Hello everyone,
After years of planning and saving my 10-year-old daughter finally got her way a couple of weeks ago, and we now have a beardie, Mushu. She was a rescue, approx 5 years old. The last couple of weeks have been an intense crash course in getting to know and understand these creatures, Mushu in particular. Unfortunately there is a lot of contradictory information about but also relatively little info available, so I’m hoping that by reaching out to the community directly I might get some reassurance and guidance. I’m honestly freaking out not knowing it we are doing the right thing by Mushu and if she is happy or not. On the upside she has definitely settled a bit in that after many days of not doing so she now eats and poops. But I find she now gapes at us a lot more when we take her out of the vivarium and no longer settles on my daughter like she did at the beginning - but maybe she did then because she was scared rigid?! - and instead runs off quite quickly to a short distance. I feel like we are doing something wrong here but I don’t know what. Should we just try leaving her alone for a few days? I also worry that we have upset her by making changes to her vivarium every few days, but I feel this has been necessary as we try and get it set up in an optimum way. She had a very poor UVB tube light that we upgraded, and although this seem to perk her up a bit initially she isn’t interested really in being in it but will often choose a shady area. Her basking spot is under a ceramic heater and sometimes she doesn’t go there at all - and sometimes stays there all day. Sometimes she stays in the coolest part of her viv in her den for a big part of the day - I sometimes end up so worried I pick her up and put her on her basking platform! We also introduced a hammoc (she has so far enjoyed snuggling under it instead of in it), some rocks (doesn’t seem to be bothered) and have ordered a grassy plant. I feel like we should swap the ceramic heater for a basking light, but then that would be another big change...Finally, I worry (lol can you tell I’m tearing my head out) as I’ve never seen her actually get onto her basking platfrom herself, only off it. Her preference to be honest seems to be to move as little as possible, so her climbing skills have yet to be seen. It’s not a steep climb and I’ve tried different configurations with the logs that lead to it. My daughter loves her pet but I think is getting quietly disheartened that we are really getting anywhere and I don’t have any answers. I suggested that she persevered picking her up and spending a bit of time in her room with her every day when she comes home from school, but after a first session where she also got to run around the room a bit - which we thought good exercise - she definite Got the hump and curled up under the hammoc for nearly 24 hours. I’m sorry if I’ve made anyone gasp in horror, we are honestly meaning well and just want Mushu to be happy and thrive. Any advice would be massively welcome, thank you!!
After years of planning and saving my 10-year-old daughter finally got her way a couple of weeks ago, and we now have a beardie, Mushu. She was a rescue, approx 5 years old. The last couple of weeks have been an intense crash course in getting to know and understand these creatures, Mushu in particular. Unfortunately there is a lot of contradictory information about but also relatively little info available, so I’m hoping that by reaching out to the community directly I might get some reassurance and guidance. I’m honestly freaking out not knowing it we are doing the right thing by Mushu and if she is happy or not. On the upside she has definitely settled a bit in that after many days of not doing so she now eats and poops. But I find she now gapes at us a lot more when we take her out of the vivarium and no longer settles on my daughter like she did at the beginning - but maybe she did then because she was scared rigid?! - and instead runs off quite quickly to a short distance. I feel like we are doing something wrong here but I don’t know what. Should we just try leaving her alone for a few days? I also worry that we have upset her by making changes to her vivarium every few days, but I feel this has been necessary as we try and get it set up in an optimum way. She had a very poor UVB tube light that we upgraded, and although this seem to perk her up a bit initially she isn’t interested really in being in it but will often choose a shady area. Her basking spot is under a ceramic heater and sometimes she doesn’t go there at all - and sometimes stays there all day. Sometimes she stays in the coolest part of her viv in her den for a big part of the day - I sometimes end up so worried I pick her up and put her on her basking platform! We also introduced a hammoc (she has so far enjoyed snuggling under it instead of in it), some rocks (doesn’t seem to be bothered) and have ordered a grassy plant. I feel like we should swap the ceramic heater for a basking light, but then that would be another big change...Finally, I worry (lol can you tell I’m tearing my head out) as I’ve never seen her actually get onto her basking platfrom herself, only off it. Her preference to be honest seems to be to move as little as possible, so her climbing skills have yet to be seen. It’s not a steep climb and I’ve tried different configurations with the logs that lead to it. My daughter loves her pet but I think is getting quietly disheartened that we are really getting anywhere and I don’t have any answers. I suggested that she persevered picking her up and spending a bit of time in her room with her every day when she comes home from school, but after a first session where she also got to run around the room a bit - which we thought good exercise - she definite Got the hump and curled up under the hammoc for nearly 24 hours. I’m sorry if I’ve made anyone gasp in horror, we are honestly meaning well and just want Mushu to be happy and thrive. Any advice would be massively welcome, thank you!!