phobosdthorga
Juvie Member
Hello all! I'm a first time carer for a Bearded Dragon and my little Beardie is called Iggy, aged 4.5 months old and obviously male by the pronoun I just used. He seems to be doing well health and behaviour wise (as far as I can tell), but I do have some questions about health and care for Bearded Dragons.
* It's been a few days since getting him and he hasn't eaten many of his veggies that I've offered, if any. Should I take away the crickets for a day or two and only offer veggies for those days? So far, I've offered (as veggies) squash (cooked; just boiled in water), finely diced rocket leaves, carrot, parsely, and capsicum (red and green, but not both colours at the same time). Fruits I've offered have been (only a single serving of one at a time) bannana, mango, blueberries, and strawberries. I try to offer him things that are brightly coloured and/or strong smelling. He seems to like things which are either yellowish or cream in colour.
* I do need to get a set of scales so I can ascertain his weight. What is the recommended weight-range of a healthy 5-6 month old Inland Bearded Dragon?
* Is a microscope neccessary? I have a professional one at my parents house where I used to live whilst younger, but I'd need them to post it to me interstate which will be very expensive.
* Should I leave, turned-on, the heat-source on the hot-side at night? His basking spot is approximately 36 *C and he tends to have his mouth agape whilst basking, which I should take as a good sign? I've been told that they thermoregulate in this manner with their mouth agape, and that they are at the 'perfect' temperature for basking as such.
* It appears as if his tail was bitten or something while he was growing up in the pet shop. Can someone approximate what is wrong with his tail in this picture, please? Or if it is just a natural deformation? And if there is a problem due to it being the pet shop's fault, is there anything I can possibly do about it? https://dl.dropbox.com/s/4uswpqdq8b994ho/IMG_20171021_102809.jpg
* Lastly, Iggy likes to jump, A LOT. He doesn't seem to have good depth perception despite having more brawn than brains, so he occassionally falls from the distance of a foot or two with a bit of a thud. Is this behaviour both normal and safe?
* It's been a few days since getting him and he hasn't eaten many of his veggies that I've offered, if any. Should I take away the crickets for a day or two and only offer veggies for those days? So far, I've offered (as veggies) squash (cooked; just boiled in water), finely diced rocket leaves, carrot, parsely, and capsicum (red and green, but not both colours at the same time). Fruits I've offered have been (only a single serving of one at a time) bannana, mango, blueberries, and strawberries. I try to offer him things that are brightly coloured and/or strong smelling. He seems to like things which are either yellowish or cream in colour.
* I do need to get a set of scales so I can ascertain his weight. What is the recommended weight-range of a healthy 5-6 month old Inland Bearded Dragon?
* Is a microscope neccessary? I have a professional one at my parents house where I used to live whilst younger, but I'd need them to post it to me interstate which will be very expensive.
* Should I leave, turned-on, the heat-source on the hot-side at night? His basking spot is approximately 36 *C and he tends to have his mouth agape whilst basking, which I should take as a good sign? I've been told that they thermoregulate in this manner with their mouth agape, and that they are at the 'perfect' temperature for basking as such.
* It appears as if his tail was bitten or something while he was growing up in the pet shop. Can someone approximate what is wrong with his tail in this picture, please? Or if it is just a natural deformation? And if there is a problem due to it being the pet shop's fault, is there anything I can possibly do about it? https://dl.dropbox.com/s/4uswpqdq8b994ho/IMG_20171021_102809.jpg
* Lastly, Iggy likes to jump, A LOT. He doesn't seem to have good depth perception despite having more brawn than brains, so he occassionally falls from the distance of a foot or two with a bit of a thud. Is this behaviour both normal and safe?