Stress Marks Info?

[Wolfeden]

I just learned/read about stress marks last night so I checked my recently adopted BD and sure enough he has them, on his underside, from neck to tail tip.

Can you please educate me on the specifics regarding what type of things cause these (more than just stress in general) how serious they are, and how long I should wait until I start to worry about the health of our new pet.
I'm actually already worried but that's just my nature on things in general. :roll:

Any links on good articles would also be helpful.

I'm using the same enclosure (55G) and lighting (MVB & red heat lamp) that this BD has been living in for 2 years. I will be changing this to a 40G breeder with ReptiSun T5 and halogen bulb for heat soon.

I'm aiming for all the proper temps but they are fluctuating a bit while I tune things and I'm also changing his diet since meal worms were previously used as the staple food. He also got his first bath, AFAIK, with us.
So I'm sure this is the cause of his stress but just looking for more info mainly on how serious this is and when to panic.

Thanks.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there.....well, every dragon is different, so there is no real specific time to watch + see if they disappear. Is he eating for you yet ? He may go through a sress phase where he won't eat either, but if he does eat for you soon then that's a good indicator that he's fine. Stress marks are natural, not something to be really concerned about....hopefully he'll settle in soon.

 

[Wolfeden]

Thank you very much for the input.

He is eating, mostly veggies.
He's been eating collard, mustard and turnip greens (we found a pre packed bag of all three), kale and some apple.
He also ate a just few meal worms but won't touch super or phoenix worms or crickets.

BTW, he is also shedding.

Thanks again.

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome. It's great that he's not only eating. but eating veggies for you, that's a big plus ! He will naturally be nervous in a new place, but he should settle in soon.

 

[Wolfeden]

Thanks again!

If you are knowledgeable about lighting, and have the time, please check out my question regarding T5 vs T8 HO bulbs here:
https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=208941&p=1642283#p1642283
If you haven't already done so.

Start with post #4 "One More T5 Question"
I'm trying to determine if the T5 10.0 HO is too much and/or if the T5 5.0 HO is insufficient.

 

[Wolfeden]

I have some more info on my BD's stress marks and wondering if this means anything.

We gave him a bath the other day, seemed to enjoy it and drank some of the water, and his coloration got very light tan. While holding him we noticed the stress marks were completely gone, his belly was pure white.

Then when we returned him to the enclosure he climbed up the basking log and got very dark again with the stress marks returning fully.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Taterbug]

Belly colors can correlate to back colors. When they are warm they tend to wear the lighter colors. Darker colors can help increase heat when basking as well as regulate UVB absorption.

If the body darkens the belly often does too.

 

[dementedlullaby]

Belly colors can correlate to back colors. When they are warm they tend to wear the lighter colors. Darker colors can help increase heat when basking as well as regulate UVB absorption.

If the body darkens the belly often does too.

Will this change as our babies get older? I mean will the tummy stay white but the body darken? I noticed that mine has the "stress marks" sometimes too. But even though he has them he still eats like a piggy, including fruits and veggies. It's good to hear he's doing this to regulate though. When we pick him up he goes a more pale colouring just like the other poster mentioned. Sometimes even passes out on us if it's close to bedtime, too cute lol. We try not handle too much since he's so young but when cleaning the cage it's just easier if he's not in it obviously lol! BTW he's about 8 weeks old now, if that helps answer the question .

 

[Wolfeden]

Thanks for the input.

I think he's ok, I'll update if anything changes.