Darker Markings

[Harley D]

Hi all,

Some of the markings on Harlys back are getting darker, almost grey to black. We turn off his UV light at night and his heat lamp, does this have anything to do with this....there is no change to his behavior or eating habits, just making sure this is normal, and if not what are we doing wrong ??

Thanks in advance !

Laurie

 

[renich]

Hi, Laurie. It sounds like Harley is getting ready to shed. So, we can be sure, can you post a pic of it?

 

[beardielover]

i agree that it sounds like shedding. along with the pics, have you provided your housing details? things that help -

1. what uvb are you using
2. what size is your viv?
3. how hot is your basking area?
4. how cold is your cool area?
5. what are you using to measure the temps?
6. what salad are you feeding?
7. what protein are you feeding?
8. how often do you bathe him?
9. when was the last time he pooped?
10. what substrate are you using?

 

[Harley D]

Thank you for your quick responces, please see below for answers and pics.

1. what uvb are you using F15T8 120 volt
2. what size is your viv? this is all new....what is this
3. how hot is your basking area? 21
4. how cold is your cool area? 19
5. what are you using to measure the temps? thermometer bought at the pet store
6. what salad are you feeding? just dandoline greens
7. what protein are you feeding? crickets
8. how often do you bathe him? once a week
9. when was the last time he pooped? last night
10. what substrate are you using? sorry again what is this?

 

[Harley D]

His viv is a 35 gallon, I am a bit uneducated...but thier is hope

 

[beardielover]

no worries. and o m g - what a cutie. there is a lot to take in....i get caught up in the slang. btw...it does look like he is ready to shed. however, there are a couple of things i'd like to follow up on. see below in red.

Thank you for your quick responces, please see below for answers and pics.

1. what uvb are you using F15T8 120 volt hmm...i'm not familiar with this light. who is the manufacturer? personally, i'm a big fan of the reptisun 10.0 florescent bulb. it is the entire length of the viv and is the only bulb on the market that projects the rays the farthest.
2. what size is your viv? this is all new....what is this
3. how hot is your basking area? 21 is this celcius? if so, these temps are a bit off. a bearded dragon under 1 year should have a basking area temp of 40 celcius and 29 celcius on the cool side. night temps can reach 18 celcius
4. how cold is your cool area? 19
5. what are you using to measure the temps? thermometer bought at the pet storeis it a digital probe thermometer
6. what salad are you feeding? just dandoline greens you may want to consider offering a variety of greens and veggies. since they like the veggies the best and aren't too crazy about their greens, i pile the veggies in a mound and ten put the greens on top.
7. what protein are you feeding? crickets how many crickets is he eating per day?
8. how often do you bathe him? once a week you may want to consider bathing him 2-3 times a week when they are that young.
9. when was the last time he pooped? last night
10. what substrate are you using? sorry again what is this? substrate is the flooring for your beardie. it looks like you have sand. i'm not trying to pick on you here. sand is a very controversial topic with beardies. some don't like it at all. i use sand, but did not start using it until gertrude was 1 year old. i used reptile carpet prior to 1 year. it is said that they can eat the sand while chasing crickets. this could lead to impaction.

 

[renich]

From your pics, it looks like Harly is getting ready to shed. However, Beardielover brought up some good points. I'm curious to your answers to her second layer of questions.

I know all of this is new and can be overwhelming, but once you get the basics down, you'll be a pro in no time!

 

[Harley D]

Thank you all !! We are all new at some point in all things, I just want to make sure we are doing this all right.....this is not just a phase...we are in this for the long haul....I am also looking at a vet in my area for a check up. Please see below for answers and feel free to correct me on anything as I would rather be safe then sorry.


1. what uvb are you using F15T8 120 volt hmm...i'm not familiar with this light. who is the manufacturer? personally, i'm a big fan of the reptisun 10.0 florescent bulb. it is the entire length of the viv and is the only bulb on the market that projects the rays the farthest. THE MAKE IS ECHO TARA, THOUGH I AM IN THE PROCESS OF PURCHASING NEW STUFF AS THIS ALL CAME WITH HARLY.2. what size is your viv? this is all new....what is this
3. how hot is your basking area? 21 is this celcius? if so, these temps are a bit off. a bearded dragon under 1 year should have a basking area temp of 40 celcius and 29 celcius on the cool side. night temps can reach 18 celcius I HAVE SET UP THE HEAT LAMP ON HIS LOG...SO THIS WILL BE THE BASKING AREA..RIGHT....AND IT NOW READS 39
4. how cold is your cool area? 19
5. what are you using to measure the temps? thermometer bought at the pet storeis it a digital probe thermometer YES IT IS
6. what salad are you feeding? just dandoline greens you may want to consider offering a variety of greens and veggies. since they like the veggies the best and aren't too crazy about their greens, i pile the veggies in a mound and ten put the greens on top. HARLYS DIET CONSISTS OF BLUEBERRIES, BANANAS, APPLES, CARROTS (2 DAYS A WEEK) RASBERRIES, HE LOVES THIS ALL AND NEVER LEAVES HIS DISH FULL IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD BE ADDING TO THIS LIST ??
7. what protein are you feeding? crickets how many crickets is he eating per day? 14 TO 20
8. how often do you bathe him? once a week you may want to consider bathing him 2-3 times a week when they are that young. DONE
9. when was the last time he pooped? last night
10. what substrate are you using? sorry again what is this? substrate is the flooring for your beardie. it looks like you have sand. i'm not trying to pick on you here. sand is a very controversial topic with beardies. some don't like it at all. i use sand, but did not start using it until gertrude was 1 year old. i used reptile carpet prior to 1 year. it is said that they can eat the sand while chasing crickets. this could lead to impaction. AS HARLY IS OVER A YEAR WE BOUGHT THE SAND WITH CALCIUM, THE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD HIM IN BLUE SAND....AND THE DYE ACTUALLY WENT INTO HIS SKIN, I AM HOPING THIS DISAPPEARS IN TIME...I THINK THEY LET IT GO TO LONG BEFORE CHANGING...HENCE THE REASON I DO NOT THINK HE WAS TAKEN CARE OF.

 

[renich]

Hi, there. Thanks for answering. It is very encouraging how seriously you are taking Harley's care. It looks like you are on the right track. Couple of comments:

1. what uvb are you using F15T8 120 volt hmm...i'm not familiar with this light. who is the manufacturer? personally, i'm a big fan of the reptisun 10.0 florescent bulb. it is the entire length of the viv and is the only bulb on the market that projects the rays the farthest. THE MAKE IS ECHO TARA, THOUGH I AM IN THE PROCESS OF PURCHASING NEW STUFF AS THIS ALL CAME WITH HARLY. I'm not familiar with this bulb. I also recommend the Repti-sun 10.0. It is believed to be the best one on the market and is especially for bearded dragons. Proper UVB is essential to these guys digestive process.
2. what size is your viv? this is all new....what is this
3. how hot is your basking area? 21 is this celcius? if so, these temps are a bit off. a bearded dragon under 1 year should have a basking area temp of 40 celcius and 29 celcius on the cool side. night temps can reach 18 celcius I HAVE SET UP THE HEAT LAMP ON HIS LOG...SO THIS WILL BE THE BASKING AREA..RIGHT....AND IT NOW READS 39
4. how cold is your cool area? 19
5. what are you using to measure the temps? thermometer bought at the pet storeis it a digital probe thermometer YES IT IS
6. what salad are you feeding? just dandoline greens you may want to consider offering a variety of greens and veggies. since they like the veggies the best and aren't too crazy about their greens, i pile the veggies in a mound and ten put the greens on top. HARLYS DIET CONSISTS OF BLUEBERRIES, BANANAS, APPLES, CARROTS (2 DAYS A WEEK) RASBERRIES, HE LOVES THIS ALL AND NEVER LEAVES HIS DISH FULL IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD BE ADDING TO THIS LIST ?? hmm...fruits should be offered as a special treat. I would add more veggies and more greens. Other veggies would be green beans, squash, zuccini, sweet potato, peppers, red cabbage. Greens would be collard greens, broccoli leaves, carrot tops, dandelions. All food for beardies under one year old should be no larger than the space between his/her eyes.
7. what protein are you feeding? crickets how many crickets is he eating per day? 14 TO 20 That's good. You'll see that he will start to slow down as he gets older. Offer salad daily and crickets will decrease to about every other day.
8. how often do you bathe him? once a week you may want to consider bathing him 2-3 times a week when they are that young. DONE
9. when was the last time he pooped? last night
10. what substrate are you using? sorry again what is this? substrate is the flooring for your beardie. it looks like you have sand. i'm not trying to pick on you here. sand is a very controversial topic with beardies. some don't like it at all. i use sand, but did not start using it until gertrude was 1 year old. i used reptile carpet prior to 1 year. it is said that they can eat the sand while chasing crickets. this could lead to impaction. AS HARLY IS OVER A YEAR WE BOUGHT THE SAND WITH CALCIUM, THE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD HIM IN BLUE SAND....AND THE DYE ACTUALLY WENT INTO HIS SKIN, I AM HOPING THIS DISAPPEARS IN TIME...I THINK THEY LET IT GO TO LONG BEFORE CHANGING...HENCE THE REASON I DO NOT THINK HE WAS TAKEN CARE OF. Oh my. Blue sand???? I'm surprised he has lasted that long. Just be careful with the sand. I used that sand once. We sifted it twice and were amazed with the pieces of glass we found in it.

 

[Harley D]

After I saw what the blue sand did to him I will never use it.

I do not believe that Harly has been introduced to the veggies listed, what is the best way to get him started ?? as he has been eating what I listed....and we will start getting him on the right track !!

We went out tonight and bought his new UV bulb, 10.0 and we can already see the differnce just in light itself.

Again thanks for all your help...as I did tons of research and still more to go !

Take Care
Laurie

 

[renich]

Good for you in getting a good uvb bulb! It is so refreshing to see an owner take their beardie's care seriously, ;D

As far as the veggies, it is said that it is best to introduce a variety of them. It is recommended to dice up the veggies, put them in a mound. Then chop up the greens and arrange them on top of the veggies. Reason being, beardies like the veggies better than the greens. But the greens are an essential part of their diet. I would just put the salad in his viv daily. Some days he'll eat great and other days he won't. Our herp vet told us that if they are hungry, they'll eat. And to remember that they are dessert animals. So, they may go through periods of not eating and then pick up. I wish I could tell you a pattern to watch for, but I don't know of one.

Also, I forgot to mention earlier, there is a web site to find a herp vet in your area.

www.herpvetconnection.com

We found ours through this site. It's pretty comprehensive.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[brasshandle]

hi,laurie,harley is so cute ,take the advice on this forum and try not to worry to much. are dragon marley is now 1 year old and we are still learning new things about him and we still worry if were doing things right,all opions differ and it blow your mind if you listen to them all.take the advice on this forum as it helped me when i was worried but soon youl know your own dragons needs,it comes with time.there hardy little felles and soon youl be giving advice although you never stop worrying,enjoy harley d ,love brasshandle

 

[BeardedBob]

Absolutely!!! I second brasshandle. Keep in mind they have been domesticated less than 10 years. When I first bought my beardie they were said to have a life expectancy of 5-7 years, now they say 10 years easy for a healthy bearded dragon.

There were so many time at the beginning we would read and then go out and get him that type of food or whatever, then read the next day there is no way to ever give him that food. Ahhh, parenthood!