Meet Jimmy....and diet question

[JimmysMom]

Hi everyone, here is Jimmy

We got him yesterday from a really nice family that didn't have the time to take care of him. He has adapted rather well and has taken a real liken to his new daddy, my boyfriend, Cliff. And even fell asleep on me earlier today. Too cute.

The owners had told me he was about 2 yrs old. But I am not too sure of that, we measured him today and he is roughly a foot long.

If his age is true I would expected him to be larger....but honestly it doesn't surprise me. 1. He was in a 10 gallon tank when we got him. We moved him into a 40 gallon breeder. 2. He doesn't seem to like his veggies. We have tried a few things so far, and he has eaten some Kale. Tomorrow we are gonna try something colorful, like squash and red peppers. 3. They were using a coil uvb bulb. We are in the process of installing a tube light instead.

My only confusion really is.....What should he be getting protein wise? We have given him crickets, which he loves, but how much should he be getting? And when? I have been reading up on the dietary needs but I can not find anything on a stunted 2 yr old. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for helping....I love this site!!!!!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, Jimmy is very small but thankfully he appears to be healthy as far as bone development, he's also a leatherback [ and very pretty ] Let him eat about 10 medium crickets 2X a day for starters. He may be able to eat more but go slow at first and then you can up the amount a bit if you like after you are sure he can handle that many without getting sick.

 

[JimmysMom]

Thanks AHBD....
I will get him some medium crickets tomorrow. What are your thoughts on calcium powder on the crickets? The old owner gave us some without D3....

 

[CooperDragon]

Crickets should usually be dusted in calcium powder at every meal but the formulations can vary so defer to the instructions on the brand you are using. As far as D3 vs noD goes, that comes down to the type of lighting you're using in my opinion. If you're using a high UVB output lighting such as a mercury vapor bulb or a T5 tube, then you're likely providing UVB that is similar to natural sunlight so they can synthesize D3 on their own - no D3 supplement needed. If you're using a lower output bulb like a T8 or a coil at distance then a D3 supplement may be needed. It's still a bit of gray area but that's the guideline I go by for now.

 

[AHBD]

I like to have both kinds [ with and without D3 ] on hand. That's because I've used mercury vapor bulbs at times , and it's better to use the D3 once a week only and the calcium without the other 2 times for young dragons, once a week with each for adults.

 

[JimmysMom]

Thank you so much....so far this is what I was thinking....


Fresh Salad in the morning...contents varied
10 Med Crickets at lunch time
Fresh Salad around 4 or 430
10 Med Crickets at 7

My timing is based on when my boyfriend and I are always home....



Now....more questions...I've been looking at T5 fixtures. With his tallest platform at 8 inches from the mesh, should it be mounted inside or out? We have to use a screen due to kids and cats. Which fixture and lamp would you suggest?

We also have a basking light and red heat lamp. I turn them all off at bedtime and the tank stays at 70 - 75 degrees throughout the night. I will be getting a ceramic heater soon as well, just in case, for winter time.

Our humidity is at 50% after we took the water bowl out....should it be lower? If so we will need a dehumidifier for the room....where we live there is marsh land nearby.

Ya'll are the best!!!!

 

[AHBD]

Reptisun 10.0 t5 is an excellent bulb and can be set on the screen top. Your humidity is fine at 50%, you'll have no problem with that. And the feeding schedule sounds good, but if you can give him the 2nd meal of crix a little bit earlier it will give him more time to digest them. Salad once a day will be plenty....he may not have as much interest in it but it should be provided anyway. Greens like turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion, cilantro and a variety of squash are great items for it.

 

[JimmysMom]

Thanks again

Daddy is on cricket duty...which I know he loves.

So morning salad..afternoon crickets...and more crickets at 430. How much salad would you suggest?

Reflector on lamp? I am glad you said outside...I like it better there.

Even more happy you said the humidity was good....was worried....I overly worry, no doubt.

We gave him a water bath, I am sure it was his first, he squirmed around a lot. But relaxed and let me hold him in a baby doll bath tub, lol, and daddy gently pour water on his body and drip some around his mouth that he licked up. It was sweet. I was wondering how many baths should he get?