i have 2 bearded dragons 1 male 1 female, i have just got them from a friend who cannot look after them anymore,they are 6 month old.
i feed them meal worm and crickets. also i feed them veg and fruit daily,
the problem i have is the male has suddenly lost all his markings and gone very pale, his head is almost white and his body is very light brown,
i have just changed the tank to a bigger tank and changed all the sand and rocks in the enclosure. the temp is a steady 86 deg and humidity is @ 46 to 52 variance. i have'nt fixed in a basking lamp as yet but with the temp as it is will i need it??
is there anything i am doing wrong here, the female has not lost any of her colour. i have read books on beardies but have not come across this problem. i am new to this and not quite sure what to do so any advice would be grateful and possible life saving for the dragon, thanks in advance to all who help.
2006-11-28 21:53:26 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
yah maybe i think so!!
2006-11-28 21:56:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are two ideas i have:1. color-morph 2. health
1. Beardies come in many different "color-morphs". That means that they are bread to produce a specific color not normally found in nature. Examples are: white, white goliath, red, fire-orange, blue, etc. instead of being the typical sand-brownish.
Beardies will "come into their color", if they are a product of a color-morph, around 6 months old. UV light and natural sunlight will exentuate the color.
Do you have a way of knowing what the parents of the beardie looked like? If one or both had colors other than the sandy-brown, this beardie may also be a color-morph. In this case, the color change is perfectly normal.
2. How is the demeaner of the beardie? Is it still eating ok? Is it unusually lethargic? If its behavior/eating has also changed, your beardie could be ill and I would suggest taking it to a reptile specialist vet. A regular vet will not be of help and probably won't even take it in.
2006-12-01 10:33:01 · answer #2 · answered by zkiwi2004 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it indeed happened "all of a sudden" it could be that he is in ecdysis (molting or shedding)....other than that....I've never heard of such a thing and I'm a beardie breeder.
Also, a basking spot is very important for diurnal lizards...beardies can bask in temps of 110 °F. A normal incadescent bulb would do fine...wattage depends on the size of the cage...be careful, don't want to bake them now. You also need a UVA/UVB flourescent light aswell.
Good luck and remember to stay in tune with your beardies behavior....they can tell you alot just by observing them.
2006-11-28 22:33:28 · answer #3 · answered by Stewie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, nothing is wrong at all. this is actually perfectly normal and even good in your situation. your bearded dragon is shedding. it is good that it is all coming off in one piece because when it flakes off, there is not enough humidity. just lessen down on the food when they're in the middle of shedding because opening their mouth too far will stretch the skin and cause it to crack prematurely.
-a reptile owner
(if he doesn't feel dry or flaky to the touch something may be wrong)
2006-11-28 22:03:24 · answer #4 · answered by lapinx5j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm thinking he's uncomfortable with the change and needs to take a while to get used to his new surroundings. Keep up with your routine! There is a lot of helpful websites out there too. You are awesome for taking these creatures in- they are lucky to have you!
2006-11-28 22:06:13 · answer #5 · answered by Briana 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hes going to shed you need to mist with water every day as they dont drink from bowls and become dehydrated easily. and yes you need a basking uvb/uva light and dust the crickets with calcium dust
2006-11-29 11:56:09 · answer #6 · answered by cameron b 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi, Find a vet. doc immediately.
That will save their lives if anything is wrong.
Hope this will wake you up.
2006-11-28 22:03:05 · answer #7 · answered by aniruddha 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋