Found our Plato, questions!

[Mustardriot]

Hubby and I came home last Wednesday to find this little guy on our neighbor's post, basking. We can't find his original home. We've never had beardies before. Already have a zoo, but we went out and got everything necessary for him. Uv, basking light, hide, water dish, tank, crickets, superiors, salad, etc.. Pretty much crapping out our tiny tiny savings lol

To me, Plato seems thin. Does he look thin to you guys?

He's a little over a foot long. Eating like mad. At least 20 crickets in the morning, at least 20 in the evening, and freeze dried crickets or worms in the afternoon. He doesn't mess much with the freeze dried ones, but we keep trying. We also arrange a small salad each morning for him. He eats a bit of it, but never all of it.

Hubby also gave him a short soak on Friday. How long should a soak be? Does he look like he needs to shed?

Crap idk how to post pics!

 

[Mustardriot]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHKtZZ7B2Xw/

The next one, where is in the upside down hide, outside, is the first day we found him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHKQs7Zhbdb/

 

[AHBD]

Hi Amber....sounds like Plato found a good home. Yes, he's thin but looks healthy otherwise, a good appetite is a great sign and he'll put on weight now that he's getting regular meals. Don't try to rush the weight gain, it will come and don't worry about feeding him the freeze dried stuff.

Can you post a few good pics of his tank and can you list the exact brand of lights you're using ?

 

[Mustardriot]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHK9tuQhw-D/

I don't know the bulb type, but it's a uvb/basking in one bulb. We're going Friday to get more appropriate ones.

 

[AHBD]

Very nice, well done ! He looks much better already . A couple of tips, you can always collect a thin log , or a thick branch or piece of driftwood outside, then pop it in a preheated 250 degree oven for about an hour [ to kill potential pests ] and voila ! Free cage decor.

If you look on the neck of the basking bulb, it will have the name and wattage. Or you can take a pic of the bulb itself, out of the socket after you turn it off. As for the waterbowl, it will be O.K. only if the humidity in your house is already low. You might also find that he poos in it so it might become very unsanitary. A large waterbowl might be more detrimental than helpful, so see how it goes. If it doesn't work out you can keep it empty and use it as a basking platform upside down or the way it is, but all in all it seems like you're doing a great job !

 

[Mustardriot]

Very nice, well done ! He looks much better already . A couple of tips, you can always collect a thin log , or a thick branch or piece of driftwood outside, then pop it in a preheated 250 degree oven for about an hour [ to kill potential pests ] and voila ! Free cage decor.

If you look on the neck of the basking bulb, it will have the name and wattage. Or you can take a pic of the bulb itself, out of the socket after you turn it off. As for the waterbowl, it will be O.K. only if the humidity in your house is already low. You might also find that he poos in it so it might become very unsanitary. A large waterbowl might be more detrimental than helpful, so see how it goes. If it doesn't work out you can keep it empty and use it as a basking platform upside down or the way it is, but all in all it seems like you're doing a great job !

Thanks!! He does look a lot less... black and saggy than when we found him

As far as decor, I'd gotten him a large log thingie from the pet store, and he got really annoyed when I put it in the cage. He refused to move from atop the basking hide for 12 hours, during cricket nom time and even after we turned the light off. So, I decided that I'd possibly get him some fake plants or something small. He likes his space to move around. He's a quick little bugger.

 

[Mustardriot]

The bulb is a powersun 100w uv/basking bulb. What exactly should we get? I have additional 100w heat/basking bulbs and lamps for our snakes that are currently unused...but this bulb is keeping his basking spot between 95 and 110. He seems pretty content, keeps his mouth open on occasion.

 

[AHBD]

You don't need any additional heat then, and the Powersun will supply uvb as well so it will be the only bulb you need. It would be good to have maybe one branch leaning against the log-cave that could allow him to get closer to the bulb. Other than that he should be fine.

 

[kingofnobbys]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHK9tuQhw-D/

I don't know the bulb type, but it's a uvb/basking in one bulb. We're going Friday to get more appropriate ones.

I'd remove the water dish, he's eating stacks of live insects and his greens and salad/vegs so will get all the hydration he needs from these.

 

[kingofnobbys]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHK9tuQhw-D/

I don't know the bulb type, but it's a uvb/basking in one bulb. We're going Friday to get more appropriate ones.

Look for a tube that produces at least 10% UVB and fixture (luminar) to suit , or if you opt to use compact (spiral types) I've have a lot of success using 26W UVB200 bulbs. A excellent alternative is a good quality MVB (heat, light and UVB and UVA all in one).
If you use a tube UVB or compact UVB , I highly recommend a Philips par38 100W or there about spotty as the basking globe (clear, colourless) and a good quality ceramic light fitting.

I also suggest putting your lights on a timer , on 14 - 16 hours per day ,so he has loads of time to bask and be warm enough to metabolise his food.

Excellent feeders for him will be dusted & gutloaded crickets or roaches (I gut load with carrot, buk choi greens and dry adult RepCal beardie pellets), silkworms , calcigents (phoenix worms).

Looks like he is a very lucky boy to have found you as a new carer. He's likely a runaway, or an explorer who wondered too far and got lost.

 

[CooperDragon]

The 100w PowerSun will work. It should be putting out appropriate UVB levels between 8-12'' above the basking area.

 

[Mustardriot]

Thanks for all the info, guys!! It's super helpful

I've read that vitamin a is toxic for beardies. Hubby picked up rep vitamins which has vitamin A in it. I told him what I'd read, and suggested we only use a little bit of calcium powder (since the crickets are getting this calcium water gel stuff as well as strange gel food) on his greens, if hubby insists on using a powder. He dismissed me and said he's only going to use it a few times a week.

Is this super dangerous? I don't want to have an unnecessary argument >.>

 

[CooperDragon]

If a ton of vitamin A is used it could be toxic I suppose, but at recommended doses it's fine. Just give the bugs a thin, even coat using a shake and bake method. I wouldn't offer the bugs any water gel or gel food. Instead I would use veg scraps which will give them nutrition and hydration as well as gutload them. You can supplement that with oat/grain chow that you can make at home or order along with your crickets from online suppliers.

 

[kingofnobbys]

A very good way of dusting the bugs with Ca powder or reptile vitamin mix + Ca powder is to put 1/4 tsp of the powder/s into a small round plastic takeaway tub (like you get sources in from the chinese takeaway) , dump the required number of bugs in, on with the lid, gentle shake, ===> dusty seasoned bugs good to go.
This is the size I use http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/261332563918?lpid=107&chn=ps : c/- the last chinese / malay meal we ordered. I've been using the same sauce tub for over 12 months ,I'll replace it when it is no longer useable (acct splits / cracks , lid no longer sealing).
I don't toss the plastic tubs, I clean and repurpose them..... very handy for storing lots of fiddlely things too.
My practice is to dust the crickets and use them, any dust left in the dusting tub is saved (lid on) for next dusting , might be used for 2 - 3 days before there's a need for a top up (at which time I tip the remaining "stale" dust in with the worms).... as you can see , very little is waste.

A very effective way of hydrating and at the same time feeding bugs is to put some carrot pieces in with them, replacing only when it starts looking slimmy if any is left , I also use buk choi or puk choi greens to both gutload and feed my crickets , and my main cricket food is straight out of the bottle dry hard repcal adult beardie pellets , I leave these til eaten , even if they soften and look mouldy .... they are still OK for cricket food, the mould that forms on these pellets is converted to cricket in the cricket gut .... I've found crickets and mealworms and superworms love them.
I use about 8 - 10 pellets (a handful) per 60 - 80 medium crickets will last about 2 weeks, always some big bits left that have been well and truly nibbled on , and are usually stale by then and have a fine coat of fur on them , that go to the worms to supplement the wheat and oat bran bedding/food mix. (A large bottle of pellets goes a long way and is way cheaper than other insect foods.)

I've tried slices of apple and of potato , the trouble with these is they go off too fast and start to ferment - can get drunk bugs .

 

[Mustardriot]

Is this regurgitation or dookie?