How Do I Help My New Beardie Feel Secure?

[Dlawrence216]

Hello everyone. I'm a brand new to the beardie companion game. I'm a little concerned about his behavior. He is a 6 month old bearded dragon that I purchased at a local pet shop. He has only been home for two days, but he hasn't eaten hardly anything. The first day home was uneventful. He picked out his favorite spot in his hammock and basked for the majority of the day. He let me hold him and sat on my shoulder without any signs of hostility. Today he started scrabbling at the glass of his tank and running around. I went to pick him up so that he wouldn't be surrounded by his reflection. (He felt warmer than normal, but has since regulated) He puffed all up and ran into a hide, then hissed at me. I let him be for a while, then picked him up and tried to feed him (to no avail). I bought some background paper for his tank, but the reflections are still visible. Any ideas on where I can improve?

 

[Eavlynn]

Welcome to the forum/family, and congratulations on your new little man

I put my black paper on the inside of my little beardie's enclosure to eliminate the reflection issue. I'd try that and see if it seems to help him relax. He's also adjusting to a new home, which can be stressful by itself. If you can eliminate his ability to see his reflection, and give him a bit longer to get acquainted with his new surroundings, I think he'll be a happy baby again before you know it.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Canicke]

Hi there. They can sometimes take a couple of weeks to adjust. paper on the inside is a good idea. I wouldn't stress for a few days - just let him be and settle in a bit. maybe after the weekend you can start on getting him out a bit. things you can try include: wear a scarf around your neck to get your smell on it (no perfume or cologne, please) then put that in his tank where he likes to bask so he gets used to your smell, try picking him up at the end of the day when he's tired and getting ready to go to sleep (instead of first thing in the morning !) what are you trying to feed? a 6 month old probably wont eat greens. he might - chop em up and offer them. he'll more likely be interested in protein - bugs. crickets, small dubia (or other roaches, depending on where you live) are good. what are his temps? can you get us a pic of the viv? how about other animals outside the viv? or other noise? under my signature are some links for newbies (and refreshers for us oldies) with some awesome information put together by a couple of our members. take a look through these, please. take a breath, relax, get through the weekend. this is a journey - enjoy the ride

 

[RaeAnn]

I agree with the above post. Try any sort of 3 sided background and give him time to settle in. Relocation stress is very common and can take a few weeks or more for them to adjust


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dlawrence216]

This is my baby, his habitat, and the temperature of each side of his tank. There is a lot of noise here because I have two small children. I have two cats, but they are not interested in him in the least. Thank you for all the advice! Sorry for the doubles of the pics. Didn't really know how to upload them properly. Also, I give him crickets and these pellet type things that say they're for juvenille beardies. I've tried the papaya stuff too.

 

[Eavlynn]

He's such a handsome little dude!

Scrap the pellet food, it's just processed junk. Your little guy should be on insects primarily: crickets are okay, dubia roaches are fantastic, and silkworms and BSFL are good feeders as well.

Also, keep a close eye on his tail where it was nipped. The discoloration is a little concerning, and if it spreads he'll need a vet appointment asap.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Noella]

Hi, welcome the forum. What a handsome little guy you have there. Don't rely on those thermometers. They're not accurate. They just read surface temps. I don't know if anyone said anything yet about them. The thermometer to get is an infrared or a digital probe thermometer that you can find on petmountain.com. (They are having their sale on reptile items.)

 

[Dlawrence216]

His stress marks seem to be lightning fairly well, but he still doesn't seem to be eating much. I've tried holding a cricket in front of him, but he won't eat it. I'm not quite sure what other methods to try. When should I really start to be concerned about him not eating?

 

[Eavlynn]

You could try letting him hunt them by himself. Sometimes movement grabs their attention and gets them eating.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Hdrydr31]

Hang in there they won't starve themselves just make sure your temps are good and your UVB lighting is good. If you haven't already take a look at the link below a few of our comments as we have put together info for new comers that covers just about everything you could need. Just remember to take any crickets out at night as they can nibble on a sleeping dragon.