Sorry, this is going to be a long thread:
While my 1 year old male, Apollo, was in brumation (Dec2020- Feb2021) we got another dragon (Zeus) (Jan2021). Zeus was 4 months at the time we got him. We were told it was a female but later found out it was a male. The 2 dragons are not housed together and are in separate tanks, in separate rooms. When Apollo came out of brumation he immediately started head bobbing; which I read was normal as they are looking to mate. He was not eating so I took him to the vet. The vet did a fecal exam and Apollo was given a clean bill of health. I figured Apollo sensed Zeus (at this time we thought Zeus was a female) and that was why he was acting weird. This is when we decided to sex Zeus and found out it was a he and not a she. I’ve shown Apollo, to Zeus, through the tank, and Apollo immediately exhibited aggression. However, once Apollo calmed down you could pet and handle him with no problem. Well, here we are in May and Apollo is still head bobbing with an occasional black beard; even though we make sure he doesnt see Zeus. His appetite is nowhere near what it was when he went into brumation. I monitor Apollo very closely. I have a journal and document when he poops and how it looks. His “bathroom” schedule is not unusual but he does appear dehydrated at times. We are super careful not to expose the dragons to each other. When handling Apollo, we cover Zeus’ tank so Apollo cant see him. My question is, will Apollo continue to show these signs of stress (head bobbing and black bearding) and will it harm his health?
While my 1 year old male, Apollo, was in brumation (Dec2020- Feb2021) we got another dragon (Zeus) (Jan2021). Zeus was 4 months at the time we got him. We were told it was a female but later found out it was a male. The 2 dragons are not housed together and are in separate tanks, in separate rooms. When Apollo came out of brumation he immediately started head bobbing; which I read was normal as they are looking to mate. He was not eating so I took him to the vet. The vet did a fecal exam and Apollo was given a clean bill of health. I figured Apollo sensed Zeus (at this time we thought Zeus was a female) and that was why he was acting weird. This is when we decided to sex Zeus and found out it was a he and not a she. I’ve shown Apollo, to Zeus, through the tank, and Apollo immediately exhibited aggression. However, once Apollo calmed down you could pet and handle him with no problem. Well, here we are in May and Apollo is still head bobbing with an occasional black beard; even though we make sure he doesnt see Zeus. His appetite is nowhere near what it was when he went into brumation. I monitor Apollo very closely. I have a journal and document when he poops and how it looks. His “bathroom” schedule is not unusual but he does appear dehydrated at times. We are super careful not to expose the dragons to each other. When handling Apollo, we cover Zeus’ tank so Apollo cant see him. My question is, will Apollo continue to show these signs of stress (head bobbing and black bearding) and will it harm his health?
