Rodeojones
Member
Hey everyone, just picked up our first ever beardie yesterday. I'm a middle school math and science teacher, so the plan is to eventually have him (her? not sure yet) live in my classroom during the school year. But until I get used to caring for it, I'm keeping him at home. Couple feeding and general care questions for those with more experience.
First of all, I purposely didn't buy the tiniest and youngest one at PetSmart. He was the only fancy one available (which my students wanted), but I also liked that he'd already been thriving.
So, regarding feeding, I've heard/read/been told conflicting things. The extremely helpful pet store woman said because he's already a couple months old to feed him twice per day with 5 or so calcium dusted crickets each feeding. Plus have a dish with some fresh veggies available. She said that's the exact feeding schedule they've been following in the store. I've also read feeding is required up to five times per day. That would not be possible when he's at home and I'm working, but I could potentially make that happen when he's moved to my classroom. Additionally, I've read that I should be giving way more crickets per feeding. Thoughts/suggestions for me here?
How about a water dish? I figured that was obvious, but I read today that maybe it's not the best idea.
My setup right now is fairly basic, but I've got a few more things coming via Amazon. I live in northwestern Wisconsin, so our evenings can get really cold and I keep the house thermostat to around 60-62 overnight. I ordered a ceramic bulb for nighttime heating, and a thermostat to keep it where I want. Right now the basking temp is about 94° and the cooler side is about 83°. Do these sound good? Should my basking temp be higher? I also have a timer for my lights and plan to do a 12 on/12 off schedule, unless someone suggests something different.
Lastly, he really wasn't interested in eating crickets this morning. I gave him 6, but he only ate 3. One literally sat in front of him and he barely paid attention to it. After about 15 minutes I pulled the remaining ones out. He also hasn't once touched his veggies. When I fed him crickets last night he ate them all up, but again never touched anything else. Is this normal? Maybe he's a little stressed due to the move to a new, much larger enclosure?
Thanks in advance for any information.
Here are a few pics. My own kids love the orangish color and want to name him Pumpkin.
First of all, I purposely didn't buy the tiniest and youngest one at PetSmart. He was the only fancy one available (which my students wanted), but I also liked that he'd already been thriving.
So, regarding feeding, I've heard/read/been told conflicting things. The extremely helpful pet store woman said because he's already a couple months old to feed him twice per day with 5 or so calcium dusted crickets each feeding. Plus have a dish with some fresh veggies available. She said that's the exact feeding schedule they've been following in the store. I've also read feeding is required up to five times per day. That would not be possible when he's at home and I'm working, but I could potentially make that happen when he's moved to my classroom. Additionally, I've read that I should be giving way more crickets per feeding. Thoughts/suggestions for me here?
How about a water dish? I figured that was obvious, but I read today that maybe it's not the best idea.
My setup right now is fairly basic, but I've got a few more things coming via Amazon. I live in northwestern Wisconsin, so our evenings can get really cold and I keep the house thermostat to around 60-62 overnight. I ordered a ceramic bulb for nighttime heating, and a thermostat to keep it where I want. Right now the basking temp is about 94° and the cooler side is about 83°. Do these sound good? Should my basking temp be higher? I also have a timer for my lights and plan to do a 12 on/12 off schedule, unless someone suggests something different.
Lastly, he really wasn't interested in eating crickets this morning. I gave him 6, but he only ate 3. One literally sat in front of him and he barely paid attention to it. After about 15 minutes I pulled the remaining ones out. He also hasn't once touched his veggies. When I fed him crickets last night he ate them all up, but again never touched anything else. Is this normal? Maybe he's a little stressed due to the move to a new, much larger enclosure?
Thanks in advance for any information.
Here are a few pics. My own kids love the orangish color and want to name him Pumpkin.