Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi last night my beardie did not bask under his nocturnal basking light any all he did was lay in the sand at the coolest part of his cage and this morning i looked at him and his head and front leags are all pale does my beardie have medical problems ???? what is wrong with him why is he so pale

nocturnal basking light? why are you using that? bearded dragons are not nocturnal. Get rid of that and use a regular household bulb for a basking light, just make sure it has a high enough wattage to bring the basking temperature between 95F - 115F, use the higher end for babies. Bearded dragons should also have a UVB light as well for they need UVB to process calcium in their bodies.

The lights should be on between 12-14 hours a day, off at night. Unless your home drops below 68F you don't need a source of heat at night. Daytime temps should be around 80F in the cool side of the tank, basking temp as indicated above.

Once you meet the proper lighting needs of your dragon, he should perk up more. However if he continies to just lay around then take him to a vet and a fecal for testing.

>>hi last night my beardie did not bask under his nocturnal basking light any all he did was lay in the sand at the coolest part of his cage and this morning i looked at him and his head and front leags are all pale does my beardie have medical problems ???? what is wrong with him why is he so pale

he shouldn't have a night time basking light. For healthy dragons a temperature drop I think is actually beneficial. That's probably why he wasn't up there. Has this been normal behavior? How long have you had him?

Pale? Sounds like you haven't had much beardie experience. If head and front legs look pale he may be starting to shed.

Provide the following info so we can get a good idea of what may be going on.

Temperarure, both ambient and basking spot. Day and night. What type of measuring device are you using to take the temp?

Age and lenght of beardie.

Lighting. All including source of UVB (Include brand name).

Size of your enclosure.

Complete Diet, supplements and frequency of each.

I think that's about it but maybe I forgot something. Please be as detailed as you can so we can make sure this guy's happy and healthy.
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Rob

how old is he? This time of year brumation is a normal occurance. check out the link. Beardies change color to get more heat or to cool down. When in doubt step one is do a fecal.
Link

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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com