A happy Thanksgiving indeed

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Hey everyone, do I have a story here!

Six weeks ago I picked up my first ever beardie. My plan was to bring it to my classroom once he got used to his new enclosure and I got used to taking care of him. Two days after getting him, while the family and I were at work/school, my cats broke through the cheap screen top. He was gone. We searched the entire house for hours, with no luck.

Today, out of the blue, he walks out of my daughter's room looking completely healthy. He was a very bright orange color and lost none of that while missing. I was shocked. I yelled to my family, who were equally as shocked. His enclosure was still sitting in the family room, so I got all his lights hooked up and got him under the heat. I live in rural northwestern Wisconsin and we've had some cold days already. And I keep the house at 60° when we're gone for the day. How he survived in those conditions is amazing. Not only did he survive, but he even grew a little.

I'm heading out soon to get some crickets for him. But since being moved back into his enclosure he's climbed up and down his tree, he's eaten some salad, and seems to be doing really well. I can't believe it happened. And, for the record, we have a new cat-proof top for the enclosure.

Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Moon4wolfgirl

Hatchling Member
WOW, that's is something to be thank full for. Praise God for letting your beardie be ok. I have lost blitzie couple times and always found her too.
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
What a Thanksgiving miracle! So glad your little guy has reappeared and seems to be in good health. Cat scratches and bites are nothing to snort at, so I was a bit worried when I read that the screen top didn't prove cat proof... but thank goodness you've remedied that situation, and all is well! Keep us posted on how the transition between home and school goes... my students are clamoring for me to make Figment a classroom pet, but I don't have the cash for another setup and haven't the time to write a grant to the couple of organizations I know of that fund such things.

Best wishes!
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Boy I know how scary that can be! Thank goodness it all worked out :)
They really are tough creatures! 6 weeks out of his tank missing is quite the story! You got one tough dragon on your hands!

Happy thanksgiving to you too! :D

-Brandon
 

Rodeojones

Member
Original Poster
We're all pretty excited to have him back. And I can't wait to see my students again after this break to tell them the good news.

He's doing great. And I should have mentioned that while the cats definitely broke into the enclosure, I'm not sure they actually did anything to him. It's entirely possible he climbed out on his own. There isn't a single wound or scratch that I can find.

When we first got him my kids named him Pumpkin due to his bright orange color. But I'm thinking we should change his name to Lucky.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
It would be a fitting name for sure lol.

Cats can be quite aggressive with lizards. Some cats are just curious and might have jsut wanted to get closer. Luckily in this case, that seems to be what happened :)

But it's probably best to look into a better top for your tank now.

A good idea many people don't think of, is using a shelf from one of those wire shelve racks. Or a wire closet shelf like this:

closetmaid-wall-mounted-shelves-4717-64_1000.jpg

You can secure that to your tank so that the cats can't mess with it, and they won't be able to break into it like they can with the screen/mesh.

Plus, if you mount your uvb bulb ontop of the tank instead of inside, this top lets through more of the UV rays :)

-Brandon
 

Rodeojones

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":pthvzsu1 said:
It would be a fitting name for sure lol.

Cats can be quite aggressive with lizards. Some cats are just curious and might have jsut wanted to get closer. Luckily in this case, that seems to be what happened :)

But it's probably best to look into a better top for your tank now.

A good idea many people don't think of, is using a shelf from one of those wire shelve racks. Or a wire closet shelf like this:

closetmaid-wall-mounted-shelves-4717-64_1000.jpg

You can secure that to your tank so that the cats can't mess with it, and they won't be able to break into it like they can with the screen/mesh.

Plus, if you mount your uvb bulb ontop of the tank instead of inside, this top lets through more of the UV rays :)

-Brandon

Thanks for the info. I actually already got a cat proof top for it. Found it at PetSmart (or Petco, can't remember). Instead of a screen top with a plastic frame, this one is all metal. Even the mesh is metal and welded to the frame as opposed to fitted into a groove like the screen version. There is no way they can bust through. And it hinges in the middle, allowing me to easily open it and reach inside.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Ok great! :)

We don't want pumpkin/lucky to have to test his survival skills again LOL :mrgreen:

-Brandon
 
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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

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