Me and My Dragon

[Lpsouth1978]

Hello everyone, my name is Lyle and I just got my very first dragon, Phil (will become Philis if it turn out Phil is a female). I have been lurking here on the site for a couple of weeks doing research and reading a lot in preparation for getting a dragon. I have had Iguanas in the past and have had salt and freshwater aquariums for most of my life, but I am excited about adding Phil to the family.

So far he seems VERY happy in his new home. I got him yesterday and almost immediately he began basking. after a few hours I put a mealworm in the tank and he immediately pounced on it. Then I added a few crickets and again he hunted them with great excitement. He has not yet pooped but I am hoping that he will have done that by the time I get home from work today. If not I will give him a nice bath and see if that gets him going.

Anyway, I am excited to join the community and continue to learn about my wonderful new pet! And now a couple of pictures of my little guy.

 

[Thebeardedlady]

He's so cute! How old is he? He looks about the same size as my Linda.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I honestly have no Idea how old he is. I got him from Petsmart with no way of knowing his age. He is about 6-7 inches (tail included). He was the largest and most colorful one they had. I really like him and he is so easy to handle!! Even at such a young age he seems to be perfectly ok with me picking him up an holding him anytime I want.

 

[Thebeardedlady]

He's probably about the same age as Linda then. She's about 7 inches including tail. You're lucky he lets you hold him so much. Linda likes a cuddle, especially at night when she goes to sleep, but she is still quite skittish if anybody walks past the viv and surprises her!

Is your one eating ok? Linda eats about 8-10 crix in the morning and then isn't interested for the rest of the day. She won't touch her veg either. My old dragon that died would eat everything in sight so I'm not used to Linda's fussiness!

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Mine has also not touched the veggies, but loves his crickets and REALLY likes mealworms. He had 3 meal worms and 5 crickets yesterday. This morning he had 5 crickets and I will try to give home some more when I get home tonight.

Yeah, I am very happy that he is not skittish at all. He actually just watches me any time I come near his cage. When I reach in to pick him up he just sits there until I have him off the ground and then he will get situated in my hand. It is pretty cool. The guy at the pet store referred to dragons as "a dog in a lizards body". So far I think that is a pretty good way to describe him.

 

[Thebeardedlady]

It sounds like Phil eats about the same amount as Linda then. That's made me feel a bit better. I thought she was anorexic!

Does Phil like having his head stroked? Linda loves it! She shuts her eyes and her stress marks disappear. She looks so much more colourful when she's relaxed too. Beardies are a lot like dogs actually! But I think they're more interesting. I love watching them eat! They're like tiny dinosaurs!

 

[zandi202]

Phil is a cute little bugger.

My only suggestion is ditch the mealworms. They're bad for beardies and can cause impaction. Repti/phoenix/calci worms, baby horns, and baby silks are good for adding variety.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Phil is a cute little bugger.

My only suggestion is ditch the mealworms. They're bad for beardies and can cause impaction. Repti/phoenix/calci worms, baby horns, and baby silks are good for adding variety.

I was looking into ordering some phoenix worms today but I will have to wait until next week to order them. I had read that you do not want mealworms to be a staple, but they were good as treats. Am I wrong in that?

Does Phil like having his head stroked? Linda loves it! She shuts her eyes and her stress marks disappear. She looks so much more colourful when she's relaxed too.

He does. He has only been with me for just over 24 hours and still has a lot of stress marks, but he seems to calm down when I hold him and closes his eyes when I "pet" his head.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Can anyone tell me if it is possible for the humidity to be too low for a BD? I have been told that it should be between 20 and 30%. My hygrometer says that the humidity in the habitat is only at 10%. Is this ok? By the way I am using digital thermometers and hygrometer.

 

[zandi202]

I don't believe so.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

More pics of Phil taken tonight. These really show off the colors and patterns that convinced me to choose him over all the other little beardies. You can really see all of the orange and red that are so intense on him.

 

[zandi202]

He is very handsome

 

[Thebeardedlady]

Beautiful! He's so handsome!

 

[jacody]

gorgeous baby.. just offer greens w/ grated squash everyday even if they never touch it.... eventually they'll eat, but @ this stage they just want live food.. it's lots more fun.......

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Still doing well. He is still showing a lot of stress marks. I am hopeful they will start to disappear soon. I gave him a bath this morning and then fed him. He devoured 8 crickets this morning. That is his record for one sitting so far. As far as I can tell he seems pretty happy, other than the stress marks, but that's to be expected at this point isn't it?