Cinder, whom I will never forget

My beardie is finally here, who was sent to me by Howlin Gale Dragons. I'm still trying to decide on a name for him. This is going to be his thread, dedicated to his daily adventures and shenanigans.
He is 5 1/2 inches long and very gentle. He is very calm and still when I handle him. He doesn't like baths too much, from what I discovered yesterday when he arrived.
He is adjusting to everything very fast. He seems to like being handled, he always has a creamy white belly. I discovered that he seems to like his beard rubbed...he closes his eyes and goes very still. When I pet his back, he flattens his back out...I don't know if that is an indication of contentment or aggravation.
Today I made the mistake of setting him on my bed for half a second, and he zipped across it in a flash and hit the floor, but continued to run. :shock: He was fine, but I don't know if something spooked him into acting like this...when he first arrived yesterday, I had set him on my bed and he just watched me very calmly and walked around a bit...he even attempted to climb my bed drape. My cats might have spooked him because they were both in my room at the time, laying around oblivious to him. I'm going to not have them in the room the next time he is out- I wish I never made the mistake in the first place, but I'm learning as a new beardie mom.
Also, another note on his likes/dislikes...he seems to have an aversion to squash. :? lol. I got him to eat some Collard greens yesterday, but as soon as he tasted that squash he refused veggies for the rest of the night. He is still on a veggie strike.

FINALLY, on to the best part!

Soaking after his arrival. :love5:


Drying up on his new personal blankie.


This is from today at 7:00 am : groggy, grumpy and pancakin.
"Woman, are you aware of what time it is? GET THAT THING OUTTA MAH FACE. >:C"


Saddly, these are the only pics I could take before my camera ran out of batteries. I'm currently scavenging for more. I hope to take some pictures of him eating tonight.

 

[Sadona]

I took some more pictures of Cinder...my camera ran out of batteries AGAIN (I think I need to buy a new one... ) and I didn't find more till this morning so I could upload and take some pictures. For some reason, none of the pictures turned out to be very clear. :?

From yesterday: Cinder taking his second bath. He was very calm the whole time and almost seemed to enjoy it.

I even got him to lick water off of his nose! This lead to him slowly lowering his head and lapping the water! I was so amazed and surprised that I didn't think to grab the camera. I did manage to get him with a droplet of water on his head. He was licking at it, and his eyes were closed...

From today(4th day with me): A sexy-leggin Cinder. This made me laugh! Never seen him do this until now. :lol:

Its lunch time, and Cinder managed to catch 2 crickets until he got bored and wanted out of the container.
So far he has eaten 6 phoenix worms also...will feed him again later on, hopefully I will get a picture of him hunting!

He has been a lot calmer today, but still a little jumpy when I took him out this morning. Otherwise, he hasn't tried to escape from me today and has been very compliant with letting me pick him up.
I will probably add more pictures by the end of the day!

 

[DeweysMom]

I agree that Cinder is a great name! Before I found Dewey I wanted a red beardie and was torn between Cinder and Solas for names. So, yeah I definitely give you 2 thumbs up for the name choice!

He's definitely a cutie! Just a suggestion, but you might want to start measuring his length at least once a week just to keep track on how fast he grows and it WILL be fast!!!!!! Looking forward to see more pics.

 

[Sadona]

Thanks! Solas is a great name too!
I measure him last night with help from my bf and he was exactly 5 1/2 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. I didn't take a picture of it, but I guess I will try to measure him again today and take a picture, maybe even weigh him! In fact, I will do that now because I'm quite bored and have been looking for something to do!

 

[tiffykins]

What a cutie!!

 

[Sadona]

Cinder weighs in at 6.3 grams. I was so proud of him, he stayed still the whole time! :love5:

Still 5 1/2 inches. Hes kinda at an angle in this picture, but if he laid flat he would be at 5 1/2.
I thought it was cute the way he clung onto my finger - I think he was scared of the ruler.

After I measured his length and weight I held him for a while...the sun seemed to bother him, and he started getting antsy and wanted to move away from it.

"WHAT?" *glare*

Little booger was very good after that...he ate about 7 more phoenix worms. Still no veggies. I even put the worms in with the collards, and he eats around them.
A few hours after that, I read a little bit to him and he seemed to like it...when I moved my hand quickly to turn a page, it spooked him a few times, but he was a very good listener. :wink:
After that I went and did some chores, ate dinner then saw him start glass dancing. I figured it was his dinner time, so I took him out and offered him a phoenix worm on my hand, and he took it from me! I was so happy. I offered more, but he didn't take any. My hand was a little too close to his tank, so he jumped at his basking log and smacked into the glass. He was fine, didn't bother him :roll: ! He is such a little stinker.
I let him have a go at a few crickets, but he wasn't interested. I put him back in his tank and he ate some more wormies.
An hour after his dinner, he started glass dancing again. I found this odd, maybe he actually wanted to be held or spend time with me :roll:! I took him out again and let him ride on my shoulder and he was pretty calm and chilled most of the time. I watched a movie on my laptop and he was ok until he started getting bored/antsy and decided to take a flying lunge towards the mosquito-net around my bed. I reacted fast and tried to catch him, but only got his leg and tail. I didn't hurt him, thank god. I caught him and he seemed unphazed but kinda heavy breathing, no stress marks. I petted him for a while and told him I would never hurt him, that I was just trying to catch him. He calmed down, and I decided he should stay in his tank for a while. I tried to put him back in, but he kept running back up my arm. Whew, he was getting hyper! I put him in his tank and relaxed a bit.
He has been glass dancing for about 10 minutes now! I don't know whats wrong...he might just have energy. I'm going to try to hold him again, maybe that will calm him down.
Its been a long day, but I think we are a little closer now. I love him more every day!

 

[Sadona]

Today it has officially been a week since Cinder has arrived. It has had it's ups and downs, but it was fun.
Yesterday I tried the Burrito technique with him and it worked wonders. :love5: I really wish I took some pictures.
I carried him around in his blanket for a while and he observed, closed his eyes contently to head scritches, and fell into a deep sleep. Between the times I held him, he was very compliant in letting me pick him up. When I put him back in his tank, I let him sleep with his blanket and he didn't stir while I fussed with his tank or moved him around. It was freakin adorable! I will have to take him out for another night snuggling.
Today I tried putting little bits of carrots in his salad to see if the color would get his attention, and it certainly did! All the carrot bits are gone, and collards were flung every where. It made my day, I haven't been able to get him to eat much greens (that I could tell) since he arrived.
I happened to be wearing a checkered jacket when I went to pick him up, and some how it freaked him out. His stress marks got very dark, and he attempted to jump out of my hand. I changed into the usual crimson-pink jacket I were almost every day and his stomach went creamy white. I guess he thought I was a different person, or the thumb holes in my jacket cuffs scared him. So peculiar!
I held him for awhile and he actually made eye contact with me a few times. When ever I went to pet him, he would hunker down slowly and relax, going limp, then closing his eyes. It was so adorable! I love my little stinker so much. I'm so happy that his attitude towards me is changing to positive. :mrgreen:
Pics later around dinner time, hopefully!

 

[DeweysMom]

Sounds like he's starting to come around. The burrito idea really worked well for Dewey and me to. Even now that he's already attached to me (and me to him) I still wrap him up every night. He loves his cuddles at night. Keep on doing what you're doing. It really seems to be working!

 

[Sadona]

Thanks, things are starting to look up.
He is still hyper...earlier after I posted, he kept looking at me and getting antsy and decided to leap from my hand again. He also jumped about a foot from my hand to cling onto my dresser drape and tried to climb it. He then stared at me. :? I can't tell if he is just hyper and wants to run around, or just trying to get away from me. That thought really makes me discouraged. I hope that is not the case...

 

[Sadona]

Cinder is really starting to accept me picking him up...he rarely hops away or struggles.
After a night snuggle... :love5:

Yesterday I came home from school to discover that Cinder had been a very, very busy boy! :shock: He has almost completely shed in one day!

Once I discovered his shrapnel laying all over the place, I picked him up and he ran up onto my hand! He was very sweet, and really didn't want to go in the bath..he clung onto my fingers, and I found the gesture heart warming. He was calm for a few minutes, but began scurrying around when the water got cold.

His new colors were so vibrant! He looked yellow, almost a tad bit green after his bath. I have no idea what he will look like when he is full grown...his father is a vibrant orange, and his mother is a burnt yellow. He looks like neither of them, but only time will tell!

Cinder was very relaxed for a while, then kept giving me his "warning" look , like he is bored and about to try to go exploring. Luckily, I caught him before he could! He was very sweet the rest of the day.

This morning, Cinder was up on his basking spot before I could even give him his salad (very early for him!). His little beard looked like it puffed up for a minute when I went to pick him up and say goodbye. I don't think he appreciated me interrupting his morning warm up.
When I got home, I noticed he made a big mess of his salad and possibly ate some of it. He then started glass dancing a bit and I went to take him out. He jumped from my hand back onto his basking log when I tried to pick him up, but he was still very calm about climbing onto my hand.
He is feisty today! It seemed all he wanted to do was try to explore my bed. I won't let him do this until I know he won't run off on me, and this will be for a while. He did sit and chill with me for a bit, but it never lasted long. He really like climbing on my arms today. After a while, I decided I would walk him around my house a bit. I went to show my mom his brand new shed colors and she crooned over him. I could tell by the way he was looking around and his posture that he found my mom's computer desk interesting...he leaped and ran behind the computer monitor, and it gave my mom a good laugh. He seemed satisfied with his amount of adventure time after that, and relaxed on my hand while I showed him around. He sue didn't like seeing two cats in the same room...when i tried moving him to my other hand while he kitties were around, he kept backing up onto me and got some wicked stress marks. After that happened, I decided he had had enough with his walk-about and I brought him to my room to calm him down. Once his marks went away and he was content again, I decided that it was time for a meal. I tried offering him a phoenix worm with my hand, and he took it! Woo!!!

I have only had him for a week, and he has such a personality!
All he has left to shed is his beard, a little spot on the end of his nose, and his tail.

 

[spurlee01]

Awww he's adorable

 

[DeweysMom]

Cinder's very cute! I'm glad he's settling in for you. I saw in one of your photos that he has a creamy white belly which is a good sign - a sign of comfort and happiness. You're doing great with him. Don't be surprised if he starts to shed again with in the next couple of weeks. They grow incredibly fast when they're young. Dewey averaged about an inch a week for a while believe it or not! :shock:

 

[Sadona]

Thanks for the compliments, guys!
Cinder always seems to have a white belly when I hold him, even when he takes random leaps. I meant to measure him again yesterday, I'm going to do that today, and a weight check. I looked at pictures from Dewey's growth chart and man did he shoot up like bamboo! It was incredible...Cinder kinda seems a bit larger now, I'm kinda nervous about how fast he will grow! :lol:

 

[Sadona]

Mkay, here's a quick update: Cinder is still jumpy...I'm thinking this won't change for a while.
I got him to take 12 phoenix worms from my hand! I am so happy...he might actually be gaining some trust in me. I also got him to eat a few pieces of Collard greens, and I even got him to take one from me.
I weighed him today and he gained a teeny, tiny bit... he is now 6.6 grams, and the last time I weighed him he was 6.3 grams... that was 10 days ago. Cinder doesn't ever really eat much...I get 3-5 crickets into him every day, and about 20 or more phoenix worms every day. He doesn't really seem to like crickets all too much, but he will still put up with them.
No pictures today, maybe some tomorrow. Happy Easter everybody!

 

[Sadona]

It feelings like it has been forever since I have posted on bd.org!
Cinder is warming up to me...he has a good amount of trust in me from what I can tell. Sometimes he hates to leave his basking log, but I havn't had a "base jumper" episode with him in quite a while.
At night, it seems he prefers to sleep on my hand then in a blankie. I find this painfully cute, but I have to put him in a burrito so I don't disturb him when I put him back into his tank when he is asleep. He takes crickets from me when I use pliers to feed them to him (the only way he will eat them!).
A few weeks ago, I ran out of phoenix worms and it took a few days for them to be shipped here. After that, he won't eat more then a few of them. I don't get it! He used to eat them like popcorn, and all of the sudden he only likes crickets. He also only eats about 2-4 crickets a day...some days he won't even touch them. This has got me worried.
He poops every day and they don't smell horrible. He drinks water and takes baths every other day. He eats a little bit of his salad. His temps are perfect, ranging from 110-115 F and 77-83 F cool side. Reptisun is new and on top of his tank.
This lack of appetite has been going on since I bought a new batch of phoenix worms. He is also nearing 2 months old and he is still 6 inches long. The only growth in him I have noticed is his side and face spikes.
I don't know if another shed is approaching...his happy colors are bright. He also has had a bit more stress marks then usual. They go away completely when he takes a bath, and he seems to have a bit more appetite then usual after that. They lessen when I hold him, but not all the way.

As for today, he has taken a bath and done quite a few cute things. When I was filling up his tub with water, he was sitting on my arm and started to lean towards the tub, like he wanted to get in. He started licking the air! I wetted my hand, then he started licking water from my fingers! It was freaking adorable! :love5: I put him in his bath, he lapped at the water, then clung to my hand for dear life! He did not what to take a bath, but he had to.
After that, I took him out to dry him off and he wasn't too crazy about the towel rubbing his skin. He kept inching away, then he decided to climb into my hair and sit in it next to my ear. This was also adorable and it took me a good ten minutes to get him out!
I'm really starting to feel a bond between us! :love5:

I also just saw him eat about 4 phoenix worms, which is a lot for him lately. I'm glad he is starting to eat more. Gonna try to feed him crix later. Pics will probably come tomorrow!

 

[Sadona]

Mini update: Cinder ate 8 phoenix worms and 5 crickets! I'm so glad his appetite is starting to return. The phoenix worms are starting to turn black because of his late picky-ness. It would be interesting to see them turn into flys!
Bought mustard greens today - they were a lot easier to cut then collards. I like em so far...now they just have to pass the real judge!
I hung out with Cinder today and he seemed quite sleepy...all he did was watch me type on the computer, then sleep for short intervals. He was very chilled, and he loved getting those back pets.
Pics tomorrow...planing on doing another weigh-in and measurement.