knightjar
New member
Hello all!
We've recently taken on an aproximately 18 month-old beardie that needed re-homing. We're not new to reptiles, having three snakes, and certainly not new to the sound of crickets, as we have 25 tarantulas (some of whom were also rescues/re-homes)! But this is our first beardie and it would be good to know that we're doing things right.
She (I'm almost certain she's a she having looked under the tail) has been well-cared for, but some of the treatment seems to have been slightly misguided from what I've read. For one thing, she was on calcium sand, which I know is a no-no. I'll be changing that out for play sand which I understand is less likely to cause impactions. I've also moved the heating arrangements as she had no gradient - the heating pad was at the opposite end from the basking lamp, so the whole enclosure was hot. I'm slightly concerned that she now chooses the cooler end much of the time - are they bright enough to know that they need the heat to help their digestion? She seems a lot calmer now that she can control her temperature.
She doesn't show any interest in food that's not moving. I've manage to get her to eat some dandelion leaves and some apple, but only by sleight of hand! Should I be providing her with more live food to make up for her not eating the greens, or is that just encouraging her to eat a less balanced diet? Roughly what quantity of food should an adult dragon be consuming per day?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm sure most get asked all the time, but I've found lots of conflicting information on the Web.
Here's a picture of her (the lipstick was a result of trying to get her to eat strawberry).
We've recently taken on an aproximately 18 month-old beardie that needed re-homing. We're not new to reptiles, having three snakes, and certainly not new to the sound of crickets, as we have 25 tarantulas (some of whom were also rescues/re-homes)! But this is our first beardie and it would be good to know that we're doing things right.
She (I'm almost certain she's a she having looked under the tail) has been well-cared for, but some of the treatment seems to have been slightly misguided from what I've read. For one thing, she was on calcium sand, which I know is a no-no. I'll be changing that out for play sand which I understand is less likely to cause impactions. I've also moved the heating arrangements as she had no gradient - the heating pad was at the opposite end from the basking lamp, so the whole enclosure was hot. I'm slightly concerned that she now chooses the cooler end much of the time - are they bright enough to know that they need the heat to help their digestion? She seems a lot calmer now that she can control her temperature.
She doesn't show any interest in food that's not moving. I've manage to get her to eat some dandelion leaves and some apple, but only by sleight of hand! Should I be providing her with more live food to make up for her not eating the greens, or is that just encouraging her to eat a less balanced diet? Roughly what quantity of food should an adult dragon be consuming per day?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm sure most get asked all the time, but I've found lots of conflicting information on the Web.
Here's a picture of her (the lipstick was a result of trying to get her to eat strawberry).
