Going away for 8 days

[blue11]

hi guys and gals!
well the time has come, and im leaving for 8 days on Tuesday. I have had Blue Belle since she was just a hatchling and now she is 3 months going on 4 months in a few days! What my PLAN is, is this, so let me know what you think...

Lighting: My fiance will turn her lights on when he leaves for work, and shut them off a night before bed. so the lighting is totally under control.

Bathing/Hydration: My best friend is coming over 4 out of those 8 days to give Blue Belle her warm water sink baths. She came over yesterday, i showed her how to do it, then how do wrap her up in her beardie burrito, hold her for a bit and talk to her when she comes out of the towel dried off, then put her back when she has to leave. :lol:

Water Bowl? I do NOT keep a water bowl in her viv. She gets soaks every day. should i have my fiance keep a water bowl in her viv since she will not be getting a bath everyday?

Feeding: this is my mega problem area. im a FREAK about NOT leaving crickets in the tank loose...and she wont be on her "regular" feeding schedule like she is with me. I was thinking about packaging up several salads i make for her in sepereate baggies for him to just put in a bowl and place in her viv everyday. But the crix..although im SURE he will feed her just fine, i LOVE my Blue Belle so much i think im freaking out more that i should be...any thoughts? should i revert to ...ugh, mealworms? wold that be the safer bet while im gone? we dont have silkworms or butterworms around here, just meal worms...but would that be the safer route vs. wandering crickets at night to possibly bite her?

Poop Patrol : im just gonna make him do this b/c it has to be done.

Interraction: The friend coming over to bathe her is in LOVE with Blue Belle. so she will be getting limited but loving interraction. I would leave her with this person, but she will be doing some traveling as well.

Any thoughts about this whole cricket vs. mealworm thing, and water bowl thing? My fiance has the best intentions, but doest fully UNDERSTAND things like we do abotu beardies, or LOVE them like we do, as owners/slaves. ANY thoughts are welcome!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!

 

[midmichicer]

No water bowl, it will just raise the humidity. She wont soak in it. Food wise, go with repti-worms while your gone. No need to dust them in calcium either. Meal worms are never really a good idea. Especially if she really likes them and gets hooked. OR, get a little tub and place her in it while you feed. What she doesn't eat, place back in the cricket keeper(in pic)

 

[corinthian]

i agree with midmichicer, get a tub to feed her in and then there'll def be no crickets on the viv.. if your bf or friend is squeemish about the crickets you could even use those little polystyrene deli tubs with some air holes to divide them into individual feed portions so its just a case of tipping them into her feed tub and taking her out when shes eaten them

 

[blue11]

thanks guys!
BEAUTIFUL BEARDIES by the way! such great colour! wow.
i have tried to feed her in her plastic tub, but she seems to only eat a few then squirms to get out. having said this, she got switched over to a new and better (yay) viv recently, so that might have something to do with it. and since i moved up to the mediums from pinheads, she consumes less crix, but is pooping GREAT (sounds dumb i know) and digesting them well...and she is just starting to take to her veggies FINALLY . i will look into rept-worms, she never took too much of an interest in mealies which i was kinda glad about that anyhow. now sitting here thinking, i should have mail ordered some good worms for him to feed her while i was gone

the fiance is off work tomorrow so we are going to go through ALLLLLLLL the motions, he is not squeamish about crickets at all, more squeamish about lizards. i swear if he would just hold her for 5 minutes he would dig her SO MUCH. so im gonna train my fiance to fal in love with her. this is a must. i will look into repti worms! Our Pet Smart only sells mealies and super worms...we have one other local pet shop that MIGHT sell some other kinds, i will call them Monday when they open back up. She ate some squash and collard greens today, you know, she is still in that stage where im trying all sorts of different things to see what works best for her and what she likes best. DEF a cricket lover, loves that movement and protein. And i was hoping yall would say no water bowl, that is something i reallllllllllllly didnt want to do...humidity and bacteria ick! so not good. im not worried about substrate cleaning (execpt the poops) b/c she is ont tile, thakn god i did that. I really appreciate the advice more than you know, i just worry so much. i never thought when i got her, i woul grow so, worried and attached. but im in love and there is no going back i just keep thinking, 8 days, 8 days, seems so long but i know it really isnt a huge huge gap of time. Just a very nervous worried momma leaving her baby...

 

[blue11]

well i am thinking i just got onto something. we have a pet store that sells smaller super worms. and so i tried them with Blue Belle, HELLO! she took two down like YUM and crawled on her favorite basking spot to digest. she LOVED them. what do you guys think of super worms? better than mealies, the store did have waxworms but i kow they are all fat, like little twinkies. im HOPING that superworms are NOT falling into that category...i looked some stuff up on them and it seems like all systems go with them...but i would love yall's opinion on them. i had no idea they sold superworms that were not AS big as the the large. maybe i hit a jackpot, maybe not, i'm throwing myself out there to yall......what do you think?

 

[Gail]

If the supers are small enough and she digest them ok, then yes, you can feed her those. Letting her have 5 waxies a day would be ok too, they are easy to digest and might help move any undigested superworm skins along.

 

[blue11]

really i can give that many waxworms? i was told no no no because they are so high in fat, oye vey i get so comfused lol. thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gail]

They are really high in fat, the 5 a day is just a once in awhile thing, you don't want to feed them ever day for his whole life.

 

[blue11]

WELLLLL that is just awesome then! i think this might be able to be a cricket free 8 days. OH! and im ordering some repti worms when i get back, im excited to see what she thinks of them! Thanks EVERYONE!!! so so so so much! you guys rock!