Me & Poopsie

[Animallover17]

Hi everyone I'm animallover17!
I've viewed this site before and decided to join since I have a new beardie. February 26, 2013 was the day I got my first bearded dragon. I was and still am eager,nervous,excited & scared. My beardie is a juvenile female her name is Poopsie (because when I first got her she pooped) her skin is red/orange & her eyes are a yellowish/hazel. She's really smart I taught her to wink so every time she sees me she winks :wink: but you have to wink back or she'll give you the stink eye .

Feeding questions:

I used to feed her six crickets a day but now I've added worms and salad to her diet so now I feed her like 3-2 crickets & 3-4 worms on top of a salad with calcium powder. Once when I was rearranging her rock she jumped down off her stuffie & threw up (this was probably the third or second day I introduced her to worms)this worried me to death. Was her body reacting to the new food? Did I feed her too much? Or was she just doing that as a defense thing to tell me she's tired and wants me to go away? Also she doesn't like me watching her eat(not ALL the time but most of the time). Does this mean she doesn't trust me? Or is it because I giggle when she eats? (Sometimes its just so cute I have to giggle). Also I've been trying to get her to eat from my hand so she'll trust me more she only did it once. Should I had feed for a little while? ~Please respond ~

Shedding questions:

When I first got her she was at the beginning of shedding my question is should I stop holding her until the shedding is done? & is there any other ways to help them shed besides baths?

Brumation question:

What time of the month do they brumate? Is their a certain month that they brumate in is it like a pattern every month or a bunch of different months? What signs should I look for when its her time to brumate? Is it cold or hot outside when they brumate? How long do they brumate? Exactly what age should they brumate? Can they die while brumating?

Breeding questions:

I've heard that females randomly lay unfertilized eggs for no reason is this true or does there have to be a male near for this to happen?
~Please try to respond to my questions & If you can give me any advice I will be very grateful!!~
~Thanks~

 

[daner923]

Hi there! You need to really up the feeding. She should be eating as many crickets as she wants in 10-15 minutes, twice a day. 6 crickets isn't nearly enough. What kind of worms did you feed her? And how big are the worms and crickets, compared to the space between her eyes? What are your basking temps, what kind of thermometer are you using, and what kind of UVB light are you using? What substrate are you using (sand, carpet, tile, etc.)? Those can all effect digestion and could induce vomiting. It wasn't a defensive thing - vomiting is always a sign that something is wrong. Some dragons just don't like to be watched eating.

You don't have to stop holding her during shed, unless she gets stressed or seems unhappy being held. Don't help the shed besides baths.

Brumation is really tricky - it normally happens once a year, but all dragons brumate differently (if at all). Typically it happens in the cold winter months. She won't do it before she is about a year old most likely. Theoretically, they COULD die while brumating, but that is typically because they didn't poop before going to sleep and got very sick, or were already sick before brumation. A healthy dragon should have no issues brumating.

Females can lay unfertilized eggs (not all of them do). They don't need a male for that to happen.

 

[Animallover17]

:shock: I didn't know they ate that much! I mean I've been on this site watching & learning :study: from you guys because I have NO BEARDIE EXPERIENCE what's so ever (such a noob :roll: ). But I thought because she was so small she wouldn't eat that much (at least that's what the pet store lady tolled me) but shes eating fine (she started eating in front of me again ) & she's getting bigger & her colors are getting brighter we have to get more crickets though right now she's eating the worms and the reptile fruit/veggie pellets with calcium.When I get more crickets I'll up the food intake ASAP. I forgot what type of worms they are all I know is that their tan/brown they have like lines on the tops of their body's and the have little feet/legs near their head and when Poopsie (I'm holding her right now she had stress marks so we were having are daily cuddle time :lol: ) eats them they sound crunchy I know I should've remembered but I'm new this is so unprofessional of me :roll:

OK GROSS Poopsie just pooped on my leg like she always does lately like literally there is NO poop in her tank AT ALL she does all her business on me or the floor... But when we first got her she would wait till I set her down in her tank or on a paper towel to poop(like a LADY) but now that she's used to me she just goes while I'm holding her. QUICK QUESTION: Is her poop suppose to have a little white thing in it? This one had I think a head or tail of a worm in it (it wasent that big just a little piece) but the poop it self was BIG I mean for something as little as she is that's a good thing right?

Lights:
The lights may be the problem. When I first got her I got the zilla set up (and I knew I had to get new lights for the set because 1#they were crap and probably going to make her sick and 2# there was no basking light just a day heat light and a night heat light) so I was picking out lights that WORKED like the UVB 10.0. And a basking light (side question: do they really NEED a night heat light or are the just...there) but guess what happened... The stupid non-educated pet store lady talked my mom out of buying the lights she tolled my mom all these lies like "Oh they dont really need that!" "I don't even know why we sell those!" "They can make your lizard sick even kill it." * My face the whole time (-_-) :roll:* *My moms face the whole time (°0°) :shock:* so my mom was convinced and I didn't get the right lights I used the lights the set came with for a little while but it wasn't getting hot enough for me my mom let me use her plant light I was if-y at first (im still if-y)but my mom was like the light is made as a sub for the sun so plants can get light and digest food I tried it she seems fine and the light gets REALLY HOT but I promise im not going to continue to use this light as soon as I can I'm going to get her the proper lights because that's what my girl deserves. I can't remember if she started to puke when I put in the plant light but a part of me thinks she did another part of me is confused.

Her environment seems fine. She has a store bought log (she can bask on top of it or if she gets to hot or scared of visitors she doesn't know she can hide underneath) she also has a rock made and carved by mother nature she loves it , it gives a natural look to her tank and it smells like outside (don't worry I washed it before I put it in their so its clean and theirs no dirt on it but you can never get rid of mother nature's own freshly cut grass smell ) she has brown repti-carpet (it came with then set I wanted to get the green kind that has a bunch in one pack but the store lady tolled me that there would a lot with the set anyways.... She LIED AGAIN....there was only ONE!!! ..... UGGHH I HATE LIARS!! (Sorry I just had to rant) Also I gave her a stuffed animal... its a horse with Kentucky written across its stomach (I got this stuffed horse originally for me as a decoration because I was born in Kentucky and I love horses but I gave it to Poopsie as a labor of love (and yes I cleaned it and before putting it in with her).... She LOVES it by the way she sleeps on it all the time and because its so big she uses it to get closer to the heat or to escape it by hiding behind the stuffie she even marked it by pooping on it...TWICE....now she spends her days pooping on me :?. Also she has a circle thing that sticks on the wall of her tank that shows you the temp (to be honest I don't know the name of any of the best temperature things also do you have to have more than one to take the temp for each spot in the tank? Speaking of her tank.... I know that when they're juveniles/babies & they are living in a big tank sometimes they get so overwhelmed & its hard for them to eat (thats why I got a small tank) but do you think that I should have gotten the bigger one? If in did get the bigger tank then once she got bigger I wouldnt have to switch her out to a different tank & have her adjust to her new surroundings.

Right now she's running around on my bed it is amazing how fast she can run and much energy she has....she always looks at me from the corner of her eye to make sure I'm not watching when she tries to get too far its adorable. :mrgreen:

I have a few more questions though...Exactly how long does shedding last? Also when I hold her or she running around on my floor she always licks. Like if I'm holding her she has to lick the spot she wants to go to first then she'll go to it same if she's on clothes or the bed or ground sometimes I worry she may lick something she's not suppose to. Is the licking a sign of hunger? Or is that just something she does? Please respond I mean its cute but I worry too.

Quick question: When I looked underneath her I saw these itty bitty little dots near & in between her legs that ive never seen there before until today. Does that mean she's sick? (Let it be known that she was a little chilly at the time so she's warming up now) Is it a sign of coldness? I know she get stress marks when she's really cold. Please respond

By the way I know you guys are going to want pics of her but I just this new tablet and I'm not yet use to it if any of you have a nexus 7 and know how to take pics please tell me how.

I JUST REALIZED HOW LONG THIS COMMENT IS... Okay later everyone & if you can answer my questions I'd be very appreciative.

~Thanks and goodbye Animallover17~

 

[daner923]

Okay quite a few things:
1. Food - You should offer food twice a day, as much as she'll eat. DO NOT feed those worms - they are mealworms or superworms. They are not appropriate feeders for young dragons. They can cause impactions, and are not very nutritious. Once she is over 16 inches long, she can eat supers, but mealworms are really nothing but an occasional treat. Stick with the crickets.
2. Poop - The white thing is a urate. That is how they pee. Totally normal. It should be moist and soft, not hard and chalky. If the urate is hard, she is dehydrated. The piece of worm is exactly why you shouldn't feed mealworms - if one gets lodged in her intestinal tract, it could do serious damage to her health.
2. Lights - The basking light should be a bright white light - either a reptile basking bulb or just a clear household light bulb. The wattage isn't important, but the temps are. I'll come back to temps. UVB - the only one you should use is the ReptiSun 10.0 TUBE. Otherwise, it isn't going to be right for her. Those plant lights are not right for a dragon - they have light spectrums good for plants, but not for an animal. You actually shouldn't use a night time bulb - colored lights disturb sleep and hurt their eyes. You want the room to be almost completely dark for sleeping for them. If it stays above 65F at night, you don't need anything. If it is below 65F, you would need a ceramic heat emitter.
3. Tank - You should take the natural rock and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes to kill any bacteria that survived the washing. What size tank is she currently in? The minimum recommended is a 20 gallon tank, and you will need the 40 breeder pretty soon anyways. I would upgrade soon. Personally, I don't like reptile carpet - it is safe, but it has to be cleaned constantly and can breed bacteria. I highly recommend slate tiles as a substrate as they are easy to clean and keep nails trim.
4. Shedding - It depends on age, humidity, and other factors. Typically, a little one will shed a body part in a 1-2 weeks. As they get older, it takes a bit longer. When the heat is on in the house, and the air gets dry, it also takes longer. Daily baths during a shed will help a lot!
5. Licking - Totally normal! This is how they find out what is around them - they kinda taste/smell that way. Nothing to worry about, just don't leave anything toxic lying around.
6. "Dots" - These are under the back legs, correct? Those are called femoral pores. They get bigger with age. They will always be there. Totally normal .
7. Pics - Upload to imgur or photobucket, copy the img link, and paste it here. That's it!

 

[Animallover17]

Oh my gosh thanks... & sorry for not replying for so long I've been busy A LOT lately :roll:.
Okay first things first... I found out that my female juvenile is actually a male which I'm totally fine with its just I'm so used to the girlish name "Poopsie" & can't stop calling him that :roll:.

Food: Also about the meal worms.. I had no clue they could do so much damage to the babies & this worries me since I've been feeding him these worms for 3 months now & I'm hoping they didn't do any internal damage I'll have to buy some safer worms & save the ones I have for when he's older. I'm also feeding him wax worms & the pet store guy that sold me them said they can make him fat so I don't give him many... Now if there's ANYTHING wrong with feeding him wax worms please tell me I would very much appreciate it.

Lights: Also I did get him a new heat light & UVB 10.0 bulb ( is it still okay if I have the bulb & not the tube I'll eventually get the tube but I want to know if the bulb will work until then) & you said that they don't really need night lights which I knew but I worry about him getting cold at night & the light never really bothered him but I'll take it away if it could hurt. When he gets cold should I drop everything and get him some heat ASAP or does it just mean he's cold and I shouldn't really worry about it (please respond).

Poop: Thank you for telling me thats just how they pee I was really worried he was sick or something. Now that I know I'm going to make sure he's not dehydrated.

Substrate: You are right about the repti-carpet the slate tiles you mentioned sound interesting especially the part were you said they were clean & keep nails trip. Were can I find slate tiles & what do they look like?

Tank: Also I think I have a 20 gallon its not huge but not big either its recommended for juvenile beardies.

Okay I think that's it! Thanks for all the help & if you can help me more I'd be so grateful!

~ Thanks again Animallover17 ~

 

[Animallover17]

Quick quick question what types of worms CAN babies eat? I can still give him crickets but I also like to have a variety of different foods to give him in the morning,noon,& night .

Please respond

~Thanks Animallover17~

 

[morphmom]

A baby can eat Horn Worms (excellent nutrition and source of moisture), Phoenix Worms (excellent source of natural calcium), Wax Worms (high in fat but a good treat for a babe), Butter Worms, Silk worms (Contain an enzyme called serrapeptase, this has properties that make calcium absorption more efficient, can reduce inflammation, pain and best of all it can break down arterial plaque) and even Super Worms (High phosphorus, dust to increase calcium)
The super worm controversy:
Super worms make a good staple at any age. The issue here is size. Little dragons can have little supers. They go through the body the same way a cricket would. The benefit to a super is that they are less likely to contain a parasite when compared to a cricket.
Here's a link for the size of super that is appropriate:
http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=86
Here's a link for a great nutritional chart that's color coded
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Hope that helps :wink: