Sunning Your Dragon

[Pooka]

Hi all, Weather has been permitting lately (low 80's with basking spots of about 90 degrees in the sun) so I have been sunning pooka in a small cardboard box with a mesh bag tied around it. Its nothing as fancy as a reptarium but it works for now to get her outside in a secure enclosure.

Anyhow, Pooka is usually really up[set with me and stressed after being outside for only a few minutes. She turns all brown and acts limp. After bringing her back in and letting her roam my bedroom or back in her cage she greens back up and will eat so its not too bad. What I would like to know is how many other members "sun" there dragons and is it (or was it) a stressful ordeal for the dragon? I put this to the water dragon mailing list also so those of you on it may have seen this question yesterday. Thanks for all the 411, I would like Pooka to benefit from the natural sunlight but I don't wanna give her a heart attack doing it.

[DaremoAlpha]

I would guess that Pooka just don't like that make shift enclosure. Try just holding Pooka to the windows a few times so she can just look outside and check things out.

Being tossed in to a whole new world might just be to much for her all at one time so take it slower.

The first time I introduced AWOL to grass he got away from me and I had to dig out the entire front porch to get him back.

[dragosmom]

Most of the people I correspond with who introduce their critters to filtered, natural sunlight do it through window screen. Open a window with a screen and place some cardboard across the screen and window sash (so Pooka can't get up where you can't retrieve her) and let her climb on the screen for 20 minutes or so. 20 minutes supposedly gets her enough UVB for the day. Do not put her in DIRECT sunlight; it should be filtered sunlight only. Happy New Year!