Do you know what a dragons basking habits should be?
Does your dragon hide a lot of the day, and bask only at certain times?.
Many do make the association of a bearded dragon and basking all day, and seem to think this is right. When in fact, a healthy dragon should only really bask in bursts.
With a longer stint happening in the morning. This would be to aid the energising process, alongside the UVB exposure for the same reason.
If you have left a nice cool enclosure overnight (NO heat at all), you should find your dragon is up early in order to soak up that needed heat and uvb as soon as it’s turned on. Very much as their wild cousins would.
They then eat, glass surf, dig. Whatever a dragons want is
If you use overnight heat though. This can have a very negative effect on a dragon thermoregulatory process. An already warm dragon, probably won’t get up until much later to bask. Because, well, there is no point is there. The poor dragon has had no chance to thermoregulate over night due to the keeper insisting the “dragon is cold”. When in fact as low as 50f/10c would not be an issue what so ever.
Remember. It’s not a constant low temp as soon as the lights go out. It’s only probably at its lowest early hours of the morning. For a few hours. And it’s absolutely zero issues to the dragon. A warm dragon overnight in turn can mess up the digestive system. Add to laziness. Even illness.
Also. In captivity, routine is how they react to such events. So here, a plug timer is a must. On/off at the same time every single day. You can’t be having you heat and UV coming on at different times every day. This will not help matters. Same time, everyday = far less issues.
Further more with the basking; Of course they’ll have a basking session after eating. Sometimes eating greens doesn’t warrant a ‘basking to digest‘ session. But almost certainly it will happen after livefood. With another basking session later afternoon early evening.
If you dragon is basking in that main beam all day, I’d definitely look at your enrichment options;
Diet
Temperature to cool
Correct UVB and mounted correctly
Unnecessary overnight heat
Many will say “every dragon is different”, this is not really the case at all. It’s only the keepers that differ. Your dragon acts the way it does because of what you provide in your husbandry. Simple as that really. And a dragons basic evolutionary needs and actions will be present, only if the conditions provided in that setup and keepers husbandry allow such.
Much like a cat, if you put a laser pointer aimed at the ground next to your bearded dragon, they may chase it or try to eat it. This is good for mental stimulation. Bonus tip: Aim the laser on their greens and watch them accidentally eat their greens that they so stubbornly refuse to.
Skin color changes can be due to stress, illness, emotion, of an outside stimulus. Bearded dragons will often darken or turn black if they are cold or when they are outside to allow them to absorb more heat, but they will also darken if they are threatened, upset, or when they're environment changes.
This behavior, called gaping, shows that the lizard is at its optimal temperature for basking. This gaping will allow a bearded dragon to dissipate extra body heat. Since lizards don't sweat, this is an effective way for them to regulate their body temperature.
Environment: Don't - While bearded dragons are relatively docile; they can still experience stress. You never want to overstimulate your pet by handing them off to too many different people or getting them out of their habitat in a particularly busy or loud environment.
All but the simplest animals receive a stimulus—light, sound, taste, touch, or smell—through special cells called receptors, located in many places on or in the body. For example, fish have hairlike organs over much of their body, sometimes even on the tail.
Animals may respond to environmental stimuli through behaviors that include hibernation, migration, defense, and courtship. As a result of cold, winter weather (stimulus) some animals will hibernate.
Lizards having sham-sealed ducts responded more strongly to carrot stimuli than did lizards having sealed ducts; responses by the two groups of lizards to control stimuli did not differ.
What is the ideal temperature gradient for a Bearded dragon? During the day, the optimum basking area temperature for a Bearded dragon is 40-42°C (104-107°F) with the cool end sitting at around 22-25°C (71-77°F).
They should still get up at lights on, bask for an hour or so, thus energising under the heat bulb and UVB for the day ahead. After your beardie has basked in the morning, they will dig, glass-surf, climb, hide, or do their usual routine. And they should bask in burst periods throughout the day.
Simply pause as much noise as possible to give your dragon some quiet time. Try turning off the lights until your dragon is more calm (of course you wouldn't want to leave the tank like this for too long so your dragon doesn't get too cold). This works best if it is also quiet.
Beardies love their owners. They'll recognize you, look in your eyes, beg for food, and sometimes want to be held. Unlike furry friends, beardies don't need constant attention or handling. They need alone time but will miss you if you're gone for too long.
Also known as “Beardies” they are not particularly lazy pets. It's just that they are known to enjoy cuddling up with their owners while they watch TV. Yes, they're cuddly! Another reason that bearded dragons are an increasingly popular pet is because of the common (mis)conception that they are easy to take care of.
In addition to a basic hide shelter, consider installing new decorative features. Things like tunnels, climbing rocks, and diggable substrate material can make all the difference. Even having a bowl of water to investigate goes a long way. Keep your beardie active, and they can stay happy for years to come.
Moving to a new area. Loud noise, such as outside traffic, dogs, yelling, TV, music, or a crying baby. Vibrations and rumbling from loud noises can bother your dragon almost as much as the noise itself. A new pet (even a new dragon or reptile in another tank can upset your dragon).
They bask in the sun during the day to help provide them with the energy they need. Like humans, reptiles also get their daily dose of vitamin D from the sun. The central bearded dragon has a bit of an edge over other reptiles in how it uses the sun.
If you notice that your dragon is puffing out his black beard while bobbing, there may be a source of severe stress or fear for your dragon such as new decor in their tank, changing noise levels, or crickets or other live feeders left in the tank (the feeders may even be biting your dragon).
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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