It's been almost 2 years!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
March 26th is the day we brought Spike home. My 7 year old son picked her out at our local Exotic pet store and named her Spike. She was in an enclosure with other dragons around her size and away from the smaller ones. We were told that the babies she was in with were moved because 'they were growing faster than the rest'. Spike ran right to the front of the glass and started scratching when my son walked by. Needless to say, she got his attention and we took her home. She had a full body shed 3 days off getting her home, too. ('She' does look female (I looked when we brought her home, but not since) Spike is now, roughly 3 months old and weighs 31g at 9 inches long.
We have had some set backs with her lights, which you guys have so graciously helped me with, and her lack of eating for a little while due to her relocation stress, but she is definitely a hearty eater now. BSFL being her favorite.

When we first brought her home:
17499359_10210358883347578_332575346169818304_n.jpg

17523252_10210385063322061_6813369091068616496_n.jpg

983931_10210435413020772_773791690978672422_n.jpg

17799384_10210451709148165_308228739806503351_n.jpg


Throughout the month:
17799331_10210500019755900_4238964479133843409_n.jpg

17904243_10210537170364642_3362213681614642143_n.jpg

17903412_10210572733533699_5230907043640217654_n.jpg

17903335_10210588552569165_4414864875088926493_n.jpg

18033371_10210589478872322_6695852117563149559_n.jpg

18010002_10210596330643612_6341179155527698034_n.jpg

18033175_10210613393910183_6439599438586978542_n.jpg

18057228_10210613394510198_1278867213253518270_n.jpg

18034158_10210627613505664_205127757735901057_n.jpg


New tank:
18056767_10210634381794867_1434776974392633570_n.jpg
18057077_10210634394555186_63046158408320239_n.jpg


Cuteness:
18157339_10210670887587489_6036091487541768646_n.jpg

18156918_10210670913508137_6658686394810874667_n.jpg

18057920_10210670913988149_7000139620192269101_n.jpg

18157458_10210676492647612_3673923360530063703_n.jpg


10 minutes ago, waking up and warming up:
18198251_10210685806800460_6879881126327811819_n.jpg


Sorry for all of the pictures! ^-^ :D
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
19260501_10211159547123672_1974644243652968921_n.jpg


We were outside today enjoying the nice sunshine and she was sporting some interesting colors. Spike still hasn't shed her tail yet, but since she finished her back, her blue-ish spots are showing even more. She was an odd color pattern to her, but I love it. Pale yellow on her head with orange stripes around her eyes, rust like colors on her back with the blue-ish patches (her back looks like it starts out a pale yellow, but then fades into the rusty looking red), and reddish looking back and front legs.
 

traildrifterphalanx

Sub-Adult Member
Yeah, it looks like she gains more color as you travel down her back, then lose it right at the tail, lol.

Richter was a super beautiful oil spill mixture of colors as a baby, now his happy colors are like a melted bowl of lemon and orange sherbet with some lavender, and his eyes are like he's wearing orange goggles.

It's super interesting how much their color changes, and I need to keep that in mind as Alucard is still such a super dark little baby, but I'm sure as she ages more of her orange and citrus will show.
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I love seeing how much they can change, just by growing and shedding their skin. :) It is like a new little surprise every time, at least when they are little.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Add to that the fact that they can change color from one minute to the next depending on what kind of mood they're in and how warm they are, plus what a difference it makes when you get them out in full spectrum sunlight, and it makes things pretty interesting.

Spike's developing some very interesting and very pretty color variations. :D
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I find it very fascinating. I love seeing her change, especially before my eyes. Plus, I love unique things, and I think she has a look all her own. (I know, no one dragon is the same, but I love seeing all the colors and shades.)


So, I had to be in PA again for the hubby and his job. Needless to say, I had to stop at petsmart again. They had one bearded dragon left, about the same size as Spike, and he was on sale, too. The employee was nice enough to let me play with him. He was a dark colored baby, but very active and alert with these amazingly soft eyes that just makes a person melt, and I swear he was just as chunky as Spike, if not more so. If I had another tank to put him in with all the right set up, I would have brought him home in a heartbeat! I don't think I can have JUST ONE dragon. Haha. I like that Petsmart and actually seeing that the animals are in a heck of a lot better condition than the ones I see at the Petcos.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Yes, it's hard to resist those little ones at the pet stores. Last time I was at PetSmart with my husband buying whatever supplies we needed, they had some baby bearded dragons and I had an immediate "Aw-w-w" :love10: reaction. Then, after all the horror stories I've read on this website, I found myself counting their fingers and toes and checking out the cleanliness of the enclosure and the food and lighting, etc. Fortunately, it all looked pretty good as far as I could tell.

Lots of pet stores won't let you handle the animals unless you're seriously considering buying them, or at least that's the official policy. That reminds me of a time a number of years ago when I was at a pet store buying snake food (before we got the beardie) and they happened to have ferrets for sale and there was a lady there thinking of getting one. They were pretty busy so the sales girl took one out for her and went off to do something else. I'd had ferrets before, and it had been a while, so the lady let me cuddle the ferret for a little while too. I had given him back to her when the sales girl came back, and she said, "Well, you've obviously bonded with this ferret, so you're just going to have to buy him now." Pretty good salesmanship, I guess, but I think too many people still fall in love with cute little animals and take them home on an impulse, without any really good idea of what they're getting themselves into. Fortunately, this lady was not young and seemed to have had ferrets before, so she apparently knew something about their requirements. I got my snake food and left before I found out if she decided to take the ferret home, but I hope things worked out for both of them.

I have to remind myself about reality all the time when I see cute little critters at pet stores. It's probably a good thing that my husband does most of the shopping on his way home from work so I'm usually not there... :roll:
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I have always wanted a ferret, but I have heard so much back and worth about them that I honestly don't know what to think. My cousin had one and she said that the only thing that she didn't like was cleaning the cage every day because otherwise it got really stinky and smelled bad. Her ferret was pretty awesome and the times that I was at her house, I never noticed any kind of smell, so either she kept everything really clean, or I just never noticed.

The employee that I was talking to was really nice, especially when I asked if I could hold the little beardie. She never fussed or anything about it, and he seemed quite happy and relaxed in my hands. I definitely enjoyed seeing how chubby he was. I normally don't like pet stores, unless buying dog food or something, but that store, even though I have only been twice, each time, their animals seem to be well taken care of. I even examined the fish tanks. To my surprise, like all the other stores, I never seen even one dead fish floating around; their birds for quite vocal and active; the reptiles all looked good (even the little corn snake that I begged the hubby to let me have! And he ALMOST gave in!). Their cats/kittens were even in clean cages. (I have the smell of a dirty litter box)

On another note, Spike wasn't too happy when I came home to give her lovins. I guess that my shirt must have smelled like the other Beardie cause as soon as she got close to my shirt, she puffed up, head bobbed, and gave me this disapproving look. After I changed, she was perfectly fine. :/
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Ferrets do have a musky odor, and they can make like a skunk if they get upset, but the weird thing about their poop is that it hardly smells bad at all when it's fresh, but it gets really stinky if you let it sit around for a day or two, just the opposite of cats and dogs and most other animals. They're pretty easy to house train, though. If you're a ferret, the proper place to poop is in a corner, but you have to remember that they have small digestive tracts so when they gotta go, they gotta go -- the trick is to put litter boxes in all the corners wherever they're running around. They're little balls of energy when they're awake, but they can sleep through just about anything once they're worn out. They need several hours a day to run around and get their wiggles out and generally go crazy, and they're also very good at stealing your stuff and hiding it from you -- socks, keys, etc. -- even money. I only had them for about a year, and I was lucky to find them a very good home (even better than mine) right before I got married, although I never did find out for sure if my husband is allergic to ferrets -- cats and dogs and rabbits and horses and just about anything else with fur, but some people say ferrets are "hypoallergenic". My husband's allergist said he had tests for seal and moose and a number of other things, but not for ferrets. Welcome to Alaska. People do have them here, so it's high time that someone developed a test. Maybe they have by now -- we haven't checked lately. Not a good idea to have a ferret and a snake and a lizard in the same house (and a very small house it is too). We'd have to be even more careful about keeping them all separate or someone would get hurt. I suppose that if we were really serious about it, we could borrow someone's ferret for a day or two and let my husband cuddle the ferret and see if he breaks out in a rash and/or has an asthma attack, but that would be a heck of a way to find out. So in the meantime we're reptile people until further notice. That's okay. I'm always telling people that lizards and snakes can be cuddly too. It doesn't have to be warm and fuzzy.

We seem to be pretty lucky with the PetSmarts and PetCos here in Anchorage. (I think we have at least two of each, believe it or not -- this place is turning into "North Seattle" :roll: ) They all seem to be pretty well managed and take pretty good care of their animals. :)

Sounds like Spike was jealous of you for two-timing with another beardie. Like smelling someone else's perfume on your husband's shirt. :shock: But it also sounds like she forgave you after you ditched the evidence -- out of sight (and scent), out of mind...
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I don't think I could live without having a furry animal in the house. My favorite has always been a dog, and I have had one most of my life, even as a child. I think it is important for children to grow up with animals, if possible. Take Xander for example, he was our rescue, and we didn't plan on getting a second dog, but we just couldn't say no to him. And if we had, who knows, our youngest might not have recovered as well without Xander around.
Our dogs, and now Spike, give me something to pass on to the boys, show them responsibility, show them what it is like to have a friend to come home to, and the love and animal has to give.

I am not a huge fan of our Petco as I see way too want things wrong with their setups, lighting, and just in general the health of their animals in the stores. Annnnnd, the employees seem a bit clueless about what it takes to raise happy and healthy pets.
That is why I like the store I got Spike from. The owner is local, has just that one store, is very knowledgeable about the animals she sells, and has everything in store and in stock that you could imagine for just about every animal.

Speaking of Spike, I did contact the store owner yesterday to see about confirming Spike's age. She was exactly a month old on March 26th when I got her. So, in two days, Spike will be 4 months old.

Yeah, she didn't want a lot to do with me until I changed my shirt. Haha. I can't really say I blame her though. She is the only lizard in the house. This is her house.
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
19424027_10211204606210121_7819835238378546569_n.jpg


Today makes exactly 3 months since we brought Spike home. To me, she still seems quite small for being 4 months old (give or take). I had to do a little picture on my leg again to really see just how much she has grown from then until now. Haha. The first one she looks so small, but the last two, I think I might need a bigger leg.

Also, Spike is officially over 11 inches!
19420793_10211204680291973_1166382610014421647_n.jpg


Tomorrow is weigh in, so I will see if she gained any then. She finally shed her tail and has been off her roaches and quite grumpy for about 2 days, so. Plus, her front legs and chest are quite blurry now, so I figure those will be shedding soon, again.

I am also trying to get her used to eating in a feeding tub (which I just started today and haven't had any success at yet) instead of hand feeding her. My oldest wants to help with her feeding, but she won't take her roaches from his hand. Annnnd, I have to go out of town in a few weeks and my mom has agreed to feed her for me just as long as she doesn't have to touch the bugs; just scoop them out and put them in the bin with Spike. Hopefully, anyway, if I can't get her to eat in the new feeding bin, I will having to figure something else out.
 

traildrifterphalanx

Sub-Adult Member
I'm so glad you changed the title :lol:
Happy 3 months, Spike!

I think she may be a little small for her age, but as long as she is healthy, that's all that matters. She could always shoot up in a month or so, they all grow at different rates.
Example being Richter. He grew 2" a month and stopped at 19.75" and hasn't moved since. He's still big and could still grow, but he shot up so fast and then stopped. Spike could continue to grow and end up surpassing him in a few months, who knows! Enter tortoise and the hare analogy here.
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I am actually surprised I remembered to change it this time. Haha.

I do feel like she is on the small side. I just kind of wonder if it is due to the fact that some days she will eat 3Xs for me, but on most days she will only eat twice a day even though I offer 3 times. I don't know, really. Spike is also very picky about her roaches. If I dust them, she refuses to eat them, shaking her head and spitting them back out at me. I think that might have a bit to do with her growth as well. I have even tried the different brands thinking that maybe they might taste different. Still a no go. They only way I can get her calcium/vitamins in her is by mixing it in the water I give her through a syringe everyday.
On the plus side, she does still love her BSFL.
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Good morning from my sleepy little one! Spike is just waking up. She is quite funny to watch. Normally, she sleeps in her hammock and I cover her with her blanket. In the mornings, I give her a few pats before uncovering her and she will SLOWLY work her way off the hammock and over to her basking rock. She isn't much of a morning dragon ( but I also hate mornings, too!). Haha. A good 5-10 minutes before she gets over to her rock and a good 20-45 or so of basking before she comes out of her sleepy state.

19598447_10211212383364545_1844041946008573005_n.jpg
 

traildrifterphalanx

Sub-Adult Member
It looks like she sleeps just like Alucard, lol.
Pancaked and legs just a danglin'. The further apart the back legs, the better for Alucard! I take her to bed with me and put her in her little carrier on my nightstand. It's lined in a double layer of fleece and she just sprawls like "oh yeaahhh" and sleeps like a rock.

Twice a day feedings wouldn't impact her size over three times a day feedings, unless she isn't eating much both times.
I only feed Alucard twice a day on weekdays and three+ on weekends (more time to interact with them, many snack times) but she eats fairly large roaches (medium+) and lots of BSFL "poppers" (dried BSFL, I call them her "chips.")

I think Spike is just genetically on the smaller end, currently. I'm pretty sure your lighting is up to par from what I remember. For 4 months, she isn't necessarily behind. Alucard is turning 4 months next week and should be around 13", so it's not far off
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Spike sleeps in positions that makes my back hurt just looking at her, but always seems to be content and comfortable. For the longest time, when I would uncover her, I would find her curled up in a ball with her tail over top of her eyes/nose. Looked painful to me, but she slept like that a lot when I first got her, no so much anymore. Now, it mostly the pancaked and straight back legs, with one front leg, usually her left, palms up, with the other front leg stretched out in front of her.

She eats like a little piglet, especially now that she is back on her roaches. Up until maybe a month ago, she wouldn't eat anything other than BSFL. She gets the medium roaches, as well. On most days she will eat roughly 15-25 medium roaches in the morning, 5-8 in the afternoon IF she actually eats for me, and usually another 12-15 in the evening.

And her lighting is good (t5 10.0 HO) and she can get anywhere from 8"-12" to it depending on where she is at in her tank/which rock she is perched on.

She is healthy, active, alert, and mostly a ball of energy so I am not too worried about her growth. I do think she is a smaller dragon, right now, but who knows, she might surprise me one day, or she may just stay on the small side. Either way, she will always be loved and spoiled. Haha.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

No members online now.

Latest resources

Latest posts

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
155,903
Messages
1,255,708
Members
75,967
Latest member
Newbeardiemom09
Top Bottom