icelore
Juvie Member
I was wondering at what age do sub adults transition to more adult behaviors? Ridley is about 6-7 mos old (we've had him for almost 4 mos), 17.25 in, and is a most likely female (though he started out as a boy so that's what we call him for some odd reason... >.>). For the past three or so weeks his behavior has been changing noticably, mostly regarding his eating and basking habits.
Eating: He's always been good about eating his greens. Two months ago when he was eating 30-40 adult crickets a day, he was still munching on salad in the mornings. He didn't eat a lot, but always some, so we were pleased. Lately he has cut back a TON on feeders, but is eating a full bowl of salad (1/2 - 3/4 cup) . He's down to eating maybe 8 -12 XL dubia nymphs and the odd adult male a day over two feedings. If he eats a full load at his first feeding (which is often), he won't eat at all on his second. He will always take superworms if offered though.
Basking: When Ridley was a baby, he never went to the cool side of his cage, ever. He would move out of the direct heat of the basking bulb, but would stay on the warm side of his cage. His temps were 107-109 basking, and just under 90 for hot side ambient. Within the past week I've had to turn his basking temps down to 99 to get him to sit in it directly for any length of time (he's still gaping periodically at this temp), and while his warm side ambient is now around 85, he will periodically lounge on the other side of the tank for a few hours at a time now. His UVB does run the entire length of his tank, so he's getting it regardless of where he sits.
His activity level is normal, and he likes to come out of his cage to sit with people or to go outside still. His poops are good, definitely larger, though not quite as frequent as they used to be. He would poop every single day before, and twice a lot of the time. Now he generally poos daily, but skips a day here and there.
Is he just moving himself toward adult behavior of his own accord? Obviously a lot of info is given on baby dragon behavior and habits, as well as adult standards, but at what age do you expect them to start changing? At what age are they considered adult even? Is he too young for his feeder insect intake to be going down? Can I start feeding him once a day now? So many questions!!
Eating: He's always been good about eating his greens. Two months ago when he was eating 30-40 adult crickets a day, he was still munching on salad in the mornings. He didn't eat a lot, but always some, so we were pleased. Lately he has cut back a TON on feeders, but is eating a full bowl of salad (1/2 - 3/4 cup) . He's down to eating maybe 8 -12 XL dubia nymphs and the odd adult male a day over two feedings. If he eats a full load at his first feeding (which is often), he won't eat at all on his second. He will always take superworms if offered though.
Basking: When Ridley was a baby, he never went to the cool side of his cage, ever. He would move out of the direct heat of the basking bulb, but would stay on the warm side of his cage. His temps were 107-109 basking, and just under 90 for hot side ambient. Within the past week I've had to turn his basking temps down to 99 to get him to sit in it directly for any length of time (he's still gaping periodically at this temp), and while his warm side ambient is now around 85, he will periodically lounge on the other side of the tank for a few hours at a time now. His UVB does run the entire length of his tank, so he's getting it regardless of where he sits.
His activity level is normal, and he likes to come out of his cage to sit with people or to go outside still. His poops are good, definitely larger, though not quite as frequent as they used to be. He would poop every single day before, and twice a lot of the time. Now he generally poos daily, but skips a day here and there.
Is he just moving himself toward adult behavior of his own accord? Obviously a lot of info is given on baby dragon behavior and habits, as well as adult standards, but at what age do you expect them to start changing? At what age are they considered adult even? Is he too young for his feeder insect intake to be going down? Can I start feeding him once a day now? So many questions!!
