WHERE IS THE COLOR HELP PLEASE!

[kylemorgan78]

I bought a red blood bearded dragon frm a breader. He was realy red in the picture, and even when I got hime. Its been a week now and he is looking like a regulor phase, he has no color left on him? Whats with that? Anybody have that happened to them or do they get color when they get older?

 

[ikkie78]

He could be starting to shed....there colors will usually dull before a shed.

 

[ikkie78]

Also what are the details of your setup? Lights ( brand and type), temps, etc.

 

[Burra]

He could definitely be getting ready to shed. Or it could be lighting and diet. What lights are you using? Supplements? Food?

Also, some bright babies will lose some of their color as they grow, and some will get brighter. But a week isn't long enough for that to happen.

 

[kylemorgan78]

delete this post

 

[vampy]

As others have said, babies do change their colour with each shed, but loss of colour in a short period of time is normally due to not enough UV.

I've never heard of the 'solor ray' UV lights...do you mean the solar glo MVB bulbs? If so, those are fine, but they need to be on for 12 hours a day (or 14, or for however long you have your basking light on). 5 hours is not enough UV. If you're using MVBs you shouldn't use another basking source elsewhere (though you can have one right next to it to get temps up if needed), as your dragon might decide to bask under the non-MVB lamp and not get enough UV. This is almost certainly the cause of your dragon's loss of colour. If you mean some other brand that I've just not heard of, then that could be your problem. Other than MVB's, the only recommended UV sources for beardies are the reptisun 10.0 and arcadia 12% tubes, other bulbs can cause eye damage and often cause dulling of colours.

You really don't need a fluorescent to 'simulate' sunlight. It won't harm them I don't think, so its fine if you like the colour of the light, but all they actually need is a bright basking light and a UVB tube, or an MVB which is a combination of the two.

And a few others bits of unsolicited advice:

- try and get your temps more stable. 90-110 is a very wide range. They need at least 95 to be able to digest their food properly, and for babies the basking spot should be between 100-110
- you should seriously consider housing the dragons separately. They might fight or accidentally hurt each other when going for food, one might grow faster than the other and not let it get enough food, and when they get to be 'teenagers' the male will constantly try to mate with the female way before her body is fully ready to be laying eggs, considerably shortening her lifespan.
- don't feed mealworms, their chitinous exoskeleton can lead to impaction
- avoid feeding kale and parsley, certainly as staples, they bind to calcium and limit its absorption
- egg shouldn't be given on a regular basis, and the other things you're feeding shouldn't be used as staples either. There is an awesome list here of what you can feed your dragon and how often: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
- alfalfa pellets and other loose substrates aren't recommended. Tile or paper towel or similar are better options.

 

[kylemorgan78]

I get my lights from here,check it out tell me what u think
http://www.reptileuv.com/
Anyway thanks for the comments.

 

[kylemorgan78]

Well here is a picture of my Dragons they are Red Crimson and they were red when I bought them a week ago. They have no color left! Why is this???

 

[Hemilover77]

I am new to bearded dragon keeping, but my Hemi turns all kinds of different colors. I think if your temps aren't right your baby could be making itself appear dark to retain and try to soak up more heat, darker colors of course get warmer faster. Hemi's true lighter happy colors are usually only when he is out with me. What are your temps and what are you using to check them? And try not to worry, there are so many wonderful people of here, they will know what to do!

 

[william488]

ya, my male is bright yellow when he is hanging off of me, or sleeping on me, but in his cage he goes dark. My guy seems to lighten up when he is in a good mood all together and he also darken's when he is cold. Don't forget if they are getting close to shed time, their colors will mostlikely go away untill all the dead skins off.

 

[ikkie78]

The issue with the alfalfa pellets is that they can get ingested and cause impaction...all loose substrate is usually a bad idea...you could go with tile, reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, or even paper towel for some examples that are much safer.

Also housing more than one beardie together is never a good idea...could also be why the color has changed as he could be feeling stressed. There are many horror stories about multiple beardies being housed together and its never a good idea. I know there is a good article on here but I don't have the link to it...maybe someone else does.

 

[kylemorgan78]

my temps are right, I use a laser probe to test them. They seem warm and happy just no colors left. The breeder says this is imposible and they are probally shedding. guess ill wait and see.

 

[Hemilover77]

Your baby could be stressed too. Get him out when you have time and let him just chill with you for 30 mins or an hour and see if his color lightens up. And when they shed their color is very dull. Hemi is always dark when in his tank. Good luck with your baby! And congrats!

 

[Burra]

There are all different lights on that link. The best lights for bearded dragons are the Arcadia 12 and the Repti-SUN 10.0. Please check your lights to see, improper UV lighting can cause all types of health problems, along with losing color.

Housing beardies together is not a good idea for multiple reasons, there is an entire sticky thread on this. I am on my tablet and can't link it for some reason, but hopefully someone else will come along and link it for me.

Finally, the pellet substrate is not recommended for beardies. First, it can be ingested and cause impaction. Second, it holds bacteria and can make your beardie sick. Third, it holds moisture and can become moldy, also making your beardie sick. Please switch them to tile, non-adhesive shelf liner, newspaper, or paper towels.

Please don't think we are picking on you, most pet stores give incorrect information on what beardies need. Even breeders can give out incorrect information. We are just trying to help you, and also prevent possible future problems.

 

[vampy]

I get my lights from here,check it out tell me what u think
http://www.reptileuv.com/
Anyway thanks for the comments.

They certainly sound like they are trying to provide a good product, and they link to the UV guide website, which is promising, however while they talk about the intensity of the UV, they don't seem to mention anywhere that I can see the wavelengths of light emitted...and as the site is dedicated to 'reptiles', it could be that the UV isn't tailored for the needs of beardies. There are so many types of reptiles kept as pets, all of which have their own specific requirements, that there is no 'one size fits all' lighting solution possible.

I'm certainly not gonna say those lights are crap or dangerous like the compact coil lights, but until I see more research or testimonials from many many beardie owners, I personally wouldn't use them, and would stick with the tried and tested arcadia tubes (or the reptisun 10)