Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I aquired this dragon about 6 months from a friend that could no longer take care of him. He was very thin and weak but made a huge come back.
Havent been on this site in a while and I must say it feels good to be back!
Hope you enjoy the photos!

Pancake is one handsome dude! Love the last pic!

He looks like a rescue I took in last fall. His legs look long because they seems to take longer to build muscle and are still pretty thin right now. Keep feeding him and give him as much activity as you can. He's a good looking boy with a big head. lol.

Well right now he’s in a 55 gal with a basking spot that reaches 95F-105F and in the opposite corner a log to hide in. An under tank heater is attached to the cool end, but since its been so hot (dang Florida weather) ive left it unplugged.

As for the feeding: fresh greens are always available and live crickets are given every other day with a few treats in between (mealworms, silk worms). I do dust both the greens and live food every other feeding, but I have yet to give him pinkies as I've heard both the pros and cons of such.

I recently changed the lighting from a dome type uvb (it burned out plus he got tall enough to reach the light and was concerned he'd burn himself) to a fluorescent 7.0 uvb. I guess you would say its about a foot high from his basking area. I did notice a slight change in behavior.

Do dragons just get lazy during the hot summer months? Or do you think it could be related to my UVB light change? Also, should I be worried about his mouth being slightly open when he sleeps at night?

Thanks for tuning in

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0.1 BCI
0.1 JCP
1.0 BRB
1.0 BD

Don't use the undertank heater. Dragons are designed to receive their heat from above. Plus the cage design should have as wide a temp. gradient as possible for thermoregulation. So you don't want to add heat to the cool side. The cool side should ideally always be below 80, 75ish is better.

Regarding dragons slowing down. I'd say yes. I have 23 adults right now and yesterday no one pooped. Breeding season is over and dragons tend to eat less and are a little less active now. Maybe just an intermediate stage before Brumation. I'd keep an eye on it though. What happens with mine is not always representative of all dragons. You just don't want to get complacent and then find out he's sick later.

I wouldn't worry too much about his mouth being a little open. Just offer water from an eyedropper if you think his mouth is dry or it is dehydrating him.

The rescue I have with the long legs I named Flash. He is the fastest dragon I ever saw. He's not as fast now after his significant weight gain. He had MBD and has an underbite so his tongue is always showing a little. It doesn't seem to bother him.

Ha ha Id love to see a picture of Flash!!

But I do feel a little better reading your response but will continue to monitor him just to be on the safe side.

Last question for ya....The night temps....
I usually crank the a/c pretty low before bed and find his tank reads 70F when I arise in the am. Im pretty sure they can handle that but prefer it in the mid 70's. What is your opinion on this?
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0.1 BCI
0.1 JCP
1.0 BRB
1.0 BD

At night cooler is better, even 65 is fine.

I'll take a picture of Flash over the weekend sometime. I got him from another rescue because and they told me he had a bone sticking out of his chest. They said it doesn't seem to bother him though. lol.

When I saw him I told them that I thought it was something sticking into his chest/shoulder and they were amazed at the thought. I brought him immediately to one of my vets at home and she pulled out a 2" long thorn. he was so luck it didn't do internal damage.

He's had kind of a tough start so he doesn't like people too much. He's never bit me but he moves for my hand like he's gonna bite but then just licks it. I let him mate one of my girls this spring and he has a little 1 month old baby.

Wow, thats pretty crazy. Its gotta feel good knowing you saved the lil guy and since introduced him to the joys of parenthood.
You're doing one heck of a job, many kudos to you and your crafty skill.
Look forward to seeing some pictures soon!! Thanks again for all the info.
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0.1 BCI
0.1 JCP
1.0 BRB
1.0 BD

The first one was what was sent to me from the rescue. The other 2 are Flash today.

Thanks for the pictures, nice to put a face with the name, but I see what you mean. That slight underbite sure does express his uniqueness.
Nurturing a rescue back to life is so rewarding and highly addicting.

Oh I love happy endings
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0.1 BCI
0.1 JCP
1.0 BRB
1.0 BD

Night time temps can drop to anywhere between 65-75F, so basically typical room temperature (69F) is perfect. I never provide heat at all after lights out for my dragons. The only time I would need to provide heat (and anybody for that matter) is if temps drop below 60F for any significant length of time.
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PHLdyPayne