals a week, get him on a proper vitamin diet 1-2 meals a week, and continue the greens and pellets, without the mealworms. I'm going to check out the pheonix worms too- see whats goodie with them.

Thanks again everyone! hope this can help someone else out too!

 

[Embee]

Yesterday I went NUTS shopping and getting the proper supplies for Borris. I bought a tuppaware wide and tall enclosure for him to Run around in. Worked AWESOME for feeding crickets- neither Borris nor the crickets could hop out. I bought a container of Herpavite and calcium, both RepCal. Yesterday I fed him 20 crickets, dusted with the vitamin and calcium, and he scurried around catching them all. He seemed really happy, and was really active the rest of the night.

Wow, you've been busy and it's good to see Borris is taking to being fed in a separate enclosure... wonderful! Just wanted to caution, you will want to keep the calcium and vites SEPARATE. Dust 5 meals per week with calcium and 1 - 2 meals per week with vites. It is possible to overdose dragons on certain vites, and 1 - 2 meals per week is plenty. Also, the calcium and vites are more effective if kept separate as certainly vitamins can actually hinder calcium absorption.

What has helped me the most (besides all the AWESOME and SWEET advice I've been recieving here) was going to a reptile specility store near my home (MASS- Bird & Reptile Connection the 2245 Providence Hwy Walpole MA 02081) where they had beardies in EVERY stage of development... they had SO MANY! I got to see behaviors in those beardies that mine was doing, was able to compare my beardie size and appearance to all the other ones. They have babies, prego-mom's, adolescents... everything!! I spoke to many reptile enthusiasts, and it was just really nice to see. If anyone is from or goes to this area, check that place out!

It sounds like a very special place. I'm glad you were able to get lots of support there.

So thanks AGAIN so much. my brother told me to check out a forum for help, and he was SO RIGHT!! (dont tell him I said that though... I'll never live it down haha) I am going to be feeding crickets 5 meals a week, get him on a proper vitamin diet 1-2 meals a week, and continue the greens and pellets, without the mealworms. I'm going to check out the pheonix worms too- see whats goodie with them.

Thanks again everyone! hope this can help someone else out too!

LOL, brothers, got a keep 'em on their toes! :mrgreen: Also, please keep in mind that at one year old, your dragon is still technically considered a juvenile (heading toward sub-adult 1 - 1 1/2 years). Size and weight are often a more determining factor when deciding when it is a good idea to back off on live feeders. As your beardie is small for age, you will want to continue to offer live feeders DAILY until size and weight are up at full sized beardie standard, at which time, you can begin to back off on live feeders, slowly in favor of the vegetarian side of things.

The best and good luck with your dear beardie!

Em