stress marks wont go away

Hobama

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Reginald/Reggie
Ive had my dragon reggie for over a month now. he was 6 weeks when we got him on january 12 so im assuming hes around 2 1/2 months old. he is 8 1/2 inches long as of today. he has had stress marks since we got him that will not go away. you guys have already helped me with my heat and lights and they are good. he has a very good appetite when it comes to bugs. salads are still a struggle. i try and avoid doing anymore than spot cleaning and make sure all of his decor goes back where it was before. i dont soak him very often because he doesnt like the water. hes almost done shedding his legs right now but that doesnt explain constant stress. I would take him out at night for a while because he seemed to like it and he would always fall asleep on me. his stress marks would fade but idk if it was just cuz he was sleeping or not. i stopped doing it because i was scared it would make him more stressed though. he poops at least once a day and i mist him to see if he will drink it. i dont mist near as often anymore unless if hes shedding. i have no idea what to do because he seems perfectly fine except for the marks on his stomach. he will move around his cage but mostly stays on his hammock. at night im not really sure what he does but after all lights are out i can hear him kinda scratching at walls for just a bit and he will sometimes glass surf. he always sleeps on the floor in the back corner under his lamp. he doesnt have a complete hide but one of his hides has a thing that he can go under but i can put a legit hide in if you think it will help. i am worried im doing something to stress him out but i dont know what.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ive had my dragon reggie for over a month now. he was 6 weeks when we got him on january 12 so im assuming hes around 2 1/2 months old. he is 8 1/2 inches long as of today. he has had stress marks since we got him that will not go away. you guys have already helped me with my heat and lights and they are good. he has a very good appetite when it comes to bugs. salads are still a struggle. i try and avoid doing anymore than spot cleaning and make sure all of his decor goes back where it was before. i dont soak him very often because he doesnt like the water. hes almost done shedding his legs right now but that doesnt explain constant stress. I would take him out at night for a while because he seemed to like it and he would always fall asleep on me. his stress marks would fade but idk if it was just cuz he was sleeping or not. i stopped doing it because i was scared it would make him more stressed though. he poops at least once a day and i mist him to see if he will drink it. i dont mist near as often anymore unless if hes shedding. i have no idea what to do because he seems perfectly fine except for the marks on his stomach. he will move around his cage but mostly stays on his hammock. at night im not really sure what he does but after all lights are out i can hear him kinda scratching at walls for just a bit and he will sometimes glass surf. he always sleeps on the floor in the back corner under his lamp. he doesnt have a complete hide but one of his hides has a thing that he can go under but i can put a legit hide in if you think it will help. i am worried im doing something to stress him out but i dont know what.
Please no more out-- leave him in his tank till some of the stress marks are gone- are there any other animals around him cats / dogs ? Is he by a window that he can see birds? If none of this is happening then I am gonna say its the outings causing the stress but he is still pretty young so be patient w/ him for now --
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Your doing fine, he is a baby, it can take months for them to settle in. As long as he eats good, bask and poops he will be ok. My big male Zen was afraid of everything for the first 2 years. Now he is the most chilled out dude you could meet. Just be patient with him. I would still get him out in the evenings it will help him bond and learn to trust you.
 

Hobama

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Reginald/Reggie
Please no more out-- leave him in his tank till some of the stress marks are gone- are there any other animals around him cats / dogs ? Is he by a window that he can see birds? If none of this is happening then I am gonna say its the outings causing the stress but he is still pretty young so be patient w/ him for now --
i havent been doing the outings for a while now. he cannot see out the window. i have a hedgehog but the way is cage is i dont think he can see into it and even if he could herman is nocturnal so i sont think it should be a problem. i have a dog but he only comes in my room at night and hops right into bed where he can probably see him but hes just laying still sleeping. in the mornings sometimes my dog will scratch and whine at the door to be let out but not every day. there is some noise in my room at night between the crickets chirping and hermans wheel. i can put the crickets in the living room but there isnt really anything i can do about hermans wheel.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Karrieree and i are a little different opinion taking him out. Each animal is different, ultimately you'll have to try and see what works best for your dragon. 🙂
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Remeber these little guys are brand new to the world, and everything is a new experience for them. Can you imagine waking up in an alien world one day not knowing who you are, how things work, what you can eat, what wants to eat you. That's basicly how they are born, he will come around i promiss 🙂
 

Hobama

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Reginald/Reggie
Your doing fine, he is a baby, it can take months for them to settle in. As long as he eats good, bask and poops he will be ok. My big male Zen was afraid of everything for the first 2 years. Now he is the most chilled out dude you could meet. Just be patient with him. I would still get him out in the evenings it will help him bond and learn to trust you.
thank you this makes me feel better because its so easy to think you are doing something wrong especially considering this is my first reptile/beardie. i imagine its been a pretty crazy ride for him going from wherever he was bred to a pet store in a small tank with what seemed to be around 20 other babies to a whole other place with a new diet and set up.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
i havent been doing the outings for a while now. he cannot see out the window. i have a hedgehog but the way is cage is i dont think he can see into it and even if he could herman is nocturnal so i sont think it should be a problem. i have a dog but he only comes in my room at night and hops right into bed where he can probably see him but hes just laying still sleeping. in the mornings sometimes my dog will scratch and whine at the door to be let out but not every day. there is some noise in my room at night between the crickets chirping and hermans wheel. i can put the crickets in the living room but there isnt really anything i can do about hermans wheel.
The crickets arent going to bother him but the dog might -- I recommend leaving him in his tank till he gets acclimated to the tank and surroundings w/ the stress marks going on he has not yet done that -- leave him be for a couple of weeks and see if things start to change - you will have plenty of time to bond w/ him - I would continue to hand feed him and get a piece of clothing or a fleece blanket in his hide something w/ your smell on it - that will help w/ the stress as well
 

Hobama

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Reginald/Reggie
The crickets arent going to bother him but the dog might -- I recommend leaving him in his tank till he gets acclimated to the tank and surroundings w/ the stress marks going on he has not yet done that -- leave him be for a couple of weeks and see if things start to change - you will have plenty of time to bond w/ him - I would continue to hand feed him and get a piece of clothing or a fleece blanket in his hide something w/ your smell on it - that will help w/ the stress as well
ok at night i will find something to set in front of the tank so he cant see out and look at the dog and if i wake up to mickey(the dog) scratching and whining ill let him out instead of rolling over and hoping he gives up(he never does). ill put a shirt or something in there and continue hand offering some of his stuff. i currently am only really handling him to move him from his cage to his feeding tub but i worry he gets lonely because he was in a pet store with people constantly passing by. would it be ok to just sit in my room where he can see me but not like really messing with him?
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Yup. I keep all mine where they see our normal comings and goings. I think it helps keep them socialized.
 

Hobama

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Reginald/Reggie
Yup. I keep all mine where they see our normal comings and goings. I think it helps keep them socialized.
i wish i could do that with reggie but one of the dogs we have gets very protective over the little critters in the house(when my sister got her new hamster he would lay by the cage everyday and barely even leave the room at first lol) so i feel like he wouldnt leave him alone. plus we really dont have any space out here
 

blue11

Sub-Adult Member
In my personal experience, the “stress marks” don’t mean stress every time if that makes sense? Sometimes perfectly unstressed happy dragons can still have that patterning on their underside.

After your baby does settle in, and any obvious stressed out behavior subsides - he very well may continue to have some of those markings now and then or even somewhat consistently as just part of who he is. I don’t feel like every dragon always has that perfectly uniform solid light belly / chest / etc 100% of the time. There are multiple environmental and internal factors that can also contribute to this, and not all of them are generated by something bad - sometimes they can just be part of who they are/ their colouring / their bodies, or naturally fluctuating temps, mood (and not always negative- sometimes excitement, tiredness, etc) time of day, and much more.

These come and go, sometimes they stick around, and sometimes not. The display of them isn’t always signaling something off or wrong.

If your dragon has a nice enclosure, correct temps, lighting, overall good husbandry, they are eating and drinking and pooping normally, and gets through the initial relocation/new environment stressors and warms up to you - yet still has those patterns on him, then things are probably fine and normal 🙂

I’m not disregarding the marks b/c they can certainly be an indictator of something wrong in conjunction with stressed behavior - however I do still feel like if you have eliminated the specific problems and resolved things, let him settle - they can be fine. I seem to recall babies in particular having them often anyway - and adults can too as well - even when all is well. I just wouldn’t rely on these marks alone as a soul indicator of stress.

As far as lonley - they are solitary animals so I feel like being around predictable, trusting and familiar interaction (which you will build with him 🙂) is actually more beneficial and comforting than the constant uncertain hustle and bustle of a busy pet shop, people tapping on the glass, random loud sounds and random lights, all the things. I feel like he will appreciate and feel more at peace seeing you and your life now and then much more than the constant unpredictability of a shop.

But this is just my thinking/opinion. And ofcourse each beardie is different, and you’ll come to know him better and he will come to know what to expect from you. And - show him love with consistency and care - and he will love you back ❤️
 
Last edited:

Hobama

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Reginald/Reggie
In my personal experience, the “stress marks” don’t mean stress every time if that makes sense? Sometimes perfectly unstressed happy dragons can still have that patterning on their underside.

After your baby does settle in, and any obvious stressed out behavior subsides - he very well may continue to have some of those markings now and then or even somewhat consistently as just part of who he is. I don’t feel like every dragon always has that perfectly uniform solid light belly / chest / etc 100% of the time. There are multiple environmental and internal factors that can also contribute to this, and not all of them are generated by something bad - sometimes they can just be part of who they are/ their colouring / their bodies, or naturally fluctuating temps, mood (and not always negative- sometimes excitement, tiredness, etc) time of day, and much more.

These come and go, sometimes they stick around, and sometimes not. The display of them isn’t always signaling something off or wrong.

If your dragon has a nice enclosure, correct temps, lighting, overall good husbandry, they are eating and drinking and pooping normally, and gets through the initial relocation/new environment stressors and warms up to you - yet still has those patterns on him, then things are probably fine and normal 🙂

I’m not disregarding the marks b/c they can certainly be an indictator of something wrong in conjunction with stressed behavior - however I do still feel like if you have eliminated the specific problems and resolved things, let him settle - they can be fine. I seem to recall babies in particular having them often anyway - and adults can too as well - even when all is well. I just wouldn’t rely on these marks alone as a soul indicator of stress.

As far as lonley - they are solitary animals so I feel like being around predictable, trusting and familiar interaction (which you will build with him 🙂) is actually more beneficial and comforting than the constant uncertain hustle and bustle of a busy pet shop, people tapping on the glass, random loud sounds and random lights, all the things. I feel like he will appreciate and feel more at peace seeing you and your life now and then much more than the constant unpredictability of a shop.

But this is just my thinking/opinion. And ofcourse each beardie is different, and you’ll come to know him better and he will come to know what to expect from you. And - show him love with consistency and care - and he will love you back ❤️
thank you im really hoping thats the case because ive eliminated pretty much everything that could be causing them and his behavior is perfectly normal. at this point im probably more stressed than he is lol
 

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