LG ~ The Handi-Capable Bearded Dragon

[jscott]

thank you for your replies. from what you described (chemgrl08) my beardie is making regular movements, so that's good. i have heard that sexing dragons is intrusive. after hearing about the bending and pulling and grabbing i have decided it's really not vital information. if i were going to breed or pair my beardie i would see some necessity in knowing it's sex. on the contrary, i believe any "friend" i tryed to pair him with would bully or kill him. i wouldnt mind having another bearded dragon. i just don't think i would feel comfortable putting another dragon with him unless it was severely handicapped as well...

thanks again for all your replies, i'm learning alot!

 

[kirby]

thank you for your replies. from what you described (chemgrl08) my beardie is making regular movements, so that's good. i have heard that sexing dragons is intrusive. after hearing about the bending and pulling and grabbing i have decided it's really not vital information. if i were going to breed or pair my beardie i would see some necessity in knowing it's sex. on the contrary, i believe any "friend" i tryed to pair him with would bully or kill him. i wouldnt mind having another bearded dragon. i just don't think i would feel comfortable putting another dragon with him unless it was severely handicapped as well...

thanks again for all your replies, i'm learning alot!

not to worry, come spring and adult hood if he is a boy he will most likely tell you with some feirce black beards and excessive bobbing..

keep up the good feeding... any news on worms?

 

[momsturges]

Kirby-following this thread, you mentioned that if you saw a pic of a dragon's bum that you could tell male or female, would you mind if I PM'd you my pics & maybe trying to tell what my little dragon is? I am dying to know, it's on my mind every day like a crazy person lol! He is 11 inches & I assume about 3-4 months old as I got him mid April & he was very very tiny like maybe 6 weeks or younger, so maybe you or someone could possibly tell at this age. Please let me know, thanks a bunch!!

Jennifer

 

[kirby]

um sure, ..lol :?

i'd need to see apic of his actual vent, (the pink inner bit) not just the scaley covers.

you may need someone else to take the photo. (how embarising :lol: )

 

[momsturges]

Oh dear I'm not sure he/she would like that lol....I can send you what pics I do have, it's hard to tell....

 

[jscott]

i havent added any pictures for a while but im getting my reptisun 10.0 in a couple days! i plan to add pictures then.

i was wondering, what is the most prefered veggie/fruit for beardies... i want to start introducing new flavors to him. someone said pineapple juice? do i dilute the juice or drop it on his mouth pure?

any help would be great :wink:

 

[momsturges]

i was wondering, what is the most prefered veggie/fruit for beardies... i want to start introducing new flavors to him. someone said pineapple juice? do i dilute the juice or drop it on his mouth pure?

jscott:
It really all depends on each beardie's individual taste which you will find out in time I'm sure lol.....I just made a post in the Feeding forum, the title is:
No grocers in my area carry these veg's

but in there I talked about my beardies fave foods & what he doesn't eat, but mine is a little backwards compared to most, his taste is different than the majority lol. But in that post I listed several safe, fave foods of beardies, & how I found out what mine likes. Try them all, see what he eats & good luck!

p.s. I don't know anything about the pineapple juice....??

This is a very good food chart I go by for feeding my beardie, it's color coded & tells you what you can and cannot feed, also what you can feed occasionally, rarely etc...it's great! I actually make my beardie grocery list with this food list!

 

[girldownunder]

Hi,
I've been monitoring this thread since day one and I, like so many others, just wanted to commend you (and thank you!) for doing such a great job with this little guy! Many people would not have the courage and commitment of you and your little dragon. Delighted to see that he has a new tank
Good luck in the future with your little guy!
I look forward to following your story...
Rach.
p.s. I think he should be named Valiant. (for obvious reasons.)

 

[jscott]

i have been thinking about different design options and this is the one i think is most promising:

basically, i designed this enclosure for my special needs dragon. since he has no fingers or claws i want to put a long gradual ramp along the back portion of his cage. the lower "L-shaped" area would be the same size as the upper "L-shaped area", roughly 15"x18". i would install 2" plexi-glass for gaurd-railing around the upper level to prevent accidents.

exactly how high i will raise the level is still undecided. probably so the top level is 6-8" from the reptisun .

i would probably hang the reptisun over the flat areas, but where would i point his heat light in this setup? maybe, so its hitting an edge of both the top and bottom areas?

also, i was thinking of making a cave under the upper level but i dont know how i want to go about it :? . i was thinking of a big sprawling cave(12"x12") that is open against the glass side so i could see him at all times.

i am VERY excited about this new project and will continue to make updates on my progress :wink: .

 

[jscott]

i'm thinking of ordering these items, i know temperature is important so i want to get it right. instead of copying and pasting across the message boards i'll link you to a thread i already posted:

http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=84127&hilit=

 

[kirby]

i cant say from experience, but i think the ramp and ledge could be troubling for him.

i think, you should custom build a short setup for him, as he wont be climbing all too much.

if you get some plywood, or cheap melamine, you could make a wire top/plexi door top short viv. say 48"X24"X12" and install the tube fitting inside of on the back wall. this way, it will be close enough and he will have alot of 'wriggle space' without the need of a ramp to get him close enough to the uv. he will then always be within reach of uv stimulation (especially with that 36" reptisun 10.0)

this is just my thoughts, as it would be a good size enclosure for an adult, and might make life easy for the little caterpillar.. (oh god, im making nick-names)

you can also use wire mesh over in one corner and place your lamp on this. at 12" you may only need a 60-75 watt to get good surface temps on a peice of slate. and you could use a towel or repti-carpet for him to shuffle about on...

the ledge, even with a 2" barrier, may become an obstacle IMO and something for your curious little beardie to topple over, considering he has no fingers to hold on with, or legs to soften his fall.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The plans look great. Yeah, the ramp is a good idea, but not sure if he could manage not to topple over. You know his movements better than we do however.
Overall, it looks nice & he has plenty of room to get around in.
Definitely mounting your lighting inside wont be a problem since he wont be jumping or climbing onto them, so you have alot of room to modify things there also.
Keep us posted on your updates!

Tracie

 

[jscott]

after reading over the worries you guys had regarding the ramp and ledge i double checked my blue-prints and realized there was no safety ledge on the bottom half of the ramp :shock:!

i re-evaluated saftey measures and i think if you compare them to my prior plans it shows :wink: :

this was my original blue-print

this is after the saftey improvements

this is how i was planning to arrange the reptisun 10.0 and heat lamp

let me know if you think this is any better. i really do value your input, EVERYONE! :wink:

 

[kirby]

sorry if i sound rude, but i dont really like the barrier idea of the plexi wall..

some dragons 'glass dance' because they can see through it, but cant understand why they cant walk through it.. if he did this on the top level under the lamp, especially being somewhat immobile, he may over heat..

even then, blacking out the walls to prevent the above, may confuse him more as he wll egt lost.

i think your best option may be, all flat and perhaps a gentle slop at one end were the lamp is, to aid his digestion and reming him to retreat 'low' to the cool end..

you have to remember, he isnt very mobile or agile and it would be best to have a hazard and obstacle free viv.

i drew this up..

you dont have to worry about barriers. you can create the slope as steep or gentle as you like, depending on his ability. afterall you know him better then us.. you could have some nice slate up on the level to get nice and warm for him..

 

[SaNToX76]

First of all..WOW...I've seen alot in my short life...From my first live death at the age of 5 when a woman and son where run down and splattered infront of my apt. building in FT. Hamilton NY coming off near the verrazzano bridge to rebel militia in colombia tear gasing and shooting police to get food...and all inbetween. But a BD with no legs or arms? God bless people like you. Very sad but you seem to know what your doing, sorry to hear you were recently let go, economy does suck right now...

As for the pineapple juice, you may want to dilute that seeing as how its pretty acidic ( it can break up and speed up human decomposition very well in a tub)

PS- I always came across your thumbnail but never noticed its missing limbs, always thought it had a great back pattern. GL with the set up. :study: