GodzillaMax
Member
Hello!
We got our second bearded dragon a little over a week ago. She is a lot larger than our other wee one, but still a baby (from Petsmart). She is about 8.5 inches long including her tail. I say "she" because she waves all the time at our other beardie who slowly head bobs at her constantly but we really don't know for sure.
Anyway, when we first got this little one home, she ran about gulping up crickets at super fast lightening speed. She also loved dubias and would never refuse a meal. We tried to only feed crickets that were smaller than the space between her eyes, but there might have been a dubia that was larger... the manager at the petstore told us that the rule doesn't apply as much to dubias as it does crickets (???)
She is on reptile carpet for the substrate.
We changed our bulb that came with the kit to the reptisun 10 last night after she was acting lethargic. I also took her out in the sun for 2 hours yesterday. When we were outside, she ate one cricket... but she wouldn't chase crickets. She wasn't interested in the dubias either.
Yesterday, all she ate was 1 cricket. The day before, she only ate a couple of crickets. Normally she'll eat 4 or 5 at a time and we feed 3 times a day (sometimes more). I offered cooked butternut squash last night and she ate that for the first time. I also have been giving her water through a baby water dropper on her nose and she takes a few laps of it several times a day.
I'm sooooooooooo worried about her going off her crickets and dubias. This just isn't like her. She is still arm waving at her friend through the glass but isn't as energetic as usual. This dragon between the two of ours, is always the one we're almost afraid to hold because she doesn't like to sit still very long. I don't know what has changed over the past week?
The other night, she did gulp up 7 dubias within a minute or less. Could that have caused impaction? How would I know if she has an impaction or parasites?
I read online on another site that we shouldn't offer any protein to a stressed dragon that isn't eating so I called hubby today and told him to offer only butternut squash until we have a chance to talk to a vet.
I just don't want her going downhill too quickly as I am sure babies can do... a pet store person suggested it may be brumation but I don't think they typically do that before a year old so I don't think that's it.
She does smell more than the other beardie. I noticed it when we first got her home and thought maybe that was due to being in the small enclosure with other beardies at the petstore but now I'm wondering if that might be a sign of a parasite or something wrong?
Thanks in advance for any advice you all can give. I'm still a somewhat newbie at this although I've been reading everything about beardies like crazy for probably the past month or so! They have this Mommy hooked on them.
We got our second bearded dragon a little over a week ago. She is a lot larger than our other wee one, but still a baby (from Petsmart). She is about 8.5 inches long including her tail. I say "she" because she waves all the time at our other beardie who slowly head bobs at her constantly but we really don't know for sure.
Anyway, when we first got this little one home, she ran about gulping up crickets at super fast lightening speed. She also loved dubias and would never refuse a meal. We tried to only feed crickets that were smaller than the space between her eyes, but there might have been a dubia that was larger... the manager at the petstore told us that the rule doesn't apply as much to dubias as it does crickets (???)
She is on reptile carpet for the substrate.
We changed our bulb that came with the kit to the reptisun 10 last night after she was acting lethargic. I also took her out in the sun for 2 hours yesterday. When we were outside, she ate one cricket... but she wouldn't chase crickets. She wasn't interested in the dubias either.
Yesterday, all she ate was 1 cricket. The day before, she only ate a couple of crickets. Normally she'll eat 4 or 5 at a time and we feed 3 times a day (sometimes more). I offered cooked butternut squash last night and she ate that for the first time. I also have been giving her water through a baby water dropper on her nose and she takes a few laps of it several times a day.
I'm sooooooooooo worried about her going off her crickets and dubias. This just isn't like her. She is still arm waving at her friend through the glass but isn't as energetic as usual. This dragon between the two of ours, is always the one we're almost afraid to hold because she doesn't like to sit still very long. I don't know what has changed over the past week?
The other night, she did gulp up 7 dubias within a minute or less. Could that have caused impaction? How would I know if she has an impaction or parasites?
I read online on another site that we shouldn't offer any protein to a stressed dragon that isn't eating so I called hubby today and told him to offer only butternut squash until we have a chance to talk to a vet.
I just don't want her going downhill too quickly as I am sure babies can do... a pet store person suggested it may be brumation but I don't think they typically do that before a year old so I don't think that's it.
She does smell more than the other beardie. I noticed it when we first got her home and thought maybe that was due to being in the small enclosure with other beardies at the petstore but now I'm wondering if that might be a sign of a parasite or something wrong?
Thanks in advance for any advice you all can give. I'm still a somewhat newbie at this although I've been reading everything about beardies like crazy for probably the past month or so! They have this Mommy hooked on them.