Sudden colour change...

[ScottandLai]

Hi! We bought two bearded dragons last Saturday. One of them, Miga, originally had a dark orange pattern on his back, top of his head, and most of each of his upper limbs. This morning, his whole head and all of his limbs had turned grey; his back didn't change. His head is still grey now, but with a bit of a light redish tint. Also, he isn't as active as our other dragon; spends a lot of time lying flat on the floor of the terrarium, though will climb the branch inside, and will stand pawing at the glass sometimes when I'm cleaning the terrarium or feeding them. And he eats much less greens and crickets than his buddy.

Our dragons are juveniles, about 10" long. So far their diet has been crickets and greens, fed twice a day.

Scott

 

[nikkicostello89]

Hi,

It sounds like he's getting ready to shed, they shed a hell of a lot when they're young!

Could you post a picture so we could see?

Nikki

 

[ScottandLai]

Here's a before pic; unfortunately, I don't have one of the top of Miga's head from before the change...

Here's now:

 

[gregorydragon]

Definitely looks like he is in shed. I see it on the leg too. They tend to eat less during this time. I imagine it is a bit uncomfortable; itchy. I don't know if you have them separated, but they probably should be and definitely during feeding time.

 

[beardie parents]

I agree. I saw the white legs in the first pic that indicates they are working on shedding.

 

[nikkicostello89]

I don't know if you have them separated, but they probably should be and definitely during feeding time.

I agree, IF you have got them together, little ones can bite of toes, fingers and tail tips when they're searching for food, or if they get a bit hungry, as they get older female and female will probably fight, male and male will definately fight, and male and female will breed to death, the male will over breed with her and can cause serious health problems leading to death.

If you haven't got them together, i apologise, but it's better to say now and be safe rather than sorry!

Nikki

Oh and yeah, mine get a bit lazier and eat less when they're getting ready to shed or are actually shedding, just bath him everyday until he sheds it, mist him as well if you like (spray warm water on him from a spray bottle) and i put a shallow dish of water in the tank whilst they're shedding to raise the humidity a little bit, make sure you take it out at night though so the humidity doesn't get too high.

 

[ScottandLai]

Miga's head colouring has returned to its more rosey shade, and the legs also seem back to normal. I'd guess that rules out shedding.... I asked at the reptile store where we got our dragons, and they said that these kinds of colour fluctuations are common in the "citrus" Bearded variation. I'll just keep an eye on them, and see how things go.

 

[gregorydragon]

I wouldn't rule out shedding. This is part of that process. With my beardie, I notice that the coloring turns really gray for a day or two, then it returns almost to normal. A few days after that, he sheds. It has something to do with the production of the new scales underneath.

 

[nikkicostello89]

It's to do with the moisture which builds up under the skin. Which is why they require extra humidity and more hydration during shedding.

Nikki

 

[ScottandLai]

It was indeed shedding Miga started shedding a big piece of skin on his head this morning, and more big pieces are coming off his hind legs.