Good that Miss J is doing so well! That means her slave is doing a good job ?? As to her diet, it sounds fine--perhaps a few green leafy offerings to add? But they all have their own ideas; and sometimes even that is different, from week to week. Dezi, for example, has recently decided that he does not like crickets, after all...His preferred food is now the "nat geo" soft pellets for bearded dragons from the pet shop. he does eat a few super worms, green salad, maybe one cricket, and wants to pig out on waxworms--but I won't give him those except as a very special treat, due to the high fat and low nutritional content. They are the equivalent of a human eating nothing but marshmallows all day! I think that, as long as we provide a good variety, and of course dusted with calcium/vitamin D powder, it is good. Do you dust Her food? I mention this because it is so very important at her age of fast growth. It will be interesting to see how much she has grown in this past month.
My new girl, Penny, has more than doubled in size! And she shows no sign of slowing down. It is normal for them to continue to grow quickly for the first year, then slower for the second year. I have not yet allowed them to be out together. I do not want them to have a bad experience--at his size, Dezi would intimidate her, even on his best, most polite behavior. My hope is that they will eventually become friends, and be able to be out in the room together, with supervision. Meanwhile, they take turns being out on me. They have their own vivariums, in separate rooms. Dezi's is in the TV room, so he has access to his football games. Miss Penny is in my bedroom/the parlor, where I can keep a constant eye on her, and she sees me at all times. I hope this helps her to bond with me. Each morning, I bring Dezi into my room, and set him up on his window perch with UVB lamp and a heating pad. They can see each other, or I can draw the curtain a bit to block their view.
They are very much aware of each other. When Dezi gets down for his daily walk about, he marches past her viv. It is so cute because he tucks up his belly, beefs up his arms, puffs out his beard a bit (but does not darken it) and marches slowly and deliberately past her viv, then turns around and marches back the other way, showing off his very best self. He pretends not to be interested, but he keeps glancing over his shoulder to see if she is watching. She stands still on her branch and gives him her full attention. She does not appear frightened, just interested. I am encouraged by this. If Dezi blacked his beard or approached her face on, it could be seen as aggression, but he is quite polite. When Penny goes to the back of her viv to signal that the greeting session is ended, Dezi stops marching and goes back to his perch. Morning feeding time begins.
I am lucky to be able to spend so much time on my dragons. The more one-on-one time they get with me, the more sweet and docile they become. People are always amazed at Dezi when we go out in public and he calmly greets strangers, even children, and accepts petting and attention. He even allows them to hold him. I seldom offer that, and only if they have experience with Beardies. They must wash hands first, (I offer antibacterial wipes) and I always keep one hand on Dezi. His safety is of utmost importance to me. I used to think that all beardies were so docile, but many owners I meet tell me theirs would never be so calm in public. All I know is, Dezi has gone out with me since he was old enough to be in public, and has always loved the attention. As far as he is concerned, he is the star of the show, and he truly believes that every person will adore him. His innocent trust is precious.
Do you have any more photos of Jimmia to share?
here are my two. Mis Penny has grown more and more white, almost silver! It is stunning. After a shed, her white skin glistens-she practically glows in the dark. The photos do not do her justice. And Dezi remains his big, orange, beautiful snuggly self.
Penny is my little silver queen
she allows snuggles when she is in the mood. Always, on her own terms.
Big, orange and beautiful DeziLu
He watches Penny from my bed. She is in the viv on the back wall