Babysitting a Beardie

[Spam]

Hello all, new member here looking for a few hints and tips.

As of last Thursday I am taking care of a 2-3 year old (I think, not sure of exact age) male beardy called Oscar. His owner is an acquaintance through work, and has just left on a 5-month trip to India - he had arranged for someone else to take care of Oscar while he was away, but something happened and the arrangements fell through at the last minute, so my flatmate and I volunteered to look after him as we had been thinking about getting a pet anyhow, had the space for his vivarium in our flat and time to take care of him.

So far so good - we have his vivarium set up with heat mat, UV lamp and heat lamp, and a supply of greens, locusts and crickets to last 2 weeks or so. Been doing a lot of reading up on here and other sites to see how best to take care of him, and of course the owner talked me through most of it as well before he left.

However, I dunno if its just the stress from the move or what, but he doesn't seem to be interested in eating the crickets or greens - just ignores them. I've tried putting crickets in his cage with him and he eats one or two then ignores the rest, also tried feeding him on our coffee table to see if it was just maybe him having trouble spotting the crickets in the cage, but he just tends to sit and watch me or wander off, even if I try dangling crickets in front of him.

The owner recommended feeding him 3-4 times a week with crickets (basically however many he would eat in 10-15 minutes) and fresh greens daily.

He's not had a problem eating locusts though, will happily sit and munch his way through them, maybe because they are bigger and more brightly coloured they are catching his attention easier? Because he's not been touching the crickets however, I've been feeding him mostly locusts and just ran out today.

This anything to worry about? And is there anything I can do to get him more interested in eating the crickets? Also, any other general hints and tips would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[cricket119]

He may need a little time to adjust to his new surrounding. They can go through relocation stress. You shouldn't need a heating pad. Beardies don't feel heat through thier stomachs. You can give him a warm bath to keep him hydrated every few days. He might poop in it though. Good luck! Chris

 

[Judah'sHuman]

Hello!

That cool that you are watching Oscar. Sorta like a trial before you buy! Did you get a list of veggies and such to feed from the owner? There is a good list at beautfuldragons.com just in case.

I agree it can be the stress of moving, and it may take a few days to get use to the new diggs. They also can be very picky and even when hungry, refuss to eat untill the goods they want are offered. Oh yes they are smarties, they know you got the good stuff and your holding out

I also agree that you shoudl not have a heating pad under the tank, this can cause them to over heat. Some people think it sis because it can burn the belly because they can since the heat, and then people think well I dotn have it up high enough to burn them so its ok. Really it is because they need to thermoregulate, when they get to hot they move a cooler area of the tank. They heat sensor is located on the top of thier heads, and yes they can not sence the heat from the belly. So they don't know that they are over heating and need to cool down, this can lead to sever dehydration and possabley death.

 

[Spam]

Cheers for the advice, that puts my mind at rest a wee bit. Will just keep offering him crickets and greens, and hopefully he'll get used to me soon.

He usually goes to sleep directly over the heatpad, but I did notice that last night he settled down for the night at the other end of the vivarium, so will double check the temperature and switch off the heatpad tonight.

 

[Elaina]

If your home temp gets below 65 at night, its ok to have that under that tank heater there. I would put a blanket or towel there on the side so that he does not lay directly on the heat, and will not get burned. See if you can get a temperature reading on that area, so we can say for sure if its dangerous or ok. Did your co worker talk to you about misting/ bathing?
If he is eating those Locusts- no worries He will adjust to you guys in a couple weeks. Great job your doing!!!!

 

[ashesc212]

Hey there. Congrats on being a temporary beardie slave for a while. You will not want to give Oscar back in 6 months lol.

I think the head pad is okay if it is under the tank and there is a layer of blanket or something in between the beardie and the heater. Personally, my beardie sleeps in her blanket every night on the spot where the under tank heater is. If I try to put her somewhere else, she will go back to that spot anyway. We have not had any problems with this method. Overall at night the ambient temp is around 70-75.

Are you dusting the feeders with any supplements? He needs to receive calcium and multivitamin supplements.

As for the baths, a good bath temperature is 95 degrees.

Did your coworker give you any type of temp gun to take spot temperatures? They tend to be more accurate then just the plain, round, stick-ons.

Anyway, good luck!