Caring for a dragon while working 9-12hrs a day?

[Screamin99]

Typicall I work 9hrs a day from 8-5. I leave around 7 am and I get home around 6PM I wake him up before I leave and I barely see him at all when I get home finally.

Who else works and has a dragon? How do you do it? How do you manage? How do you care for him? I have often thought about finding him a home, but he's such a good lizard. I just want whats best for him. He's not been eating right or going to the bathroom regular for a while.. No parasites at all vet says he looks great. Im getting a new 10.0 tube to see if that helps but im just wondering if anyone else here has a dragon and is just simply not around much of the day when they are awake? what do you do? what does your schedule look like?

 

[Rud3Bwoy]

i work from 10-6 but i work from home,but with my profession i can't really check my dragon until work is over

what i do is leave greens for him well watered down.

and when i am finished working feed him,then 3 hours later feed him again

also why not do phoneix worms?in a dry bowl deep dish they can't get out

 

[Screamin99]

I give greens before I leave in his bowl. I have a super colony that is really more of a pain than its worth lol so I might just go for something else, as he won't touch crickets period. He's two, and he would rather eat bugs than greens so I have to really watch how much I offer and when haha. Plus he witholds stool for w/e reason I think its due to hard urates and not enough water, but I try to bath and give water orally too.

 

[trinity040400]

I work different hours everyday but I keep her on the same scedule. I wake her up at 7am and up fresh greens in her bowl. I get home at 5pm and feed her crickets and play with her, then she goes to bed at 8pm. Right now it isnt a problem at all because it is the same everyday wether I work that day or not. But in January I will be starting back to school after work so I will have to change it up a little then.

 

[randommonks]

I work similar hours to you, but I leave home around 8 and get home around 5:30. He gets fed at around 7:45, lights on at 7, and fed again at 5:30 right when I get home, lights out at 8. Like you I don't get much time with him, but I'll normally either pull him out around 7:30 for about half an hour of playtime before bed, or I'll pull him out after he's gone to sleep and have him sleep in my lap until around 10 when I go to bed.

I spend more time with him on weekends, and want to test taking him outside, but right now it gets up to 104F in the mid-afternoon (bleh), so I'll have to wait for the first cold front to do that. You just do what you can, and my dragon is a little more timid than if I had more time to spend with him, but he knows who I am and I'm content taking it slowly.

 

[upscaledragons]

I am the same.. have a full time 8-5 job, leave for work at 7:30 and home at 5:30. It's hard. I have 2 adults (1) 4 month old and 5 babies now.. It's the same ritual every morning.. lights go on at 5:30, I get up at 6, get salads ready, I then take a shower. After the shower 3 of the babies get a bath in the sink, while 1 adult goes in the bath tub. After 10 minutes switch out the other 2 babies to the sink... Dry everyone off, put everyone back, put greens in tank, make coffee, blow dry hair, get feeders ready, put in tanks.. leave for work..

I'm sure you don't want to hear my night schedule.. LOL

 

[zombie89]

i regularly work 10 to 12 hour days. it sucks but i make it work, his light come on at 430 which is about the time that i wake up, i feed Fawkes his crickets at 20 to 30 minutes after lights on ( im not sure if thats too soon, but i really dont have much of a choice) i feed him in a seperate container than his viv because i dont want to worry about stray crickets, and while hes eating breakfast, and he eats about 30 small crickets vigerously lol, i clean his viv and make him a delicious salad, which he frustratingly rarely eats! then off to work. im usually home by 4 or 5 just in time for dinner of another large batch of crickets (my poor wallet) and enough time for either a bath and/or run around the room, then 8 pm is lights out and bed time. i dont get a lot of time with fawkes (im not sure of his age but hes around 6 to 8 weeks old i think) but i do my absolute best to take excellent care of him. ive had Fawkes for about a month now and its definitley been a sacrifice, especially the 3 weeks i didnt have a timer for his lights, but its totally worth it, hes become my life outside of work lol if you can continue to care for and love your dragon i wouldnt ive him up, but if you just cant make it work, you have to think of his well being above all else

 

[1proudmom]

I too typically leave my house at 7 AM to go to work and get home between 5:30 & 6 PM. I turn Baby's lights on at 6 AM when I wake up and then feed her about 30 crickets around 6:30 AM. Then we make her salad together at my desk - she plays and climbs on the desk and me while I make the salad. Then it's back in the tank with a sad look that always melts my heart and makes me explain to her that her Mom has to work if she wants to continue to eat as well as she does. When I get home, I go straight to feed her and play for a little then off to have dinner with the human members of the family. After dinner, we play some more and then lights out around 9 PM. I have a 10 year old son so we incorporate her in a lot of our play time. She plays games with us and everything - just a regular member of the family!!! I think just like children beardie's can adapt when you don't have a ton of time so long as the time that you spend with them is quality time.

 

[JenFid]

A lot of people, me included, are in the same position you are. I work from 7:30-4:30. His lights come on about 6:20 and I get up at 6:50 and offer him some roaches and toss some fresh greens in there. When I get home about 4:45 I give him a bath or take him outside and offer him more food, then lights off at 7pm. I have him out for at least an hour on the weekdays and of course more on the weekends.

I wouldn't worry about your schedule, if he's having health issues it's probably not due to him missing you, heh. It really could be anything but changing the uvb is a good start. You might want to post in the health forums with your setup and see if they can pinpoint any other problems

 

[reddragon087]

I work from 3-11 but I leave the house at 2 and don't get home until 11:30. I wake up a little early in the morning
to get her salad done and clean her tank and play with her a few minutes and when I get home at night I make
sure I get her what she needs, water food etc...and I let her sit in my hands for a bit.

 

[Screamin99]

A lot of people, me included, are in the same position you are. I work from 7:30-4:30. His lights come on about 6:20 and I get up at 6:50 and offer him some roaches and toss some fresh greens in there. When I get home about 4:45 I give him a bath or take him outside and offer him more food, then lights off at 7pm. I have him out for at least an hour on the weekdays and of course more on the weekends.

I wouldn't worry about your schedule, if he's having health issues it's probably not due to him missing you, heh. It really could be anything but changing the uvb is a good start. You might want to post in the health forums with your setup and see if they can pinpoint any other problems

Thank you, I actually have and I did a fecal as well.

He is in a 55long with open top. a 60watt house bulb for bask and a 48" strip light on the back for extra light in the tank and then he has his 24" reptisun 10 on the back wall hanging up. I've had him since he was roughly 6 - 8 inches long haha. He's a good 23-24 inches and I think he was 580 grams the last time he was weighed but I don't really remember since its been quite a while.