Worried about new dragon

[Chris.]

Hello everyone.

In july I adopted a bearded dragon, so he's been staying with me for almost two months now. He'll turn eleven months soon, is about 16" long and weights 300g.
When I got him, he was about the same lenght as now but only 200g! Odly he doesen't seem to grow in lenght at all....

Because his poop was runny from time to time I had a fecal done and it came positive for pinworms. He was given panacur and will get the second (and last) dose on monday (10 days after the first).

Anyway, what got me worried right now is that his beard doesn't seem to brighten up since I got him, like never once. It's not black necessary, more like greyisch. It gets bit brighter when I hold him but still a little grey.

Also he did shed his tail and back legs like two weeks ago and the scales underneath look realy pale, almost like he would shed them again only he doesn't. The rest of the shed went smoothly, only it took for like two weeks. I wonder if maybe he has some sort of deficiency that hinders the shedding or something. He get's dubias and crickets five times a week, always dusted in minerals +D3 and twice a week with a multivitamin.

I'll try to add some pics. Other than that he seems fine. He doesn't always eat his salads but he never refused a bug so far and he's pretty active most of the time with climbing and recently he started digging a little bit.

He is my very first reptile and I would be very thankful for any tips on how to properly care for him.

And because it seems to be always the first question on here, Basking spot is 100°F and warm side in the low to mid 90s. Cool side is hight 80s right now but only because the room is also. Germany is really cooking lately. UV-B is a Arcadia T5 12% mounted inside approx. 12 or 13" from the highest point. Tank is 150x80x80 cm.

 

[xp29]

He is translucent but does not appear to be hypo. Trans is a complete lack of white pigment, hence the black eyes (hypo is a reduction in black) that may contribute to the greyish beard. I have one that is grayish more than not. Try taking him out in the real sun and let him warm up enough to start gaping and i bet his beard brightens up
At 11 months old he may like a basking temp just a few degrees warmer, try 105ish and see how he responds. You can always back it down if he don't like it.
As far as tips make sure to give him water orally that is the ONLY way they get hydrated, all the stuff about soaking and misting is nonsense they have to drink. Using an eyedropper to drip water on their snout is the easiest way to keep them hydrated. You could use a syringe but an eyedropper is much easier to control the amount so you don't choke them on the water. Offer it a couple times per week. If you can get him to eat greens misting them gets some hydration into them also.
He is a gorgeous dragon btw and welcome to the forum ask about anything you need to know and we will try to help you.

 

[Chris.]

Thank you for the quick reply and the warm welcome
The eyes seem black but they are a dark brown actually. But it's only visible in the correct light. The breeder told me also he was a leatherback wich I have no clue what that is

Good advise on the hydrating because if I try to mist him or give him a bath, he just bailes. He drinks from the syringe every other day or so but only a couple of drops.

The basking temp was at 105 last week and I saw him gaping on the cool side, so I turned it down a bit. But again it's 100° outside here at the moment and 85 in my flat. I'll try to raise it next week if I can keep his cool side below 90° though.

Thank's again

 

[xp29]

Your welcome
Leatherback is a scale mutation. It gives them a smoother texture as compared to a normal, also a reduction in spikes and spike size. A Leatherback is easier to pet and handle overall, plus it makes their color pop a little more. It's one of my favorite morphs. On the other hand i really love a dunner also which is the complete opposite, dunners are more spikey and rugged looking, their scales are haphazard as compared to the uniform scales of the other morphs.

 

[KarrieRee]

I would shred your carrots - I would be afraid of him choking on them-

 

[xp29]

I actually have a pic of one of my dunners with one of my Leatherbacks, if you look at the spikes on their heads you can see how different they are.

 

[Chris.]

@xp29 yes I see. Already wondered why he has so small spikes and if they might still grow, haha.
Love your two, they look so cosy!

@KarrieRee that's what I did in the beginning and he wouldn't touch it. But smaller pieces is noted!

So you wouldn't be worried about the pale new scales on the tail and legs?

 

[xp29]

No, that's going to be shed for sure. Once they are near adult they stop doing full body sheds and it becomes really random and patchy. It seems to take longer to come off as they get older also.

 

[Hazel_Basil10]

Hello everyone.

In july I adopted a bearded dragon, so he's been staying with me for almost two months now. He'll turn eleven months soon, is about 16" long and weights 300g.
When I got him, he was about the same lenght as now but only 200g! Odly he doesen't seem to grow in lenght at all....

Because his poop was runny from time to time I had a fecal done and it came positive for pinworms. He was given panacur and will get the second (and last) dose on monday (10 days after the first).

Anyway, what got me worried right now is that his beard doesn't seem to brighten up since I got him, like never once. It's not black necessary, more like greyisch. It gets bit brighter when I hold him but still a little grey.

Also he did shed his tail and back legs like two weeks ago and the scales underneath look realy pale, almost like he would shed them again only he doesn't. The rest of the shed went smoothly, only it took for like two weeks. I wonder if maybe he has some sort of deficiency that hinders the shedding or something. He get's dubias and crickets five times a week, always dusted in minerals +D3 and twice a week with a multivitamin.

I'll try to add some pics. Other than that he seems fine. He doesn't always eat his salads but he never refused a bug so far and he's pretty active most of the time with climbing and recently he started digging a little bit.

He is my very first reptile and I would be very thankful for any tips on how to properly care for him.

And because it seems to be always the first question on here, Basking spot is 100°F and warm side in the low to mid 90s. Cool side is hight 80s right now but only because the room is also. Germany is really cooking lately. UV-B is a Arcadia T5 12% mounted inside approx. 12 or 13" from the highest point. Tank is 150x80x80 cm. View attachment 83310 View attachment 83311 View attachment 83306 View attachment 83307 View attachment 83309

When I saw this I immediately was like "Thats a Leatherback!" I haven't seen much of Leatherbacks other than my friend's Citrus leatherback. Very beautiful . Welcome to the community!

 

[Chris.]

@xp29 just letting you know that you were right, he's lighted up in the sun like I've never seen him, with barely any darkness at all. Well after freezing and turning his whole body jet-black for a minute like I've never seen him before
Also it's been cooler outside so I was able to raise the basking temp to 106 without getting too hot on the cold side and he's even getting up to bask more than before.
Thank you so mutch!

 

[xp29]

Your very welcome

 

[xp29]

Oh he is BRIGHT in that pic, very handsome