# bearded dragon going dark/ hiding?



## omally0791 (Jul 8, 2012)

hi this is my first post but im looking for some advise on my dragon i have had him for around 3 weeks now hes around the 9 months mark at 12" and he seems fine so far, but over the past couple of days he seems to go into his hide alot and go really dark, but his beard stays the same just his colour fades and his skin gos alot darker than normal, when i bring him out of his cage and feed him gut filled crickets his colours are back to normal in no time and running about like normal, any advise is much appreciated and welcomed  

just incase this helps with advise my set up is red exo terra sand 10 uvb strip with a heat mat and a 50watt day light basking spot light.i have just checked the temp and its 37 at the hot side and 28 on the cooler side and recently added a medium exo terra waterfall, a saber tooth tiger scull and exo terra cactus. the tank its around a 120 gallon tank ( 4ft x2ft x2ft ) hes in the front room and a 4ft high stand so quite high off the ground. again thank you for any advise given


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Hi and welcome 

Your beardy is going dark because he's hiding away from heat and UV when he's in his hide. As he's not a young dragon I would suggest taking the hide out and seeing if that makes a difference.

Do you know how old and what make your UV is? Remember that most UV bulbs should be changed every 6 months whereas Arcadia bulbs can last up to 12 months. Unless your house gets really cold at night (i.e. lower than 18C) you don't really need the heat mat. In the wild beardies will experience extreme cold during the night so it won't harm your little guy. 

The basking spot should be 41-46C, do you have a thermostat? I would also advise to take the waterfall out (or at least don't put any water in it) as it increases the humidity. Humidity causes respiratory infections in beardies as they naturally come from an arid environment

Hope this helps


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## kaylee92x (Jul 5, 2012)

So does that mean they getting too much heat and uv? And trying to get away from it


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

No it doesn't mean that, they'll hide to feel more secure but in doing that they don't get the heat and UV that they need


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## omally0791 (Jul 8, 2012)

the uv is about a month old as i bought it myself, i do not have a thermostat but i have tryed different types of bulbs such as 75 watt 100watt etc, it seems to be alot better today i took the hide out and switched the heat matt off and he seems to be abit happier i havent seen him use his basking spot aswell :/ lol and thanks for the welcome its good to speak to people arent after a sale lol


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## thething84 (Apr 26, 2010)

As msuggested remove the hide. But make sure there is somewhere slightly shaded where your beardy can get away from uv if it wants to. Ideally they need access to the uv bulb for quite some time, as in the wild the sun is many many many times stronger than and bulb will ever create. So in order to get enough uv from a bulb he needs to be in the light for much longer.

what is the actually temperature of his basking spot. Direct surface temp. Not local air temp. As if its too hot he will not use it.


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

Hi,

As said these dragons cannot attain full coloration or energy if they are not properly energised. They obtain energy from heat and UV. If your heating isn't doing the job and the energy from light isn't at a high enough index the dragon will always be dark and listless. 

They seem to be their own worst enemy! It is predator avoidance you see, if you don't have the energy to run away, you hide away! But hiding away only reduces your exposure to energy. It is a very vicious cycle.

What type of UV lamp to you have? How far is it from lamp to animal? Do you have a reflector behind the lamp? How high is the temp in the basking zone??

What we need to do is adjust the temps, make sure it is getting a good UV index in the basking point 5 and above and remove the hide until it has obtained a good enough pattern of energy to use it's enclosure properly


I am happy to help if required!

John


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## Beowulf1976 (Nov 15, 2008)

IMHO you really should swap the red sand for a more suitable substrate..

1. Beardie's "sniff" their surroundings CONSTANTLY by licking everything, if your beardie gets too much sand in his/her digestive system, it can cause impaction, which is basically a very painful blockage, which can actually kill a beardie if it gets bad enough, however if you're really lucky it'll just be a hefty vet bill.

There are far more suitable substrates out there, but in my opinion, the best has to be tiles, like non-porous (or very low porous) ceramic kitchen or bathroom tiles. They are what most of the guys use on the beardie forum that I'm on.

I have rough slate tiles in with my beardie, the idea was to look more "natural" and to keep his nails trim, but I'm not happy with the hygiene problems they cause, such as waste getting stuck in the rough texture, so I'm swapping to linoleum as soon as I have gotten his bigger Vivarium.

2. Coloured sand can stain your Beardie, 

3. It is also quite sharp in texture so can cause sores where beardie has frequent contact with it..

However, that's just my opinion, I'm sure you have a valid and good reason to use the sand in YOUR opinion.


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## pinktoetarantula (Nov 11, 2008)

My opinion...

VGORST's advice was spot on.

I would change the 60w bulb for a higher wattage to get the basking spot temperature up and defo remove the waterfall as it will make it too humid.

Oh and substrate, I would probably use a heavier sand such as sharp sand and plenty of flat rocks to break it up. Also hate the idea of lino, so un-natural, easy to clean, but un-natural....anyway just me.

Sounds like you've taken the other advice , hope it works!


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## mattyrobo (Jul 8, 2012)

if you go on ebay you can buy a laser thermal reader which will be able to tell you how hot the basking spot it i have 1 and there great. and also you can get a uv reader which will tell you how much uv light is being given off and there around the same price


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## Beowulf1976 (Nov 15, 2008)

mattyrobo said:


> if you go on ebay you can buy a laser thermal reader which will be able to tell you how hot the basking spot it i have 1 and there great. and also you can get a uv reader which will tell you how much uv light is being given off and there around the same price


Or you can spend £2.39 on a digital fridge thermometer and rest it on the centre of the basking spot area. Much cheaper option! 

If you want the link, give me a shout


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## Beowulf1976 (Nov 15, 2008)

pinktoetarantula said:


> Also hate the idea of lino, so un-natural, easy to clean, but un-natural....anyway just me.



So, a wooden box with glass doors, a light bulb and UV tube, is natural, right?


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## pinktoetarantula (Nov 11, 2008)

Beowulf1976 said:


> So, a wooden box with glass doors, a light bulb and UV tube, is natural, right?


 
:lol2: Absolutely not, but the difference is its trying to simulate a natural environment (not the box with glass doors), their existence is already pretty crap cos they live in a box with glass doors for our pleasure. So the least we can do is try to make it as comfortable as possible and reflect their natural environment into our enclosure designs, also lino is not a stimlating material if you want to dig. Its just easy to clean and keeps the human happy cos its less work, but does nothing for your lizard!

Anyway, it was just an opinion :whistling2:


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

SAND

Builders sand is not suitable for Reptiles. Its very wet and has not been washed.
The best sand if you decide to use it is play sand from Argos / Toys are us.
Its about £5 for 25kg and its very fine,dry and clean.

I use upside down floor tiles with a generous sprinkling of play sand as this possibly replicates the hard packed clay and dusty environment Dragons come from. 

Controlling the temp is best achieved with a dimming thermostat.


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## omally0791 (Jul 8, 2012)

sorry for the late reply but thanks for all the advise! i now have taken the water fall out and got a hydrometer its getting to around 28%, and also put a 100 watt bulb in he does seem alot more happyer now and bask's alot more and also exploring up and down the tank and climbing to the top were the vents are on the background lol, hes still dark sometimes but its usually when hes sat on his log under the UV light so im wondering if hes just chilled out and taking in the UV? most the time when hes up there hes asleep/ has his eyes closed anyway, the lines always go away when i feed him aswell, so maybe he could be hungry?, i have changed the sand too just for the fact its wasnt calcium sand and wasnt to happy about that ( should of checked when i bought it ) so i changed it to komodo's calci sand, other than the dark lines on his belly he seems fine good appetite for gut loaded crickets, locust and also loves his veggie too ( fresh veg every day ) and poo's regular, if he hasnt poo'ed in two days i bath him to help him along aswell which he seems to like , would this lower the risk of impaction? as much as i would hate to have my little guy have impaction, i think it would be better for him on the sand to have him more comfy in his new home bit more expensive and more work but i dont mind in the slightest  thanks for the reply guys!








http://i1144.photobucket.com/albums/o484/omally0791/WP_000099.jpg


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## pinktoetarantula (Nov 11, 2008)

Sounds like you're doing good by your dragon.

Some of my reptiles go darker when basking, I think they absorb more heat.

Also some of my reptiles change colour slightly when feeding, not because they are hungry though. Not sure why this is.

Bathing won't lower the risk of impaction, the best way to minimise the risk of it is to keep an area sand free with perhaps a couple of flat rocks and feed his veg there.....I do this with my Uromastyx. 

Your dragon sounds like its behaving normally to me.

Best of luck


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