She's super pale..

[nikkicowface]

Ive had my beardie Charizard for almost a year now, shes always been super healthy, never had any problems..recently, we took her rock from her to give to my smaller beardie, who got too big for her ramp. we replaced her rock with a big turtle shell we got from petsmart, thinking it would be a good idea so she could dig under it and sleep at night. well she does dig under it, but during the day. and she stays under there all day long. earlier i lifted the shell up to see how she was doing and noticed she wasnt nearly as bright and vibrant as she normally is.. shes usually extremely orange and pretty, when i looked at her she was really pale and kind of just a normal tan color. is this normal? is it because she didnt get her normal light and heat? and will she know to come out when she needs heat? do i take the shell back and get another rock, or do i just cover it with sand so she cant get in there? sorry for all the questions, im just afraid for her health, shes my baby. please reply, i appreciate it.

 

[LeapinBeardie]

What is the size of the shell's open space compared to your beardie? It should always be easy to crawl in and out, so they cant ever get stuck even if they are not paying attention. Just put her back into the light, and the color should return.

If the color doesn't come back within maybe 30 minutes, you should check the lighting.

 

[nikkicowface]

shes been on sand for a few months now, and its not actual sand, its the shredded walnut shells, that they can easily digest. my smaller beardie is also on it, neither of them have ever had any problems digesting. they used to be on tile. and the shell is about three times bigger than her (my cat can easily fit into it). i took her out and covered the opening and all she did was pout in the corner for a few hours. she did eat though, which is a good sign. oh and its a regular rock, i know heated rocks can burn them, ive done my research.

 

[LeapinBeardie]

Personally I would never use substrate. I use reptile carpet or newspaper.

Do you think she may be brumating? By pouting, fo you mean like head stuffed into corner sleeping?
Brumation is like lizard hibernation, but at almost any time of the year. They could be active and perky for a bit, then go back to sleep for a day or more. Don't worry, but provide heat, food and water.

 

[nikkicowface]

that actually makes a lot of sense, ever sense we got it all she wants to do is sleep inside it. the lights are set to turn on at 7am and off at 10pm, she always has crickets and worms and her veggies, and we also give her these beardie pellets but she never eats them. she also gets dried crickets and grass hoppers when we dont have live crickets. she loooooves the sand, shes a digger. shell sit in the corner and dig for 20 minutes sometimes. she always has a big bowl of water that we clean out every day cause she gets sand in it. we also give her a bath at least once a week. shes very well taken care of, that just scared me a little cause she hasnt brumated yet.

 

[Claudiusx]

Sorry to inform you of this,

But crushed walnut shell is about 100 times worse than sand.

Bearded dragons can not digest it very well, if at all, and it is extremely jagged and sharp! At least sand is smooth but neither one should be used as a substrate.
I seriously would consider straight up dumping the walnut shells out right now and putting down some paper towel or newspaper.

What uvb bulb do you have?

-Brandon

 

[BeTheChange]

Walnut shells are not a good substrate for beardies whatsoever.. There are plenty of great choices of substrate out there that work very well. The problem with loose substrates is that no matter how well you think that you clean, it is inevitable that bacteria will start growing. The only way to prevent that from happening with loose substrate is to change the substrate daily. Which is a pain and extremely expensive.

Not to mention the possibility of impaction. If your beadier digests this substrate, it is likely that it will get stuck in her digestive system and can even cut her insides..

It does seem like crushed walnut shells are very fine and kinda soft whenever you touch them. But if you have ever actually pushed down on it, you can quickly feel that they are actually pretty sharp! Just imagine that inside of you!

If you do choose to house her on the substrate that she is is, just make sure that her temps are right and that you are feeding her OFF of her substrate. This will help to lessen the likelihood of something bad happening.

As far as her color goes.. Sometimes their pigmentation can change as they get older. Usually to become more vibrant, but you never know. Is she about to shed? Mushu always looses some of his coloring before he is about to shed and gets it back after he is done.

 

[nikkicowface]

..ill think about changing the sand. would that calcium sand be ok for them or no? shes been on the walnut shells for a few months now and shes never had a problem digesting, she poops daily...nice big ones..she gets a little grey when shes about to shed but this is different, shes not a different color, just lighter. and shes gotten a lot better within the past day or two. she comes out and basks when she wants, normally in the morning, and she eats like crazy, like normal. the only thing i hardly ever see her do is drink other than in her bath. she has a nice big bowl of clean water every day but ive never seen her drink from it. she knows its there cause she runs through it to get to crickets. is that normal? thanks for your input everyone. oh and i dont remember what the name of the bulb is..we get all our lights from our friend thats been raising dragons for like 10 years and works at a pet shop near us. he also raises all his dragons (even the hatchlings) on sand and has never once had one die from impaction. he also raises leopard geckos and chameleons. so maybe its just bad luck? but so far Charizard is a very healthy lizard.

 

[BeTheChange]

NO calcium sand! Calcium sand has a tendency to clump, similar to kitty litter.. You definitely do not want any clumping happening in your beardie's tummy! Lol.

If you are really set on loose substrate the best option is to just buy plain ol' play sand.. It is a lot cheaper but you must sift out the larger pieces. Hatchlings + Sand= A VERY bad idea! Even people that house their adults on sand, usually warn people not to house babies on it. The risk for impaction is much too high. Plus they are messy and it is hard to keep the tank clean.

Most beardies will not drink out of still water. I don't even have a water bowl in Mushu's tank. He stays well hydrated from his baths as well as his veggies (which he LOVES!). I spray his veggies with water about three times a day to keep them fresh and to keep him hydrated.

I will have to try to do some more research on her color change though :?

 

[nikkicowface]

well thanks a lot for all the help youve already given ill look into the sand thing more. we used to have a little waterfall in her tank that she loved when she was on tile but we had to take it out cause it was super messy with sand. weve been trying to find a little platform to put her bowl on so itll be out of the sand, and possibly get another waterfall. shes strange with veggies. shell only eat them if she doesnt have crickets or worms..but shell eat carrots and blueberries no matter what.

 

[BeTheChange]

If that is the case you can always have the majority of her tank on tile, with a small section that has sand in it. You will just need to get smaller tiles to build up a small ledge that will separate the two and will make it easier to clean. If you want any sand in the tank, this is the way to go. It will lessen the likelihood of impaction and all of the problems that come with sand, but will still enable her to dig if she wished. You can also put the waterfall back in the tank.. Just be sure that you're watching the humidity levels and to keep it on the cool side of the tank on the tiles.

 

[nikkicowface]

thats actually a great idea..i never thought of that and its so simple. thank you ill definitely try that out.