Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all. I have a quick question. I've had a juvie BD for a few weeks now (He's about 5 or 6 mo. old, about 9"or 10" long TL). I've noticed something rather peculiar about this BD though......I think he's more active towards night time than any other times of the day. I have his UVA-B light and basking spotlight (60-Watt)hooked up to a timer where it all comes on at about 8 a.m. and will stay on until about 9 p.m. That's about 13 hours. Well, when it comes on in the morning, I feed him mealworms in his dish and I supply salad, crix, etc throughout the day.....I keep him well fed, but I've noticed that he doesn't get his appetite until about 7 p.m. (about 2 hours before his lights go out). He keeps eating even until his lights go out and there is usually no mealworms or crix in his cage the next morning when I check on him to feed him......I'm suspecting that this guy is more nocturnal than diurnal......what's up with that???

I've always read that BD's are diurnal but maybe there are some exceptions.....there's nothing wrong with this BD health-wise....he's shed twice in the 2 weeks or so that I've had him and he's staying plumpy! I was just wondering if anyone knows of any other BD's that prefer evening hours or nightfall to feed. Is it because he's shy??? He's a little skiddish and hasn't fully adapted to me handling him.....maybe thats it???
Thanks for your replies!

tool_u2@yahoo.com

it's always a good idea to check with the place you got him from (preferably a breeder) to see how he was raised. With several hundred Beardies here, we don't have any that are nocturnal. their lights are on from sunup to sundown here. We also never feed the last 2 hours of light. they need time for their food to digest before they go so sleep. Even though in the wild Beardies have been seen hunting at dusk to avoid the heat, we prefer to err on the side of caution and not let them sleep with undigested food that could lead to impaction.
-----
Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

>>Hi all. I have a quick question. I've had a juvie BD for a few weeks now (He's about 5 or 6 mo. old, about 9"or 10" long TL). I've noticed something rather peculiar about this BD though......I think he's more active towards night time than any other times of the day. I have his UVA-B light and basking spotlight (60-Watt)hooked up to a timer where it all comes on at about 8 a.m. and will stay on until about 9 p.m. That's about 13 hours. Well, when it comes on in the morning, I feed him mealworms in his dish and I supply salad, crix, etc throughout the day.....I keep him well fed, but I've noticed that he doesn't get his appetite until about 7 p.m. (about 2 hours before his lights go out). He keeps eating even until his lights go out and there is usually no mealworms or crix in his cage the next morning when I check on him to feed him......I'm suspecting that this guy is more nocturnal than diurnal......what's up with that???
>>
>>I've always read that BD's are diurnal but maybe there are some exceptions.....there's nothing wrong with this BD health-wise....he's shed twice in the 2 weeks or so that I've had him and he's staying plumpy! I was just wondering if anyone knows of any other BD's that prefer evening hours or nightfall to feed. Is it because he's shy??? He's a little skiddish and hasn't fully adapted to me handling him.....maybe thats it???
>>Thanks for your replies!
>>
>>tool_u2@yahoo.com

He's too small for mealies because they are very hard for him to digest. I think what's happening is he may eat one or two in the am then they may be taking a toll on his system most of the day. When his poor digestive system is finally done trying to digest all that chitin and get rid of all the fat mealies contain it's the end of the day.

Stop the mealies, check your temps are 105-115 at the basking spot with a digital thermometer (the round dial types are horribly inaccurate), and do a little more reading. Try here:

Care Sheet 1

Care Sheet 2

I think the little guy is on a bad cycle right now but that can be reversed pretty easily. Glad you checked this out!

Good luck!!!
-----
Rob