Rusty, The Almighty

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Rusty, The Almighty Life Story

11/13/2019

Good Evening, Everyone.

About 8 years ago, I had a Bearded Dragon. His name was Checkers, and I had to give him to good family friend, since I was going to boot camp for the Marine Corps. I had him for about 5 years, and in that time, I was able to start a roach colony, and learn a lot of dragons. Sadly, Checkers suffered from tail rot, and had 3/4 of it amputated to save his life. I am unsure of Checkers' well being, because, honestly, I am too afraid to ask and hear the worst possible outcome.

I live away from home now, and my girlfriend and I are getting a new bearded dragon from a reputable breeder off Facebook. I have gone out and collected some wood and rocks from the forest around my house(check back for updates to see the wood and rocks I got), bathed them in a bleach and water solution, and baked them to get rid of any harsh chemicals left behind, and kill of any bacteria, and bugs.

I have purchased my roaches (from dubiaroaches.com) to start a roach colony, which should be coming in on Friday. I have the water crystals, and DIY roach chow ingredients (calcium (same stuff you dust your feeders with), dog food, and oatmeal). On Friday, the heat mat to keep the roaches warm will be in as well. Friday is also payday! I will be purchasing everything for the enclosure (40B, lamps and fixtures, substrate (slate tiles), and food/water dishes), 500 feeder roaches, and the dragon himself. I will have the dragon show up some time next week so I can make sure the entire enclosure is complete, and ready for a healthy dragon.

A good friend of mine used to breed dragons and used nothing but Steph's Dragons for his breeders, and never had an issue. She has an excellent selection of colors, and morphs. I have no doubts that I will be 100% satisfied with my purchase. According to Steph, this dragon is a Hypo Het Witblits Het Trans. I understand different morphs, but if some of you could explain what that morph means, I would really appreciate it.

So, this thread is going to be giving updates to Rusty's life in the Lillywhite residence. I will provide pictures as I get them, but in the meantime, please enjoy these pictures from the breeder of Rusty.

Feel free to leave questions, comments, and concerns with ANYTHING you see in this forum. I accept criticism (negative or positive) very well, so you won't hurt my feelings. It's very difficult to do.

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11/15/2019 Update

Today, I ordered my bearded dragon, tiles, heating/lighting, and feeder roaches. I am picking up the 40 Gallon Breeder from my buddy on Sunday, and all the lighting/heating stuff, and the roaches will be here Monday. On Tuesday, Rusty will be home. Stay tuned for enclosure pictures!!


11/18/2019 Update

This morning, I went to my buddie's house to pick up the 40 Gallon Breeder. He gave me a ton of extras such as calcium (liquid and dry), a temperature probe, and roach chow. Yesterday, the UVB Fixture (Zilla desert 18in T8), UVB light (Reptisun 10.0), Heat Fixture (Zoo Med Deep Dome), and Food/Water dishes came in the mail.

I went out and bought a diamond angle grinder blade so I could cut my tile to fit, and man, does it look good. Have you ever done a DIY project, no matter how simple, then once you finished, you just end up looking at it for so long admiring your work? That was me with the tile cutting LOL. I layed the tile in, and put all the decor in the enclosure to get a feel for how it will look. The basking spot is sitting at 111°F, so I will probably move the basking spot down an inch or so and do another test. Let me know what you think!

I ordered 500 small dubias from ReptilianArts to feed to Rusty, but unfortunately, USPS' estimated delivery date is full of s***. They were supposed to be delivered today, but all I'm being told on the tracking is "In Transit, Arriving Late". I'm not too worried, because I have heard beardies sometimes don't eat right away due to relocation stress, but hopefully I can get them soon.

Tomorrow, the dragon will be delivered by noon, and the background for the tank will be delivered.

The roach colony isn't doing as well as I expected. Usually when I buy adults online, they are healthy and start having babies right away. I ordered 25 females, and 5 males, and already 3 males have died, and no females have had babies yet. I have only had them for a few days. I have contacted DubiaRoaches, in hopes they can help out. I have a heat mat under the plastic tote, and have them in a dark room where they don't get disturbed. I gave them oranges last night, and they haven't mowed through them, like I'm used to seeing. It could be since I only have about 100 dubias in the bin. Do y'all have any ideas as to why they aren't doing so well right away? Is it too soon to give any reason why?

I will post back tomorrow when I have Rusty, and he's in his new home. Stay tuned, and God Bless you all!

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11/20/2019 Update

The update I've been waiting for!!

Rusty is home, and happy.

Yesterday, around 12:30, Rusty was delivered. He was packaged very nicely. A insulated box with a heat pack above him. He was in a bag, which I wasn't too keen about, but that may be what the norm is.

I tried feeding him yesterday, and he ate 2 roaches for the entire day. He has eaten 1 roach today. Probably just relocation stress. He is very active, which makes me happy. He is offered a fresh salad every day, but does not touch them. This is not the first beardie I have owned, so I know they can be a little stubborn with eating their salads.

His colors are a little dull in the pic because I had him out of his enclosure for about an hour before taking these pictures. When he's all warm, he is very bright.

He shows a very small amount of the witblit trait because the lower half of his tale is pure white. No pattern. Looks very cool. I can confirm he is a hypo because of the nails.

He was born on 9/26/19, so he is coming up on being 2 months old. He measures up at about 9 inches, and 19 grams. I would love if some EXPERIENCED beardie owners could take a look at some of the pics, and his size/weight ratio, and let me know what y'all think.

He's the cutest little guy. I am extremely satisfied with Stephanie Noeske on Facebook. She produces amazing dragons, great shipping, great customer service, and great prices.

Please enjoy the photos, and help me welcoming Rusty to the Lillywhite family.

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Thank you for viewing, and God Bless You All!! I will update once a month with length and weight updates :blob5: :blob8: :blob5: :blob8:
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

First off, welcome to the site!

How exciting about your new dragon! I bet you can't wait to get him! It's great that you are getting everything set up before hand! What were you planning to buy for your lighting?

Rusty sure is a cutey! Can't wait to see more pictures of him and watch him grow up!
JohnVLillywhite":2daabxz2 said:
According to Steph, this dragon is a Hypo Het Witblits Het Trans. I understand different morphs, but if some of you could explain what that morph means, I would really appreciate it.
Basically what that means is the only visible morph rusty is showing, is hypo. Het for witblits and het for trans means that Rusty has those genes, but does not express them outwardly. Do you know if he is 100% het for those two traits, or if it's only a possible het? If 100% het that means that Rusty's offspring could come out as witblits or trans (or both) despite rusty not looking like a witblit or trans depending on the mothers genetics.

PS. I moved your thread to this section of the forum, it's where most of us post our "journals" or what have you :)

-Brandon
 

JohnVLillywhite

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":2ug21se7 said:
Hi there,

First off, welcome to the site!

How exciting about your new dragon! I bet you can't wait to get him! It's great that you are getting everything set up before hand! What were you planning to buy for your lighting?

Rusty sure is a cutey! Can't wait to see more pictures of him and watch him grow up!
JohnVLillywhite":2ug21se7 said:
According to Steph, this dragon is a Hypo Het Witblits Het Trans. I understand different morphs, but if some of you could explain what that morph means, I would really appreciate it.
Basically what that means is the only visible morph rusty is showing, is hypo. Het for witblits and het for trans means that Rusty has those genes, but does not express them outwardly. Do you know if he is 100% het for those two traits, or if it's only a possible het? If 100% het that means that Rusty's offspring could come out as witblits or trans (or both) despite rusty not looking like a witblit or trans depending on the mothers genetics.

PS. I moved your thread to this section of the forum, it's where most of us post our "journals" or what have you :)

-Brandon
Thank you, Brandon! As for lighting, I’m going with a 100 Watt basking bulb and the Reptisun 10.0. I’m not too sure if he’s 100% het or not. I am not looking to produce offspring with Rusty, so that’s good to know.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Well if he is 100%, you know for sure he has those genetics, so it makes it easy.

If he is only 50% het, or 66% het, well it means there is a 50% or 66% chance respectively. And the only way to know for sure would be to "prove him out" which essentially involved breeding him to the right female and seeing if he produces those het traits in his offspring. If he does, you can upgrade him to 100% het for whichever trait proved out :)

Hope that makes sense.

-Brandon
 

Tasnene

Hatchling Member
Awwwwwwww, It’s definitely exciting and a little stressful owning one. But this community is very helpful and kind. I can’t wait to see more pictures and Rustys enclosure.
 

JohnVLillywhite

Member
Original Poster
Please let me know what y'all think of the enclosure setup!

Enclosure: 40 Gallon Breeder
Substrate: Ceramic Tile
Heat Lamp: ZooMed 100 Watt Basking Bulb
Heat Fixture: ZooMed Mini Deep Dome
UVB Lamp: Reptisun 10.0
UVB Fixture: Zilla Slimline
Decor: Misc Wood and Rocks from Outside (Bathed in Bleach/Water and Baked at 300°F for 20mins
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Aww yay! He is such a cutey! You gotta keep posting pictures of him. I miss the baby phase lol :(

JohnVLillywhite":3v1mhpln said:
Please let me know what y'all think of the enclosure setup!

Enclosure: 40 Gallon Breeder
Substrate: Ceramic Tile
Heat Lamp: ZooMed 100 Watt Basking Bulb
Heat Fixture: ZooMed Mini Deep Dome
UVB Lamp: Reptisun 10.0
UVB Fixture: Zilla Slimline
Decor: Misc Wood and Rocks from Outside (Bathed in Bleach/Water and Baked at 300°F for 20mins
All sounds good, what are your temperatures with that setup?
And make sure that you remove the plastic cover on the zilla fixture that covers the bulbs output :)

-Brandon
 

JohnVLillywhite

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":1uarw6ut said:
Aww yay! He is such a cutey! You gotta keep posting pictures of him. I miss the baby phase lol :(

JohnVLillywhite":1uarw6ut said:
Please let me know what y'all think of the enclosure setup!

Enclosure: 40 Gallon Breeder
Substrate: Ceramic Tile
Heat Lamp: ZooMed 100 Watt Basking Bulb
Heat Fixture: ZooMed Mini Deep Dome
UVB Lamp: Reptisun 10.0
UVB Fixture: Zilla Slimline
Decor: Misc Wood and Rocks from Outside (Bathed in Bleach/Water and Baked at 300°F for 20mins
All sounds good, what are your temperatures with that setup?
And make sure that you remove the plastic cover on the zilla fixture that covers the bulbs output :)

-Brandon
Isn't the baby stage so cute? The attitude, appetite, everything!!

I got him to eat a lot more today. Was munching down on some roaches and phoenix worms.

Basking area is about 110°F
Hot side is about 95°F
Cool side is about 85°F

See anything wrong with the temps?
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Cool side is a little warmer than I like to shoot for. If you raised your basking lamp up a little bit it might solve that issue. But it's not really too bad. I like cool ends at 80 or less personally :)

That's great that he's eating. Sounds like a good variety :)

-Brandon
 

JohnVLillywhite

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":33abrsd7 said:
Cool side is a little warmer than I like to shoot for. If you raised your basking lamp up a little bit it might solve that issue. But it's not really too bad. I like cool ends at 80 or less personally :)

That's great that he's eating. Sounds like a good variety :)

-Brandon
There is no way I can raise my basking bulb since I don't have a stand. Also, it's 85° with the house heater on. I'm trying to find a way to keep the roaches warm, so they're able to breed, and keep his cool side cool enough. My roaches are sitting about about 75°F when the heater is not on, and about 82°F when the heater is on. Any advice?
 

JohnVLillywhite

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":jlrcospu said:
You might consider turning down the heater a bit then. That would fry me, I like it cold HA! :mrgreen:

I use a heat mat for my dubias. If your curious, this is exactly what I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IDQD32Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Works great so far. I've had it a few months now. But in the past, I've used similar products.

-Brandon
I really like that heat pad. It's cool that you can set a temperature. Do you know of any other way to warm up my dubia enclosure?
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

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