Tasting, biting, a rock???

[cjack99]

My beardie has changed some behavior patterns recently, one strange activity that has started up about a week ago is walking up to a small oval sandstone rock in his enclosure and licking and biting at it for a bit, then he leaves it alone. This goes on maybe every couple days, for a few minutes. He's just over a year old now, 360 grams last time I weighed him, and about 17" long. Overall he's very docile and enjoys being handled.

Today I thought maybe he is after minerals or something, so I dusted a bit of calcium on it in a spot, and he bit at the calcium a bit, then wandered off.

Just wondering if this sort of thing is nomal'ish?

Thanks for you input
cactus

 

[Zaxtor99]

Q1) Have you by chance been using a bulb style UV light?

Q2) Are you using any colored lights? (Red, Blue, Etc)

Q3) Do you have coil lights of any kind in your cage? (The bulbs that look sorta like a spring vs regular bulbs)

Q4) Is it only one rock that he does this with? If so - Is it a single spot on that rock every time?

Answering those four questions might help us give you a better answer.

 

[Sauzo]

Is it 1 spot on the rock? Harley did that with her basking rock for a couple days cause the rock itself had a couple scratches on that left a white spot on the black rock and Harley would lick it thinking it was something to snack on. After a couple days she gave up and now she knows its not a snack.

 

[cjack99]

Thanks for the reply! The rock is pretty innocuous, oval sandstone, like most chunks of sandstone it is uniform in color, and has weathering, has some fracture lines running through it horizontally. You know, regular ole Texas sandstone. Overall color is essentially the same, the only "spot" is where I put the calcium, but now its dusted off and he doesn't pay much attention to the "spot". A couple places on the sides show fracture points where it originally split off from a bigger chunk, there are a some minor sparklies visible, and he has bit in that area once or twice. I dunno, I think he just kind of likes the rock. I notice today while checking out the rock he has rubbed on it some, he's shedding some skin off his head and "crown"? His head has been getting larger lately, his spikes are developing more and gaining rows, and his beard is getting well defined. Kinda fun to watch him grow. It seems like the last 2 days the rock has been more use as a scratching place.

Your input has led me to think he's just attracted to it once in awhile, and it's no big deal
thanks
cactus

 

[cjack99]

Zaxtor;

Q1 - UV is reptilite fluorescent, UVB 10 if I recall correctly
Q2 - No
Q3 - No
Q4 - it's the only one he has chewed on, he's got some brick pieces he likes to sit on and drape his tail over, and rub on once in awhile, but the sandstone piece is the only one I've seen him bite at. He pretty relaxed today, doesn't seem interested in going after much of anything.

thanks
cactus

 

[Zaxtor99]

Hey, I just remembered that my little beardie did that once when I was recording a video that I made for YouTube on a ceramic rock that my kids ended up dropping and breaking, so we threw it away. It was a used thing we had got with his first 10 gallon tank we bought from someone on craigslist.

Anyhow, fast forward to 2:55 of this video and see if my beardie, Rocky sorta behaved similar, as he tries here to eat a white spot on the rock. Was kinda funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzP_XB6yE54

I read someone saying here that beardies can't see all that well, so I dunno. Maybe any spot that has a high contrast difference then the rest of the rock they might perceive as a critter to eat? If that's the case, then I'm guessing after he tries that spot a few times, he will learn that it isn't a critter {Shrugs}

Anyhow, let me know if my beardie did a similar action at 2:55 of the above video if you can.

 

[cjack99]

Zax;

Hahahahahaha,,,, that Rocky is a hoot for sure! Lovely markings on his belly & future beard! (which I saw in the 2nd video). He reminds me of JL's antics when he was a youngster. They sure are fast, and no in-between speed, it's either 0 or 100.

Anyway, rock attack similar, although JL will open his mouth and attempt a bite on the rock, but same deal.

Thanks for the video link!

cactus

 

[Sauzo]

Dragons actually see very well, they just don't have very good depth perception since each eye on each side of the head vs both facing forward.