Food in the viv

[BuddyDow]

Hello,

I am a little new to this, having just got the little beardy today. Added to all the heating questions and problems that i am having at the moment (not seeming to be able to get the heat mat and bulb in the basking area to get above 77-80F) i have a question about food.

Little beardy has had some crickets today, and a very small piece of carrot. I have put some peas and brocolli in the viv, but when should i take it out if he has not nibbled on it? I am going away tomorrow and dont want to leave him in there with nasty food that he wont touch, but in the same breath i dont want to trust anyone else to feed him as they may get it wrong (I am going away tomorrow morning and wil be back on Sunday morning).

Is it ok to take the food out now, and feed him again once i get home, or should i replace the food tomorrow morning with some nice fresh veg?

I will be leaving the gas heater on tonight, as i dont think that the heat mat alone will be warm enough for him, and am worried that he will get ill (or worse) during the night.


Probably over reacting and not giving him enough credit but i adore him already and dont want to leave him when im unsure of his environment.



Thank you for any light you can shed on this

Laura

 

[zebraflavencs]

Laura, how old is this beardie ? If it is a young one, less than a year, at least two feedings a day along with the veggies are normal. As for the veggies, check out BeautifulDragons Nutritional list of safe daily(green) treats (black) and unsafe or not reccomended (yellow,red, blue). Is there not someone that could step in that you could trust to help out ?
Janie.

 

[BuddyDow]

The beardie is 6 weeks old, he has had about 10 small crickets today, does he need more?!

He may well have been fed in the shop today though. I have printed off that list of foods and will keep that directly above his viv.

May be able to get someone in to help with the food, but i will pre-prepare it so it just needs to be put in for him

 

[zebraflavencs]

Most young ones eat up to 100 a day ! 80 if you are feeding roaches.
You haven't had this one long, yes ? Usually new adoptees take up to several weeks before they settle in and get acclimated to you and their enclosure.
Janie.

 

[BuddyDow]

The guy in the pet shop told us that he would be eating around 20 every 2 days? This is confusing!

This is the first day that we have had this one.

He seems to have ignored the veggies that are in there, and seems to be very relaxed sitting on his leaf in the cool end of the viv.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Just have patience, this will pass. What is the basking temp, and do you have a UVB, what kind ? Tube or coil ?
Janie.

 

[BuddyDow]

There is a UV light that is a tube, and runs along the whole of this viv, and a 60 watt blub above his basking spot. The temperature seems to be around 27C, which i think is about 77F.

He went to sleep up at the cooler end, but over night without the two lights on the viv went down to under 69F. He looks very still and doesnt appear to be breathing?!

 

[Catalyst]

It is a little freaky when they're sleeping, it took me a while before I stopped checking that my dragon was still alive Your dragon is just fine at those night temperatures - they're okay down into the low sixties without an extra heat source.

Do you know what the name of your UVB light is? Some are great, others are junk unfortunately.
How close can your dragon get to the UVB light?

I'd definitely up the wattage on your basking/heat bulb. You dont' need a fancy pet store bulb for that, you can use a regular light bulb or a halogen flood light (my preference because they put out more heat per watt), all you need is something that puts out enough heat to get your temperatures up where they need to be (100-110*F basking spot, 80*F cool side) and which puts off bright clear (not coloured) light.

Heat mats aren't generally recommended because your dragon can become overheated and get burned if there's a problem. Its safest to have all heat sources over your dragon's head. If you find that you really need to use the pad, stick it to the side of the tank on the outside of your tank so that your dragon is never sitting on top of it and doesn't have direct contact with it.

As far as feeding, with a dragon that young, you should offer live food twice a day. There are two methods to feeding a growing dragon - the most common is offering as much as your dragon will eat in 10 minutes per feeding. This can work out to over 100 crickets a day at some points of your dragon's growth (although the little guys generally go through 20-30 at first, then their appetite gradually increases as they grow). The reasoning behind this is that dragons need a lot of protein to grow and by giving them everything they want you make sure they get what they need. The second method is largely the same, but you cut your dragon off once they hit 50 crickets in a day. The thinking here is that 50 is enough to support proper growth while encouraging healthier eating habits.

Its normal for a young dragon to ignore their vegetables for a long time, but you still want to offer them daily to give him a chance to explore and taste them. I'd suggest making up a small salad using the beautiful dragon's list (aim for mostly greens with veggies added in for variety) and put it into the tank first thing in the morning, before you offer any bugs. Then leave the salad in the tank throughout the day for your dragon to pick at if he wants. It's up to you if you want to replace the salad partway through the day - some dragons seem to prefer their greens dried out an crunchy (silly animals, haha).

Hope this helps Feel free to ask any questions you have, we're always happy to help.