Weight Gain

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So, I have had Deja for 3 weeks now. She (I just call he/she a she because it comes naturally) was bought at PetSmart. I weighed her and she was .5 oz and 8 inches long including tail. She has not really grown in length and she is now .7oz. She is eating until she says she is done. She has a fresh veggie mix given to her everyday. I am wondering if she is gaining enough weight or if I need to be doing something differently. I do not know her age. [XIMG]103125 8990626400 I do not know what kind of beardie she is or any other info. So if you have any ideas please let me know as well.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
the pic did not post can you please try again--- click on user image uploader at top of page down load pic go to reply click on XIMG and it should post --
Karrie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok so you said Pet Smart? Oh boy! Ok so can you post pics of the tank and tell us what kind of lighting you have! What exactly did you get from Pet Smart?
Karrie
 

Hopemmcbride

Member
Original Poster
So after I gave Deja a bath today I weighed her and she is .6 oz which would be 19grams. Just not gaining weight but then again it has not even been a month since I got her. Well since my daughter got her. I just claim her. :)

I did get her at Petsmart. She was .5oz when I got her. They were not feeding her half of what I what she eats here. She does NOT like meal worms and would not eat Dubai roaches either so it has been salad and crickets. Wether or not she eats the salad I am not sure. I have not actually seen it happen. I have been able to hand feed once piece of kale nothing since. She definitely can eat some crickets!! I have bumped up the size and she still eats about 6 or 7 of them. Speaking of which I have to go and buy some more today.

I posted a picture of the tank. It seems empty. I feel like I need to do a lot of work to it.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, Deja looks good and feeding her crickets is fine, they are still a good staple for beardies. Your tank has lots of nice decor but it's the wrong size, way too tall. The uvb will never reach her in almost 100% of the tank and it's SO important for a growing dragon. The coil or compact bulb can only be used in a very short tank, like a 20 long and even then it's very weak on top of the screen. The other huge problem is that Deja can easily break bones jumping or falling from that height. This is more of an emergency than you may realize and I urge you to get her set up in a shorter tank with a long tube uvb like Reptisun 10.0 t5 or Arcadia D3 12 -14 % . You can even set her up in a plastic tote like this one I used for raising hatchlings .

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29953/full
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
ok so first off the reason shes not gaining weight is she not eating nearly enough crickets - she should be eating 20-30 at a time dusted w/ calcium d3 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week - second it has all to do w/ your lighting- the dome light you have is no good- you need a good UVB light -- it is crucial - it will reflect on her behavior and preventing MBD-- this is what you need -- Reptisun 10 T5, or the Arcadia D3 12% or 14% T5 tube, both of which are very good. You will
need a T5 light fixture also. What are her basking temps and how are you taking them? I and others recommend a Infrared heat gun - they are the most accurate for temps- you can get them at Walmart or Home Depot for around $10- sorry to hear she wont eat dubia roaches as they are better for her and alot easier to take care of- crickets stink and are a hassle -- its good shes not eating meal worms as they are too hard on her digestive system- crickets are her main diet at this point but you need to keep offering her greens like mustard collard green beans squash any kind some fruit like apple mango strawberries blueberries NO citrus-- there is a list for nutrition on the feeding board click on the website link it is most helpful-- once you replace the UVB it needs to go inside the tank about 6-8 inches from her- she would probably like a hide - something for her to crawl under w/ her blanket- I couldnt tell if there was one in there- how big is her tank ?

Karrie
 

Hopemmcbride

Member
Original Poster
She was eating a lot more crickets but they were smaller. When I upped the size the amount went down. But she has not been eating near as good the past couple days and I worry and stress. I am going to switch tanks today and move some things around. I have a t8 bulb I bought because I was told that was what I would need but everyone keeps mentioning the t5 now. I need to get an actual light fixture. Wouldn't the bulb work in a regulat fluorescent light fixture? Petsmart told me to go buy one at Home Depot. I did get an infrared temperature gun yesterday. I need a 9v battery for it which I will get today.



KarrieRee":gqsdhy9e said:
ok so first off the reason shes not gaining weight is she not eating nearly enough crickets - she should be eating 20-30 at a time dusted w/ calcium d3 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week - second it has all to do w/ your lighting- the dome light you have is no good- you need a good UVB light -- it is crucial - it will reflect on her behavior and preventing MBD-- this is what you need -- Reptisun 10 T5, or the Arcadia D3 12% or 14% T5 tube, both of which are very good. You will
need a T5 light fixture also. What are her basking temps and how are you taking them? I and others recommend a Infrared heat gun - they are the most accurate for temps- you can get them at Walmart or Home Depot for around $10- sorry to hear she wont eat dubia roaches as they are better for her and alot easier to take care of- crickets stink and are a hassle -- its good shes not eating meal worms as they are too hard on her digestive system- crickets are her main diet at this point but you need to keep offering her greens like mustard collard green beans squash any kind some fruit like apple mango strawberries blueberries NO citrus-- there is a list for nutrition on the feeding board click on the website link it is most helpful-- once you replace the UVB it needs to go inside the tank about 6-8 inches from her- she would probably like a hide - something for her to crawl under w/ her blanket- I couldnt tell if there was one in there- how big is her tank ?

Karrie
 

vrenee1018

Juvie Member
Hello there. You can try feeding her phoenix worms (BSFL - Black Soldier Fly Larvae) as a regular staple to her crickets. They have a great source of calcium and they wiggle enough to get their attention too :lol: She does look like an alert happy little thing though, so that's good. As for your T8 light fixture comment, no, they cannot just go in any fixture. They make specific T8 and T5 fixtures. The T8s are thicker and are your common size run of the mill fluorescent bulbs you see in most places. The T5 are smaller, but they pack more of a punch. I would make sure that whatever fixture you get has a reflector for the bulb so the little one gets all the UV she can. I think some make reflectors out of foil, some use reflecting tape, or some buy the reflectors that clip to the bulb.

When I first had my beardie, I had her in a tank much like yours. I bought a substrate made by Lugarti and specifically designed for reptiles. It was special blend of high quality sphagnum peat moss, extremely fine sand, and bentonite clay. I bought tons of that and packed the bottom of the cage to make it shorter in case she did fall or jump, she wouldn't hit the hard glass, she'd hit soft dirt. My brother uses it for his baby beardie and the little guy is doing fine jumping around here and there.

Good luck with your little one! Let us know if you have anymore questions!
 

Hopemmcbride

Member
Original Poster
She is now in a 10 gallon tank. I have had so many people say to get the 40 gallon. Then others say smaller. I definitely do not want her to get hurt. I want her to flourish. I believe the 10 gallon tank will be easier to control. I am going to give it a day or two and see how everything plays out. She actually at 3 Dubai Roaches but that is all she ate today.

And there is a BIG Tokay Gecko that they let run loose in the pet store. It bites. No sign what so ever warning you or your kids. It stays right beside the hand sanitizer that is level with 2-5 years old heads. I was kind freaked out with how close I was to being bit. I thought it was fake at first.
 

vrenee1018

Juvie Member
I do suggest a 40 gallon. She will quickly outgrow the 10 gallon, so it's best to start off with the 40 and you can go from there. If you do get the 40 and you're afraid of her getting hurt, just make sure she has plenty of ways up and down to her basking spots. My first setup below had it so there were two ways down. Using the leaves to crawl down or the simple branch. The dirt below added extra padding for her in case she decided to be a dare devil. I'm not saying you should do the same setup I had, but just giving my experience with my setups and so on.

101206-5955040869.jpg
 

Hopemmcbride

Member
Original Poster
I will most definitely be putting her back in a larger cage when she gets a little bigger. I don't know how fast they typically grow and gain weight ....any ideas. I wonder if she is on schedule or what. I think not knowing stresses me out. I worry so much.
My cats sit beside the aquarium and watches her. My cats are a mess. They kill field mice but not the hamsters when they get loose. It is like they know when something is a pet vs wild.
I need a crested gecko forum does anyone know of one?
 
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