Wants to spend all his time under his rock

[iradog85]

Dimitri is 9 months old. I'm not sure if he's an early brumator or what. He just wants to spend all day and night under his rock. If I take him out and put him in the light, he stays for a little while and will eat a few greens from my hand, but eventually goes back under his rock.

Should I leave him alone, remove his rock...? I don't wanna take away his only hide. :?: :?:

 

[katieerin]

Is is possible the lights are too warm for him??

 

[diamc]

What are the basking & cool side temps & what type of thermometer are you using to check them? Also, what is the brand & type of UVB you're using?

Since he's only 9 mo old, he really shouldn't be wanting to brumate. If you live in the U.S., this is the wrong time for brumation anyway.

What does he like to eat besides greens? How is his coloring, is his beard and/or tail darker than the rest of him a lot?

 

[iradog85]

What are the basking & cool side temps & what type of thermometer are you using to check them? Also, what is the brand & type of UVB you're using?

Since he's only 9 mo old, he really shouldn't be wanting to brumate. If you live in the U.S., this is the wrong time for brumation anyway.

What does he like to eat besides greens? How is his coloring, is his beard and/or tail darker than the rest of him a lot?

I use digital probes for both sides. His basking spot is between 93-100*F. Depending on the time of day it may go a few over 100* but definitely not over 105*. The cool side is between 75-80*F.

I'm using a Reptisun 10.0 tube that I lay across the top of the screen. I have a basking bulb over his basking spot that's made especially for reptiles. I supplement that with a regular 100w house bulb to create a temp gradient.

I feed him crickets regularly, and worms as a treat every now and then. His eyes are always open and bright, he's very aware and curious. His tail is always a little duller than the rest of him.

 

[diamc]

What size tank is he in? You mentioned that one bulb is a 100 watt household bulb, what is the wattage of the basking bulb and is it a colored or white bulb? How close is the Repti-Sun fluorescent to him when he is in his basking spot?

Is there a chance he could be dehydrated? Do you bathe him or mist him? Is he housed alone? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to cover all bases.

 

[spurlee01]

If you pull him out from under the rock will he bask? Either Lilly (my almost 7 m/o) "forgets" to bask in the morning or just waits for mommy to wake her up. Her lights come on at 7:30 am, but she'll still be under her rock when I go to feed her (sometimes as late as 1 pm depending on how crazy of a morning its been). I have to very carefully lift her rock from above her then I pick her up give her some snuggles and put her back on top of her rock. She'll bask all day once she's out.
Sara

 

[iradog85]

What size tank is he in? You mentioned that one bulb is a 100 watt household bulb, what is the wattage of the basking bulb and is it a colored or white bulb? How close is the Repti-Sun fluorescent to him when he is in his basking spot?

Is there a chance he could be dehydrated? Do you bathe him or mist him? Is he housed alone? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to cover all bases.

40 gal tank. The basking bulb is a white 150w, in a dial-adjustable fixture. The 100w is in a dial-adjustable fixture, too. In his basking spot, he is 4-5" from the Repti-Sun tube.

I mist him every other day or so, and give him a bath once or twice a week. He is housed alone.

I love the questions! You're trying to be thorough, which I really appreciate. Even though I've had him for 9 months, I'm still a newbie beardie owner. I need all the help and advice I can get.

 

[iradog85]

If you pull him out from under the rock will he bask? Either Lilly (my almost 7 m/o) "forgets" to bask in the morning or just waits for mommy to wake her up. Her lights come on at 7:30 am, but she'll still be under her rock when I go to feed her (sometimes as late as 1 pm depending on how crazy of a morning its been). I have to very carefully lift her rock from above her then I pick her up give her some snuggles and put her back on top of her rock. She'll bask all day once she's out.
Sara

If I pull him out from under his rock, he'll go and bask. Sometimes, just pulling him out from under will wake him up and he'll be out for the day. But other times, he'll bask for a few minutes, and then go right back under his rock.

So should I keep pulling him out from under there? I'd be doing that every day. He "forgets" to bask? Anything I could do to help him remember? :?:

 

[spurlee01]

Maybe try a post-it note to help him remember? I honestly do not have a degree in beardie psychology so I don't know why Lilly doesn't get out from under her rock. Sometimes I wonder if she is just being soooo lazy that mommy has to help her out, or if the first few days she was hiding from fear and I got her in a routine so she waits for me to pull her out. Maybe she even knows that she'll get a snuggle before I put her back in to bask. I do know that once she's out, she's out for the day.
Do I understand correctly that you are using both a 100w and a 150w in a 40 gallon tank? Do you have them both dimmed down VERY low? I'm wondering because a 75 w keeps my 36 gallon plenty warm.
I can suggest a few other minor improvements to your husbandry. First, I think beardies are supposed to be between 6 and 8" from the bulb. I doubted that it would make a difference, but with my boyfriend's beardie, he lost his appetite when he was moved farther from the UVB and then it came back when we got him 3" or so closer. That being said, I really don't know if 4-5" is too close and could be bothering him. They can be such finicky creatures lol.
Second, if you're misting, do it outside of the tank. Doing it inside raises humidity too much. Just to give you an idea, Lilly's poos will raise humidity by close to 20% until I can get them cleaned up! I try to bathe every other day, although sometimes it is every third day depending on work schedule. Hope this helps,
Sara

 

[VEGASLIZARD]

Getting enough vitamins? When Scorch was being a stinker about not eating enough and hiding the vet suggested more vities. Said it can help. Also mentioned that sometimes their hormones can send them outa whack.

 

[iradog85]

Both of my bulbs are turned down extremely low. During the colder months I had them turned up. I do take him out of his viv to mist him. I try to get him some real sunshine when I can, too. When I took him out from under his rock today, he basked for a few hours, ate a few leaves of greens, and went back under his rock for the rest of the day. He's not even a year old yet, so hormones may be a factor.

I have read that beardies can do just fine without vitamins being added, but you may be right. Lately, I've been feeding him crickets less often because he doesn't want to eat them every day. I started supplementing in the beginning, but when I had surgery on my arm I couldn't shake them up in a bag. I should have gone back to doing that when I got my splint off, but didn't think of it. I have those two vitamin jars in the back of my cabinet; I'll pull them back out.

Thanks for the tips, all!

 

[VEGASLIZARD]

He needs vitamins 5x a week and calcium every day. You can buy them in a liquid spray if that is easier for you.

 

[diamc]

Actually, he should be getting calcium 5 days a wk and vitamins the other 2 days of the wk.

 

[iradog85]

I thought as they get older they need calcium a few times a week and vitamins once a week? I don't feed him crickets every day anymore because he won't eat them every day. I already have the pink jar and the blue jar powders. Could I sprinkle those on his greens?

In the meantime, should I just keep pulling him out from under his rock throughout the day? Even if I pull him out in the morning, he'll go right back under there and stay there the rest of the day if I don't pull him out again. He hasn't been eating his greens, so I've been hand-feeding them to him, but he'll only eat a few leaves. Then he goes back under his rock and stays there, and his greens just sit and go to waste. When I offer him crickets, he eats them, so I don't know what's going on with his appetite.

 

[diamc]

Since he is only 9 mo old, he should still be getting calcium 5 days a wk and vitamins 2 days a wk until he is done growing, which doesn't occur until they are about 1 1/2 yrs old. How many days a wk have you been using the calcium? If not the 5 days a wk, then his body won't be able produce D3, the UVB and calcium work together to give him what he needs. Did you move the UVB a little further away so that it is 6 to 8" from him?

You mentioned that you're using a probe thermometer on each end. Are you laying the probe end right under the basking light(s) then waiting about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before getting the final reading? I'm kinda confused as to why you're using 2 basking lights since they are both turned down. With a 40 gallon, you should really only need just one 100 watt bulb at the most. Are both those bulbs white? It sounds like he is avoiding the basking spot for a reason. Would you consider just using the 100 watt basking bulb and seeing how he reacts then?

Have you gotten a fecal check done on him? If not, that might be something to consider too. I know you mentioned brumation in the beginning, where do you live? Just wondering if it is summer where you are.