Hello to all

I am new here and have been a beardie owner for the last 3 1/2 years- I have learned a lot from the internet on beardies since then. We acquired our beardie from the high school where my daughter went to school - she was a 10th grader at the time-- at first Trogdor (Troggy) was a babysitting job for the summer -- Khloe volunteered to bring her home - we didn't have a clue as to what we were doing -- in fact I had never seen a bearded dragon before- so the first week the tank she came home in was only a 20 gal tank which was too small for her -- she would claw at the glass and I picked up on it right away she was wanting out-- so I told Khloe to get a hold of her Science teacher and see if he wanted to get rid of her- I told Khloe if he did we would then go and invest in a larger tank- it took a week for him to get back w/ us since he was camping in the boundry waters in Northern MN-- he said yes so we officially adopted Troggy-- you could tell she was so unhappy in that tank- so we went to PetSmart and bought a 50 gal aquarium for her and new logs for her to sit on etc................. she seemed so much happier in that tank plus we started getting her out and bringing her in the LR w/ us and letting her sit on the back of the chair or couch in the sun and looking out the window---------- at times she would get on the LR floor and run around often crawling uder a corner shelf her favorite spot to sleep- we learned to give her baths --changed her diet as she was eating mealworms only when she came here which in turned ended up plugging her up- at that point I was on the internet learning to feed her greens fruit and little dragon bites and sweet potato- she ate crickets too but eventually quit eating them the last year and a half or so -- don't know why-- so her diet went to the fresh mustard greens gr beans honey crisp apple and sweet potato w/ meal worms only as a treat-- she seemed to be a happy little beardie and she grew another 6 inches from when we first got her--- I spent way more time w/ her than Khloe did -- and became quite attached to her--------- it is w/ heavy heart that I write this today as Troggy died almost a week ago and it really took the winds out of my sails as she was my little companion as I worked in my office during the day here at home and we would watch the soaps on the days I was not working---------- we have not figured out why she died -- she quit eating and I thought she was going into brumation but after consulting w/ a reptile vet on line she seems to think she died of cardiac arrest-- I really don't know I got her to eat 2 meal worms the day before as she was up moving around her tank etc and then on Sun she went into one of the corners in her tank and passed. She showed no signs of resp infection or anything so I am stumped and that we didn't know exactly how old she was -- we figured possibly 10 -- she lived at the high school for 2 years possibly more and then before at a college w/ the kid that originally had gotten her ----- so we aren't exactly sure how old she was ----------- I know she had a hard life before coming to live here w/ us as the kids would poke and prod at her etc......... we have been trying to figure out what kind of beardie she was -- we are thinking a white beardie -- I loved her dinosaur eyes -- they were light brown or dark orange not really sure w/ the shape of the dinosaur eye that was what caught my attention to her --------- we only saw sign of aggression once w/ her and that was w/ my son don't know what the deal was w/ that but like it said it was only one time--- we have her in a box now waiting for the ground to thaw out so we can bury her in our back yard along the fence of a field -- I miss her and would like to get another one --- I just now cleaned out the tank today - it has been hard looking at that dark tank when walking into my office the last week--------- that's my story of my little dragon ---

Welcome to the forum. I regret that it's under sad circumstances. It sounds like you gave her a loving home and a happy last few years - thank you for that. At 10 she was fairly old so that's a really good run, especially if she had a rough start to life. I know how you feel looking at that empty tank and how hard it is to lose a dragon buddy. I've found it therapeutic to use these forums to help others with their dragons. I encourage you to share your experience with Troggy and try to help others give their dragons a happy life the way you did for her.

It’s so wonderful that you were able to get Troggy out of a bad situation and give her the love and care she deserved. Last year I lost my oldest beardie at 17 (almost 18) years old, and I remember how rough it was to see the empty tank. I’d essentially owned this lizard for half my life, and it took a long time before I warmed to the idea of getting another. Sometimes (and this is a common complaint I’ve heard from beardie owners) people wouldn’t understand my grieving, saying that it was “just a lizard,” but anyone that’s ever owned a beardie knows that these sweet little guys are full of personality and that it’s all but impossible not to fall in love with them. I’m really sorry you lost your beardie. You have a knack for giving beardies a better life...maybe in time you can consider a reptile rescue/adopting another Troggy that would be just as grateful for your compassion and attention.

I have scoped that idea out about rescuing another one but there are none in my area that I can find! We are giving it thought to get another one this time from a breeder in the cities that is reputable- I have been reading not to buy from chain stores so I guess we won't go that route besides I would like to find another paper white dragon -- and not sure if I want a baby or a juvenile --- still pondering - anyway we have time I have contacted the breeder in the cities and they don't have anything available now anyways- they are waiting for them to hatch! But yes I do miss her since she was my little work buddy and companion in the LR on days off -- I spent alot of time w/ her and go too attached for my own good! People dont understand I think as well -- they always say its just an animal ---------

thanks for replying --

When you say paper white do you mean a zero or a witblit? If so then you may want to check out Phantom Dragons (they ship from Oceanside, California). They specialize in both of those morphs and they seem to have babies available throughout the year. They have a Facebook page with some absolutely jaw-dropping white dragons. I think Dachui Dragons also has witblits pretty frequently and their prices are pretty reasonable. Both witblits and zeros can get pretty pricey, but they’re definitely striking. Some of them look like little ghosts. It’s understandable to want to go the baby/juvenile route since you didn’t get to have that experience with your last beardie. It’s really fun to watch their personalities develop and to measure their growth each month.

I have not heard of those breeds or coloring you mentioned-- from what I found on the internet Troggy was a paper white-- and I am guessing she came from a pet store --- but I am not for certain-- all I know is that the kid that had gotten her got tired of her and was going to chop her head off till his dad stepped in and took her to the high school way back when! That is all I have found out-- bits and pieces here and there! I will make a trip to the cities here in a couple of months to Twin Cities Reptiles -- they were voted best reptile store in MN -- there are a couple down there so I have more options to choose from------- I called Oddball Pets on Sat and the person I spoke w/ did not know if they had paper whites or not but I am to call back today and talk to someone who does know!

Ok so I got Trodgors tank cleaned out this weekend -- I sprayed w/ vineager/ water mixture and then had ordered the F-10 solution and got the tank sprayed w/ that and wiped down along w/ all her enclosure stuff--- it was sad doing it but needed to be done- its been 2 weeks and it is still hitting home hard!! If there was anything she had it should be gone now-- I really don't think she had anything but old age--- we have been figuring out her time line and everyone seems to agree she was 10 if not older--- so w/ that being said I am thinking of getting another paper white like her but younger of course -- a sub juvenile-- we are planning a trip to the cities to a place called Odd Ball Pets-- they are a breeder and have paper whites- I want to know how and what to feed them as far as crickets, roaches worms etc and how many? I know they mainly eat the protein but I am going to offer the usual vegies as well. Also I am going to call the vet around here that is supposedly a reptile vet-- I was told there was one close by where I live-- and how often should they visit the vet? I am assuming at least once a year? Thanks for the help

Karrie

I take my guys to an experienced reptile vet once a year for a physical/fecal exam. When I get a new beardie I’ll usually do this within three weeks of acquiring him. It’s important to make sure the vet doesn’t simply say that they’ll treat reptiles, but is an actual herp specialist (many exotics vets have no background in reptiles). To find an experienced herp vet in your area you can check out this link:
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html
A good reptile vet, for example, won’t attempt to medicate a beardie that has a level of parasites in the healthy/normal range. And if there ever is a more urgent health issue, they won’t prescribe a medicine designed for birds or livestock (it’s happened on these forums, and the results were very tragic). Beardies are pretty tough little critters, but if there’s ever an issue you don’t want someone inexperienced making serious health decisions.
I’m sorry you had to have that final pang that comes from cleaning out your deceased beardie’s cage. That’s always an emotional experience for me too.
I’ve never heard of a paper white beardie, but it sounds intriguing. You’ll have to post pics after you get your baby home.
Baby and juvenile dragons should be fed appropriately sized insects (no bigger than the space between their eyes to prevent choking) two to three times a day. Offer as many insects as your beardie will eat in a 5-10 minutes. Babies are voracious and can eat anywhere from 20-60 small bugs a day. My favorite insects for young beardies are small dubias, small crickets, and phoenix worms. Phoenix worms may be my favorite feeder insect of all time due to their easy maintenance, high calcium content, and the fact that I’ve rarely had a beardie of any age snub one. Ordering Phoenix worms online (from Fluker’s or Symton BSF) can save a lot of money. Depending on the size/age of a beardie, I also like hornworms and silkworms. Babies and juveniles have pretty hearty appetites, so ordering insects in bulk online is a good game plan.