Question about my new beardie

[JUNGLE JIM]

I think they get darker to absorb more heat and as they warm they lighten up. I'd get the heat gun soon to get a temp of his basking site once the light has been on for an hour or so. If it isn't over 100 then you will need a higher watt bulb. Once they get warmed up you will see a big difference in their activity. I didn't see anything about the size of the tank as this could make a difference as to how much wattage you need for him/her. When I increased the bulb from 75 to 100 watts on one enclosure after getting a heat gun and seeing the basking site go from 95 to 106 it made a huge difference in activity. Today I started unboxing 1000 crickets and Spike came flying off the perch and was doing a dance watching the crickets and once I dusted some and dropped some in it was game on. I quit counting at 15 crickets in less than 5 minutes because I had to feed Archer. Dusting food items is critical when they are young and growing along with proper lighting. These little ones really grow on you and you want the best for them.

 

[eskayex]

Wow that's alot. My little guy (Porunga) chased his crickets for the first time since he'said been home so his level of activity is slowly increasing. Today is his fifth day here. He's in a 20 gallon enclosure.

Would you say the tip of there tail getting slightly darker a sign of shedding?

 

[JUNGLE JIM]

Usually parts of the body like the tail will lighten up before they shed. If the tip is slightly darker he may be starting to shed and it started with the tip of the tail. One of mine is going through it now. I noticed her rubbing her mouth on her basking branch a couple days ago and last night skin started coming off around her mouth. This afternoon I noticed shed skin in her tank. Beardies don't shed their entire skin at once like some reptiles, maybe even over a period of days. That's why baths are important to loosen up certain spots. I could see little skin flakes floating in the water after the last bath.

 

[JUNGLE JIM]

You probably need a 75-100 watt bulb for a 20 gallon tank. I have 100's in both of mine. Down the road when he get's bigger you will need a larger tank, at least a 40 gallon or larger preferably.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Wow that's alot. My little guy (Porunga) chased his crickets for the first time since he'said been home so his level of activity is slowly increasing. Today is his fifth day here. He's in a 20 gallon enclosure.

Would you say the tip of there tail getting slightly darker a sign of shedding?

It's normal for the tip of the tail to get darker when they are super alert or in a dominance situation. When in a shed it will get dull then grey whitish the closer it gets to shedding.

 

[eskayex]

Alright, great. Another question is could I add red/green bell peppers to his diet with him being such a young dragon?

 

[BrookeE]

"Stress marks" can just be due to him trying to get used to his new environment. Huge Tip: Natural sunlight is a huge fix-all for these little guys. I swear it can fix almost anything. If theres any way you could safely take him outside for some natural sunlight he may pick up some energy and be more willing to run around and hunt those crickets.

I went out and found this tall mesh laundry basket for my beardie when she was a baby and sat outside to make sure she didn't climb out. Really effective way to keep their health up safely as babies. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Hdrydr31]

"Stress marks" can just be due to him trying to get used to his new environment. Huge Tip: Natural sunlight is a huge fix-all for these little guys. I swear it can fix almost anything. If theres any way you could safely take him outside for some natural sunlight he may pick up some energy and be more willing to run around and hunt those crickets.

I went out and found this tall mesh laundry basket for my beardie when she was a baby and sat outside to make sure she didn't climb out. Really effective way to keep their health up safely as babies. Welcome to the forum!

I found and bought 2 picnic tent fly keeper mesh deals from Walgreens it is all zippered and works GREAT for getting my 2 out in the sun and to give them some shady part I just drape a towel over them on 1 side.

 

[eskayex]

"Stress marks" can just be due to him trying to get used to his new environment. Huge Tip: Natural sunlight is a huge fix-all for these little guys. I swear it can fix almost anything. If theres any way you could safely take him outside for some natural sunlight he may pick up some energy and be more willing to run around and hunt those crickets.

I went out and found this tall mesh laundry basket for my beardie when she was a baby and sat outside to make sure she didn't climb out. Really effective way to keep their health up safely as babies. Welcome to the forum!

Thanks! He took his first trip outside today. The hits directly were I live..beaming heat. His entire body went from a colorful orange, cream, yellow to all dark tones. He was sitting on my knee then crawled to my shoulder and was fine compared to him taking deep breathes after a bath lol. I think the sun really helped.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thanks! He took his first trip outside today. The hits directly were I live..beaming heat. His entire body went from a colorful orange, cream, yellow to all dark tones. He was sitting on my knee then crawled to my shoulder and was fine compared to him taking deep breathes after a bath lol. I think the sun really helped.

Glad to hear this, yes all natural sun time is great for them!! 1 hr = 8 hr under the lamps..just be careful if you have them outside in an enclosure they can overheat so look for stress and provide a shady spot, you can offer water...
I would advise you to get a harness if you haven't..

 

[eskayex]

New question about Porunga (my beardie). He just regurgitated 3 of 8 wax worms he ate yesterday morning. He's Been under his lights the whole day (yesterday) after eating them to get the digestive flow going. Does anyone know what could be wrong?

 

[BrookeE]

Well thats not good. Usually they throw up if they've eaten too much and can't hold it, but it doesn't sound like this is the case. I would say its probably due to impaction. When is the last time he has had a bowel movement?

 

[eskayex]

He had three yesterday and had one instantly after he spit them up. I got on here seconds after this all happened.

 

[eskayex]

Well thats not good. Usually they throw up if they've eaten too much and can't hold it, but it doesn't sound like this is the case. I would say its probably due to impaction. When is the last time he has had a bowel movement?

He had three yesterday and had one instantly after he spit them up. I got on here seconds after this all happened

 

[BrookeE]

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps he needs to drink some water, or his body just wanted something else. Will he eat vegetables?

 

[eskayex]

Yea, He eats kale everyday. He was real thirsty this morning.

 

[BrookeE]

Doesn't sound like something to panic about just yet. If i were you, id just keep doing what you're doing. Maybe his system is out of balance and is just trying to correct itself. As i always say, if theres any way to get him outside for some natural sunlight, that always seems to help get them back on track. Hopefully someone who's had this happen will come along and have some good advice. Hang in there Porunga!

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yea, He eats kale everyday. He was real thirsty this morning.

I would offer some other dark leafy greens like collards, mustard, turnip, dandelion greens but not just kale it can be kinda hard on them when fed by itself.

 

[PatsyB]

Kale binds to calcium so feeding kale as an every day staple is not a good idea. It is okay to mix with other dark leafy greens though.

Throwing up is usually caused from eating too much too fast or the temps not being high enough to digest. Wax worms are like candy to bearded dragons and high in fat so they should only be fed as a treat.

 

[eskayex]

Ithe turned out to be calcium deficiency. I got calcium drops for food and water. Could I add the drops to his spray bottle?