Is my Angel eating enough?

[newtobd]

Hey there beardlovers!

I did my research and set up the tank before I purchased my beardy. The basking temp is 100-110 degrees, cool side is 75-85. I mist twice daily. I give her dandelions, kale, collards etc.. in the morning. She seems to like to scatter it about her home. She doesn't eat that much of it. And her maximum crik diet is 3-4 big ones a day. What I've been reading she should be comsuming more criks, right?. She seems very healthy and happy. She tolerates being held unless she sees her tank, which she will scramble for. She "Angel" doesn't particularily enjoy baths yet. I put down a paper towel and the water temp I measure before i place her in it. Should I be doing something different in regards to her appetite?

p.s. Angel is appx. 5 months old female, 10 1/2 inch long.
Thanks for any help!

 

[shortygirl]

You mention 3-4 "big ones" - the rule of thumb for crickets is no larger than the space between her eyes, at her length I'd say 1/2" should be the max size.

What UVB brand/output do you have & how far from her is it? What substrate is she on & how are you measuring her temps?

~Michelle

 

[newtobd]

When I brought Angel, I also brought the pre-packaged fluorecent tube with housing I believe it was zoo med's reptisun uvb 5.0 product. I brought the small crixs but she wouldn't eat them. When I put in the bigger ones she went chasing after it right away. To measure the temp I have a four paws high range thermometer. She can get within 3 -3 1/2 inch of basking light. And she is on sand.

 

[shortygirl]

Regardless, you should use the space between the eyes rule...too large of a prey item can lead to impactions & those are not fun to deal with. If she's having trouble catching the smaller crickets, try putting them in the freezer for 15-20 seconds, it slows them down. OR you could try worms like silkies, phoenix or butters. Also, roaches are a good feeder item & are more nutritious than crickets. For crickets, she should be eating anywhere from 50-120+ approprietely sized crickets a day, spaced out in 2-3 feedings.

The thermometer, is it a digital with a probe? Stick-ons, dials & other such gauges can be up to 20*F off. The 5.0 is a decent UVB, I prefer the 10.0 personally, it has a higher output & a longer reach. Make sure she can get within 6-8" from it.

What substrate so you have her on?

~Michelle

 

[newtobd]

I just measured the crixs and they are 6/8ths of an inch (just a smidgen over 1/2 inch) in size. The thermo is a stick-on dial. And she is on sand.

 

[shortygirl]

I'd get a digital with a probe or a temp gun, temps are important for these guys and you'll want something accurate to measure them with. You can get either at Wal-Mart, check the gardening section.

For sand, I don't recommend it. Several reasons why
1) it can potentially impact your dragon (particularly if it's the calcium/vita/repti-sands petstores love to sell, it does NOT digest, it clumps like kitty litter in their guts)
2) it's hard to clean & maintain
3) it can house a host of nasty bacterias if it isn't replaced weekly
4) it's a pain in the rear, it's dusty & smelly

Personally, I use non-adhesive shelf liner (Wal-Mart,$8.97) and ceramic tiles (home depot or lowes, about a dollar each). Other people also use paper towels, reptile carpet or non-printed newspaper. Clean sifted children's playsand is an OK choice, but I'd wait til Angel is 15+ inches prior to using it myself. Although, once I changed from sand to shelf liner & tiles, I'll never go back...it cut my tank cleaning time in half & I think my dragons are healthier for the change!

~Michelle

 

[newtobd]

Thank you so much, Michelle! I will definetly try your suggestions.

 

[jaws_of_life]

4-10 crix a day is usually what an ***** at the petstore would tell you to feed but personally if I tried to give Algren just 10 crix a day (if I still fed him crix) he would seriously flip out and bug me till i fed him more. He eats about 25-30 large silkies (at least 2 inches... pre-cocoon size) a day and a fair amount of squash and collard greens which is fair for his 15 inches.