New dragon

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi all. Very new to dragons, although we’ve had other reptiles but it’s been a while. I’m finding I may have gotten some bad info. The pet stores around me aren’t very herp-centric, and the starter kit I got is almost worthless. I’m glad for forums like this, it’s how I got started in salt water aquariums, and I’ve had some nice ones.

One I figure out how to post a picture, I’ll post one of Blaze.
 

Kathywithbirds

Member
Original Poster
Well, he seems to be settling in. He ate some of the broccoli and raspberries, (we’ll get crickets tomorrow) with the calcium dusting. He’s active, checking out his cage and eyeing us any time we move. He even decided to burrow into my daughter’s sweat jacket pocket.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Cute little guy! He's going to need plenty of bugs so I suggest ordering crickets online in bulk or getting a dubia colony started (or both) to help sustain his appetite. Good to get some treats to mix in for variety too. Black soldier fly larvae are a good treat for little ones as are small silk worms.
 

Kathywithbirds

Member
Original Poster
Thanks! Wow y’all aren’t kidding about their appetites. I heeded advice and picked up 40 crickets and 50 mealworms. I threw in a couple at a time, calcium dusted, and he ate 6 crickets and between 10-15 mealworms. And that was lunch! I’ll feed him again with my daughter (she didn’t get to see him eat bugs yet) and see what he eats.

I also followed the consensus and picked up a megaray 100 watt. He’s noticeably happier!! I tossed the red night bulb but kept the blue daylight one in case he needed more heat. Right now it’s a little over 100 in his basking area, and 75 in the cool part. I got a piece of wood he likes and it gets him within 12 inches (maybe 10, can’t find the damn ruler) and he perky, looking around, up on his front legs surveying his new kingdom.

I’ll be trolling all over this site for more info. I’ve found the forums to be a wealth of better info than stores or websites alone. Usually taking the most popular route for things works out best for the critters.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
That's a good light. It's best at about 10-12'' so it sounds like you have it mounted properly. I'd go easy on the mealies. They aren't the healthiest treats and can be tough for a little one to digest, especially if a bunch are eaten at once. I used to wind up ordering 1,000 crickets (1/2'') that would last roughly a month. His appetite will fluctuate though so offer what he wants a couple of times per day in about a 10 minute window or so.
 

Kathywithbirds

Member
Original Poster
I was just reading that about mealworms in the feeding section and I kicked myself, cause I bought a bunch of ‘em. I’m going to look into a roach colony (OMG I can’t believe I said that, I hate bugs).
 

Kathywithbirds

Member
Original Poster
Ew. Maybe I’ll stick to crickets and gut load them. My husband isn’t crazy about the bug situation either.

Update; first bath! I wonder if he’s ever had one before, he freaked out a little at first. After the kid held him a minute and drizzled a little warm water on his back, he calmed down and started looking around and calmly walking in the water. He eventually sat still and seemed to be soaking comfortably. It was funny, we both noticed when we figured he was “done”; he started moving around and seemed to want to move on to other activities. We patted him dry and he went straight to his basking spot.

Right before that, he gobbled down another 8 crickets.
 

Kathywithbirds

Member
Original Poster
Well he finally pooped. I was getting worried, hasn’t seen one yet. And holy crap (no pun) it’s bigger than his head!!!
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Saved up a bit I guess =). Offer some extra water by drips on the nose for him to lick up. The extra hydration may help him move things along going forward.
 

Kathywithbirds

Member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":r8m4efhj said:
Saved up a bit I guess =). Offer some extra water by drips on the nose for him to lick up. The extra hydration may help him move things along going forward.

I’ve been doing that with my finger, he doesn’t seem terribly interested. The first time he flicked the water off himself with his foot.
We have given him a bath, I’ve heard differing opinions on how often to bathe. Since I gave him a dozen mealworms the first day, I figure we’ll do every other day for maybe a week just to make sure he’s hydrated and not compacting (is that the right word?).
Other use he seems pretty happy and healthy. He has no problems being held, and when he’s out he’s curious and wants to take off. We tried a “playpen” last night with a long flat box. We put some obstacles in there but all he wanted to do was climb out. ?
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Sounds like he's OK =). I wouldn't worry too much about impaction. If he isn't taking the water, then he probably isn't thirsty and is getting enough from food which is normal. It doesn't hurt to offer extra now & then though.
 

Kathywithbirds

Member
Original Poster
Well, he’s fairly self-sufficient. We ran out of crickets last night and it wasn’t till this evening he got “meat.” My daughter cut up a bunch of veggies and sprinkled a touch of water on it and he ate it ALL during the day!! So much for juvies passing up the greens. Although I bet he was hungry. He scarfed no less than a dozen crickets tonight.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,680
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom