Rankin Dragon

Question

Joker   I have had my Rankin Dragon,Joker, for about 2weeks now maybe a little longer and he is just being a little lazy. Im not sure why. I have all the right lights, temps, and he is in a 29 gallon tank with hides and a branch for basking. He never climes to bask tho. He will eat and go under the cooler side of the tank. Is this normal behavior for a rankin? I have a bearded dragon after he eats he chills in the heat. Im not sure if im doing something wrong and i do not want to hurt my little guy. The pet store stated he is a lil over a year old. He acts fine im just a worried mom lol. Thank you in advance for any help.

Answer
Mary,

Thank you for your question and thank you for being a great reptile mom. It sounds like you've done your homework on husbandry for dragons in general. I do not have specific experience with Rankin Dragons. From the information you've given me, my immediate response is that he is simply stressed from the move. It can take a long time for reptiles, particularly the more intelligent dragons, to acclimate when introduced to a new environment. Also, this time of year, most reptiles will brumate, usually characterized by long periods of "sleep", low activity, low or no appetite, and little movement.

I cannot hide my opinion of Pet Stores. Usually they do not have the correct or adequate information for the animals they sell. If you've gotten the "right lights, temps, etc" from the pet store, they may not be as ideal as the pet store says. If Joker prefers the cooler side of the tank, perhaps the hot side is too hot. The UVA/UVB lighting should be a Reptisun 10.0  18inch light. Many of the UV lights sold as "reptile" lights are not good for dragons. Also, dragons need a calcium and D3 supplement with their food. They cannot properly metabolize the calcium and D3 without the correct UV lighting.

I'm probably telling you things you already know, but I feel that you can never have too much information.
www.beardeddragon.org is a great resource for dragon info.

I think Joker has a great reptile mom and will probably let his personality shine in no time.

Please let me know if you have any other questions

Jennifer