New dragon owner, noticed a few things in health & care sect

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NinaAmbroshia

Hatchling Member
Ok, sorry guys, not sure of this goes here. However, not sure where this goes on it and was curious on thoughts or ways to fix it. Also I apologize I have spelling errors, I am on my phone.

All the dragons I have dealt with were full grown. So I am caring for my first young/almost baby dragon. Her name is Mavis (we are pretty sure she is a girl.)

1. I Can't get her to eat any of the veggies I give her, any tips or tricks to help her eat them?
2. Apparently I'm not supposed to be giving her mealworms? Mind if I ask why not? Does it harm them to give them some? Or does something happen?
3. I have a heat rock, but I only leave it on for a few hours during the coldest parts of the night to help keep her warm. Then I turn it off first thing in the morning? Is it still super bad for her to have it? Her enclosure is greatly affected by the actual outside temperature and I don'tbwant her to get too cold. Though, I'm not worried about that during the day, (could days ago we had a heat index of 105.) At night though, it get cool
4. I've recently noticed she bobs her head at almost random times? I know she recently shed a couple weeks ago, but i don't think it has anything to do with that right?
5. I also recently noticed she has a tiny crook on the end of her tail that Won't straighten up?

I know this was all over the place, I apologize for that. However, I wanna make sure I do everything ok, for my young little dragon and that the up and down head thing. Isn't her getting sick or anything.
 

Mysty

Juvie Member
Babies may not show much interest in greens. That's ok. Keep offering them.

Mealworms are poor feeders as they are difficult to digest and not v. Nutritious. Bsf/calci worm is a suitable worm for this age alongside crickets/locusts/dubia roaches.

The heat rock is unnecessary and can cause burns. Best remove it and use a CHE (emits only heat not light) in cold months if the viv is cold overnight.

A kinky tail can be a sign of MBD. If you notice more kinks appearing, beardie may not be getting enough UVB and calcium.
 

PrettyinPurple

Hatchling Member
1. I Can't get her to eat any of the veggies I give her, any tips or tricks to help her eat them?
This is completely normal. I would continue to offer them in small amounts every day just so you don't have a ton of greens going bad in the enclosure and so Mavis can get used to them. My bearded dragons have only ever been attracted to leafy greens such as Kale and Endives.
2. Apparently I'm not supposed to be giving her mealworms? Mind if I ask why not? Does it harm them to give them some? Or does something happen?
No, you're really not supposed to be feeding her meal worms. They tend to cause impaction in bearded dragons, which can be very harmful to their digestion. Mine absolutely love dubia roaches, which are easy to digest and are very easy to maintain.
3. I have a heat rock, but I only leave it on for a few hours during the coldest parts of the night to help keep her warm. Then I turn it off first thing in the morning? Is it still super bad for her to have it? Her enclosure is greatly affected by the actual outside temperature and I don't want her to get too cold. Though, I'm not worried about that during the day, (could days ago we had a heat index of 105.) At night though, it get cool
As the last person had said, there is a danger of a beardie burning their bellies on a heat rock. What I would recommend is that you attach a heat pad to a side of the tank for Mavis to curl up next to. Don't put it underneath the tank because if it gets too hot it's more difficult for the beardie to avoid. If you're really concerned about temperatures at night, you can get one of those thin foil emergency blankets (these often come in emergency car kits, but can be bought separately) that are designed to keep heat in. Put this over the tank at night so she can stay warm and cozy! Also keep in mind that as long as your house is over 60 degrees at night, she should be fine.
4. I've recently noticed she bobs her head at almost random times? I know she recently shed a couple weeks ago, but i don't think it has anything to do with that right?
I don't think it has anything to do with her shedding. She may just be a little over-excited and still adjusting to the activities in her new surroundings. I wouldn't be too concerned with this unless her beard starts turning black. Younger beardies are often very food driven and she may think that there's food around or may be hungry.
5. I also recently noticed she has a tiny crook on the end of her tail that Won't straighten up?
If this is MBD (metabolic bone disease) like the other user had suggested, it often means that your bearded dragon isn't getting enough calcium. To combat this, you can get calcium cricket gutload to feed any insects you are feeding your beardie as well as a calcium powder to dust their food with. The cricket gutload you can just keep in a small dish in whatever container you are keeping the bugs in. It provides them a food source, keeps them hydrated, and makes them more suitable for your beardie!
 

NinaAmbroshia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
PrettyinPurple":1du98ijt said:
1. I Can't get her to eat any of the veggies I give her, any tips or tricks to help her eat them?
This is completely normal. I would continue to offer them in small amounts every day just so you don't have a ton of greens going bad in the enclosure and so Mavis can get used to them. My bearded dragons have only ever been attracted to leafy greens such as Kale and Endives.
2. Apparently I'm not supposed to be giving her mealworms? Mind if I ask why not? Does it harm them to give them some? Or does something happen?
No, you're really not supposed to be feeding her meal worms. They tend to cause impaction in bearded dragons, which can be very harmful to their digestion. Mine absolutely love dubia roaches, which are easy to digest and are very easy to maintain.
3. I have a heat rock, but I only leave it on for a few hours during the coldest parts of the night to help keep her warm. Then I turn it off first thing in the morning? Is it still super bad for her to have it? Her enclosure is greatly affected by the actual outside temperature and I don't want her to get too cold. Though, I'm not worried about that during the day, (could days ago we had a heat index of 105.) At night though, it get cool
As the last person had said, there is a danger of a beardie burning their bellies on a heat rock. What I would recommend is that you attach a heat pad to a side of the tank for Mavis to curl up next to. Don't put it underneath the tank because if it gets too hot it's more difficult for the beardie to avoid. If you're really concerned about temperatures at night, you can get one of those thin foil emergency blankets (these often come in emergency car kits, but can be bought separately) that are designed to keep heat in. Put this over the tank at night so she can stay warm and cozy!
4. I've recently noticed she bobs her head at almost random times? I know she recently shed a couple weeks ago, but i don't think it has anything to do with that right?
I don't think it has anything to do with her shedding. She may just be a little over-excited and still adjusting to the activities in her new surroundings. I wouldn't be too concerned with this unless her beard starts turning black. Younger beardies are often very food driven and she may think that there's food around or may be hungry.
5. I also recently noticed she has a tiny crook on the end of her tail that Won't straighten up?
If this is MBD (metabolic bone disease) like the other user had suggested, it often means that your bearded dragon isn't getting enough calcium. To combat this, you can get calcium cricket gutload to feed any insects you are feeding your beardie as well as a calcium powder to dust their food with. The cricket gutload you can just keep in a small dish in whatever container you are keeping the bugs in. It provides them a food source, keeps them hydrated, and makes them more suitable for your beardie!

1. Kale? :) cool! Will try to get some next time was at the store. What is Endive? Never heard of them before. Though I had been debating small like super finely diced small peices of squash. Thinking maybe it was the fact that the lettuce I try to give her dries up so fast? (All that I give her dries up and doesn't go bad and often dries up within an hour or two of my giving it to her.) Any thoughts on the squash, I know the two adults I used to help care for hot a little bit of squash at meal time, but would it still be ok to give a young one?

2. O.O oh my, good to know! Glad she hasn't had that problem yet! Will get crickets next time I am at the store! Plus the calcium powder will probably stick to the crickets better, than it does the mealworms.

3. I'm not extremely worried right now, left her heat rock off last night. I'm more worried about it getting cool at night and any idea where I can by the heating pad or the wrap? Guessing heating pad maybe at a pet store? No clue on the wrap though?

4. Oh, glad to hear it isn't anything bad. I've had her for almost a month now and only just started noticing her doing it so was worried.

5. I'm going to be very sad if it is MBD. I have her UVB light on 14 hours a day, her tank gets natural sunlight for a few hours. I have calcium spray in her water, calcium powder coating her pellets, and I spray her mealworms (which I will change soon as I can,) with calcium. Glad to know the gutloaded can help! Will look for that too! As for the roaches, may try them too. Can you get them just at the pet store?
 

NinaAmbroshia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Mysty":nybaifxp said:
Babies may not show much interest in greens. That's ok. Keep offering them.

Mealworms are poor feeders as they are difficult to digest and not v. Nutritious. Bsf/calci worm is a suitable worm for this age alongside crickets/locusts/dubia roaches.

The heat rock is unnecessary and can cause burns. Best remove it and use a CHE (emits only heat not light) in cold months if the viv is cold overnight.

A kinky tail can be a sign of MBD. If you notice more kinks appearing, beardie may not be getting enough UVB and calcium.

Never heard of that kind of worm?
I'll keep an eye out for the CHE and ceramic holders, so I can know for certain my dragon will be happy as it starts to cool down here.

D: i just thought maybe she broke the tip of her tail and I didn't notice in tine to fix it! That is much worse!

Thanks for the advice!
 

Mysty

Juvie Member
The tail may certainly be an injury like you suspect. Its something to keep an eye on really rather than worry. Its good that you're asking questions. There's so much conflicting info out there.
 

PrettyinPurple

Hatchling Member
Endives are just another leafy green that you can sometimes find at the grocery store. I did a quick search and it looks like acorn, yellow, spaghetti, and butternut squash are all good choices!
The heating pad you should be able to get at your pet store. I'm not sure about the foil.
Honestly the crook in her tail could be an injury especially if she was housed with siblings or other dragons before you got her. It really sounds like you're well versed with calcium supplements!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, can you post a few pics of the new baby, including a close up of the tail ? Also some of her tank set up ? Here's how :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload pics

I also wanted to mention that the spray on calcium should be stopped, you can't gauge how much calcium he's getting with that and you don't want to use too much, it can cause problems.
 

NinaAmbroshia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
PrettyinPurple":3f9waco2 said:
Endives are just another leafy green that you can sometimes find at the grocery store. I did a quick search and it looks like acorn, yellow, spaghetti, and butternut squash are all good choices!
The heating pad you should be able to get at your pet store. I'm not sure about the foil.
Honestly the crook in her tail could be an injury especially if she was housed with siblings or other dragons before you got her. It really sounds like you're well versed with calcium supplements!

:D I'll keep an eye out for Endives then! Also yay! Squash will work too!
To my knowledge she was, probably all 25 of them. Person I got her for, I work with at the moment. Told her I wanted one of her dragons and she gave me one of her favorites..
^^; not really, I just want to make sure she gets enough and doesn't somehow not get enough
 

NinaAmbroshia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
AHBD":10dlt01u said:
Hi there, can you post a few pics of the new baby, including a close up of the tail ? Also some of her tank set up ? Here's how :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload pics

I also wanted to mention that the spray on calcium should be stopped, you can't gauge how much calcium he's getting with that and you don't want to use too much, it can cause problems.
Trust me Calicum spray not my favorite, when o get the new bugs. I'll stop putting it on them, however, after My first batch of mealworms, the powder stopped sticking to them.

As for pics, I can put a couple I took last night. Can't get a good one of the tail at the moment though, because the place I am working this summer cares for whitetail deer and our most accident prone baby boy has hurt himself. So am on the way to get him some stitches.

20170706_215755.jpg

20170706_215757.jpg

20170706_215750.jpg

20170706_215816.jpg
 

NinaAmbroshia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
AHBD":3fm3gjp0 said:
Very beautiful + healthy looking leatherback with no sign of MBD. :)

I am so glad to hear this! I love her so much already, the crook in her tail is tiny. If you look very close, you can see it in the picture of her on her rock. I'll try to get a picture of it later.

My heart stopped when I first saw her, I never expected such a fantastic sweetie.

Thanks for helping me out!
 

NinaAmbroshia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
So you guys think her tail is just because of something that happened with her siblings? Finally got time for the pictures of it
20170708_182005.jpg

20170708_181955.jpg

Excuse the messy tank, it is time for a cleaning
 

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
Personally, I think the tail is nothing to worry about. If it turns black, falls off, scabs, bleeds, etc, then it might be something to worry about, but right now it seems fine.

I noticed one of the other people suggested kale - this should only be fed on occasion, and in small amounts. Give this list a look - it has a TON of great foods: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

Mealworms, like they have said, are a definite no-go. They cause impaction and are just unhealthy all together. Heat pads and rocks shouldn't generally be used with beardies. If it does get really cold at night, try a CHE (ceramic heat emitter). Generally speaking, this is probably the only good night-heat source.

You also mentioned pellets - these are junk, no need for them.

Dubia roaches are AMAZING (never ever thought I'd be saying how wonderful roaches are :lol: ). They don't stink, are relatively cheap, very heathy, don't fly, and are all around good. You won't normally find them at petstores, and if you do they are probably WAY overpriced. There are lots and lots of great online sources to get your dubias.

Other awesome staple feeders are BSFL (black solider fly larvae), dubias, crickets, tiny hornworms, and silkworms. All can be easily purchased online in bulk for very reasonable prices.

Just my 2¢. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask!
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
From what I can see you and she are doing fine , just the mealworms are as already said, not adviseable as a feeder insect for young beardies (until at least 12 months old - reasons
>> too high in fat
>> very hard to digest exoskeleton
>> their is a sharp bend in the gut of hatchlings / juvies that is can act as a bottleneck and is prone to blockage ==> impactions.

He looks about 3 months old to me.
So if you can manage it , three live insect meals per day, no restrictions on the bugs as he needs the insect proteins and fats and dietary calcium to grow and develop.

How heavy is she ?
I suggest getting into a routine with weekly weighins to keep track of her growth.

If you obtain calciworms/ calcigents / phoenix worms = BSF maggots , these are a fabulous staple feeder insect naturally rich in calcium.
Another great feeder insect which is also very nutritious and rich in calcium is silkworms , he'll easily handle 4 - 6 x medium sized (1.5 - 2 inch) silkworms in a feeding session.
Beauty with silkworms is you hatch your own and if let a couple dozen pupate , and get moths , you can end up with thousands of eggs that you can chill for later in a ziplock bag or little sample bottle (so long as it's airtight) and hatch as needed, or hatch right away so you can have essentially free feeders if you have access to a big mulberry tree , if not you'll have to buy silkworm chow (in powder form to make up as needed).
I'm hatching several hundred , maybe a 1000 silkworms (from October 2016) now and have the baby worms on fresh mulberry leaves (middle of winter here but I still managed to obtain some leaves a couple of weeks ago ( the leaves keep nice in the crisper for over a month).

Those lizard/beardie pellets (if the dry type) are great roach and cricket food.

Heat rock (throw the rock's power cable away), is fine if not turned on.
 
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