Mario's Super World

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Taking inspiration from other members, I figured this forum would be a good place to catalogue the life of Mario!

Obligatory picture of cuteness
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Background
Mario is my daughter's dragon. She has been wanting one since Christmas, but I did NOT feel comfortable about keeping a creature in a box for our entertainment. My wife and I agreed that if she could prove herself responsible from the new year until her 10th birthday, we would get her a beardie with the understanding that she would be the one feeding it, bathing it, and cleaning out its enclosure. In the meantime I would do the research to talk her out of getting a reptile.

How valuable research is! We discovered this amazing community of helpful folks that eventually changed my mind about these awesome creatures. The images of sad, sick lizards in tiny boxes that I remembered my friends having in school were quickly replaced by amazing tales of companionship among beardies and their servants (the humans!)

It turns out my daughter was serious about getting a BD. She cleaned her room without asking, did chores without complaining, and helped her younger siblings, all with a smile on her face. About a month ago I started the real research of husbandry and laid out the roadwork for our new family member.

Mario's 1st Friend
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Mario's 2nd Friend
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So we got him! Knowing that this was quite a lot to take on, my wife and I budgeted all the supplies over 4 pay periods. We slowly built a collection of roaches, building supplies, lights and fixtures, and other accouterment. It has all been worth it, as you can see!

Exploring His New Home
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He's starting to settle in nicely and doesn't seem the least bit phased about the chaos in our house. He lives on top of a bookcase in a highly traveled area, basking right near the window so he can keep an eye on us!

Keeping an Eye on His Subjects
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Mario has eaten twice. Yesterday afternoon, about 18 hours after bringing him home, he gobbled 12 Dubia roaches in about 1 minute! He went very dark, scrambled onto his rock, and basked there until the lights went out. In the morning he was in the exact same place! :lol:

Collard Greens, Squash, and Cucumber
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This morning my daughter started his regular routine. Again, he scarfed down 12 roaches in about a minute before climbing onto the hammock and eyeing the food bowl. After 5 minutes or so of this he decided he was full and scampered over to his basking spot.

Mario's "Murder Pit"
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Post-Feeding Posing
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That's all for now! My daughter will try bathing him tomorrow, and while he is out and about we're going to weigh him again. Let's see what the math looks like...6 grams + ~50 roaches = :?:
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Mine aren't hot on wax worms either-- just as well they are fattening- butterworms- are better- along w/ the silk worms - hornworms-
Karrie
 

MariosDad

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
3 weeks with Mario!

He's eating, pooping, and running around his Super World!
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He definitely has a favorite sleeping spot.
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And sexy legs are a daily occurrence!
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He likes to drink from his salad bowl, eats Dubia roaches and BSFL, and is apparently a fan of carrots.
However, he only seems to be growing longer, not heavier! He's grown about an inch but is still only 6 grams.

As an experiment, we switched out his murder pit for a smaller, clear glass bowl to see if he would eat more than 3-4 bugs at a time. Nope! He just circled the bowl, staring at the bugs and trying to figure out how to get to them! I guess we're sticking with the murder pit for now, although he hasn't eaten as many bugs in one sitting as his first 2 days here. Might have to rename it the Dainty Dish :D
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Circling the wagon is normal ----------Blaze did the same thing -- listening and trying to figure out how to get to them --- they do figure it out --- hes weight will catch up w/ his body -- just keep feeding as you are -- have you added any worms to the diet? Blaze loved super worms but I think hes gotten tired of them -- hasnt been eating them like he was so I have not bought any more - I am feeding him silk worms and butter worms now -- and horn worms when I get them --
Karrie
 

MariosDad

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Hi Karrie

Good to know they eventually figure out glass bowls! His murder pit is just so big...

He gets BSFL along with roaches. We mixed them for a few days, but he seems to eat more if we do roaches for a few days, switch to BSFL for a day, then back to roaches. Or we’ll reverse that. Seems to keep him much more interested when the “variety day” comes.

He ate on the floor yesterday (in a tub) while hanging out with my daughter, which was a nice surprise! He went pretty dark for a bit, but his favorite human dropped some bugs in and he calmed down after munching one.

When we put him back in the enclosure he ate 4 more right away, so I don’t think we “freaked his bean” too bad!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Is she feeding him salads ? He needs those first thing in the morning other wise you will have a heck of a time getting him to eat them when he gets older- he will only expect bugs--- even Blaze has slowed down on the salads - he was eating them more but has backed off on them -- dont know what the deal is - I have been feeding him salads since I got him at 3 months I think maybe younger -- I am happy when he eats some of them -- he is now 9 months old ---
Karrie
 

MariosDad

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Yep! Collard and mustard greens right now, with occasional kale. Squash and carrots cut real small, too. Yesterday we tested apple as a treat and he ate a couple pieces.
 

DorgEndo

Sub-Adult Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Devlyn
It sounds like he is eating so we'll. Never had a baby that small myself. Keep up the good work!

Variety day is a nice tactic. Sounds like he loves variety day
 

MariosDad

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Thanks! Everything is an experiment right now, but my daughter and I are lucky to have all y’all to help and guide us along the way!
 

MariosDad

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Mario Update!

We've had him for a month, and we figure he's about 8 weeks old.

He has finally put on some weight, instead of just length! He's now 6 inches long and 7 grams.

Recently he has started pooping more often, nearly every other day as opposed to twice a week. I'm assuming this means he's less stressed, more comfortable around us, and is figuring out that food comes every day. Also, I may have a "Mr. Spectrum situation" going on: the last 3 times he has pooped it's been in the same place! :headbang:

Yesterday may have been a feeding milestone, too. Apart from the first few days we had him, he's eaten 3-7 roaches or BSFL a day. Yesterday he ate 11 roaches total! We may be on the cusp of some explosive dragon growth... (On a different note, dubiaroaches.com has continues to have excellent service throughout all this.)

Hope everyone is staying safe and smart in these crazy days! Here's a new sleeping picture for ya...
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DorgEndo

Sub-Adult Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Devlyn
Beardies do love to sleep like weirdos. A plant makes as much sense, if not more, than a rock or log to sleep on.

Good job on him growing. I never had a baby so small but he looks really good. His super world to explore is of course awesome and it's great he is making use of everything
 
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I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
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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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