My Beardie is hyper :) is it normal?

Question
QUESTION: Hi Tracie,

I've got a Beardie called Yoshi and i've had her for about 5-6 months now and I think she must be about 7-8 months old as the shop had her for a few months before I bought her. (she is 35cm)

She has all the right equipment etc (100Watt bulb, UVa/UVb strip buld, subrate, thermometer, various rocks and fake plants)in a professional 4ft by 2ft tank with front galss sliding doors.

When I first got her I give her vegetables everyday and crickets/locusts every 2nd day but she got ill and sat in the cold corner of her tank all day everyday.  The vet gave her a vitamin injection and she perked right up leading me to believe that I wasn't feeding her enough.

I now give her Vegetables everyday (in the morning) and crickets when I come home from work (powdered ever 2nd-3rd day) and this has perked her up and she is usually very happy and normal.  Although I do admit I have been a little lazy recently and been giving her bags of salad (not iceberg lettuce don't worry) instead of chopping up vegetables.

She is eating fine and enjoys chasing crickets round her tank to eat and she does eat her salad.

I let her out of her tank most nights and let her sit on me or run about on the floor for a while and she usually comes right up to the glass when she wants to come out but for the last couple of days she has been quite hyper active and running up and down the front of the tank jumping up at the glass (not jumping full force into it).  When I take her out the tank she runs about the room exploring and sometimes trying walk up the wall (but obviously can't).

(^all the above may be relevant to help you diagnos any issue, if there is any)

This isn't really that usual behaviour for her, should I be worried or is she just excited to see me and get out her tank to run about?

ANSWER: Hello Geoff,

Yoshi was & still is growing, so she needs lots of feeders right now to reach her potential in size.  So, try to feed bugs/insects 2 times per day allowing her to eat as many as she wants in about a 10 minute timeframe or so.  Maybe you could get some type of worms like phoenix or butterworms for the morning if you don't have time to give crickets.
What type & brand of UVB light do you use?  The Arcadia D3 12%?  Is your 100 watt bulb for the basking a bright white light?
What are the temperatures in the tank, & what type of thermometer are you using?  Is it a stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?  
Are you using calcium supplementation?  She needs that 5 times per week right now.  Great she is eating greens & veggies daily as well.
It is quite normal for them to want out since she has been in her tank all day long.  If the temps are all where they need to be, then she is just anxious to run around & use some energy.  
Does she black beard at all?  

Tracie


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I do also give her a lot of mealworms to eat at night sometimes as well yes but I will endevour to give her more insects daily from now on.

I can't quite remember the type of UVB bulb i'm using but it was expensive and highly recommended by the shop owner (a lizard and beardie keeper himself) so no worries there.

The bulb I am using to give her heat and light is a standard 100watt bulb I bought from a lighting shop, the temperature in the hot side of the tank is always up at around 85-95F and she has a log to sit on that keeps her close to the heat source without being too close for her to touch it.  The thermometer is a stick on type, I put it in the tank every day for around 15 minutes to check the temperature.

She does get calcium every few days but I will start to give her it more often.

No she is very very tame and you could say almost over friendly :) She has never black bearded at me, although sometimes when she is sitting in her tank she will puff out her chin (but not black) and take it in then puff it out again, kind of like a frog, but I think she is just displaying.

Do lizard female go into 'heat'? perhaps that would explain the hyperactive behaviour

thanks for the help

Answer
Hello Geoff,

Well, try not to overdo the mealies as they can cause impaction & are pretty fatty & not as nutritious as locusts & crickets or other types os worms such as phoenix worms or butterworms.  Make sure at night, you give her at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours before lights go out to fully digest her food after feeding her.
She probably has hit early puberty so her hormone level is higher than it was a few months ago, so that could account for a little bit anyway.
The stick on type of thermometer is not an accurate way to measure the basking temperatures.  They will measure the humidity & the ambient temps but not the basking temps.  I would try to get a digital probe or a temp gun to make sure the temps are accurate.  The stick ons are notorious for being off by quite a bit on the basking temps.  So, she could actually be getting too hot, but it is hard to tell.
The recommended basking temperatures are 95-110 & the cooler end should be around 78-82.  We need to figure out if the temps are optimal for her.
The basking light, is it a bright white one or a colored one?
If you could, just check the brand of the UVB tube bulb for me, there are so many cruddy ones.  It should be printed on the base of the bulb.  I am hoping you have the Arcadia D3 12%!!  
Yes, just use the calcium once daily on her feeders, or, you could sprinkle a small pinch of calcium on her greens & veggies if she eats them pretty well.  
That is great she is so tame then.  They do get that way with regular handling, & become quite lovable as well.  Yes, they love to puff themselves out & display for us!  She is showing off for you & probably trying to gain some more attention from you also!  LOL

Tracie