Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am new to the bearded dragon world. Just got my first one about a week and half ago. He is a Snow/Leucistic adult and he was doing fine, or so I thought. He has pretty much stopped eating for me, last time he ate for me was yesterday morning and today he has turned his beard a blackish blue looking color. I was questioning whether it could be him wanting to mate or if he is putting himself in winter shutdown but none of the books I have told me anything about his beard changing colors.

Any help or advice on these guys would be great.

I wouldn't panic. Males darken their beards all the time for any number of reasons often only known to them. Also one day without food is not a big deal either. I'd keep an eye on him and post any updates.

Unless the animal is going through its first winter in adulthood, its unlikely to going through brumation response. Give us some information on size, weight, age, feeding habits!

I have 4 dragons hatched this past August that are brumating now. Dragons brumate if they want. There really is no time schedule or age when it starts. 4 others hatched in August are not brumating. So I guess it's a 50-50 chance.

Animals don't have any free will, even if they display some individual tendencies. All the breeders I've talked to say its atypical before the first year. I would examine your husbandry for any subtle differences in light/heat including ambient background effects, which might account for it. If you have seen it in juvenules before, on average what percentage? Are the cage setup's exactly the same? Are they kept in the same room? What is the exact age of those that display the behavior before adulthood?

Thanks for the input.

He started eating and basking again today. I am not sure what his deal was or I just freaked out for no reason. When I got him in he appeared rather skinny to me so when he stopped eating I worried that something may have been wrong with him. Like I said this is new to me and obviously I have lots to learn.

Any good books you would recommend? I have An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet and The Bearded Dragon Manual.

Thanks again,
Heather

One of our Girls...

The Steve Grenard books are garbage. His information is just plain wrong. I find it hard to believe he ever owned a dragon. I am not sure if he is the author of the one book you mentioned. Bob Maillox (forgive my spelling) is very knowlegable and has been around for a long time.

Please don't take this as an attack.

Webster's defines "free will" in one word "voluntary". Not having free will would be involuntary like paople breathing or their hearts beating. No free will would make them like plants or an end table.

It doesn't take much to be a breeder of bearded dragons. School kids do it. I have breeder friends that I respect but the vast majority treat animals as a commodity. These types of breeder never take the time to really understand and enjoy the animals they are working with. That is why I have never and never will take even one dollar for any dragon. Those breeders prescibe to your idea that they have no free will and therefore their lives and comfort are unimportant.

Today there are 17 dragons here. They are all my pets. I spend every waking hour that I am not working observing, interacting and caring for them. My boss at work calls it my passion and he is right. They have free will, they have personalities, and they have friends and relationships. Contrary to popular belief, males can get along with other males. But not all dragons get along with each other regardless of sex. Hmmm. Kinda sounds like people. lol.

Anyway, as I stated I have 8 babies hatched between 8/5/07 and 8/8/07. 4 are currently brumating. The smallest weighed 176 when his brumation started. He is the lightest dragon I have ever had brumate. 3 are housed in enclosures with another dragon of the same age so the conditions are identical. Regardless, my cages are all of the same design. All my temps are regulated at the same temp. all year by individual Helix Thermostats. I never change from a 14 day/10 night. I humidify my dragon room from December to April to account for the lower humidity in the winter.

I rarely post this type of information. Many far less experienced "experts" will dispute my methods and observations. Others will take it as gospel and figure that a sick 173 gram dragon is brumating when it is not. Also keep in mind that my husbandry is so exacting that dragons here grow at what can only be called a phenominal rate. I hatched a dragon 8/8/07 and he is 20 1/2" long and about 475 grams. Many would say he is an adult at that size, but he is not even 5 months old. He has exceeded both of his parents in length and will shortly exceed his fathers weight.

Given the choice, I would never allow my animals to brumate. They make the choice I am powerless to stop them and believe me I've tried.