The Fitz and the Fool

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Hello there forum-goers!

This will be the central location for all things Fitz related.

This is the Fitz, I am the Fool in love with him already. (If you've read Robin Hobb at all, I'm sure you see where this is from, and where Fitz's name comes from)
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He is my first reptile of any kind so I did many months of research prior to committing(it helped that my husband wanted me to hold off until our new flooring was installed in our apartment so that there wouldn't be as much disruption). Over time my plans for him changed, everything from what kind of doors to install on the enclosure, to what kind of flooring, whether to do a Styrofoam background(still considering doing this), what I would feed him, what kind of lights to buy (MVB or heat bulb and UVB tube). There is a lot of information out there and a lot of misinformation.

Fitz is what the breeder called a neon, though of course she referenced a bunch of genetic mumbo jumbo that I'm not clear on, I'll get that from her one of these days.

I picked him up on Saturday evening, so today is my third full day with him. He is currently living in a large Rubbermaid tub with papertowel so that I can monitor his health, poop, and eating habits for a few weeks prior to moving him into his final home:

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This is not yet complete, it still needs the tracks to be installed (currently awaiting shipment), glass doors and some more substrate. Once the tracks and glass are in I will also introduce the clean up crew (bioactive substrate). The above is basically what it looks like now, except I've added some plants and Fitz's temporary home is sitting inside it so I didn't have to remove his UVB light from the main enclosure.

He is obviously still settling in, but he has not yet missed a meal, eating his bugs like a champ and some greens. Not the huge amounts of bugs I've heard of yet, but a decent number twice a day. Pooping on the regular and looks normal with no visibly undigested bits.
 

cewebb

Member
I just read through this whole thread and it made me so happy! I would love to see pictures of Fitz now, as the ones from this summer are about the size of my Kevie right now, and I'd love to get an idea of her growth. Right now her tail and legs and the tip of her snout have gone dull. Her color fluctuates throughout the day (she is a 'normal' sandy color, but she was very dark yesterday afternoon). She is not a happy camper right now. I wonder if her skin is literally feeling too tight for her tiny body.

I am in love with your natural vivarium! I would love to be able to invest in something like that soon, but as a college student, I have a very limited budget. Right now she has the very basics and I can't wait to get her some fake plants and a background (she always runs into the glass!)

The dripper is a great idea, as Kev is not big on drinking unless I personally drip water on her nose. How she would survive without me, I don't know. Maybe a dripper will give her bowl some movement to attract her to try it on her own.
 

SpacialCoogs

Sub-Adult Member
someone suggested putting some worms in the water dish to introduce them to the idea of a water dish. Mine will actually drink out of her dish.
 

quyllur

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Here are a couple of pics of Fitz taken tonight.

He's loving his new perch:
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And on the hunt for crickets:

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He is mid shed as well, his belly and back are dull while his legs, head and tail are not, so he looks like he's wearing a vest.

He is about 5-6 months old now.
 

quyllur

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
My husband made off with my scale so no weight measurement today, but I have a length measurement.

Over 18 inches already!

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ETA: 332g as of 10/16/2016
 

quyllur

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Well, I finally got this started.

All initial Styrofoam work is complete, just need to smooth out the edges and do some blending before applying first coat of grout.

IMG_1152.jpg
 

quyllur

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Thank you!

Despite careful measurements, I managed to make it 1/2" too long, so I've got to shave off one side before grouting.
 

Spunky

Member
That is going to be one awesome rock! Are those food bowls to the left? I don't have dirt in mine but have been playing with the idea of adding a large bowl type thing that can either be a digging spot, put some water in there for a little soak or just a really big food bowl. Lol
 

quyllur

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Yes the two spots on the left are for a veggie bowl and water bowl which are just some plastic Tupperware type containers that will insert into them and be removable for washing, they are currently on the ground in the enclosure and get a lot of dirt in them from Mr Fitz's wild antics.

Thanks for the compliments, I'm excited to see it completed!
 

quyllur

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Update on Fitz's background:

Here it is after sanding down all of the hard edges and then cutting off 1/2 an inch in excess length, along with all of the materials for the next step:

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And after the first coat of grout has been applied:

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You can see that the first coat does not provide amazing coverage as the grout didn't want to stick to the smoother parts of the styrofoam, but I am confident the next coats will stick to the first coat better:

IMG_1186.jpg
 

quyllur

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Welp, it's finally finished!

One shot of the last coat of paint/grout on. I sealed the bottom three layers with mod podge, as I figured that they would be in contact with the dirt, but I wanted him to be able to climb and grip easily for the rest. Also, I know my dragon likes to poop at the front of the enclosure, so I am not concerned about having to clean off the structure or worry about liquid eating away at it.

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And the finale! In the enclosure. I am not totally happy with how the colours turned out as I think it's too pink/too light, but I do like how t affected the layout.

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