I picked up malachi last week from florida, brought him/her home, and set up a temporary habitat in a large plastic tote. I am currently waiting on a wood enclosure from customwoodreptilecages.com. The problem is that my beardie is viscious. He/she has bitten me once and backs up and hisses whenever i get near the tote. Also, I just read on the forum about calcisand so at lunch I went home and removed all of it out of the tote. He/she is eating well but ive only seen two stools since I brought it home.
I'm just guessing, but is this beardie an adolescent ? I also wonder how often Malachi was handled at his former home. Just give him time to adjust to you and the enclosure, and again when his new home arrives,. Newly adopted bds tend to be spastic the first several weeks . You did great removing that sand, all sorts of un happy endings possible. Just be patient, and I am sure he will come around and recognize you are his new personal slave (wink).
You can try to make the same sound when approaching, and try stroking his head and back gently to calm him down, or offer a treat (a piece of his salad, safe fruit, or "meat" insect.) Once he realizes you are providing him nice things, I am sure he will be lounging on your shoulder !
Hope this helps,
Janie.
Thanks,
My son and I try to pet him at least twice a day. We feed him collard greens and mill worms by hand also. I just gave him his first bath and he let me handle him in the tub. I was going to put pictures of my temporary set up on here but cant figure out how. Hes still a punk!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, the lights need some adjusting. For one you can save $$ by exchanging that repti bullb with a house hold flood light. For UVB Reptisun 10.0 tube.
Instead of flukers you can get an ounce of water crystals that makes a gallon of water, and use the ends of your veggies for the dragon too.
Ah I see you do have a juvenile. Most dragons need at least 2 weeks of minimum handling to acclimate to their new environments. Other than Bath time, 3-4 times a week, just let him get used to things.
I see on the gun 78* is this the cool end ? If so that's fine, make sure temps don't drop below 60* at night. Basking temps should be somewhere around 100-120*F.
UVB should be within 4-8" away from the dragon, basking bulb no closer than 8" if possible to maintain temps.
Hope this helps
Janie.
Just an update. Malachi has been doing better. He has had at least one bowel movement a day for the past couple of days. He is eating allot, and he has started to shed. He still acts like a punk. I read on this site about a person who takes their dragons outside and they have a reaction even when an airplane flies over. I'm thinking he has problem with arms and hands coming down on top of him so now I try to come at him fro the opposite end of the enclosure. I'm not sure if it has made a difference yet because of the shedding (Ive also read they are touchy while shedding). There is a lot of info on this forum. Well anyway thanks for your replies.
Oh, by the way, as you can see I did find out how to post pictures and how to change the avatar, it was posted in one of the topics also. Great website
When you pick him up come from the front and move slowly. Put your hand under his front side. Sometimes they can become scared if they're being picked up from the top or back because they think you are a predator trying to eat them. Also it looks like you are feeding him large crix. Make sure that you don't offer him any food that is larger than the space between his eyes because this can cause impaction. When I got my beardie I spent countless hours reading threads on here. If you use the search tool you can find almost any answer and if you can't find it there are always lots of people who are willing to help.. Good luck with your new little guy and be patient with him. Our Scorch came home as a nervous little baby and now is the calmest and most loving dragon we could hope for. So hang in there it is sooo worth it!