new to this

Hi

My name is Tawnee. Currently the owner of a bd for 1 week. What a ride it's been. My impulsive husband bought what turns out to be a bd no older than 6 weeks. He was told bd was 12-16 weeks. He was only 6 1/2 inches when he arrived from a supposed reputable reptile store.... I am starting to doubt the existence of such a thing.
anyways he has been switched to paper towel substrate, 20 gal aquarium, heat lamp, esu uva/b light..please tell me why they are dangerous as I read here some where and what to replace with.

feeding has improve to about 12-15 small crickets daily...is that enough???? he wont eat more than that.
I give fresh greens daily..has only nibbled on a little parsley so far.
He had been pooping daily..none today what is the norm ?

misting at least 2 times/day
temps correct with digital probe
any suggestions input greatly appreciated.
when is it safe to add worms and what type are the best

thanks so much
Tawnee

anyways he has been switched to paper towel substrate, 20 gal aquarium, heat lamp, esu uva/b light..please tell me why they are dangerous as I read here some where and what to replace with.

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if you are talking about teh ESU light, theyre not so much dangerous and useless. Dragons need a pretty strong supply of UVB light, which enables them to create Vitamin D3 to convert calcium to a useful from.
ESU bulbs claim to do that, but dont.
so ultimately, teh danger is he could end up with metabolic bone disease even though you think youve provided him with what he needs.

teh best lights are the repti glo 8.0 and the repti sun 10.0. the tubes, not the coils, the coils lose their UVB output after about a month.

12-15 isnt much, is he basking?
even if teh temps are 100-110 in the basking area, if hes not using it he wont be digesting and getting hungry.

parsley is high in vitamin a and oxalic acid, too much vitamin a is bad
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Vitatox.html

oxalic acid binds calcium absorption.which has the same effect of no UVB if fed too often, metabolic bone disease thru the calcium not being processed.

heres a great list fro salads

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

dail y poop is normal.
can u describe the consistency/appearance and smell?
has he been fro a fecal?

silkworms are the best @ that age, mealworms and superworms have to much chitin (hard shell) that constipates dragons. wax worms are high in fat, feed them like you'd feed a kid chocolate.

roaches are another good staple and seem to go down better than crix, well my girls prefer them anyway!


for hydration, try giving him a bath every day or second day, that could also help with his appetite. be really careful hes well hydrated, young dragons dehydrate really easily!

Hi
let see poop is soft but formed with white area no real odor.
he is basking most of the day.
which light is better of the 2 u mentioned?
How many crickets should a 6-8 week old be consuming?
I offer 2-3 tims dailt the most he will consume at one time is about 5

Have a vet appt 5/18 for health check and fecal

thanks

phoenix worms are a great additive to the daily goatloaded crix.They are farily small and loaded with calcium for your little guy.

where do u get phoenix worms

http://wormman.com/pd_phoenix.cfm or

http://www.armstrongcrickets.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ACF&Category_Code=PW

I get Buddy's direct from Dr. Sheppard in Georgia, the man who produces all the phoenix worms everybody sells (http://www.phoenixworm.com).

welcome! i dont have much advice on feeding to offer but i want you to know that this forum is amazing and the people in it are so helpful. I have learned so much and im sure you will too.