Seems to be stress?

Status
Not open for further replies.

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Hello! So I got my lil guy, Zayde last November/December from a local pet store. He was super sweet and loved to be held from the beginning, however after a few months he started to hide in between the wall of his tank and his hide (which is a guinea pig hut out of fleece). Every time I would go to the room he is in he would be there. And seemingly only came out to go to the bathroom. I've been told by a few people that its okay and some dragons just do this but I'm wondering if theres anything I can do to help him out? He also almost always has stress marks and seems dark and trys to look small. When I feed him he always perks up but then goes right back to hiding, He seems to do pretty well with hand feeding too, but he gets really scared when I take him upstairs or even take him out of his tank. I will say, he has gotten a bit better with his hiding, he has been out basking and has knocked the suction cups of 2 of his hammocks off the wall a few times. Which is also leading me to think I need to build him a larger viv like my other beardie. Is his tank just too small? am I doing something wrong? his setup is a Exo terra 36x18x18 with a 125watt basking bulb and t5 24" tube light. He has healthy poops about 3 times a week, sometimes 2. I've considered putting sand in his tank as a sort of enrichment in his tank and maybe make him feel a bit more secure. I've noticed him be in the cool side of his tank, standing in the corner facing out. Is that considered glass surfing? He may have been slightly bobbing his head but not a lot. He has a 3side background on his tank so I dont really see why he would be so stressed.
Just looking for some help if possible!

I should probably note that he has a great appetite and acts completely normal other than just seeming stressed and not alert and basking a lot. He'll bask and be out but he's always dark and sucks himself in (if you know what I mean) and lowers his head and clings to whatever he's on. It just kind of makes me wonder if theres something more I could do.

Thanks <3
 

Mimi2001

Member
Hello! So I got my lil guy, Zayde last November/December from a local pet store. He was super sweet and loved to be held from the beginning, however after a few months he started to hide in between the wall of his tank and his hide (which is a guinea pig hut out of fleece). Every time I would go to the room he is in he would be there. And seemingly only came out to go to the bathroom. I've been told by a few people that its okay and some dragons just do this but I'm wondering if theres anything I can do to help him out? He also almost always has stress marks and seems dark and trys to look small. When I feed him he always perks up but then goes right back to hiding, He seems to do pretty well with hand feeding too, but he gets really scared when I take him upstairs or even take him out of his tank. I will say, he has gotten a bit better with his hiding, he has been out basking and has knocked the suction cups of 2 of his hammocks off the wall a few times. Which is also leading me to think I need to build him a larger viv like my other beardie. Is his tank just too small? am I doing something wrong? his setup is a Exo terra 36x18x18 with a 125watt basking bulb and t5 24" tube light. He has healthy poops about 3 times a week, sometimes 2. I've considered putting sand in his tank as a sort of enrichment in his tank and maybe make him feel a bit more secure. I've noticed him be in the cool side of his tank, standing in the corner facing out. Is that considered glass surfing? He may have been slightly bobbing his head but not a lot. He has a 3side background on his tank so I dont really see why he would be so stressed.
Just looking for some help if possible!

I should probably note that he has a great appetite and acts completely normal other than just seeming stressed and not alert and basking a lot. He'll bask and be out but he's always dark and sucks himself in (if you know what I mean) and lowers his head and clings to whatever he's on. It just kind of makes me wonder if theres something more I could do.

Thanks <3
Everything you are doing is spot on I would say! The enclosure sounds great! How old is he though?? I’m not sure if I caught that, because that will be a huge indicator of how big his enclosure should be! Also, it is completely normal for bearded dragons to get stressed in new homes and be afraid. The little guy is just getting used to his new place :) my guy did that too and I found out it’s because they finally get enough energy to freak out (if that makes sense) being put in a new home is frustrating and once they get the energy, they will be scared. I would hand feed my beardie some greens and put my hand in front of him and sometimes grab him and hold him for a minute or two because if you leave them to be scared, they will continue to do so. Slowly edge your way into getting to know him, it’s easiest when they are sleepy :)
 

Mimi2001

Member
Also the my hammock falls all the time, it’s simply just because the suctions cups suck At sucking😆 they don’t stick, but if you spray some water on it, it’ll help! Also I highly recommend not to use sand, although you may hear “oh but they live in sand in the wild!” Yes but they also have shorter life spans and sand can cause impaction which is very frightening,I would recommend finding other stuff!
 

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Hello, and thanks for the reply!
I'm going to guess he is around 13 months old but I'm not entirely sure.
And I've had him for almost a year now, is it odd that he is still acting like this?

Thanks!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Hello, and thanks for the reply!
I'm going to guess he is around 13 months old but I'm not entirely sure.
And I've had him for almost a year now, is it odd that he is still acting like this?

Thanks!
Where is the T 5 and if the bulb is a yr old it needs to be replaced- the uvb needs to be properly placed and distance as well
 

Mimi2001

Member
Hello, and thanks for the reply!
I'm going to guess he is around 13 months old but I'm not entirely sure.
And I've had him for almost a year now, is it odd that he is still acting like this?

Thanks!

Hi :) it is a bit odd that he is still acting scared after a year. Did you get him anything new recently within his enclosure or his overall enclosure?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Your tank setup sounds very good. Has he ever brumated before? If you have pictures of him along with your
tank setup that is always helpful. They can go through behavioral changes but shouldn't be drastic.
Have you gotten any new pets or anything in the house that could be stressing him?

Tracie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,690
Members
75,966
Latest member
georgiarichmond
Top Bottom