Eats Only A Few...

[roarmrdinosaur]

Well Butters seems to be healthy she's alert and all but whenever I go to feed her she only takes 3 of them then stops she'll take 3 more later on in the day then stops etc... is this okay? She was hatched February 9th so she's only 3 months old. How many crickets should she be eating daily? Her temps are right she's at 100-105 at the basking end, 95 surface temp of the hot end and the cool end is about 80-85. I got her about a week ago so is it possible that she's still settling in? She ate a piece of pear yesterday tiny little piece as a treat cause I was eating a pear and decided to share a piece. She doesn't really touch greens, maybe one leaf a day (Either Kale, Collard or Dandelion is what she usually receives in her salad)

Maybe I'm just being too concerned?

 

[Chryss]

I don't know how big of crickets you are feeding her, but Alvin was hatched around 2/14 and he is up to eating about 15 crickets two times a day (total of about 30). The crickets he is eat is 3/8" in size. He only eats a little bit of vegies too although I found he really likes yellow squash. His light comes on at around 10 am and I do not give him any crickets until about 12:30. He usually tries his vegies sometime between 10 and 12:30.

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
They can be very very nervey when the first come home with us. I would take a sign that she is eating at all as a fantastic one!
Most dragons take at least 2-3 weeks to feel safe in their new surroundings before they properly adjust and settle into feeding/pooping routines.
Some take less and some take more. It does depend on the dragon.

Until she settles down I would keep handling to a minimum to keep her stress levels low. Id only handle her to take her out for baths for the first week and then maybe have one 5-10 minute handling session for a week and build it up from there.

Could you fill me in a little more on her setup?
Enviromental factors can always be an issue so its good to rule those out early.


What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? It will be stamped on the bulb.
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
What are the temps in the viv?
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Do you bath your dragon? How often?

 

[roarmrdinosaur]

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
20 Gallon, getting a larger one this coming weekend though...Probably a 40 breeder

What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Paper towels

Do you use UVB lights?
Yes

If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
Coil

What is the brand name and number of your bulb? It will be stamped on the bulb.
Reptisun 10.0

How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
Right next to her basking light so she can soak in the rays pretty well

Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
100 Watt Exo Terra Sun Glo

What are the temps in the viv?
Cool side is at 80-85, Warm side is at 90-95 and her basking spot is anywhere from 100-105

What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
Crickets dusted with Repcal/Herpitive mix. Collard greens, Kale, Dandelion lightly dusted as well. (I only dust her morning crickets)

How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Morning, Late afternoon (5-6ish) 2 times a day. I offer her about a dozen each sitting and take out what she doesn't eat.

Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Yes, every day but only in the morning. Repcal, Herpitive

Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Yes she poops daily

Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Yes, she was shedding this week so I bathed every other day in tepid water. Dipped her tail in first to make sure that she was comfortable.

I think it's possible that I may be handling her too much but she doesn't look stressed out at all when I place my hand in or anything. She actually doesn't like to be put back. I guess I should have started out a little slower? I also feed her RIGHT as she gets up literally right after I turn the lights on so that's probably why (Stupid move now that I think about it...I don't like to be bothered in the mornings either!)

 

[roarmrdinosaur]

Oh, and I gave her a treat of one butterworm today. I had one leftover from my Leopard Gecko so I offered it to her and she loved it! But they're too fatty so I can't feed that as a staple. I wish I could breed silkworms =(

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,

Firstly butterworm wise you can feed them as a staple for growing dragons, but they are better as a secondary staple. The slightly higher level of fat is not an issue when you have young dragons because they are growing so fast they never really gain excess weight. The great levels of calcium and protien make them worth the extra junk.
My 4 month old has them as a secondary staple and so does my 10 month old. My male used to have them as his primary staple when he was younger as he was a rescue he needed the little extra fat from his diet.

In terms of your enclosure everything looks bang on accept your choice of bulb.
Although the repti-sun is our "bulb of choice" here on the forums unfortunatly no coil or compact bulb is worth the glass its made from.
The Repti-Glo coils and compacts have been proven to cause serious health issues in dragons such as occular discharge/infection.
The Repti-Suns are not as dangerous but they are not suitable for your dragon. They emit a poor level of UVB which is certainly not in line with the levels that they claim. Lower levels of UVB can most certainly lead to a reduced appetite over time, which I cant imagine is the cause here but in time it may contribute.

You need to get yourself a liniar flourescent tube. The Repti-Sun 10.0 or the Arcadia 12% are the best two on the market which you can find at http://www.petmoutain.com if you are a yank.
Avoid Repti-Glo's like the plague.

This information is deduced from the study conducted at http://www.uvguide.co.uk and our own experienvce here with sick beardies.

Holly x