Still has stress marks!

[Gary251]

How old is your dragon? 3 months
How long have you had your dragon? 1 month
How long is your dragon? 11.5" when I checked the other day
What is the sex of your dragon? Male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 4ft x 18" x 18"
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? Calci-sand
Do you use UVB lights? Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Fluorescent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Did have Reptiglow 10.0 but just put in a Reptisun 10.0 today
How old is your UVB bulb? not a day old. Had the Reptiglow 10.0 for a month
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? about 9"
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Think its EuroRep 100w Neodynium
What are the basking temps? 105F
What is the cool side temp? 74F
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? Digital with 2 probes
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? the cool end and where he would sit basking
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? No
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Crickets and the occasional mealworms
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? Twice a day bout 1pm and 8pm
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes, I stick different leafy veg and the occasional fruit in their tub
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? Use Dragon Dust by T-rex on every feed.
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Yeah everyday
Do you bath your dragon? How often? Maybe once a week
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? Water available at all time but mist the cage 1 or 2 times a day
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? Nope
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? Nope


As you can see I have had my BD a month now and seems to be doing well but he has had his stress marks since ive had him, don't think he had them in the reptile shop but dont quote me on that. The only time they seem to go away is if he out of the cage on my bed in different lighting (usually my lamp and light on my roof are on) or when he's coldish on his belly he turns a lighter colour and the marks go away. I have just added an energy saver bulb to the cool end of my viv for more light (isn't producing any significant heat so the temp is ok down that end) because I read somewhere that BD prefer a nice and bright enclosure and are more alert and happier, correct me if this is wrong. Oh one more thing, since ive only had my beardie a month im still messing around moving his furniture about etc trying to get the setup looking nice think this is doing his nut in me moving stuff around every few days?


Thanks alot!

Gary

 

[Drache613]

Hello Gary,

Your setup is not too bad. Be careful with the calcisand if it is ingested in too large of amounts, or even smaller amounts, it can cause impaction as it hardens upon getting wet. The better choice would be washed & sifted playsand.
Your temps should be fine. You could increase the temps just a little bit say, bump up the cooler end to around 78-82. I realize a 4 foot tank is a little harder to keep proper temps, but it can be done. Good you have added an energy saver bulb to help with brightness on the tank, overall. Yes, they do need bright white light.
Also, all of the changes back & forth with the lighting, & tank decor could also be stressing him out too. Try to get everything all situated & leave it that way for awhile so he can get adjusted to his surroundings. They like everything to be the same, & consistent. Plus, he has probably had some relocation stress as well, since you have not had him very long.
The Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb needs to be 6-8 inches from him, with the basking light directly beside his UVB light too, so he can bask & get his UVB at the same time.
The T-rex vitamins should only be used once per day, on one feeding.

Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[Gary251]

Hey, Ok, I've got the basking temp up a wee bit to 107-108 and the cool side is now at 81. I have not changed the enclosure since my last post and he still has the stress marks. They usually go away slightly or fade when he is out of the tank and in my hand or something. His UVB is within 8 inches of him and is right next to his UVB. I also changed the dusting like you said to just one feed a day. I dont know if you know much about the Dragon dust from T-rex but should I always be giving him some other vitamins? or is the dragondust an all in one thing? He has also being trying to shed for the last few weeks (very slowly though) i've recently noticed that his tail and head are turning a really light colour so im hoping that will peel off soon so the marks will hopefully be gone! so im trying to up the baths to one a day!


Thanks in advance

Gary.

 

[dolcedragon]

Once he has shed, I'm sure he'll be beautiful. And the Dragon Dust is more like a multi-vitamin. Because he is young, it should be given 1-2 times week. Calcium is very important to a beardie. I recommend buying some calcium w/D3. (D3 helps them process the calcium. Avoid calcium w/ phosphorus; it unbalances the ratio). Add that 4-5 times a week. Once he's full-grown you can reduce the amounts.

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
I wouldnt be too worried about the stress marks if he is shedding.
Most dragons HATE shedding and are thoroughly grumpy throughout the entire process.

 

[Gary251]

Ok thanks for the advice guys. One thing thought. See the dragondust that is just a vitamin supplement? so i also need to buy a calcium supplement aswell? cuz ive just been dusting his crickets with this dragondust (like the guy at the shop said...ha) but if thats just vitamins and has no calcium then il need to buy some calcium for him asap!

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
I think you have the same vits as I do.
'Dragon Dust' with a picture of a dragon and a yellow banner at the bottom?
If it is then you dont need to worry, it has the calc in their already.
You can check on the ingredients.

 

[Gary251]

Yeah that is the one i have! well atleast i know someone else has it! ok well aslong as im not missing anything. how many times a day do u use the dust?

 

[Ethelia]

My dragon is infamous for her hunger strikes so I dust her food every day (because I know some days she just wont eat). So thats not much to go on, but id say dusting their food every other day is plenty with the vits we have.