Always hanging out in cold end

[Mushus Dad]

I recently acquired a bearded dragon that was in need of rescue.

I have been at work all day so havn't been home but my wife mentioned that Mushu has been hanging out in the cold end of his tank all day is this normal? We were told by the previous owner that he is 6-7 months old.However, we only got him a couple days ago so I think he is definitely going through some relocation stress. he has been eating fine as well, although his poops have been sort of runny (so far have contributed this to stress/him being fed romaine lettuce by previous owners) I was going to get a fecal done if it didn't clear up in a while. His basking perch has been a little colder than it should be (around 95 after buying higher watt lamps last night) I was planning to see if I could raise his platform tonight to see if that would help with the temperatures. I am worried that there might be something else wrong with him but thats probably just parental anxiety.

This is also not the first time I have caught him doing this he slept in the cool end all one night and didn't move to his basking spot after an hour so I picked up up and put him there. He seemed to perk up a bit after that and ate about 15 crickets and some salad for breakfast.

 

[Mushus Dad]

here is a picture of him as well

 

[PatsyB]

He could be going through some relocation stress. He is eating so that is a good sign. Get rid of the romaine and get something healthier like mustard greens, dandelion, turnip greens or collards. Here's a link to some more healthy veggies http://greathousefarm.com/Greathouse-Reptile-Nutrition-List.pdf
What kind of bugs are you feeding him? When you say the poo is runny what do you mean? Are the poops formed but there's a lot of water with it or are the poops themselves mushy? I'm sorta in the same boat you are. I just rescued a girl who has a lot of water in her poop but the poops themselves are formed, but I'm still keeping an eye on it. I also notice that the more crickets she eats the more she goes.

What are you using to measure your temps? A temp gun or digital probe thermometer are the best to use because you can measure the temp right where your dragon is sitting.

 

[PatsyB]

He looks happy!

 

[Hdrydr31]

Welcome to the forum!! I agree with what PatsyB said... He looks happy

 

[Mushus Dad]

He could be going through some relocation stress. He is eating so that is a good sign. Get rid of the romaine and get something healthier like mustard greens, dandelion, turnip greens or collards. Here's a link to some more healthy veggies http://greathousefarm.com/Greathouse-Reptile-Nutrition-List.pdf
What kind of bugs are you feeding him? When you say the poo is runny what do you mean? Are the poops formed but there's a lot of water with it or are the poops themselves mushy? I'm sorta in the same boat you are. I just rescued a girl who has a lot of water in her poop but the poops themselves are formed, but I'm still keeping an eye on it. I also notice that the more crickets she eats the more she goes.

What are you using to measure your temps? A temp gun or digital probe thermometer are the best to use because you can measure the temp right where your dragon is sitting.

Thanks yes I did get him off the romaine as soon as we got him (well one day after it was sort of a short notice thing and it was one of the only veggies we had around) I currently feed him mustard greens, dandelion greens, and a little bit of carrot and I tried some fruit yesterday that he loved.

As far as bugs I'm currently just using store bought crickets as its all I have been able to acquire at this point, he was sent home with some meal worms but I have read some cautionary advise about them.

He had I think a 75w bulb when I got him and it was not keeping the cage warm enough so I bought a new hood and a 100w bulb that keeps the ambient temperatures about right but it seems that his basking spot is only getting about 90-95 should I consider a higher watt bulb? His rock is about 12 inches under the basking lamp.

I am using a digital thermometer with a probe but I think it may have been damaged as out of the package it would only turn on if I held the battery in tight, the back cover wouldn't do this so I had to get some tape to make it a tighter fit.

As far as his poops go they have been pretty runny, not just wattery. They don't completely reduce to a puddle but they don't hold too tight a form either.

 

[PatsyB]

Could be from the romaine but if it doesn't firm up after being feed better greens, you should have it checked for parasites. You could get a higher wattage bulb, just make sure your fixture supports a bulb over 100w. Most of the smaller dome fixtures only go up to 100. The bigger ones go higher. When mine were smaller I remember using 150w, especially in the winter.

Nothing wrong with store bought crickets, we all did it in the beginning. In the long run ordering online in bulk is more economical. I found my problem was not only the cost but in the winter when it got real cold, it was hard to get crickets from the pet store because they either weren't getting them or they were only getting a few and they needed them for their reptiles. Meal worms are a bad choice just because their shells are real hard a better alternative would be a super worm, which looks similar to a meal worm but just more meaty.

 

[Mushus Dad]

Could be from the romaine but if it doesn't firm up after being feed better greens, you should have it checked for parasites. You could get a higher wattage bulb, just make sure your fixture supports a bulb over 100w. Most of the smaller dome fixtures only go up to 100. The bigger ones go higher. When mine were smaller I remember using 150w, especially in the winter.

Nothing wrong with store bought crickets, we all did it in the beginning. In the long run ordering online in bulk is more economical. I found my problem was not only the cost but in the winter when it got real cold, it was hard to get crickets from the pet store because they either weren't getting them or they were only getting a few and they needed them for their reptiles. Meal worms are a bad choice just because their shells are real hard a better alternative would be a super worm, which looks similar to a meal worm but just more meaty.

I haven't had problems with the pet store not having crickets and its about 10 degrees outside haha.

His poo was a little more firm today so ill take that as a good sign but it also didnt seem fully digested (well there were some carrot shavings) everything else looked fine. Are carrots hard for them to digest, or do you think hes just been too cold to digest fully? When should I start worrying that he may have a parasite?

My hood is rated for 150w so i'm going to pick up a 150w bulb tonight to see if that helps him stay a little bit warmer for the winter, and maybe throw the 100w back in in the summer when it warms up a bit.

I really appreciate all the help from you guys!

 

[Hdrydr31]

yea carrots are kinda hard to fully digest also be careful on how often you feed them as they are very high in Vit A and that can lead to toxicity that can be dangerous.

 

[Mushus Dad]

yea carrots are kinda hard to fully digest also be careful on how often you feed them as they are very high in Vit A and that can lead to toxicity that can be dangerous.

I have read that as well I only fed him carrots twice but he loves them

 

[PatsyB]

Nothing wrong with having multiple light bulbs in different wattages. When I first started out I looked like a light bulb sales person! I have found that in the winter I need a stronger bulb. We keep our house in the 70's but the tanks still get a little chilly when the temps drop.

 

[Mushus Dad]

Nothing wrong with having multiple light bulbs in different wattages. When I first started out I looked like a light bulb sales person! I have found that in the winter I need a stronger bulb. We keep our house in the 70's but the tanks still get a little chilly when the temps drop.

Now that I bought the bigger bulb its almost too hot in his basking area (current is 112 which I understand is fine but on the upper end). But thats on his box directly below the basking light he has another rock thats a bit further away that my wife is going to move the probe to to see what the temps are there hopefully its a bit cooler so he can choose. She also has a space heater running since she is home today so its probably bringing the temps up 6-8 degrees as well

 

[Mushus Dad]

I think I might buy a dimmer for him so we can monitor and lower temps when we are home (I don't think it will get too hot when the space heater is off, we live in a basement)