Running around enclosure

[Kevin and Emily]

Hello there, before I start… I’ve read a lot of the other related threads to this topic and have tried the results from those but haven’t been able to help my dragon.

I have a approximately 6 month old female. She’s in a 4x2x2 zen and the last 3 days she’s been acting like a wild thing. She’s just been basking for 5 minutes, running around her enclosure, jumping off her cork, bonking the glass, surfing for a second on the back and side walls, then back to bask and repeat. Nothing has changed in the enclosure as far as decor. She does not have black beard and seems to prefer being held (even more than usual). She is still eating veggies in the morning and nips off a cricket if it comes to close but doesn’t seem to have any interest in hunting them down. I replaced her 24” 10.0 T5 and checked her temps (ambient about 80- hot bask about 116- mid bask about 98). I don’t see any bumps in her stomach indicating eggs. Her stool looks good, no excessive foul odor.

Any ideas on what other variables I can try to help her settle? Thank you!

 

[Sadie]

Hello there, before I start… I’ve read a lot of the other related threads to this topic and have tried the results from those but haven’t been able to help my dragon.

I have a approximately 6 month old female. She’s in a 4x2x2 zen and the last 3 days she’s been acting like a wild thing. She’s just been basking for 5 minutes, running around her enclosure, jumping off her cork, bonking the glass, surfing for a second on the back and side walls, then back to bask and repeat. Nothing has changed in the enclosure as far as decor. She does not have black beard and seems to prefer being held (even more than usual). She is still eating veggies in the morning and nips off a cricket if it comes to close but doesn’t seem to have any interest in hunting them down. I replaced her 24” 10.0 T5 and checked her temps (ambient about 80- hot bask about 116- mid bask about 98). I don’t see any bumps in her stomach indicating eggs. Her stool looks good, no excessive foul odor.

Any ideas on what other variables I can try to help her settle? Thank you!

How are you getting your temps? The 116 is way too hot -- for a adult/ juvenile dragon they like temps 95-100 taken w/a digital probe thermometer and those would be surface temps- ambient temps should be in the 90's and on the cool side 80'd during the day --are you leaving crickets in the tank overnight- please get them out if you are they will come out at night and bite the dragon and they can cause infection -
she could be having spring fever w/ all the movement shes doing but I would work on the surface basking temps and the 98 ambient as well - this could be the cause for all the activity shes doing - if getting those down and shes still doing the glass surfing etc then I would say its spring fever - have you taken her out for a few hours of the day and then after putting her back in does she still do the same behavior ? 6 months old is a little young to be gravid as well

 

[Kevin and Emily]

Thank you for the response. I’ll adjust the temps to see if that works. I’m taking ambient with a digital probe and the surface temps with a Milwaukee heat gun. Everywhere you look in the depths of the internet there is different opinions on appropriate temps. But no, crickets never stay in over night and typically they don’t last more than 60 seconds in the enclosure. But we’ve been taking her out for a while in the afternoon. She has a ramp that we put up to her enclosure so she kinda tells us when it’s time to go home.

 

[Sadie]

Thank you for the response. I’ll adjust the temps to see if that works. I’m taking ambient with a digital probe and the surface temps with a Milwaukee heat gun. Everywhere you look in the depths of the internet there is different opinions on appropriate temps. But no, crickets never stay in over night and typically they don’t last more than 60 seconds in the enclosure. But we’ve been taking her out for a while in the afternoon. She has a ramp that we put up to her enclosure so she kinda tells us when it’s time to go home.

Ok well try the temps --- the digital is the most accurate way for temps -- IR guns are good but sometimes they cant read off of certain materials like hammocks for one - but try getting the temps down and see what she does - we can start there and see if the behavior improves - I know my guy does the same behavior this time of year and hes in the same tank a Zen - running the tank etc - get him out for 2 hrs and after that hes fine - he is like this for a month or so then he calms down -

 

[Kevin and Emily]

Ok well try the temps --- the digital is the most accurate way for temps -- IR guns are good but sometimes they cant read off of certain materials like hammocks for one - but try getting the temps down and see what she does - we can start there and see if the behavior improves - I know my guy does the same behavior this time of year and hes in the same tank a Zen - running the tank etc - get him out for 2 hrs and after that hes fine - he is like this for a month or so then he calms down -

I had 150w spot over the cork before and I swapped it out for a 100w so I’ll let you know where that gets me. And I’ll let work on the ambient. Thanks again